“What was that all about?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea,” I said honestly. “I really have no clue.”
Chapter Three
Thomas
“Thomas? Are you ready to go?”
I barely heard Hannah’s voice as she stood in the doorway of my office, knocking loudly at the door.
“Just a sec,” I called, not taking my eyes off the latest expense report, filed just after my most recent business trip. Despite the fact that I was a self-made billionaire, spending money on myself still felt squeamish at times. And looking down at the receipt, I couldn’t believe that I’d spent over four thousand dollars of company money entertaining clients at a steakhouse.
“Come on, we’re going to be late,” Hannah said. She sighed and strode into the room, her heels clacking on the Italian marble floor of my office.
Steel Visions, Inc. hadn’t always been this opulent, but I’d worked my ass off to bring the company into the twenty-first century. Right out of college, I’d started my own consulting firm, mostly working with defense companies. And it had taken years for Steel Visions, Inc. to even be on the map. But I was proud of what I’d done – I thought that I’d really built a solid world for myself, my wife, and my son, Brett.
“Thomas,” Hannah said sweetly, putting her hand on my arm. “I know this isn’t exactly going to be fun for you, but we’ve got to get it done.”
“Please don’t touch me right now,” I said testily, stepping away.
Hannah frowned. “Did I do something?” She batted her eyelashes. “I’m sorry, Thomas,” she said. “I didn’t mean to get in the way.”
I bit my lip. The fuck you didn’t, I thought. You’ve been gunning for me since the first day I hired you.
Hannah had been my assistant for years. I’d initially hired her at the request of Marlene, my ex-wife. She hadn’t been my ex-wife then, though – we’d still been happy together, or so I’d thought. Marlene had wanted me to hire Hannah, someone to “manage my schedule” and give me more time at home with the family.
Thinking of now all made me ill.
Hannah was beautiful – I had to give her that. She had long legs, tanned skin, and long blonde hair. But I hadn’t hired her for her good looks. I’d hired her because she’d been a whiz at scheduling. Despite her dumb-blonde looks, she was one of the brighter women at Steel Visions. I respected her.
But lately, things had been getting really out of hand. Over the last few years, Hannah’s personality had changed. She’d become more forward, less timid – and she wasted no time flirting with me whenever she got the chance.
I was used to the attention of women. I knew I was a reasonably attractive man, and I’d heard Hannah joke more than once that I was “at that dangerous age.” I was forty-six, but I worked out four times a week and kept as fit as I could. And apparently, that was some kind of strange aphrodisiac on the young women of New York City.
Things hadn’t always been this way. When I was younger, I’d had to work my ass off just to get a girl’s number…and it was likely a fake one, at that. Hell, even Marlene had taken a lot of convincing just for one date. But luckily (at least, I’d thought that way at the time), by the time I asked her to be my wife, I’d amassed a sizeable fortune in consulting.
“You’re fine,” I said curtly. “Just please, don’t act up today.”
Hannah made her eyes wide and she licked her lips. “Why would I act up?”
I groaned. “You know what I mean,” I said. “Do you know that Marlene actually told my son after our last meeting that I was sleeping with you?”
Hannah’s cheeks flushed and she couldn’t hide the hint of a smile that spread across her face. “I wonder why she’d think that,” she said sweetly.
“Because you flirted with me the whole time,” I said. “Hannah, look – I can’t have you act like that in front of Marlene, and if you’re going to do it again, please just let me know ahead of time so I can make additional arrangements.”
Hannah looked sulky but she nodded. “Yes, Thomas,” she said. “I understand.”
I went to my closet and pulled my jacket free as Hannah gathered my papers and put my laptop into sleep mode.
“You want me to get you a coffee before the meeting?”
I shook my head. “No,” I said. “I’m fine.”
The truth was, I wasn’t feeling fine at all. My stomach was a tangle of nerves and I felt sick – which was always how I felt right before I had to meet with Marlene. Brett was only ten years old. How the fuck was I supposed to co-parent with a woman I couldn’t stand for at least the next eight years?
Hannah and I rushed downstairs, then into a waiting Lincoln Town Car. The day was sunny and bright and Hannah took off her cardigan, rubbing her bare shoulders and smiling at me in a manner that I knew she thought was enticing.