Chapter Two

His older brother would be furious that Cole was running late, but Cole didn’t much care. He didn’t give a damn about a meet-and-greet dinner with a bunch of reporters. Lisa and Garret were far too worried about their reputation when they really should be worrying about the company.

Dan Wellington eyed Cole impassively as he tipped back his flask. They were in one of the private rooms just off the reception hall although Cole had wanted to meet at Wellington’s office. He hated discussing business so close to a bunch of roaming reporters.

“Does Blake know that you want make this deal?” the older man asked skeptically.

“We all have equal say in Parker Industries,” Cole said smoothly. “Blake is not the CEO.”

“No, but both Blake and Hawk will have to agree to it before we can go forward with the merger.”

That was true, but when Blake and Hawk discovered just how much money the merger between one of their lesser companies with Wellington’s massive corporations would bring in, they wouldn’t balk. Not if they cared about Parker Industries’ future. “I’d like to have the details hammered out before I present it to them.” Meaning he needed to know that Wellington was on board.

Wellington snorted. “So, this has nothing to do with the little feud you have going on with your brothers?”

Cole stiffened. Thanks to the ridiculous terms in his father’s will, the brothers needed to provide a united front and take equal responsibility for Parker Industries for the next year or the company would go to Wiltshire and Donovan, a rival company. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s no feud.”

“Please,” Wellington snorted. “There’s no need to pretend with me. I’ve known you boys since you were all in diapers. Your father and I might have been competitors, but I still considered him a friend. I know how the three of you are.”

“Does it matter my motives?” Cole demanded. “This would help solidify a partnership with Parker Industries, and the income boost would help us prove that we can handle the company. You have just as much to gain.”

Wellington nodded. “You’re not wrong. I would have much to gain, but only if the company stays in your family. If it goes to Wiltshire and Donovan, I would lose millions of dollars.”

Gritting his teeth, Cole tried to figure out a way to convince Wellington to take a chance on him. For too long, doors had been shut on him when people discovered that Cole’s own father wouldn’t hire him. He couldn’t let Richard continue to ruin his life from the grave. “What do you need from me?”

“Commitment. I need to know that you are willing to put someone else’s interests first. If this is just about one-upping your brothers, it’ll fall through within a month. Prove to me that you are willing to care about my gains as well, and we’ll talk.”

“How the hell am I supposed to do that?” he grumbled.

Wellington smiled. “Something very personal, I think. Something that has nothing to do with business.” He took a sip of his drink, and Cole got an unsettled feeling in his stomach. He didn’t want to get personally involved. He just wanted a simple business transaction. “I’m sure you’re familiar with my daughter, Kathryn?”

Cole knew all about Kathryn Wellington. She was a spoiled socialite who went through men as often as she changed designer handbags. Rumors were that her most recent engagement fell through. “Yes?”

“She’s just had her heart broken, and she needs a strong man to take her in hand and help her end this ridiculous vow she’s taken to swear off men. The problem is that she won’t give any single men the time of day. Convince her to believe in love again, and the merger is yours.”

Cole’s mouth fell open. “This is a joke, right? We don’t conduct business like this.”

“You want to prove that you care about my bottom line as well as yours? This is how you do it,” Wellington said simply. “You have three months.”

The middle Parker brother was torn. Normally, if a deal took too much effort or took too long, Cole walked away, but he needed this. No matter what he said to Wellington, he needed to prove to Blake that he was just as capable of handling the business, otherwise, when the year was up and the company was theirs, Blake could use the board to push him out.

“Deal,” he muttered and reached out to shake the man’s hand. A huge grin spread over Dan’s face, and Cole felt a little bit like he’d just sold his soul.

Just then, an angry voice from outside the hallway interrupted them. “How dare you?” a feminine voice shrieked. “You humiliated me!”

“Christ,” Cole muttered, and he threw open the door. Two women were standing outside with closed fists. He recognized Paula, one of the event coordinators, but the fiery redhead was a stranger to him. The stunning woman was short of stature and petite, but at the moment, she looked like she was about to slug Paula.

“Humiliated you?” the woman shouted. “You publicly blamed me for your darn mistake in front of the board members! Maybe if you weren’t so concerned with bullying me, you would have remembered to set out the name cards.”

Darn? This whole thing was about name cards? “Ladies,” he growled. “What the hell is going on?”

They both turned toward him, and the blood drained out of Paula’s face, but the stranger just jutted out her chin. “I don’t believe this conversation has anything to do with you, sir.”

Sir? The woman clearly didn’t know who he was. “I’m Cole Parker, and you’re fighting within several feet of a group of reporters. I would say this conversation does involve me.”

“Oh gosh.” Her cheeks flushed an angry red, and he almost smiled if the whole situation wasn’t so absurd. It had been a long time since someone spoke against him, and even though it was done by mistake, he still felt strangely intrigued. Her eyes were the most gorgeous green, but her clothes and that ridiculous braid was off-putting. “I’m sorry, Mr. Parker.”

“Who are you?”

“Dana Coulson. I’m Paula’s assistant,” she said in a small voice.

“Paula, do you still need Dana’s help tonight?” he asked in a low voice.

A disgusted look crossed the blonde’s face. “No. I believe the stupid little chit has done enough damage for tonight.”

Cole felt a strange surge of anger at Paula’s words, but when Dana whirled around, he stepped in between them. “We don’t have time for this. Ms. Coulson, please go home. I’ll make sure that you’re paid for the whole event.”

Paula made a little sound of anger, but he shot her an angry look, and she shut her mouth. Dana bowed her head. “Thank you, sir.”

As she walked away, Cole couldn’t help but notice that her pants dragged on the ground. Didn’t the woman have a damn tailor? “Paula, care to explain to me what you were doing, practically brawling in the middle of the hotel?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Parker, but I cannot work with that girl. Donald hired her two weeks ago, but she’s a disaster. You see what she’s wearing? She’d not deemed to work in the event planning department, and she made a huge mistake tonight. I asked her to apologize, and she had the gall to blame me for it! As if I’m responsible for everything, and right in front of the board!”

Cole almost pointed out to Paula that she was responsible for everything, but he needed the woman to keep her cool so she could make sure the rest of the dinner went smoothly. Where the hell were Lisa and Garret? They should be taking care of this kind of thing.

Except they were too busy making eyes at each other. Ever since Garret had proposed, they’d been impossible to be around. Cole had made sure to give both a wide berth.

“Paula, if the woman can’t do her job, then fire her,” he said coldly. “This is not how you conduct yourself. Now pull it together. This dinner might be a ridiculous idea, but it’s happening, and it needs to go smoothly.”

“Of course, Mr. Parker. I’ll fire her first thing tomorrow,” Paula said with a gleeful smile.

Cole felt a little strange about firing the little spitfire, but he had more important things to worry about, like how he was going to woo the impossible Kathryn Wellington.