BIG SHOT (HQR Desire) Read online

  “Champagne? Really?”

  “Yep. We’re celebrating. Let’s get trashed.”

  I laugh as Montana fetches two glasses for us.

  “Don’t you think we should take it easy? It’s Thursday night. We’ve got work tomorrow.”

  Montana shrugs. “Not for me. I’ve got tomorrow off. And who cares if you show up a little hungover now, right? You’ve got a new job lined up. Come on... What do you think?”

  It’s not my style at all. Come to think of it, it’s not Montana’s either. We’re good girls. We stick to schedules and plans and don’t allow for chaos in our lives. What are we doing, getting drunk when I have to be at work at eight tomorrow?

  But I’m too nervous about my decision, and I could use something to ease the stress. I’m going for it. Montana hands me a glass of bubbly and I grin, raising it up.

  “Cheers.”

  * * *

  I wake up Friday morning and bet it’s 5:00 a.m., like clockwork. Except today, trying to open my eyes is like trying to lift rocks from my lids. I feel nauseous. My stomach is still protesting the copious amounts of champagne I drank last night.

  I sit up in bed with a groan. I know I must be late for work. There’s no way on earth that I managed to wake up on time. I glance at my watch and my heart seizes.

  It’s 8:43 a.m.

  Body, oh body, you failed me!

  I’m going to be late to work on the day I hand in my notice. Shit!

  Still feeling worse for wear, I shower as quickly as I can, throw on some clothes and call a cab. No time for the “L” today.

  I watch the streets pass outside the window with dizzying speed. This is not how I planned to leave Walker Industries. I pray that I can at least keep my dignity when I walk inside to hand in my notice.

  My watch says that I’m forty minutes late. Not as bad as I expected, but I already know that William will be furious. I dash for the elevator as the receptionist at the front desk watches me in wonder. I furiously press the button in an attempt to make it move faster. Someone is yelling, “Hey! Hold the elevator—”

  And oh, my god, I press the close button. “Sorry!” I yell as the doors seal shut.

  The sooner I get this over with, the better.

  I head straight for the top floor, fanning myself, trying to stop the sweat pouring from me, but when the doors open on the top floor, my skin is soaked.

  I already know where William is. I can see him in his office with three men in business suits. I curse. I was meant to sit in on the meeting this morning to take notes. William is going to be even angrier than I anticipated. Still, there’s no turning back now.

  I stride with as much confidence as I can muster toward William’s office. I watch his head tilt upward as he notices me. His professional meeting face melts into pure, unadulterated fury. He rises from his seat just as I reach his door. I don’t wait for him to invite me inside; I just enter the lion’s den.

  The other men turn to see who’s interrupting their meeting. I can hear my own breathing, heavy and loud in the otherwise silent room. William’s jaw is set, his blue eyes gleaming.

  “You’re late,” he snarls. I take a deep breath.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “You need to change that attitude before I fire you on the spot,” William snaps, not caring that the other men are listening to every word. Our eyes clash, my whole stomach churning in rage for how he always treats me like this. And that’s the moment I realize how much I need to do this. I can’t stay in a place where a man gets off on humiliating me.

  “There’s no need to fire me, sir,” I reply, flashing him a smile that’s sweet as sugar. “I fucking quit.”

  Four

  William

  What the hell?

  I stare at India, wondering who the hell she thinks she is. She shows up here late, looking like she’s been dragged through a bush backward and then she has the audacity to stand there and threaten to quit? I watch her intake of breath as I take a step toward her. To her credit, she keeps her head held high, her eyes never leaving mine even though her breathing quickens.

  Just like my damn heartbeat.

  “What did you just say to me?” I ask, my blood boiling with rage and something else. Something I’ve never wanted to feel for her but can’t seem to control.

  The closer I get, the more her scent reaches and teases my nostrils. Damn her. Still, she tilts her head back, refusing to break our stare-off.

  “You heard me. I quit,” she says defiantly. I can feel my neck and jaw heating up. How dare she humiliate me in front of my clients? I push past her to open the door to my office.

  “Out. Now,” I tell her. She folds her arms, smirking a little. She’s finally letting loose with the rebellious side I knew she had. At the worst possible time.

  “You’re not my boss anymore,” she says, pouting a little. She looks cute as hell. It’s kind of turning me on, which is annoying. I seriously need to focus.

  “We need to talk about this. Wait in your office for me.”

  I push the door open and motion for her to leave.

  India looks like she might protest, but after a few moments she does as I ask. She casts a defiant glare around the room before heading to her office. Behind me, one of my clients, Theodore, lets out a throaty chuckle.

  “Looks like you’ve got a dangerous woman on your hands,” he says, smirking. “Not ideal in an assistant, but—”

  “Excuse me for a moment, gentlemen,” I interrupt, not in the mood to hear this guy’s leering comments. “If you’d like to read over the contracts in the meantime—I’ll be right back.” I take a deep breath, hoping to keep my cool as I head out to speak with India.

  She’s pacing when I enter her office. Her face has taken on a grayish color, but I can tell she’s still angry. She casts a glance back at my office and I see that the men are watching us. Great. An audience is the last thing I needed for this conversation. Still, I need to remind India of her place.

  “Sit down, India,” I say quietly, but firmly. She sinks into her chair, watching me carefully.

  “India, you’ve been a good employee,” I begin.

  She looks surprised at the compliment, but she tries to keep a straight face.

  Suddenly more nervous than when I’m facing an army of corporate suits, I shove my hands into my pants pockets and give her my most commanding look.

  “Which is why I am willing to give you another chance here. It was rash of me to make that comment about firing you, and it was rash of you to consider quitting. After the way you’ve just embarrassed me, I would say you’re lucky I’m feeling so generous.”

  India’s face quickly flits from surprise to anger. “Generous? Are you serious, William?”

  I frown. “You’ve displayed some pretty questionable behavior today, India. Not many people would give you a second chance.”

  “And what about all the second chances I’ve given you?” she counters.

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  India laughs, shaking her head. “Of course. You have no idea. No idea at all of the consequences of your actions. You treat me awfully and you expect me to have respect for you? To be grateful when you give me a second chance? You’ve shouted at me for being five minutes late in the past, William. Five. You’ve called my home in the middle of the night just because you can’t find some paper that I left on your desk the day before. You dislike it when I serve your coffee black and dislike it when I add cream. Nothing I do can possibly please you. And never, ever, have I ever felt motivated to do better, because no matter what I do, it’s never good enough for you. I’m done. So done with you and your bossing me around!”

  I’m starting to get seriously annoyed now. “I’ve always been fair to you, India. Don’t turn this around and make it about me.”

  India st
ands up, shaking her head. “Why am I still here? Why am I bothering to argue with a man who clearly has no idea how cruel he really is? Well, I don’t need to be here anymore.”

  “You can’t leave. You’re my assistant.”

  “Was your assistant. Keyword—was. I just quit. In front of your clients, so there were witnesses.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t have anyone else who can do the work.”

  India smiles smugly. “Not my problem anymore, Mr. Walker. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going home.”

  “India,” I growl softly, a tone that usually has her jerking back around to do my bidding.

  Instead she’s gathering her stuff from the desk. I can feel my eyes getting wider and wider by the second.

  And just like that, she walks out.

  Just.

  Like.

  That.

  I narrow my eyes, confused by the urge I have to chase her.

  Obviously I won’t. There’s nothing more that I can do. I watch as she walks out of the office. And part of me is relieved to see her go. Relieved to know I won’t see those big, bright eyes nor the whole tempting package that is India Crowley anymore.

  Fisting my hands at my sides, I watch her sashaying away and I know that she’s too good for this place. Too good for running around after me. Too good for being boxed in with a man who treats her so badly. And as she leaves, I finally understand everything I’ve been doing wrong—here and in my love life. Why has it taken something so dramatic for me to understand that I’m the problem?

  I head back to my office in a daze. As I open the door, my clients laugh at my expression. I stand in the doorway, unable to figure out how to respond.

  “I tried to tell you, Mr. Walker,” Theodore says with a grin. “Never mess with a powerful woman.”

  * * *

  Driving home takes longer than usual. I hit a bad stint of traffic and am delayed for over an hour. It gives me a lot of time alone with my thoughts. Most of them center on India.

  How could I have been so stupid? So cruel and manipulative and completely oblivious to my own selfish behavior? Now I’ve lost the best assistant I’ve ever had. Not just that—I’ve lost a huge chunk of my ego. I guess I deserve that much, at least.

  But the woman pushes my buttons in ways no one else ever has.

  I wonder what she’ll do now. I’m concerned that she doesn’t have a job to fall back on. Will she be able to keep up with her rent? Will she get a similar job elsewhere, or will she do something more with herself? I hate myself for wanting to know, but after she walked out like that, I just can’t forget her. Something tells me that woman will be on my mind for some time.

  I pull up in the driveway in front of my house. Not for the first time, I glance at the mansion before me and realize how big it is for just one person. Two stories tall with double ceilings, sweeping columns, large custom-made windows, thick wood doors and brass light fixtures. This is the product of years of hard work. Years of isolation and late nights at the office. I lock up my car and head inside.

  Inside is pristine. The imported marble floors shine like mirrors. The windows are so clean, you think there’s nothing between you and the exterior. My cleaner—a woman in her late fifties whom I barely ever see—must have been here. She’s cleared all of my take-out cartons and organized all of my notes that I left scattered on the large oak desk in my study.

  I decide after the day I’ve had that I could use a drink. I head to the fridge and find a bottle of champagne. It’s been there for over a year—my father bought it to celebrate my birthday but canceled our plans to go to some company party of his instead. I spent that night in the hot tub on the roof, pretending I was content with ordering takeout. I didn’t have any friends to invite along. Kit and Alex were busy. Heading up to the rooftop to get in the hot tub now feels more than a little like déjà vu.

  The sun is setting over the Chicago skyline. I fire up the hot tub and strip naked. There’s no one to see me up here anyway. I slip into the bubbles and close my eyes, but even with the jets massaging my knotted back, I can’t seem to relax. It’s like the feeling of trying to catch your breath after a long run. I try to concentrate on the sensations of the water against my skin, but all I can see running through my mind is India’s face. The anger in her eyes.

  The shock when I finally said something nice to her.

  I don’t like the idea that someone could feel so strongly about me. Especially when I know none of the emotions she’s harboring are pleasant.

  I’m so lost in my thoughts, it takes me a moment to realize my cell phone is buzzing.

  After a few moments of deliberation, I ease out, grab a towel, get my phone from inside and pick up. “Walker,” I answer, not checking to see who was calling.

  I can hear Rosie crying in the background and Alex trying to soothe her.

  “Hey, brother. I didn’t plan to call and pester. Honestly. But, William? I need this. We need to leave. Like, right now,” Kit says. He sounds tired, concerned, and like he hates having to call me.

  “And why are you...?”

  “What do you mean why? You’re my brother. Alex’s sister has had an accident. I need to take her to see her. Alex is distraught. Are you really going to bail out on me when I need you?”

  I inhale, frowning as a sliver of panic seizes my chest.

  What do I even know about children? Is my brother insane? Or simply desperate? I wouldn’t put it past Kit to be lying through his teeth in order to get me to agree just so he can go on his honeymoon worry-free.

  “Look, Kit, it’s not that I don’t want to help out—”

  “Good. We’ll be by in an hour.”

  He’s about to hang up when I stop him, the panic seizing me by the balls now. “Wait! So this is you asking me to babysit or telling me? Seriously?”

  “I’m telling you, I need your bloody help.”

  I grit my molars. Remembering what happened with India. Knowing that I’m an asshole. That it’s time to make a change. I see that now. Starting with my home life. I think about my brother, silent on the other end of the line. Would it really be so bad to spend some quality time with my niece? After all, I can’t be fussy about the company I keep.

  I stare out over my garden below. I’m already planning the games I can play with Rosie, sitting on the lawn. My quiet evenings are about to get much more interesting.

  “Fine,” I growl, almost too softly to be heard.

  “Fine?” Kit repeats, obviously shocked.

  I rethink my words for a minute.

  Maybe I’m making a mistake. Without an assistant, my job is about to get only harder. And looking after a child is a 24/7 kind of arrangement. But I need this. This could be my opportunity to prove to myself—and everyone else—that I’m more than some moody workaholic who cares only about himself. This is my chance to make things good again, to remind myself there’s more to me than work. I sip my champagne as the sun finally sets, and I finally relent.

  “I’m serious. Bring on the babysitting,” I answer.

  Five

  India

  I’m doing this. I’m actually doing it. As I head for the elevator, I refuse to look behind me. I half expect William to try to follow me, but he doesn’t. Before I know it, I’m out of the building and on my way to freedom.

  The thrill doesn’t last long. The good-girl part of me is in shock. Why did I have to make such a scene? Why did I have to quit in the most over-the-top way possible? But I already know the answer to that question.

  Because he deserved it.

  Still, I used all of my chances in one go. There’s no way in hell William will give me a reference now. Everything is riding on this writing job working out now. Suddenly freedom isn’t so appetizing. My breathing is labored as I head for the train to go home. I can’t panic. I have to remind myself tha
t this is what I want. This is the start of my brand-new life.

  So why am I so scared?

  Arriving home to an empty apartment at midday feels wrong.

  I feel sick, but now it has more to do with my anxiety than with my drinking last night. I open all of the windows and make myself coffee, feeling more than a little flustered. Knowing I have a full day to myself should be exciting. I still have to finalize the arrangements for my new job, but after that I could catch up on my favorite shows or get some serious writing done.

  The trouble is that right now I don’t want to do either of those things. I want to run back to that office and beg William to give me back my job. I want to get on my knees and pray for everything to go back to normal because the idea of chaos is making me feel sick. But I won’t do that, no matter how tempting it is. I have some pride left, even in the face of fear and uncertainty. I know it won’t work anyway. The second that I turned my back on William, I became an enemy of Walker Industries.

  William is a proud, hard man. He won’t ever forgive me for the things I said to him—even if they were true.

  Now I’m on my own.

  The day seems to pass in a blur.

  I sit for long periods of time, doing nothing, with the TV on as a mere murmur in the background. I can’t focus on doing anything productive. I should be figuring out what my new job will entail or brushing up my résumé. I should be doing something to counteract the fact that I lost my job today.

  But I don’t. I just sit and wallow in my own mistakes, waiting for Montana to come home and snap me out of the funk I’ve gotten myself into.

  Montana finally arrives at half past five o’clock with a bunch of shopping bags in her hands. She spots me lounging on the sofa and the realization crosses her face.

  “You did it, didn’t you? You quit Walker Industries?”

  I nod, still a little out of sorts. Montana drops her bags to the floor and immediately comes over to put an arm around me.