His face etched with sadness, Jake squeezed my hands. “Fuck. I’m so sorry, Cora. You’ve had to deal with a lot of bad shit and you’re only twenty-two.”
I could feel the prickle of tears and I forced myself to push aside the grief threatening to overwhelm me. Self-pity never helped anybody. “I tell myself there are people who have it worse. At least Marcus and I are together and we’re healthy.”
I forced a smile and pulled my hands away. His touch was affecting me far too much. “How about your family?
“Mom and Dad live an hour and a half north of Chicago. When Dad retired, Mom convinced him to move far enough away so that he wouldn’t be tempted to drop by the office to check on things. They really like living in the country.”
“That sounds like the perfect way to retire. Do you have any other siblings besides Troy?”
“No. Although my mom would have loved a daughter. But she swore she was too tired after raising too rambunctious boys.”
“You and Troy seem to be close.”
“We are. When we were younger, we fought all the time, but things changed when we went off to college.”
“I guess you grew up.”
He grinned at my assessment. “I did… but the jury’s still out on Troy.”
“I guess I spoke too soon,” I teased.
His chuckle was deep and warm and entirely dangerous. Our easy banter made me feel like we were on a date instead of a business lunch. I dropped my eyes in consternation and bit the inside of my mouth as a sharp reminder to be professional.
The server’s arrival was a timely interruption. He placed three small plates of food in front of us: roasted potatoes, asparagus with Parmesan cheese, and fried calamari.
“God, this looks incredible.” I inhaled, drawing in the smells.
“Let’s dig in. If I know Luis, he’s already sending out the next round.”
Without ceremony, we both placed a sampling of each dish on our plates. I was never the type of girl who didn’t eat in the presence of a good-looking guy. Even as compelling as Jake was, the food was too good to resist.
It was all I could do not to moan in ecstasy as the dash of sea salt and Parmesan melded with the fresh taste of asparagus. Jake stared at my mouth and I quickly brought up my napkin to wipe away whatever drew his attention.
“Tell me about the Emerson project. What will we be looking at today?” My tone was deliberately brisk and cool.
With the barest hesitation, Jake started to explain what we needed to inspect at the site and the progress he expected to see.
The staff brought out plate after plate of delicious food and despite feeling uncomfortably full, I ate every bite. Jake seemed unfazed by my healthy appetite and put away his fair share of the spread.
When Luis returned, I was effusive in my praise and he puffed up proudly.
The visit to the site was eye opening. Jake patiently described the various stages of the construction process and again, I was impressed with his knowledge of every minute detail.
When Jake explained to the architect about the reason for the changes, I was concerned Will Garucci would get angry, but to my surprise, Will was on board. His compliance might have had something to do with the force of nature that was Jake Weston, but I saw signs of genuine enthusiasm as Will sketched out new ideas which did not require a total revamp of the project.
By the time we returned to the office, my head was spinning. I felt like someone had flipped me upside down and shook out all my expectations and preconceptions of Jake Weston and then stood me back right side up. I felt rattled and humbled.
The reality of being Jake’s assistant was definitely not what I first imagined. Nor did the billionaire resemble the caricature I had in my head.
Then all my feelings of revulsion returned with a vengeance when I watched him utterly crush Leon Richards and his son in our afternoon meeting.
DataPoynt was a cyber security company under a hostile takeover from a rival firm. The CEO, Leon Richards, was practically begging for Jake to step in to save the company, but my boss was unmoved.
Leon was a barrel-chested man in his fifties. Under normal circumstances he was a handsome man, but stress had taken a toll, making him look drawn and tired. His son, Dale, was only a few years older than I was, but he came across as confident and business savvy. Instinctually, I liked father and son on sight. They radiated honesty and old-fashioned values. They greeted me with utmost courtesy, unlike many of the CEOs who treated me like a piece of furniture.
Leon spent twenty minutes going over the circumstances of the takeover and the current financial state of the company. From his tone, I could tell Leon cared a great deal about the firm.
Jake interjected with a few questions, but he looked completely indifferent to the other company’s troubles.
Leon was sweating profusely. Deep lines etched the sides of his mouth and the corners of his eyes. “Weston, I understand this is not normally Weston Enterprise’s industry, but yours is the only company with enough assets to fight off the takeover. Larry Penn doesn’t want what’s best for Datapoynt. He’s just out to make a fast buck. He’s going to gut the company and sell it off. I founded Datapoynt and I don’t want the firm to fall into Penn’s hands. I’m asking for your help.”
My heart bled for him. Leon was risking his pride to do the right thing for his company.
Jake did not react to the impassioned plea.
“Datapoynt might be small compared to other firms, Mr. Weston, but we have one of the best reputations in the industry. We have made a steady profit every year,” Dale added. “We have a few projects in development which could increase our share of the market within three years. My dad is an amazing CEO and he’ll continue to make the company grow. Your management team would not need to get involved.”
I smiled at Dale, moved by his show of support for his dad. I swung my gaze to Jake. He was staring at my lips and his expression was downright icy. I shivered, wondering what brought on his sudden moodiness.
“I’m sorry, Richards, but business is business. I don’t have any interest in paying an inflated price for stocks in a company that won’t really add to Weston’s overall portfolio. You’ll have to find somebody else to be your white knight.”
“There’s nobody else.” The older man looked gutted. “There are hundreds of jobs at stake,” Leon made a last appeal.
“Frankly, that’s not my problem.”
The heartlessness of the statement made me flinch. Jake’s coldness was unnerving. I had a hard time reconciling this man with the one who spoke so warmly to his mom just this morning and who teased me during lunch.
Jake unfolded his tall frame and stood.
Following his cue, the Richardses did as well. The elder’s face was gray with defeat. “Thank you for your time.” He shook hands with Jake, and gave me a curt nod.
Dale Richards reluctantly offered his hand to Jake. His face was flushed with anger. When he turned to me, he forced a smile and said, “It was a pleasure meeting you, Cora.”
My smile was sickly. I felt a surge of pity for him and squeezed his hand in sympathy. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out. I hope things turn around.”
Dale’s lips twisted wryly and father and son left the conference room. Dale’s hand was on his father’s shoulder in silent support.
I gazed longingly at their backs, envying their strong familial bond. In spite of their financial woes, I knew father and son would be there for each other.
After they walked out of sight, I busied myself logging off the tablet I used for taking notes. The meeting left a sour taste in my mouth.
Jake must have seen some of the distaste on my face because he asked, “Something on your mind, Cora?”