“That company went under within two years,” Adrian says quietly. Judging from his tone, this is important to him. The measured cadence of his words and the look in his eyes as he speaks.
“Without your father?” I manage to ask.
“Partially because of that. Partially because I bought the competitor. I hired my father. As the stock grew, I invested in other companies, including two crucial to my father’s former employer … And I dismantled them.”
Adrian uses a cool, almost bored tone to tell me this, and I’m even more afraid for my job now. He could do anything he wanted with the company. “Vindictive much?” I say, to cover the nervous pulse in my throat.
“He treated certain things, certain people, as if they were disposable. I showed him exactly what that meant. There are highs and lows in this business. Harsh decisions must be made. But the reasoning behind it is what matters. Is it for efficiency? For the bottom line? For power plays?”
“Why do you do it?”
Adrian’s eyes flash. “Because if there isn’t passion behind it, it shouldn’t exist. It’s a waste of time for everyone involved. It will fail, and the only ones who will benefit are the ones who are willing to sacrifice the purpose of it all.” His deep voice is filled with conviction. Adrian believes what he’s saying, and I imagine it’s why he fired so many of the executives today and sent them all packing. He has a passion for this business, not simply an investment.
“I learned a hard lesson early on: if you can’t beat them with morals and ethics, cut their throats and say that it’s business.”
A chill flows over my skin and numerous questions rest on the tip of my tongue. “I didn’t buy Holt and Hanover to cut anyone’s throat,” he states before I can ask. “The numbers are still being run with slight changes.” His tone is one of comfort, but the conversation is anything but. “When I know anything, you will as well. Do not worry.”
I can only nod as a shiver runs down my shoulders and I realize we’re back at the dock. The water is quieter and the chatter from the others much louder.
The waiter returns to check on me just then and he’s relieved to hear I’m feeling better. If my head wasn’t clouded with current topics, I would have blushed violently.
“Are you finished?” Adrian asks after time passes with easy silence, with a patient tone that says I could sit here for another hour, if I wanted.
Once again, I tell him the truth. “Yes.” I put my napkin on the table next to my plate.
“Good. When we get to the car I want you on your knees,” he mutters beneath his breath, standing up at the same time I do. A shiver returns, but this one is heated and causes flutters in places I shouldn’t be concerned with in public.
“So demanding.”
Adrian’s smile seems to light up the dining area. “Are you just now learning that, Ms. Parks?”
Adrian
The city blurs by, a streak of grays with splashes of colors as Noah speeds up down the avenue. It’s late, far too late given I have an early morning meeting with the executives of a company based overseas. There’s no doubt in my mind that rescheduling it would not go over well.
Leaning forward, I spread my knees, resting my elbows there and stretch my back, feeling the pull of it in my spine. Without thinking, I stare at the empty seat beside me, where Suzette was yesterday. The corners of my lips pull up, remembering how she squirmed, how easily she gave in. How she melts for me. And how much she loved it.
Today was hell. Meeting after meeting and when she texted that she had plans tonight, I can’t deny I felt loss. With her, I want every moment I can get. This evening held precisely none of them.
“Mr. Bradford?” Noah calls back, peering at me in the rearview although he doesn’t use the intercom.
“Yes?” I answer him and then lean back in the seat, resting my head and meeting his gaze in the mirror.
“Shall I make it a habit of keeping the divider up between us when Ms. Parks joins you?”
The hum of the night surrounds us as I consider his question. There’s no judgment; it’s honest professionalism.
Something I’ve lacked today.
“I think it would serve us all well if you did, and I apologize if anything made you uncomfortable recently.”
“Nothing at all, sir, just thinking of your lady.”
Your lady. My brow rises, but my phone buzzes in my hand, interrupting my thoughts. There are only a few numbers I allow this late at night.
My father: Did Wyatt send you the contract?
My eyes roll back in my head as I inhale long and steady. My father is friends with his, and that’s how we became acquainted nearly a decade ago.