“Yes, Mr. Ferguson,” she replied and held his gaze. His deep brown eyes seemed to darken at her response to him and then he motioned for her to walk in front of him as he ushered her through the hall to the meeting room. She wondered if he were checking out her ass. She could practically feel his eyes burning her skin and she felt flush. How could she react to him in this way? It wasn’t normal. It was like she lusted for the man, for his brothers, yet knew they could be just like Bentley. Besides, her heart couldn’t take any more pain and betrayal. Trusting anyone other than herself right now would be too risky.
She locked gazes with Hank, who was already sitting and laying out papers and blueprints.
He glanced at her. His eyes roamed over her breasts and she pressed her palm down the front to ensure nothing was showing. The blouse was a little big. Her nerves and melancholy over the last week were weighing their toll on her figure. Mom called twice and Bentley called three times, including once drunk and with some bimbo giggling in the background telling him to hang up the phone and fuck her already.
She swallowed the bile in her throat, seemingly giving Hank a dirty look before she placed her things down on the table and sat.
“Are you okay, Adel?” Hank asked.
Hank? The silent, brooding, angry boss of a man asked her if she were okay?
“Of course I am. Is Will coming?” she asked.
“Will is here,” Will said, entering the office with a laptop and looking rushed but handsome as usual. His brown hair was slicked back, and appeared to be wet as if he just took a shower. The thought made her heart race a little faster.
When he came closer she could smell the soap he used. A cologne-type that had an appealing scent that made her inhale a little deeper. He was sporting a polo shirt today, in black, along with a pair of dress pants. He was into designer clothes and liked to look his best. So did Leo and Hank.
She swallowed hard and opened up her laptop as they exchanged pleasantries.
“You can’t be late like this, Will. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get ready for this proposal. Staying out late on a weeknight can’t become a habit,” Hank reprimanded.
“Okay, Dad. Sorry I’m late,” Will replied sarcastically as he deepened his voice and brought his shoulders to practically to his ears as he shrugged and gave a sorrowful expression.
Leo smirked but caressed the folder in front of him as he stared at her.
She felt her cheeks warm. Those damn dark brown eyes of Leo’s and those expressions of authority did a number on her.
“Grow up, Will. Let’s get started,” Hank said with command and a superiority that was all Hank. The man had the ability to make people stand at attention and keep their eyes focused on him.
Or maybe it was just her? Apparently certain parts of her body had a thing for a man of power. What she didn’t like was to be used, abused, and treated like a ready available doormat.
“Let’s start with the particulars of the location for the new home development and the surrounding town. It’s about thirty minutes south from here. I believe the approximate number of homes to be built is one hundred and fifty homes. Price ranges ranging from low two hundred thousands to over a million. Do you have the details on that, Leo?” Hank looked toward his brother.
Leo opened the file and ran down the list of particulars and the believed time frame to have each phase accomplished.
Adel typed the notes into her computer.
“How many phases are you anticipating and to what amount of homes per phase?” she asked.
“I think working a four-phase schedule would be great, and we could state date of completion earlier,” Hank said to them.
“I don’t know if that’s really feasible and giving enough room for any complications such as delivery mistakes, weather, unforeseen hold-ups. I say five phases,” Will added as he started talking about the suppliers they would use, the projects they were currently working on, and the increase in cost of materials.
The three men went back and forth and Adel wondered if she should suggest a more acceptable and rational direction. She’d worked for her father’s company from age thirteen and through college where she got her MBA. She knew a lot about construction. In fact she knew the ins and outs and ways to really cut back on costs and to negotiate terms of material prices and so forth, but her job here, the one Harold had gotten her, was personal assistant to these three men, his sons.
One of the things she noticed about the three men was that they liked to handle their sides of the business and not take much constructive criticism. That was fine. They were a privately owned business taking in revenue of over three million a year. If they got this job, that income would double and so would their responsibilities and way of thinking.
She cleared her throat.
“Excuse me. May I make a suggestion?” Adel asked and all three men stopped and stared at her.
Hank looked pissed and also condescending, like he was thinking, “What could she know about this?” Leo gave her his full attention but his jaw was firm as if his brothers’ argument was still annoying him, and Will leaned back without a care in the world and an attitude as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave the evil eyes to Hank.
“Go ahead, Adel,” Leo told her.
She swallowed hard.
“Well, from my initial understanding of this project there will be approximately one hundred and fifty homes being built. Of those homes, only twenty-five of them are mansions, homes over five thousand square feet and in the millions. I think the best thing to do would be to have six phases of development. Take the extra time to split the construction crew to build half of the million-dollar homes after the first phase of the regular homes are built. You want to snag the attention of both types of buyers. Ones in the market for more affordable homes and ones interested in the elite homes. Will could probably come up with an idea to promote both aspects with our advertising department.”