Lucas: The Hunter Brothers Series (4 page)

CHAPTER 3

There
was an eerie silence throughout the building the next morning. The volume of
chat, normally vibrant and cheerful was barely audible as people hypothesized
about the new owners and wondered what the changes would mean for their
respective departments and ultimately themselves. It was interesting to watch.

Some
people were proactively gathering examples of their work to showcase with a
steely, determined glint in their eyes, while others were all but clearing
their desks for a speedy getaway.

I
sighed loudly as I walked into our office, watching Ruby and smiling gently as
she turned to glance up at me sympathetically. I suspected she thought the same
as me.

The
new owners would want their own PA who suited them and knew their ways, someone
accustomed to their demands and requirements. According to Ruby, that was fifty
percent of the whole job and was unlikely to be either of us two now.

I
imagined that for the sake of four weeks they’d keep Ruby. Thirty five years
service would come with a hefty pay off. They’d get rid of me, while she tied
up the loose ends and handed over to whoever they employed or brought with them
instead. It would cost them nothing due to my length of service and I had no
rights whatsoever.

Along
with the rest of the building I shifted restlessly all morning, with half an
eye on the partner spaces in the car park below my window. I called Ruby over
as a sleek black Bentley pulled into one, followed quickly by the roar of a
gleaming red Lamborghini. I was still watching the cars for any sign of movement
when Ruby told me to check my email.

“We’ve
got individual meetings scheduled with the new bosses. I’m up in fifteen
minutes, what time are you?” she asked as I paced back to my computer and opened
my inbox.

I
looked at my watch. “Twenty minutes,” I sighed. They were affording me a whole
five minutes while they wrecked my life.

I
returned to the window, having missed the activity in the car park and saw the
back of the black suits as they disappeared through the main doors. “It looks
like there are two of them, Ruby,” I called, pulling a silently apologetic face
as I realised she was on the phone talking in hushed tones before she replaced
the handset.

“I
just spoke to Janet from Payroll, she’s up the same time as me in boardroom
two, so it looks like they’ll be rattling through us all as quickly as possible,”
she said, raising her eyebrows as my stomach churned.

“I
guess this is goodbye then,” I muttered as she made her way out of the office,
but she hadn’t heard me. No doubt her brain was somewhere else entirely and the
anxiety was crippling me as I made my way slowly to the boardroom a couple of
minutes later.

A
stunning girl with long chestnut hair was sitting behind what looked like a
hastily arranged reception desk outside the boardroom door.
 
She glanced up without smiling as I made my
way towards her. “Jessica Evangelista,” I said, taking a seat to try and calm
my shaking legs as she nodded curtly.

Ruby
was out seconds later as I glanced up at her. “Are you OK?” I mouthed mutely as
she nodded, smiling gently. At least that wouldn’t put her retirement payments
at risk and I was happy for her. She’d been an absolute dream to work with and
never once lost patience with me, despite the fact it would have been a hell of
a lot easier for her if Mr Turnbull had employed someone who actually knew what
they were doing.

I
assumed I’d be in straight away, but I wasn’t. Two more people who were
obviously due in after me turned up, before the receptionist answered a call.
 
She put the receiver down, stating my name and
stopping me abruptly as I stood to make my way tentatively towards the
boardroom door.

“Miss
Evangelista, please return to your office. Your appointment has been moved back
to six o’clock,” she said, gesturing the next person through. I just stood
there staring at her.

“Why?”
I asked, my stomach churning and my head spinning.

“Return
at six,” she said coolly as I made my way, dazed and confused, back to the
office.

“Well?”
asked Ruby who was packing up her desk as I walked
in.

“They’re
not going to see me until six,” I said, my puzzled expression betraying my
feelings as she looked at me the same way.

“Did
they say why, Jess?” she asked gently as I shook my head.

 
“What about you Ruby, what happened?” I was
slightly confused as to why she was packing up her things if she was OK.

“They’ve
put me on annual leave until I finish officially. My contract has been amended
so it won’t affect my retirement payout. He was really nice about it. Thanked
me for loyal service and sent me on my way,” she smiled as I went to hug her. I
pulled a happy retirement card from my bag, along with the two fresh cream
pastries from the bakery I’d bought on my way in.

“I
know Mr Turnbull would have thrown you a huge party after thirty five years
service and it’s not quite the same, but I thought I’d be out today and I
wanted to say thank you for everything you’ve done to help me, Ruby,” I smiled
as her eyes welled up.

“Thank
you, Jess, you’re very welcome. I’ll miss the place and I’ll miss you and
Turnbull. It’s really nice that you thought of this with everything that’s
going on. It would have been sad just to leave today without marking it in some
way.” She was trying to be brave, but I felt for her. After that length of
service you’d expect a nice speech and a gold clock at the very least, not a
crème puff and a cuppa.

“I’ll
make the tea to go with these, Ruby. You put your feet up, I’ve still got a few
hours until they sack me so I’ll make myself useful,” I smiled. My plan had
been to gather a few of the staff who knew Ruby well in our office, but it just
wouldn’t happen today. Everyone was too on edge, too nervous and preoccupied, so
we sat there drinking tea and eating our pastries until I wished Ruby a happy
retirement and she left.

“Call
me if you need anything,” she smiled and I made my way over to the window as
steady streams of people filed out of the building with a box tucked under
their arm. It was one of the saddest sights I’d ever seen. I was desperate to
know what the delay was in firing me. Surely I’d be one of the easiest to get
rid of? The time ticked interminably slowly until I made my way down to the
boardroom at five to six, with my stomach churning and my heart in my mouth.

“You
can go straight in,” said the cool brunette without even looking up. I didn’t
blame her. There seemed little point in befriending people who were about to
receive the shattering news that they were being made redundant just before
Christmas. I didn’t envy her; except for the part that she still appeared to
have a job.

His
smile broke the minute I walked in, while mine faded in a joint synchronised
recognition and my heart sank.
‘Oh God, oh God, oh God’.
It was only the blond haired charmer who’d steadied my tray and witnessed my
Friday night faux pas in fucking hot pants.

“Well,
well, well,” he laughed, gesturing for me to sit. “We’ve got a moonlighting PA
with a Teflon contract.”

 
I was so embarrassed I couldn’t take in his
words as I sat down. My stomach was whipping itself into a nauseous frenzy and
my cheeks were blazing. This man was about to fire me, and a whole new level of
humiliation had just been added to this sorry state of affairs.

He
was watching me closely as I glanced at the floor, not quite knowing what to
say. The best I could offer was, “I wasn’t really moonlighting,” as I looked up
and met his gaze.

“Excuse
me,” he said, answering his ringing phone and I was glad of the few moments it
afforded me to compose myself. He continued to stare at me, slightly puzzled
and seemingly bemused as he spoke into the receiver.

“Yes,
she’s here now.” A small smile tickled the corner of his mouth, watching my
reaction as he spoke to the mystery caller and I sat fidgeting with my fingers
in my lap. “The legal team have been looking at it all day. There’s nothing we
can do, it’s absolutely airtight,” he said; his smile fading slowly as he
listened intently. “We could, but it will take time. You have yourself a new PA,”
he laughed eventually, ending the call and I wondered what the hell was going
on.

My
nerves and impatience got the better of me and I couldn’t wait any longer.
“What’s going on, Sir?” Something about my situation was different. Everyone
else had been in or out in five minutes flat. Staying or going, simple. My
appointment had been put back until six, an hour after my usual finishing time
and I’d been here at least five minutes and was still none the wiser.

“Hunter
Industries have acquired Capitol Industries and we are restructuring. Some
divisions will be incorporated into our existing business and others will cease
to exist,” he said firmly without a hint of regret or apology.

 
“What’s going to happen to me?” I asked
quietly. It seemed like the obvious question and the small smile played again
around his full lips.

“I’m
Charlie Hunter. Lucas Hunter will be running the operation down here and taking
the position previously occupied by Mr Turnbull, Jessica. To be entirely honest
with you, we brought you here to let you go, but your contract is unusual to
say the least,” he laughed gently as I stared at him puzzled.

I’d
read my contract and it was pretty standard employment stuff.

He
continued before I could speak. “Anyway, the decision has been made that you
will retain your position working for Lucas, at least for now, so turn up
tomorrow and we’ll take it from there.”

“I’m
not out,” I gasped, surprised, relieved and absolutely ecstatic, my voice
unrecognisable even to me.

“It
would appear not, Miss Evangelista,” he smiled as I stood to leave, grinning
broadly. “Good luck, Jessica,” he shouted after me with an unmistakable edge of
humour in his voice. I didn’t know why and I didn’t care. I couldn’t really
understand any of this, but it didn’t matter. I had a job, we would have our
Christmas and Chas and Dex would be thrilled.

The
building was abnormally quiet as I made my way back up to the office, hearing only
the low hum of the floor polishers and vacuum cleaners somewhere in the
distance. Already it felt strangely different and I hoped this wouldn’t set the
tone for our new owners.

Capitol
had been a great, fun place to work. Charlie Hunter had seemed OK, polite and
smiley like he’d been at the party. I was just so grateful to still have a job
that I didn’t give it any more thought as I pulled my phone from my bag,
reaching across the desk for my coat.

Chas
wasn’t working and I had big plans. Tonight the Evangelista’s would be
celebrating. “Are you out on a hot date with one of those gorgeous and
fabulously unobtainable men tonight?”

“No.”

“Good.
Get your glad rags on. I’ve had one hell of a day, Chas, and we are celebrating,”
I laughed, pressing end call as the deep voice reverberated behind me. If I
wasn’t mistaken it was laced with more than a little annoyance and I froze.

“That
might be a little premature.”

Fuck.
I didn’t turn around for long enough to make the whole situation awkward and
uncomfortable and the second I did, I wished I hadn’t. ‘No, no,no,no,no’ I
screamed inwardly, my cheeks burning and my mouth dropping open as I soaked in
the beautiful vision standing directly in front of me. He looked every bit as
utterly shocked and stunned as I did before he quickly regained his composure,
standing there cool, serious and more than a tad menacing.

“I’m
sorry, you startled me,” I muttered quickly, trying to buy a bit of time as we
just stood and gazed at each other. He recognised me. I knew that much and I
sure as hell recognised him. I didn’t know whether to ignore that fact or
acknowledge it, deciding to follow his lead after making the quick assessment
that there was only one reason he would be here in this office at six thirty in
the evening.

“I’m
Jessica,” I smiled. He didn’t smile back and I knew right then that mentioning
Friday would be a bad idea.

“I
know that now,” he said firmly, holding my gaze. “Lucas Hunter, your new boss.”

My
brain went into meltdown as we stared at one another, the intensity of those
hypnotic, ruthless eyes just holding me there, igniting my body and scrambling
my thoughts in the same way he’d done that night on the decking. Only now he
wasn’t smiling, or helpful or friendly.

It
didn’t matter to my cells that burst to life with an electrical surge as he
held me with that gaze. They didn’t care about friendly, they cared about
fucking. I flushed involuntarily at my reaction, and at least this time he
wasn’t blatantly gazing at my nipples as they hardened beneath the lace of my
bra.

I
was waiting for a smile, an acknowledgement, anything to give me a clue how I
should react here, but none was forthcoming. If he was as ruffled as I was, he
certainly wasn’t showing it. I decided on a handshake, holding mine out towards
him as he took it in his firm grip. I pulled back almost instantly. If I hoped
that connection was a momentary reaction one Friday night when I was absorbed
in one hell of a mortifying moment I was wrong.