Lincoln
“Well, you’re not a face I expected to see this morning.”
Drew came into the office of the hotel chain just as I was looking through some applications. I had to be honest with myself, I was a bit stunned when I realized who Miss Wilson was. And honestly, it was not going to be kosher for the two of us to continue working underneath one another. So, I came into the office to take a look at the applications Drew had set aside when hiring Amelia.
I needed someone else running this hotel expansion.
“What are you doing?” Drew asked.
“Just looking through these applications,” I said.
“Why?” he asked.
“I’m thinking about hiring another applicant for Miss Wilson’s position,” I said.
“Are you insane?” he asked. “What the hell happened between Friday and today?”
“I just think we hopped on this train a bit too fast is all,” I said.
“Lincoln, she’s perfect for the job. Her personality and spunk fit in well with this company, she harnessed a roomful of men who were there to tear her apart, and you were hanging onto every word in the boardroom meeting when she was talking ideas.”
“I just think we should interview other people is all,” I said.
“I’m calling bullshit. What gives? What’s really going on here? What happened to trusting me with this part of the company?” he asked. “Why in the world would you think anyone could do this job better than Amelia Wilson?”
“I believe I would be interested in knowing that answer as well.”
I whipped my head up from the file when I heard her voice and looked towards the doorway. There she stood, with her stern gaze and her tall posture, and all of a sudden I felt as if I was in trouble. I was standing in the offices of a hotel chain I owned, yet I felt like I was in trouble with the principle.
What the fuck was up with that?
“Have I done something to upset you already, Mr. Collins?” she asked.
“No,” I said.
“Have I done something against protocol?”
“No,” I said.
“Have I done something unruly or obscene?” she asked.
I raised my gaze to lock with hers as her tongue darted out to lick her lips. She was leaning against the doorframe, like a predator stalking her prey, and that was when I knew we needed to have a conversation. I still wasn’t convinced that the two of us could work together given our past relationship. At the very least, we needed to talk.
“Miss Wilson—”
“Amelia,” she said.
“Miss Wilson,” I said, as if I hadn’t heard, “would you care to have lunch with me today? I believe we have some things to discuss.”
“Don’t worry, Amelia. He won’t fire you unless he’s got approval from me,” Drew said.
“Is that so?” I asked.
“You gave me hiring and firing power as well as your trust. You don’t get to swoop in and undo my decision without a very good reason,” he said.
I knew the look he was giving me. It was the ‘you don’t get to fire her because you want to fuck her’ look. Oh, if he only knew the history we already had. The night we had shared, both drunk in that hotel room six years ago. The night I felt her skin beneath my fingertips and marked every inch of her body I could taste. The night we showered together, bathed together, rubbed each other down before fucking each other stupid.
If only he knew the sounds that echoed off the corners of my mind when she walked into a room.
“You had your chance to interview her, and while the boardroom meeting was impressive, I still have my doubts,” I said.
“So, this whole trust thing between you and I is a simple fallacy, right? We’ve already sent out packets of information with her name and signature on them to the investors. She’s in,” he said.
“And she can be out at any point in time,” I said, avoiding her gaze.
“Don’t worry, Drew. I’ve got this. You can take me to lunch, Mr. Collins. I believe a strong drink or two may be in order,” she said.
“Since when did the two of you hit a first-name basis?” I asked.
“Since Drew didn’t attempt to take my job from me because of his own personal insecurities.”
I hardened my gaze as Drew snickered in the background. Clearly, she and I had quite a bit to talk about, and that mouth was one of the things I wanted to bring up. If we were going to have a kosher working relationship, the air needed to be cleared on several different topics and lines needed to be laid so everyone knew not to cross them.
The truth of the matter was, I knew she would be good for the company. She had an intimidating presence about her that apparently shook even myself a bit whenever she walked into a room, and that was hard to find in a businesswoman. But, our past and the decisions I made were most certainly going to affect things.
Especially if she kept giving me the steely stare she currently was.
“I will see you at noon for lunch. There’s a place around the corner I always go to, Drew will tell you where it is,” I said.
“I will see you then, Mr. Collins.”
“Would you like me to be at the lunch, Amelia?” Drew asked.
“That won’t be necessary,” I said.
“I wasn’t asking you, Lincoln.”
I watched him turn his gaze back to Amelia who simply shook her head lightly. What the hell was going on? How the hell did I become the bad guy? How in the world did this woman swoop in and wrap my business partner around her finger so quickly? I owned this company, for fuck’s sake. She didn’t get to dictate the rules or make the final decisions around here.
All that shit came to me.
“That won’t be necessary,” she said. “I’ll be just fine with Mr. Collins here, won’t I?”
“I am sure you will hold your own just fine. I’ll see you right at noon, Miss Wilson. And good morning,” I said.
“Love the little afterthought there,” she said. “See you at noon.”
Brushing past her, I couldn’t help but turn my head to take one last look at her. She was watching me as I walked away and I could tell she wasn’t happy. She had every reason to be upset with me—both now and back then—so I decided I would give this lunch a decent shot. I would lay it all out there on the table, and if she decided to take it she could keep her job.
If not, I already had three applicants in mind that I was willing to interview today.
Arriving at the restaurant right at noon, I scanned the area for her. I got us a table in a dimly-lit corner so we could have a bit of privacy, but with every minute that ticked by I felt my frustration growing. If there was one thing I absolutely abhorred, it was tardiness. It wasted my time, it wasted her time, and it wasted precious time I could be working and building what it was I had set out to build.
Every single second past noon was another reason to fire her. For someone who wanted to keep this job—for someone who was qualified for this job—she really didn’t seem to put much stock into impressing the man that owned the company that hired her. Ten past noon rolled around without her in sight, and I’d decided then and there that she was done.
If she couldn’t show up for a simple lunch date, then I couldn’t trust her to take my hotel company to the next level.
Just as I got up from my seat and buttoned my suit coat, I heard the telltale sounds of high heels softly clacking against the floor. She walked with the same grace she had in the bar that night, and it was the long striding of her legs that caught my gaze before our eyes connected.
Here she was, the woman I’d fucked and left alone in a hotel room that night six years ago, ready and waiting to have this conversation with me.
“Miss Wilson,” I said.
“Mr. Collins,” she said, nodding. “You wanted to speak.”
“Yes,” I said. “Why don’t you take a seat?”