Billionaire's Baby Contract (Hawthorne Brothers 1)

Fuck.

“Ethan?” Ryker calls my attention. “What do you think?”

About what? I didn’t hear what he just said.

I suppress a frown. What am I doing, entertaining fantasies in the middle of an important meeting, playing porn inside my head when I should be listening to every concern, answering every question?

I suddenly feel ashamed of myself. Stella isn’t the problem. I am.

“The board wants full access to Mr. Odermatt’s original program,” Asher speaks up, his voice filling the awkward silence in the room. “Isn’t that right, Ethan?”

I silently thank him for my cue and straighten my shoulders. Enough messing around.

“Exactly. And this is something I’m afraid we cannot compromise on, though we are willing to hear out all your concerns on the matter and are prepared to make all the arrangements to make sure the code remains secure and intact…”

~

“I think we did good,” Ryker tells me after the meeting.

It’s evening now and we’re in the lobby, finally free of that conference room. We’re just waiting for the car so we can go back to the hotel and get some much needed rest. Much deserved, too. The meeting took longer than I thought it would, but Ryker’s right. It did go well.

“It’s all thanks to you,” I tell him. “You were on top of everything.”

“Just doing my job,” he says humbly. “Which I couldn’t have done without your support. And Asher’s. It’s a team effort.”

Well said, but I’m still ashamed of my lapse earlier.

“Is there something else bothering you?” Ryker asks.

Of course he noticed.

“Now that the meeting is over, we can talk about it.”

“I’m fine,” I assure him as I try to push the thought of Stella from my mind.

I should at least be able to stop thinking of her when she isn’t around.

“I just… remembered something for a moment there, something from the office, which of course I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. No harm done. You were able to shrug it off.”

“Thanks to Asher.” I look around. “Speaking of Asher, where is he?”

Ryker shrugs. “Restroom?”

Just then, the elevator doors open. Asher steps out, a woman with curly black hair in a royal blue two-piece suit beside him. Why am I not surprised?

“There he is,” Ryker announces.

My eyes narrow. “Wait a second. Isn’t that Violet Cleary?”

She was at the meeting. The Head of Odermatt’s finance department. Intelligent. Confident. Fierce. The kind of woman Asher won’t easily be able to charm into bed – which means he won’t be able to help but try.

He looks like he’s trying now. I know that grin, that gleam in his eyes. He’s found his prey and he’s trying to corner her.

Violet, though, isn’t having any of it. She’s standing her ground, claws ready to swipe. She looks like she wants to kill Asher, actually, instead of just trying to brush him off.

I frown. I sure hope Asher hasn’t tried anything stupid and undone all of our hard work.

“What did you do?” I ask him as soon as he joins us.

Asher gives me a puzzled look. “What do you mean? I was just having a friendly chat with a woman who, as much as I hate to admit it, might just match my financial genius.”

“She didn’t look too friendly,” Ryker points out the obvious.

“That woman is the head of Odermatt’s finance department,” I state another fact.

Asher shrugs. “I know.”

“So you’re aware that she has Odermatt’s ear. If she hates you, which she seems to, she could very well convince Odermatt to walk, and then everything we just discussed in that room will go up in smoke. The acquisition gone.”

“Relax.” Asher pats my shoulder. “She isn’t like that. She’s very professional.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “And were you? Did you try something?”

Asher snorts. “Oh, you of little faith in me.”

“Did you?” I demand to know.

“No,” he tells me firmly. “I didn’t do anything. I swear.”

“And you won’t, right?” It’s an order as much as a question. “You’ll behave yourself while you’re here in Zurich?”

“Don’t worry,” Asher tells me. “I won’t cause any trouble.”

I hear a “but” coming.

“But I can’t promise you that you’ll be the only one having fun. That’s not fair, right?”

I should have known he would bring last night up. Of all people, why did he have to be the one to barge into my room this morning?

“What are you talking about?” Ryker asks.

“Nothing,” I tell him.

It’s enough that I have one brother with his nose in my personal affairs.

“I think I see the car,” I tell them both. “Let’s go back to the hotel.”

~

I wanted to go straight up to my room and just order room service, but Ryker wanted to have dinner at the restaurant and he did so well at the meeting that I felt like indulging him. Asher joined us, too. And everyone else. Including Stella.

She’s sitting three chairs away to my left around the large table, still close enough that I can hear her voice when Asher isn’t saying anything. I try not to pay attention to her, but it’s hard when she’s still wearing that red dress and Asher seems to be talking to her a lot. In fact, I daresay he’s flirting with her, which annoys me more than I can tell.