Eight Brothers Fiancee (Love by Numbers 7)

Comically enough, on Harley’s other side, was the exact opposite of Rogan. I suppose I probably had seen him a time or two amongst pictures of all of his brothers, but never on his own. I took him to be Maverick Foxx, evidenced by his incredibly short stature and my knowledge that there was one Foxx brother known lovingly as “Tiny.” He probably wasn’t much taller than me from the looks of him and had dark brown, almost black hair and light grey eyes. He had his arms crossed like some sort of mob boss, which belied the fact that he was standing there in a t-shirt and a suit coat he’d very obviously borrowed from one of his taller siblings.

As I sat, it was this enigma that spoke up first. He leaned over the desk, looking me over like a piece of fresh meat. “Thanks for coming, beautiful.”

Harley shot a glare over his shoulder, followed closely by matching leers from Jett and Rogan. “No.” Maverick sat on the ledge behind the desk, pouting like a child who’d been denied candy. Harley shook his head and turned back to me. “Sorry about him.” He folded his hands into one another. “I’m glad you decided to consider our altered offer.”

“I have to admit, I was shocked at first, but I want to make something very clear. This is not about the money. The inroads at all of the Foxx companies is an interesting venture to me, and I’m excited to see what the company has done with the other industries under their purview.” I worked hard to remain calm. I was nervous enough about seeing Harley and Huxley, but I was now beginning to think the Foxx patriarch went out and specifically looked for children he knew would grow into models in their adulthood. “I can’t be bought, but I can be enticed with an interesting opportunity.”

Rogan grinned at me, but said nothing, while Jett burst out laughing. “Says the woman who was quick to turn down our offer when Sadie offered something with a larger salary.” Harley looked over at Jett and his raucousing stopped instantly. “Sorry.”

“Whatever the reason,” Harley’s eyes fell on me once again, “we’re glad you’re here. Of course, we wouldn’t be businessmen if we didn’t interview you before making things official, even if it’s mostly a formality.”

“I’d expect nothing less.” I extended my portfolio out over the desk. “My portfolio. It includes every article published on behalf of my stories, all those that I’ve written personally, and letters of satisfaction from every media company I’ve done work for.” Harley grabbed the black folder and started to flip through it. “You’ll find that there is not one company in there I’ve only worked with once. Each and every client I’ve ever had has returned for more.”

“I bet they have,” Maverick hissed.

Harley didn’t even glance up from the portfolio. “One more, Tiny, and you’re gone.”

Maverick’s face turned bright red in a flash. “My name is ‘Maverick.’”

“Currently, your name is ‘Annoying,’” Jett responded.

I peeked at Rogan, who still hadn’t said a word, but was looking back at me with an ‘I’m sorry they’re so exhausting’ sort of expression. It was very brotherly, and filled me with warmth.

“It’s very impressive,” Harley said after a while, handing my portfolio back to me, and I was surprised he actually took the time to look over it. “Articles in music, major events, and you’ve even covered fashion week.”

I nodded, Harley’s praise emboldening me, but not helping to quell my urges. “Several times and in several places.”

“You see, with me included, three of our family’s businesses are represented among the four of us. Jett and Rogan,” he motioned to his left, “co-own our modeling agency, and Mav here,” he motioned to his right, “owns one half of our record label with our brother Delvin. As you well know, I co-own Foxx Media with Huxley, and our other two brothers Keaton and Quentin run our event planning business, in fact, they’re overseeing a red-carpet event for Weston Hayes today. They’re sad to have missed you.” Weston Hayes was an A-list actor and one of Texas’ most famous celebrities. I could understand why they weren’t missing that just to interview me. “We’re impressed, not only with your expertise in the media industry, but with your crossover. It’s evident in your stories, you know about the things that make each of our businesses tick, which is why we’d like to offer you a contract at each of our companies.”

“What do you mean, a contract at each?” They’d mentioned inroads, but I had no idea they wanted me to formally work for each, individual company.

Rogan took his first step forward from the pack. “The contract we outlined in the email that Huxley’s assistant sent to you yesterday, we would each like to offer you one, for the exact same annual salary.”