Wright Together, page 5
“You think I’m that person?”
“I know you are,” Jordan said with a laugh. “If you’re half as hard on him as you are on yourself, then it’ll be fine.”
“Dare I ask what the kid did?”
“Breaking and entering and vandalism,” Jordan said. He scrolled his phone and passed it to me. I looked down at a black-and-white photo of Colton Wright. I’d seen him once before. He looked just like a teenage version of his father. “He and a few of his friends broke into the rival prep school and spray-painted dicks all over the gym.”
I snorted. “Sounds right.”
“Yeah. It was stupid, and they might have gotten away with it, but they’d bragged about it before it happened. So, some of the kids from the other school showed, and there was a fight. Administration found out and refused to let them all go.”
“Both sides were arrested?”
“Yes. Jensen got them to back down by saying he was taking Colton back to Texas.”
“And money, I’m sure.”
“I’m sure.” Jordan stood and took his phone back. “So, are you up for it?”
“It doesn’t sound like I have a choice.”
“That’s the spirit,” Jordan said. “He’ll start Monday.”
I couldn’t hold back my laugh. It was a ridiculous notion. What was I going to do with a fifteen-year-old New York City brat? I already had an assistant, but from what it sounded like, I couldn’t foist Colton off to him. Jensen Wright’s son would steamroll my assistant. I’d need to come up with a game plan to try to deprogram the little shit.
“Fine. Monday it is.”
“Knew I could count on you.” Jordan leaned against the doorframe. “Everything set for Midland?”
“Yeah. Eve should be here any minute.”
“She’s late, isn’t she?” Jordan asked with a smirk.
“Fifteen minutes and counting.”
Jordan grinned. “It’s good to see you flustered. Wasn’t sure anything did that.”
“My brother would say everything does.”
“He’d be wrong.” He tapped the door twice. “Good luck this weekend. Text if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
Jordan was leaving just as my phone beeped.
In the lobby with my suitcase. Ready when you are.
I blew out a breath. Thank fuck. At least when we were together this weekend, she couldn’t be late to our meetings with the Kings. Not when I had the car.
I shrugged my suit coat back on and headed downstairs. She was standing amid the black-and-white lobby in black skinny dress pants and a silky teal blouse. She was in those same black heels that I couldn’t stop fantasizing about. Eve in those heels, only those heels. The red-lacquered backs visible from her on all fours. Christ, sometimes, I wondered what it would be like to ignore my relationship needs and give in to my baser desires.
Eve turned as she heard my approach. A slow smile spread across her red-painted lips. “Hey, you.”
“Hey. Ready?” I asked.
“Sure thing.”
“Is this all you packed?”
“We’re only staying one night,” she said with a laugh. “How much does a girl need?”
“From my experience? A lot.” I took the white suitcase out of her hand and wheeled it toward the door.
“I can carry my own stuff,” she argued, reaching for the suitcase.
I moved it away from her. “No.”
“No?” she asked, rearing back. “I lift weights. I could probably squat you, sir.”
“Sir?” It was my turn to shoot her an amused look.
“Oh, do you like that?” she teased.
Wouldn’t mind her saying it in the bedroom. Not that I could say that out loud.
“Just a reminder of who is in charge here.”
She rolled her eyes. “We’re partners. No one is in charge.”
She was very wrong about that.
“We’ll see.”
I unlocked my Lexus and added her suitcase next to mine in the trunk. She leaned her hip onto the side of the car and held her hand out. I stared down at it in confusion as I closed the trunk.
“What?”
“Keys,” she said with a wicked grin.
“Keys to what?”
“The car, of course. I know where all the cop traps are on the drive. I can get us there in an hour and a half.”
“If you’re going the speed limit, it doesn’t matter where the cops are.”
She rolled her eyes. “It also takes an extra half hour to get there.”
“Are we in a rush?”
“Come on, Whitt,” she said, making a gimme gesture with her hand. “Live a little.”
“No one drives my car.” I wrenched open the driver’s door. “You’re just going to have to suffer.”
“Can I at least choose the music?” she asked as she took her seat next to me.
“No.”
She laughed. “You’re a real control freak, you know that?”
Our eyes met across the leather interior. She’d said it as a joke, but she was completely right. Control was ingrained in my being, and it wasn’t just about who drove my car or chose the music. It was about so much more than that.
My hands flexed on the steering wheel. “I’m well aware.”
She licked her lips, crossing her legs tight together. “Ever let your hair down, sir?”
“No, but I’d let yours down.”
I wrapped her thick ponytail around my palm and gave it a playful tug.
A soft exhale was the only sound in the electrified space between us. Part of me wanted to tug her forward by her thick hair and fit her lips to mine. It’d be so easy to claim her lips for my own.
But not only were we on a work trip where it would be incredibly unprofessional, but I also remembered the sting of rejection when I’d told her the truth—that I wanted more. I could fuck her. I could fuck her day and night for ages and never be tired of it. I knew that for certainty. My cock throbbed at the thought. I also knew that was all she’d give mend I wasn’t sure that was enough.
I released her hair.
“So,” I said, clearing my throat and starting the engine, “where exactly are these cops located?”
Two hours and several disagreements about my music choices later, we arrived at the downtown hotel in Midland. To say the place was slammed was an understatement. I had to park in the very back of the lot and only snagged a spot after an enormous black truck pulled out.
“The fuck?” I murmured. “I didn’t think Midland was this busy.”
Eve pushed the door open and stepped out. “It’s usually not. Unless it’s Friday Night Lights, and then all bets are off.”
“Think we’re safe from high school football.” I popped the trunk and extracted both of our suitcases.
“I can take mine,” she said, holding out her hand.
I ignored her and continued forward with both suitcases. She huffed, falling into step beside me.
One thing became immediately apparent; there were an exorbitant number of cowboys in the lobby. Men in boots, enormous belt buckles, and cowboy hats were standing around in groups of three or four. They all seemed to know each other. The noise as they caught up and laughed and chatted was…a lot.
I glanced at Eve. “What the fuck is going on?”
“If I had to guess?” Her eyes slid over the men with a smirk. “Rodeo weekend.”
“Oh. That’s a real thing.”
She laughed. “You live in Texas now, cowboy,” she teased playfully.
“You’re making me regret it.”
“Come on. I could take you this weekend. We could get you some chaps.”
My eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
“Assless chaps are definitely your look.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re ridiculous?”
She laughed. “What? You don’t think you can pull off assless chaps?”
“This feels like a trap.”
“I can pull them off,” she said with a wink.
The image that flashed through my mind made everything else in the room go fuzzy. Suddenly, the fantasy of fucking her over my desk in high heels was replaced by her in assless chaps. That perfectly pert ass jiggling under the slap of my hand.
Fuuuck. I screeched that image to a halt. She was saying something else. I needed to be in the moment.
“What?”
She arched an eyebrow. “At least let me get you some quality boots. Not the stupid fake leather ones they sell all over the place.”
“Where am I wearing cowboy boots?”
She blinked like she’d never considered this question. “Everywhere?”
“I’m not wearing cowboy boots in Lubbock.”
“We have rodeos in Lubbock, too.”
I slid my gaze to her. “I’m not going to a rodeo in Lubbock either.”
“Fine. They’re better in Midland anyway.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it.”
I stepped up to the counter, passing over my ID and company credit card. “Two rooms under Whitton Wright.”
“Yes, sir,” the man said as he typed away on his computer. “You here for the rodeo?”
“Does he look like he’s here for the rodeo?” Eve asked with a laugh.
The man glanced up and then joined in with her. “No, I suppose not.” He passed back my ID. “Okay. Here we are. Whitton Wright, one room, checking out tomorrow.”
“Wait, I have two rooms,” I said.
“Sorry. It does look like we only have one room under that name. Could it be under another name?”
Eve bit her lip. “You did make the reservation, right?”
“My assistant made the reservation,” I told her in dismay.
Had he screwed it up and only gotten me a room? I was sure that I’d told him that Eve would need her own room. Fuck, this was why I handled everything myself.
We tried Eve’s name, but nothing came up.
I sighed heavily. “Fine. I’ll take another room then. Whatever you have.”
The man winced. “Sorry. With the rodeo in town, we’re all booked up.”
“The whole town will be booked,” Eve said.
He nodded. “I’m surprised y’all were able to get one reservation as it is,” he admitted. “We’re usually booked up months in advance.”
I clenched my hand into a fist. What the fuck were we going to do? We couldn’t reschedule. Our meeting was in an hour. It would be a shitty thing to do at this point. I couldn’t do anything to jeopardize this deal.
“Is it at least a room with two beds?” I growled in frustration.
“Well, no. There’s only one bed.” At my irritated expression, he added quickly, “But the room does have a couch in it. It’s not a pullout, but it would be comfortable for one night.”
“That’s fine.” Eve spoke up. “I can sleep on a couch.”
“No, this is unacceptable.”
She elbowed me. “We need this job. Just take the room, Whitt. What’s the worst that could happen?”
I would be trapped in a room, alone with Eve Houston all night.
“It’s one night,” she said with a gleam of challenge in her eyes. “I’m game if you are.”
I’d never been able to back down from a challenge. Was it insane to be alone with her when I could barely control myself in her presence? I’d wanted more distance between her and my needy cock. Not less.
And yet I found myself nodding. I could do this. What was one night in the grand scheme of things?
“Fine,” I said with a nod. “We’ll take it.”
8
Eve
The hotel situation was fresh in my mind through our meeting with the Kings. We hadn’t reconciled what to do about the one king bed in the room. We’d had enough time to throw our stuff upstairs, change, and head over to meet Malcolm King. Neither of us had even glanced at the bed. And now, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
It didn’t help that Whitt had barely looked at me since. What was he thinking about all of it? Not that we’d had time to talk about it while we were surveying the different locations. I gave my opinion on the different acreage based on my experience in real estate as well as living in Midland. We drove behind Malcolm King’s pickup truck to the different sites. I wasn’t sure if he had noticed anything strange between me and Whitt, but everything I knew about him said that he was observant, brilliant, and intimidating. I’d been friends with his younger brother, Nate, who was more on the brash, jokester, and wild spectrum. I was glad that Malcolm didn’t remember me. It was easier this way.
“Thanks for your time,” Whitt said, shaking Malcolm’s hand.
“No, thank you. Coming down on a Friday afternoon on a rodeo weekend is a lot,” he said with a grin. “I appreciate your expertise. Think this will be a great step forward.”
He shook my hand next. “Thank you, Eve.”
“Our pleasure. Let us know if there’s anything else you need from us.”
“I will do that.” He furrowed his brow as he released my hand. “You look familiar. You said you were from here?”
So much for not remembering me.
“Uh, yeah. I went to school with Nate.”
Malcolm’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh.”
“Not like that!” I said quickly.
“Not like what?” Whitt asked. His jaw clenched.
Malcolm and I exchanged a look and then laughed.
“My brother has…dated a lot.”
“That’s putting it mildly. He’s a total womanizer,” I told Whitt. “He even dated Blaire for a bit before she and Campbell got together.”
“Really?” Whitt asked. “That must have been before my time.”
“It was.”
“And you and Nate were just friends?” Malcolm asked dubiously.
“I was not one of his conquests,” I assured him. “Ask him about Eve Houston. He’ll tell you.”
“Good to hear that some women have some sense,” Malcolm said.
“Taste,” I corrected with a wink.
Malcolm laughed harder at that. I could see why all the girls had gone wild for him in school. He was several years older than us and the starting quarterback that took our high school to state. He had been every girl’s Friday Night Lights dream.
My eyes slid to Whitt, who had stuffed his hands into the pockets of his suit pants. He was watching our interaction very closely. Almost like he was interested in what was going on. Or even…jealous?
We’d flirted since he’d gotten back from Seattle, but besides the one tug of my hair—holy fuck me sideways—he’d been stiff ever since. Maybe I was misinterpreting his intentions all over again. Mr. Long-Term Relationship probably didn’t care if Malcolm and I had a little banter. Right?
“If y’all are free, my family is having a summer barbecue tomorrow night. We’d love for you to join us,” Malcolm said.
“Appreciate the offer,” Whitt said, “but we’ll be back in Lubbock by then.”
“If the hotels weren’t all booked, I’d say we should stay another night,” I said apologetically.
“Completely understand. The rodeo eats up the entire town. Next time.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll send over the final paperwork when I get back into the office on Monday,” Whitt said, shaking hands with Malcolm one more time.
Then, we were striding away from the empty, old oil land and back to his Lexus. It stood out in the dusty, desolate fields. We probably would have been better off with my 4Runner, but after the timing belt issue, I wasn’t sure it would make many more Midland trips. I needed to reserve them for Bailey.
“Where to now?”
“It’s late. We should probably go eat at the hotel and crash. We’ll have to leave early in the morning.”
I rolled my eyes as we slid into the car. “Absolutely not. The hotel will be swamped with rodeo guys, and we need actual food.”
“You have a suggestion, Houston?”
“Yes, sir,” I teased. It was the first time since we’d checked in that he turned his full attention to me. His lips were slightly parted. Those big blue eyes roamed my face. I wondered what he was thinking in that moment. “I know just the place.”
He turned the car on. “Lead the way.”
Fifteen minutes later, we were striding inside a hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint, attached to a ratty, old gas station. In Texas, the best barbecue was always one step away from a dump. It had a tin roof and leaned slightly to the left. The tables were old picnic benches, and dry air blew in from the screened-in windows. Out back was a bar the length of the place, where regulars came and got drunk on pulled pork and ribs slathered in their signature spicy sauce.
Whitton parked his rather conspicuous Lexus in between a set of Harley-Davidson motorcycles and an old junker pickup with more rust damage than body left.
“Where the hell have you taken me?”
“Only the best barbecue in the state.”
Whitton looked skeptically at the building. “It looks one step away from a health violation.”
I put my hand to my chest. “How dare you! Lee’s is an institution.”
“If you say so.”
I strode around the car and grabbed his arm, tugging him toward the restaurant. “I swear, Whitton, we’re going to have to find your sense of adventure.”
“I know precisely where my sense of adventure is.”
“Oh, yeah?” I asked, linking our arms together.
“Yeah. Locked up tight in a vault with everything else I don’t have time for.”
I leaned my head against his enormous bicep and looked up at him through thick lashes. “Well, hand over the key to your vault, Wright. I’m here to get you out of your comfort zone.”
“But comfort zones are comfortable.”
“Here’s the deal,” I said, dragging him to a stop before the door. “We’re off the clock. No one here knows who you are. No one here even cares. Just trust me and have some fun at least until we get home.”
His eyes searched mine for a second, as if waiting for the rug pull. I didn’t have one. This was my hometown. As complicated as my relationship was with it, we could have a good time here. A chance that we never really gave ourselves back home. Not with the entire town watching our every move and me still too fucked up by what had happened with Arnold. Why couldn’t we have some fun?
