CHAPTER SIX

Trevor

After lunch, I drove back to my apartment to study the folder Simon had given me of their last deal. I was determined to come in tomorrow with good questions.

I wanted this job to work out even if my reasons were selfish. After I learned the ropes of mergers and acquisitions, I hoped to branch out on my own and focus on real estate. Not only did I wish to break away from my father’s name, but I also desired to do something completely different. I wished to build something from the ground up and take pride in all of the details, whether it was an office building or apartments.

My father did not understand that desire to make my own path when he’d made one for me. He’d lived his life as the CEO of Newhall Oil and Gas, and now going into his twilight years, he was putting in a bid to become the mayor of Houston. I was well aware that part of the reason he was anxious I take over the helm of his company was that he wanted to shift his focus to politics.

The problem was I didn’t need a backseat driver in my career. Didn’t want someone to mold me and shape me into what his idea of a CEO should be, telling me every step of the way what I was doing wrong. Instead, I wanted to pave the way for my own dreams. That meant paying my dues, which I could do by working for Simon and learning how to find investors and make deals. And which also meant I’d have to be the one to deliver the message people were losing their jobs.

Fuck. That was the part I wasn’t sure I could do. I’d been raised to have empathy for people. Telling them they’d lose their livelihood didn’t compute. I could only hope that once we got to that point I’d be able to handle it.

I was pleased to see my sister returning from the gym in her rental car when I pulled in. It was a good sign she wasn’t wallowing in misery over her ex. “Did you manage to get a workout without ruining anyone’s day this time?”

She frowned, falling in step with me. “Not funny as I still feel horrible. But yes, I did manage to simply pay the daily fee this time. And apologize to Jeremy again for my bitchy behavior yesterday.”

“Good.”

“I thought I might meet a girlfriend from college for dinner tonight.”

I was pleased she wanted to get out. And maybe a friendly shoulder to cry on would be a good thing. “Yeah?”

“Yes. We figured we’d do a little retail therapy, then polish it off with some food and cocktails.”

Damn. Evidently Emma’s little talk had done a lot of good for my sister’s self-esteem. “Good.” And maybe that meant I could make dinner plans of my own this evening.

Ones which involved a certain pretty brunette.

***

Luckily, my living room window overlooked the parking lot. The minute I saw Emma slipping out of her white BMW at six thirty, I walked my dog Rufus down the stairs and onto the sidewalk. Yeah, so I was a bit of a stalker. But the fact she lived here perfectly solved the challenge of seeing her outside of the office.

Since hitting a growth spurt at age fifteen, I’d never had much of an issue gaining female attention. I’d dated my fair share of women, but this one—She intrigued the hell out of me.

“Well, howdy, neighbor.”

Emma about jumped out of her skin. It was obvious she hadn’t looked up to see who was walking towards her. This might be Dallas, but she still should be more aware of her surroundings.

“Jesus, you scared me. What are you doing here?”

She stepped up onto the sidewalk in those impossibly tall stilettos which had my cock taking notice. How she possibly walked in those things I’d never know, but they were sexy as hell.

“This is where I’m staying. Was just out walking my dog.”

I watched as her eyes widened and focused on my mastiff. He might seem intimidating with his one hundred and fifty pounds in a brindle color of caramel and black, but in reality, he was a big goofball.

“That’s not a dog. It’s a beast.”

“Nah. He’s harmless. In fact, he likes the pretty girls. Rufus, this is Emma. Emma, this is Rufus. You wanna pet him?”

She shook her head, stepping back. “Nope, not even a little bit. Have a good walk, and see you later.”

But unfortunately, Rufus had other ideas. He chose that moment to shake his head and send slobber flying from his jowls. One particular string hit Emma right across the chest as if in epic slow motion.

“Oh, my God.” She stood frozen, a look of complete horror on her face.

“Shit. I apologize. Here, let me get it. I always carry a drool cloth with me as he does tend to get a tad messy.” I didn’t even think, simply wiped the egg-white-like drool from her chest, pausing only when I realized she continued to stand there stunned, and I’d been too personal.

“Sorry. I’m happy to pay for the dry cleaning.”

Finally snapping out of it, she stepped away quickly. “No. No. Don’t bother. Good night.”

As soon as she’d disappeared up the stairs, I turned to my goofy boy. “So much for being a good wingman. Let’s finish our walk, so I can go and attempt damage control.”