Chapter 1
Ryder Tompkins sat at the head of the large cherry wood conference table in the largest conference room. Normally he wouldn’t pull a power move such as this because it just wasn’t his style, but desperate times and all that. The company his mother started with his step father, Edu-Tech Industries, had not been doing well for the past few quarters and as CEO it was his job to figure out why. So he needed to project power and authority, no matter what anyone at the table thought of him. Especially his step brother, Hunter. “Does anyone want to tell me why sales have been stagnant for almost a year?”
Hunter stiffened immediately, his defenses in place and ready to attack anyone who dared suggest this was his fault in any way. He stared at Ryder, who stared right back at him. “I guess this is my fault, right? You wouldn’t know a goddamned thing about bringing in new business Ryder because you spend so much time behind your precious desk!” Arms crossed defensively, Hunter arched a thick blonde brow in his direction. The gauntlet had been thrown and in front of others too.
Ryder was frustrated because, dammit, he didn’t know much about bringing in new business because his mom and Jonas had never even let him try. Hunter is the outgoing one, they said. He’s friendly and charming, let him have this. They had cajoled and manipulated until Ryder gave up and stop wanting to do it. He’d done exactly as they’d asked but not asked, which was why he stared at two quarters of dismal sales. “That may be the case Hunter, but it isn’t my job. It’s yours.” He watched the emotions play over Hunter’s mossy green eyes. Hurt and anger morphed into arrogant indifference, his default emotional setting. “Now, I’m not blaming anyone specifically,” he sent a meaningful glare to Hunter, “but we need to figure out what the problem is and how to correct it. Any suggestions?”
“Actually, I’ve been thinking.” Cressly Parker cleared his throat and spoke up. The man was as competent as they came, but he’d proven better at managing the business development department than bringing it in. “I think what we need is a marketing specialist. Hunter is doing a damn fine job, but he can only do so much to reach out to all the organizations that need our products.”
Ryder leaned in. “I’m listening.”
A small smile passed Cressly’s lips. “We, well Hunter has been doing his thing. Meeting with potential customers but,” he flashed Hunter an apologetic look, “these bureaucracies take forever to make decisions, sign contracts and agree on budgets. So we will likely see the fruits of his labor but it could be another two quarters from now.”
Ryder looked to Hunter, who seemed stunned by the support of his boss, and then back to Cressly. “Sound good. Really good Cressly. Do you have any contacts we could use?”
“Yes Mr. Tompkins, I’ll get them to you right away.” He gave Ryder a nervous smile.
“Thanks. And call me Ryder.” He didn’t like formality, especially when it came to men decades older than him. He refocused on his step brother. “Hunter is there anything you need that could help?”
His green eyes blazed furiously and he visibly bristled. “I’m not some special needs kid you have to keep after, brother.”
Ryder’s jaws clenched in frustration and he released a weary sigh. “Dammit Hunter you don’t think I know that? I’m just trying to make sure we’re doing everything we can to bring in new business and this business keeps growing.” Slamming closed the leather folder, his piercing blue eyes held an icy glare. “Not everything is about you Hunter. My job is to make sure my employees have everything they need to succeed and whether you like it or not, that includes you.”
Cressly and the others read the room correctly and quickly gathered their things, beating a hasty retreat before the atmosphere became too volatile. “I’ll have Mimi send everyone a copy of the notes today,” Ryder said to their retreating backs.
Hunter sat staring up at Ryder, who stood reining in his anger, resentment the only emotion in his eyes. He hated, still hated the fact that Ryder was made CEO. Even though the job seemed boring as fucking hell, he still would have liked to be considered for the job. But no, his parents had insisted he’d be better at business development because he was charming and had that damned party boy persona. Truthfully he really did like schmoozing boring educators and administrators at expensive meals, it was fun and he was damn good at it. But then moments like this brought home the fact that Ryder was the boss. His boss. “Sure boss. Whatever you say.”
Ryder didn’t react because he knew that’s what Hunter wanted. “So you have everything you need, then?”
Hunter stood, mossy green eyes level with velvety blue ones. “I just said I did.”
“Then why have we gone six months with no new business?”
“You heard what Cressly said,” he practically growled at his brother.
Ryder stared at Hunter long and hard, skepticism making it hard to believe him. “That may explain some of it, but I’ve seen your expense reports and it doesn’t make sense so you need a better answer than that.”
Hunter snatched up his deep red leather folder. “Sure thing, boss man. I’ll have answers for you soon.” He stood and gave Ryder’s assistant and friend, Mimi, a meaningful look before he fled.
Ryder scoffed and shook his head as he gathered his things. Every single meeting with Hunter ended the same way. He was overly sensitive and always ready to fight about anything, no matter how insignificant. He couldn’t even worry about his brother right now because he had other things on his mind.
“You know Ryder, you could take it easier on him.” Mimi gave him the same soft and sympathetic look she’d given him when he’d been upset about gaining a new brother.
Ryder sighed and looked at one of his oldest friends. “I could but what good would it do?” The truth was that Hunter only listened when Ryder flexed his muscles, which he hated to do. “He knows he screwed up but refuses to own up to it because it’s me. I can deal with it at Mom and Jonas’ house but not at work.” If Hunter wasn’t his brother with a stake in the company, he would have fired him long ago.
Mimi patted his shoulder sympathetically. She’d spent the past two decades watching Ryder and Hunter compete, fight and antagonize each other over any and every damn thing. If there was a first place to be had, a winner or loser, you could guarantee they would battle to the death for it. It was exhausting to watch and she loved them both, albeit in different ways. Hunter was the difficult brother, the one you had to peel back layers to see he was a decent guy while Ryder easy going and level-headed. Hunter was charming and Ryder could be awkward. “I get that Ry, but as the CEO you have to be the bigger man. That’s why they pay you the big bucks.”
Ryder huffed out a laugh. “When did you get so smart Mimi?”
“I’ve always been smart, you just didn’t know how smart until you were lucky enough to hire me.”
He smiled at her. “Best decision I ever made.”
***
Skylar Morris was running late for a meeting with a potential client and a big one. Edu-Tech Industries was the premier educational software provider. They made educational games, learning aids and even software to help those with learning disorders, and best of all their products were affordable and had recently been endorsed by several homeschooling organizations. She had been looking forward to this meeting since it was put on the books a week ago. They were a big deal and signing with them would be an even bigger deal for her fledgling marketing company that, right now was made up mostly of her and her best friend Kendra Brooks, an office assistant and one social media manager. In another year they would need more employees for their loft office.
Unfortunately Skylar still had about ten blocks to go and only twenty minutes to make it to the building and up to the fifteenth floor. Dammit she knew she should have just taken her car from the parking structure near the office, but it was a nice day and she needed the time to clear her head before meeting with Ryder Tompkins. He had a reputation for being hard to read, exceedingly professional but fair.
She made it to the Tompkins-Cross Building with five minutes to spare and counted that as a win. As long as the elevators aren’t out of service, she thought as she slid between the closing doors. At the fifteenth floor she checked in with the receptionist and ducked into the bathroom to freshen up. She felt poised and confident, ready to handle a meeting with the company CEO. That in itself was odd, since she normally dealt with creative directors or sometimes business development managers. Sitting in the plush lobby on a white leather chair—so typical—she spotted a gorgeous man with a flop of blond hair, eyes so green they had to be fake and swagger for days. He threw her a charming smile she was sure made most women swoon. Not Skylar though. The man fell squarely in the man candy category as far as she was concerned, but she conceded he was probably a major player. It didn’t matter to her though. He was nice to look at, the end.
A few minutes later the pretty blond receptionist led her into a glass walled conference room that tech companies were so fond of these days. Inside the room she gave the blond a friendly smile and turned to find a tall man with short dark chocolate hair and hypnotizing blue eyes. His smile was friendly and professional but his posture was stiff and controlled. He flicked a button and the transparent walls were instantly opaque. Damn but Ryder Tompkins was a beautiful work of art. “Ms. Morris, thank you for coming. I’m Ryder Tompkins,” he extended a hand.
Skylar accepted the shake and her own hazel eyes widened in surprise at the jolt that went through her body. She ignored it and what it might mean because she didn’t have the time to deal with tingles. “Mr. Tompkins thanks you for meeting with me.”
He smiled and she had to grab on to the edge of the table to stop her knees from wobbling. The blond was gorgeous but Ryder was, he was breathtaking and extremely…potent. “No problem. Shall we get started?”
He sounded so stiff and formal she relaxed a bit. It was easier to settle down when a man that looked like him was brusque and obviously uninterested. “Yes lets.” She outlined her company’s goal and narrowed in on how she could help ETI. He gave her his full attention, jotting down notes without taking his eyes off her. It was disconcerting to have his full attention on her, but it also endeared him to her in a way she was unused to. “I’m confident my company can help you improve your numbers in the next two quarters, maybe three, and create a plan for long-term and constant growth.” She exhaled slowly so he wouldn’t see it when she was finished, and gave him a relaxed smile.
Ryder was impressed. Hell, he was more than impressed and it wasn’t just with Ms. Morris’ stunning looks which she played down. But her confident presentation, efficient manner of asking questions and the way she easily answered his questions had impressed him plenty. “What can you do that is likely to work in the next four months?” She gave him another killer smile and pushed a copper curl behind her ear.
“I think our first plan of attack has to be on your turf, so to speak. By that I mean we need traditional glossy ads in educational journals, magazines and catalogs. We need targeted social media ads visited by administrators and executive, plus search ads based on our keyword algorithm.” Skylar took a deep breath and threw him a disarming smile and started again. “Then we need to hit conventions and fairs where your development manager will get a chance to speak with decision-makers. Pretty much phase one is to infiltrate the education community so they can’t open a magazine or catalog or Facebook page without seeing an ETI product.”
Ryder was struck by the extent of her beauty when her face was relaxed in a smile. Her copper hair looked like flames licking the space around her heart shaped face and drawing attention to her sharp cheekbones and pouty lips. He couldn’t take his eyes off her until she called his name several times. “Thank you Ms. Morris,” he stood and straightened his tie unnecessarily. “Your presentation was fantastic, exactly the combination of traditional and modern that we need right now.”
The man’s demeanor could use some work but he knew how to say all the right words. “I’m so glad to hear that Mr. Tompkins becau—”
“Ryder. Call me Ryder since we’ll be working together a lot for at least the next six months.” This time her smile was intoxicating and he felt sucked right in to her web.
“I’m glad to hear you say that Ryder because that was our goal when my partner and I started Innovative Marketing Strategies four years ago.” Skylar sucked in a breath at the sight of his smile, completely spontaneous and captivating. Without the cloak of his icy demeanor, the man was a sight to behold. She’d initially pegged him as the serious sort, which he was. That was unfortunate because he was sexy as hell but appeared to be lacking a sense of humor, which she needed in any love interest of hers. Not that she was considering him for the part, just you know, in general. Besides Ryder would technically be her boss, well her client but the end result was the same. He was completely and totally off-limits.
The brothers made great eye candy for a girl on a guy hiatus, but that’s all they would ever be.
“I’ll have the contract couriered over to you later today. You impressed me today Ms. Morris and that rarely happens.”
“Please call me Skylar. And thank you. I’ll get to work on some ads for you to look at next week.” He guided her to the elevator and Skylar had to stop her mind from wandering to the heat his body emanated and the way her own body responded to him. Dammit. It felt like the end of a date and she knew it wasn’t so she needed to get her mind back to business. “Bye Ryder.”
“Bye Skylar.”
A few floors down Hunter waited for the elevator, a charming smile on his face when the doors opened to reveal the sexy redhead from earlier. “Hello beautiful. I’m Hunter, the fun and sexy brother.”
She laughed at his introduction and accepted his handshake. “I’m Skylar. Marketing.” Hunter was handsome but his problem was he knew it and that was a major turn-off. What he didn’t realize was that his brother Ryder could give him a run for his money.
“So Skylar, can I interest you in dinner tonight? I have a standing reservation at Rafaelli’s.”
She bit her lip to keep from laughing at him. That charming smile and confident lean probably had the ladies dropping at his feet. She shook her head at him. “No sorry, I have plans.” He didn’t know her plans included Pad Thai and catching up on the last season of House of Cards.
Hunter slid in closer, invading her space because he could and because his big body had been known to get a woman hot and bothered. “How about tomorrow night? Or even better, how about dinner and dancing on Friday?”
She smiled but it wasn’t flirty. “You’re relentless, aren’t you?”
He leaned in, his smile on full wattage to dazzle. “When I see something I want Skylar, I stop at nothing to get it.” His finger traced her jaw line. “And Skylar? I want you. Bad.”
She looked deep into those killer green eyes and laughed. “Does that line actually work for you?”
He shrugged, playing up his boyish charm. “Most of the time. But I guess I need to up my game when it comes to a smart woman like you.”
Oh, he’s good. “Maybe so.” She stepped off the elevator and turned to get one last glimpse of the glossy blond. “It was nice meeting you Hunter. I’ll see you around.”
His smile was predatory. “Count on it.”
Skylar laughed as she walked out of the Tompkins-Cross Building. The brothers were totally different. Both handsome and driven but that was where the similarities ended. She shook off all thoughts of both men and high-tailed it back to her office to share the good news.
***
“I should be working with the marketing girl Ryder, not you.” Hunter barged into his step brother’s office and interrupted his phone call, towering over him with his arms crossed.
Ryder as usual, was not rattled and just held up a finger to stop his brother’s rant. He listened with a small smile to his head programmer as he explained how the glitches had been fixed in the latest program to help dyslexic learners. “That sounds good Josh. Keep up the good work.” He hung up the phone and typed a few notes into his calendar before finally turning his attention to Hunter. “What can I do for you Hunter?”
Hunter didn’t miss the slightly irritated pitch of his voice. “I said I should be working with the marketing girl.”
Ryder rolled his eyes. Hunter was transparent. It was obvious he’d targeted Skylar as his next conquest. “Marketing girl, really? Tell me Hunter, what exactly do you know about marketing to make you think that?”
“I know enough.” His green eyes bore into Ryder, who was still unaffected.
“Enough to get in her pants? I don’t think so Hunter. We need her to do her job, not quit in the middle because you get bored. Besides you’re booked for an educational conference in Chicago next week.”
Hunter slumped down in his chair. “Come on, Ry. I hate those things.”
Ryder held back a smile. Hunter hated them because education was a long-term career choice and he’d plowed through the available women pretty early on, no pun intended. “Well you need to do something to make up for past two quarters and there are some new faces thanks to a community college initiative set up by the new Governor.” It was poised to help the business and he needed Hunter there. Wanted him there.
Hunter squirmed in his seat. “Dammit Ry, come on. Petra Connor will be there and that woman is a viper.”
Ryder chuckled. “Just chalk it up to your never ending charm.” Petra had taken a shine to Hunter after only one night together and she wouldn’t let him go. “Just tell her you’re engaged or gay or…something.”
“You’re not funny at all.”
“I’m kind of funny.” He was also highly motivated to keep Hunter away from Skylar. It was true that he was worried about their relationship making a mess of what the company needs. He also couldn’t stop thinking about the electricity that flowed between them during that initial handshake. It had been more than electric, it was highly charged and he had a feeling it could be life changing. If he went for it, which he wouldn’t because he never did. “Seriously Hunter this is a great chance for some long-term contracts so go charm the hell out of everyone and bring us some good news. I’m counting on you.”
“Really?” His tone was full of disbelief.
“Yes, really. You may be an ass sometimes, okay a lot of the time, but you are damn good at what you do. We all need you to go to Chicago and do that.” Ryder didn’t hate his brother and it didn’t hurt a bit to compliment him. At least until that smug grin appeared.
“Well it’s nice to hear you acknowledge it once in a while, that’s all I’m saying.” He stood and smoothed his suit jacket. “I’ll go and do my thing. But when I come back I’m going after Skylar.”
Ryder groaned. He was afraid of that. If he warned his brother again Hunter would do it just to spite him. If he said nothing, Hunter would steal Skylar right from under him. “Just go to Chicago, Hunter.”