Changing the bad boy

Chapter 12

PRESTON POV

"Tommy, I will write you a check, but can you please wait to cash it until Friday?"Valerie had said into the phone.

My mouth had fallen open in shock, and I stopped short.

Who does that?

Is she so careless with her personal finances she needs to ask someone to hold on to the check until she got her first paycheck from Cartwright & Sons?

I get that she's not as well off as I am. Few people are.But I'm not judging the assets she has or the amount of money she makes. I'm judging the way she handles them.

It concerns me she owes

someone money. And I'm hoping that's all it is, and that she doesn't have a gambling problem.

We can't have someone who's irresponsible with money working here.Especially not when she reports to me, the Chief Financial Officer.My dad would never allow it.

I take a step back, so I'm out of her sight, but continue to watch her on her phone. She closes her eyes and nibbles on her bottom lip and it's obvious she is nervous or upset about something as she listens to whoever is on the other end.

It's not like she is trying to scam someone or trying to get out of something. It annears she cenulinelv wants

to resolve whatever the problem is but needs time to do so.

I let out a breath, and my shoulders relax.

I guess bookies could have a similar effect on someone.But I can't see that being her problem.Valerie seems too conservative. Frugal even.I can't picture her gambling with whatever money she has.She always brings lunch and doesn't seem to spend money on nonessentials.I mean, just look at that piece of s**t car she's driving around.

And then I feel bad. Maybe she's in trouble. If that is the case, I'd like to help her.

"What?" I scoff to myself.

Just the thought is surprising and a definite first for me.I've always tried to keep my professional life separate from my personal life as much as possible. It's not always easy since it is a family business, but being able to say it' just business makes it easier to justify decisions that affect others.

But there is something about Valerie that affects me, and as much as I figured it was just her sinful body eliciting unholy thoughts, it's more than that.

The concerned but determined expression on her face stirs my protective instincts. It makes me want to help. I'm just not sure what I can do. or how to go about it? I can't exactly tell her what 1overheard when I listened in on her conversation. And that brings me to the second issue. Her dinner plans.

From the sound of her second phone call, she's planning on having someone stay for dinner... which is going to include a bottle of wine. So maybe she already has someone in her life that helps?

Dinner with wine in the middle of the week sounds kind of romantic. Is that her thing?

I'm not a romantic person.The girls that go out with me know from the beginning what they are getting into and there has never been any need to try to impress them And I've never wanted to. In fact, I've avoided it at all costs.

But the thought of Valerie having an intimate,romantic dinner with someone at her place has my mind reeling. I'm picturing what might come after the dinner. Or who...

"Get a f*****g grip, Preston,"I say out loud to my empty office. Because why the hell,all of a sudden, do I care about what Valerie does in her spare time?

What she does at work is one thing. And so far,that hasn't been all that impressive. Until today.

Because even I have to admit that. I was seriously impressed with her earlier,in the wav she took the initiative and questioned things on the change order Demers sent over. Alana and Lydia have been here for a few years now, but they've never gone out of their way to do anything out of their job description, unless it involved hitting on one of us brothers.

And why the hell doesn't Peter review the records the way Valerie does? It's his job to do so, not hers. And that's a f*****g problem. Is he even looking at the changes?Let alone questioning them?

I lean my head back against the chair and take a deep breath. I need to find out how Peter has been handling this. Based on what Valerie has found so far, I'm starting to question if he's the right man for the iob And it know that somehow it will all come back to me, and how I've handled it. If there is a problem involving money-which most of the projects do- my father likes to blame me for them.

I need to take a closer look at the records. The way Valerie did.

Valerie...

Last week, she annoyed the s**t out of me, and I couldn't wait to get her fired. But now, with the way she's getting all passionate about Marramount and wanting to find a solution. It is inspiring, and downright sexy.

Her eagerness made me pay attention to her

how she looks with her pink eyeglasses perched on her nose, her hair up in a twist at the nape of her neck, while dressed in some bargain brand of black slacks and a white button-up shirt. There's nothing revealing in the way she dresses. There's barely a hint of cleavage, but it's enough. Like a stern teacher,or librarian, and it's f*****g hot.

I'm seriously questioning whether I have some kind of librarian fetish I never knew about. Because Valerie is currently doing it for me. The thought of unbuttoning the shirt to reveal the good underneath,and to slowly peel the shirt off her shoulders, has me hardening.

My phone buzzes, signaling I have a meeting scheduled with Easton. It gets me out of my head, and I take a couple of slow breaths, allowing my hard-on to deflate. I push back on the chair and get up to walk over to Easton's office.

I'm on my way back to my office from the meeting in Easton's. Hayes is talking to Alana at her desk. From the way he's laughing about something she says, and the way her smile stretches across her face, I don't think it's work related. I have a feeling it's gossip, and how he likes to hear about it baffles me. I can't stand that s**t, but it somehow entertains Hayes.

My eyes are drawn towards Valerie. She's focused on what she's doing and is ignoring everything around her. Her right hand is tapping buttons on an old fashion calculator while her left hand is busy scrolling over the document on her desk. Her brow is furrowed and she's nibbling on her plump bottom lip. I don't know why I find that so sexy, but I do.

Fucking hell. What's wrong with me?

A plump lip?

She's nothing like the women I normally go for.

Valerie is older, and not as fit. My usual type seems to be mid-twenties, slender,but more towards athletic than model thin. Valerie

is neither. But there is something about her generous curves and the way her teeth nibble her lip when she's concentrating that has me twitching in my pants for the second time today.

Like seriously. At work.

What am I? A teenage boy?

I need to get laid. It must have been too long. Maybe it's not good for me to go weeks without it.

I continue to stare at Valerie.She's older than me. I'm not sure by how much or whether it matters. I've never been with an older woman before, but the thought of f*****g Valerie is tempting. To shut her up with my c**k while she looks up at me from behind those glasses, or of taking charge and having her up on all fours while I slam into her wet p***y has me swelling until I'm sporting a semi-erection.

Hayes laughs at something which draws my attention back to him. The way he and Alana exchange an amused look as he glances down at her cell phone makes whatever is going on in my pants deflate in an instant.

I just know Hayes is going to bring up something about dad's birthday party, and I'm pretty sure I know which part. Normally, I'd just go with it and shove back just as good as I get, but I don't want Hayes to rip on my playboy lifestyle in front of Valerie. Even if I deserve it.

But he sure as f**k does.

"There's a picture of you making out with Antonia Hernandez," Hayes grins."People are speculating whether she's your next hook up, or if it's true love."

Alana giggles.

For f**k's sake.

"Hayes..." I start, but don't get any further because he cuts me off.

"Pretty sure Mom already saw this," he continues and grins like the cat that got the canary. It's like he can't help himself.Like he loves when the rest of us get ripped on in the media.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and count to ten. while I remind myself that we're at work and I do love my brother.At least sometimes.

"It was a kiss on the cheek,"I try to explain. It was what I had intended, even though it didn't quite work out that way.

I was leaving the birthday party to go home, by myself I might add, when Antonia sashayed over and slipped me her number. All eyes were on us in that moment,so I smiled and put it into my pocket and bent forward to kiss her cheek goodbye.Well, she was clearly more calculated than I'd expected because she turned her head at the last second so that my lips landed on hers. I'd thrown her number in the garbage as soon as I'd gotten home.

If it was one thing I didn't like, it was manipulative people.

"Doesn't look that way,"Hayes says and laughs.

"Whatever." I'm not about to engage with him.

"This other woman called for you,"Alana adds. "She said her name was Chloe."

What the f*****g hell?

That piece of information has Hayes hooting with laughter.

I glance over at Valerie and find her clicking away at the calculator. I'm hoping she's not paying attention to us.

"Thanks." I say to Alana and turn to head back to my office. I don't ask for the return number. Chloe has already given it to me, twice.And I threw it out both times.

Hayes nudges my arm as I walk past him.

"What Hayes?" I ask with a sigh.

"Did you hear from Mom yet?" He asks with a big smirk, loving the fact that the pressure is off him for the moment.

"No, but when she calls, I think I might tell her about baby Woodcock." Ileave the sentence out there and watch Hayes' face fall,and he shoves me harder."Asshole."

"Right back at you."

I laugh as I enter my office.Hayes loves to dish out,but he's not very good at receiving. Well, two can play this game.

I expected a call from my mom, so it surprises me when it's my dad that calls.

"Hey dad," I answer. I'm in the middle of reviewing the proposals for the 5th Street project and the deposits we've made to date.

"Preston," he says. "Are there going to be any issues with us breaking ground on 5th street?"

Um,what? I figured his call would be about Antonia, not about business. And the question he's asking is a loaded one. The truth is, I don't know. I've been talking to Andrew about my concerns and I'm not quite sure how much he has told our dad. Or how much we should tell him,yet.

"That depends, dad," I respond, deciding to be vague on purpose. "If everything goes according to plan with Marramount, we should be able to proceed as scheduled."

"And if not?" he asks.

"Then we may not have enough available liquid assets..."

There's a disapproving sound on the other end of the phone, and I stop mid-sentence.

"Make sure there are no further issues at the Marramount. We need to break ground on 5th Street as planned. I already have a few interested buyers, but that may fall through if we don't get it done on time."

"We could start sooner if we get a loan," I suggest, even though I know that's the wrong thing to say.

"We're not getting a f*****g loan," he sneers. "I'd rather sell one of my personal properties than borrow money."

"Okay. I hear you."

"Get it done, Preston," he barks and hangs up.

I lean my head back against the chair and groan. "Get It done. Since when did it become just my problem that the Marramount is off schedule and over budget?