Money Shot (17 page)

He quirked one thick, dark eyebrow. “Why do you hate me so much now?”

She shook her head. “I don’t really hate you.”

“Then why are you giving me a difficult time?”

She shrugged. “I was shocked at the news. My Dad interviewed dozens of candidates but he never mentioned you.”

“That’s because he never interviewed me. We talked over dinner about a month ago and he offered me the position outright. I couldn’t accept it at the time.”

“You were working as the controller at another company last I heard.”

Trent nodded. “I resigned to take the role at Svelte. One thing I didn’t expect was your disagreement to me working for your father.”

“I like looking out for my family.”

“And that means…?”

“You know very well what it means. Your reputation is well known.”

“Your father has no problems with my reputation.”

“He doesn’t know the half it,” she retorted.

“We’re RR brothers. He knows me much better than you think.” He sat back in his chair, studying her intently. “Are you talking about my past business ventures?”

“You mean your past as a professional gambler?”

He chuckled. “You’ve given it a name. I like that. So I made my money as a gambler when I could do nothing else. Why does that scorn you?”

“My dad can’t question what he doesn’t know about. You still gamble. You’re a womanizer. You’ve destroyed not one, but two marriages. Doesn’t that say something about your character?”

Trent’s eyebrows slanted downward and his lips parted. Before he could reply, the waitress approached them.

“Sir, I see your guest has arrived. Are you two ready to order now?”

“Water and an espresso shot, please,” Zaira replied.

“Anything else for you, sir?”

“No, thanks.” Trent’s tone was dismissive, but the waitress jotted something down on her pad and left them alone again. “You’ve been misinformed, Zaira.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you’ve never?”

“I make legit money now.”

“Do you find joy in dating married women?”

Trent leaned forward. He was so close that she could smell his aftershave and breathe in his husky-scented cologne. “Do you really want an answer to that question?”

“Just answer the question,” she whispered back.

“My answers are little more complicated than you think. A yes or no won’t suffice.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I have a few more hours before quitting time.” She glanced at her wristwatch, and then folded her arms across her chest. “Would you like to spend it talking about personal issues that
cannot
be resolved or about Svelte’s financial reports which
can
be resolved?”

“I multi-task pretty well, but this arrangement would be a little one-sided, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s make deal.” He sat upright in his chair, throwing a challenging glance her way.

“I will answer
any
question you want…any questions at all…”

Zaira’s chest tightened and her head swirled with curiosity. He must have known that her interest was piqued by his character and impetuous ways. In the past, their level of bonding had never breached the intimate surface—even though she had wanted it to. They hung out with the same crew for the most part. She was the daughter of an RR leader. He was an influential RR member…

Despite those ties, they kept their relationship friendly. Of course Trent Stone was hot, attractive beyond reasonable measures, and his body was an instant chick magnet, but so were hundreds of other men in this city. He succeeded at a lot of things and she’d never witnessed him breaking under pressure.

She smiled sweetly. “Any questions…?”

“Any.”

“I guess you have conditions.”

“I’m an open book. You ask, I answer. I give you an assignment, you do it.”

“What?”

The waitress chose that time to bring back her espresso and water. With a devilish grin, Trent sat back in his chair and watched her hold her response.

“What do you mean?” she asked when the waitress was out of earshot.

“For the next few weeks or for however long your dad has extended your contract, you will work at my discretion. Is that clear?”

“Ugh, you—”

“You made yourself clear in the meeting yesterday. I will demonstrate for you how a man without a degree can lead a successful accounting department. And I will solicit your help as needed.”

Zaira’s temper was growing hotter by the second. “That’s not what my Dad hired me to do. I’ve been in that position for months—”

“—and you declined your dad’s offer to take the job permanently,” he interjected.

“I’m supposed to show you how it’s done,” she said, sternly.

His smile had widened and he showed off his pearly white teeth. “Not exactly. Have you lost your short-term memory? You are to assist me as beneficial to the company. I will lead. You will assist.”

She exhaled deeply. “What are you trying to prove, Trent?”

“I’m only trying to sweeten the deal, Zaira. Agreeing to answer whatever questions you have about me makes this arrangement fair and equal. So, do we have a deal or not?”

Feeling a bit defeated at the moment, Zaira sat back in her own chair and crossed her legs.

Sometimes men thought they had the world in the palm of their hands and could control any woman to do their bidding. Men were quite simple, and that was a fact. They needed their egos stroked and a sense that they were always in charge. Trent was no different. He loved being in charge. She could see this in the way he sat with a quiet strength in his chair. She could detect this in the way most every woman around their table stole glances at him. Her dad would’ve never hired a weak link, even if he were the most loyal and accomplished RR brother around. Loyd Wright didn’t make foolish decisions; her dad saw something in Trent Stone. Something he obviously kept from her.

Nonetheless, Trent had offered her something in return for her assistance. A chance to learn him both inside and out. What she saw now and in the past was the Trent on the surface. She longed to understand him and how a boy that grew up in a homeless shelter could rise to become a well-lived, successful man. There was no doubt a lesson to be learned about life…

“Deal,” was her reply.

Chapter Four

“You’re twenty minutes late.”

Those were the first words that came out of Trent’s mouth as Zaira opened the office door and sauntered inside the next day. The time had advanced well into four o’ clock and almost everyone was gone or preparing to go home.

“You get bonus points for knowing how to tell time.” Zaira placed her suitcase on a table near the door, shrugged out of her cardigan, and hung it on the coat rack next to his jacket. “I was stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway. A tractor-trailer jack-knifed and then overturned. They were in the middle of clear out when I reached midtown. My apologies.”

Trent was seated behind his desk with two piles of paperwork in front of him. There was a black fountain pen behind his ear and binder clips spread across his working surface. His thick mane of dark hair looked tousled as if he’d been excessively running his fingers through it during the day. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone and his tie was loosened around his neck revealing the gold chain she’d always known him to wear.

Zaira could tell he’d shaved this morning. There was no dusting of a five o’ clock shadow as there’d been the day before. Not that it would have been an issue if he hadn’t shaved. She’d seen what he looked like after going a few days without over grooming. He was drop dead gorgeous regardless and he didn’t even have to try to be.

She looked up just in time to discover his gaze roaming over her. His grey eyes darkened as he assessed her. The dress code here was business dress so after working out of her home office most of the day wearing pajamas, she shred her rags for the whole nine yards. Black pencil skirt, a jade-colored silk blouse, and black plumps. The weather wasn’t cold enough for panty hose, but she never liked to wear them anyway so she’d gone without today.

“No apologies needed.” His gaze sauntered away from hers. “Close the door so the janitor knows that we’re still working.”

She pulled the door closed.

He stood up and dragged a chair next to his behind the desk. “Have a seat.”

“There’s a seat right here.” She motioned toward the chair on the opposite end of the desk.

“I want you right next to me,” he said. “Then if I need you to show me something, you’re right there.”

“Fine.” She sat down in the chair, crossing her legs.

“Plus, I have an assignment for you,” he said.

“You’re going to need a secretary,” she replied.

“You’re right.” He turned and smiled. “But right now, I have you.”

He slid a stack of mail toward her. “It seems that some of the mail wasn’t being delivered to us during the transition. The mail clerk found these in the back room. I need you to open each one and make two piles. Junk mail and mail that requires immediate attention.”

Zaira scoffed, but caught herself before protesting. Remembering their bargain, she accepted the stack of envelopes. “What about the letters that require future attention?”

“Make a third stack.”

She picked up the envelope opener and got to work. “Do you realize how much Svelte is paying me to open your mail?”

“I’m aware. Although Loyd knows of how many accounting departments I helped build from the ground up, he insisted that he wanted you to help me,” Trent said. “My start date was initially scheduled for after your contract ran out as he originally planned, but he changed his mind.”

“Dad always changes his mind about things. Get used to it.”

Trent worked on his laptop as he spoke. “I’ve known Loyd personally for over five years now, and I know how he works. His nitpicks, his likes…dislikes.”

She shrugged. “Then it looks like you’ll work great together. I’m glad he found someone to fill this position. It was all he ever talked about for a while.”

“I was surprised to hear that you declined his offer.”

“Well I do like to make my own decisions and lay down my own path,” she said. “You’ve done the same for yourself, haven’t you?”