Changing the bad boy

Chapter 18

VALERIE POV

Fiona slept over at my apartment last night so she could watch the kids for me while I worked overtime. I hesitated to ask her at first, because it feels like she's always doing things for me, and I'm not able to return the favor. But since I'm getting paid double time for whatever hours I work over the weekend, I'll be able to afford to buy her something nice as a thank you.

Her response had been an immediate yes, accompanied by an eye roll. "It's your chance, babe," she'd said with a teasing smile, and I knew she was more focused on the "cobwebs be gone" project, while I was thankful for a chance to prove myself."All that testosterone in one room. Damn, you're lucky!" she sighed.

I laughed. Lydia and Alana would likely agree with her and they'd be jealous if they knew I was working by myself with the four Cartwright brothers.

I just hoped I'd be able to focus on the job, and not drool over Preston. His presence was starting to become a problem. He'd always been stupidly hot, but now, with him being nice to me, it changed things. I had ideas crossing my mind that Fiona would be proud of. But they made me feel stupid and embarrassed. It wasn't exactly like robbing the cradle, but he was younger, and in many ways, very immature.

And he was a complication.

"I'm hoping you won't need

this now," Fiona grinned and handed me a loosely wrapped present. Even though I suspected I knew open it, and I had a right to be. Fiona had indeed bought me a vibrator. It was about six inches long and shaped just like a p***s, complete with veins and a bulbous head. It would've been very realistic looking if it wasn't for the bright purple color.

"Fiona!" I hissed.

She laughed. "For emergencies, babe. The real thing is better, but this takes care of the problem if there's no one there to do it for you."

I was both slightly mortified and intrigued. It had been a while since I bothered to

get myself off. The libido had kind of fallen to the wayside after the divorce. And from what I'd heard, that was probably normal considering I had two kids to take care of on my own and when I had a few minutes to myself, I prioritized sleep.

But the desire had started to make a comeback, and since I didn't think Preston would be the one taking me for a ride, I was curious how this magic purple d**k would work. I'd never used anything like a vibrator before.

We giggled as she explained how it operated which wasn't all that complicated, said good night, and went to bed.

As soon as the alarm went off in the morning, Fiona got up with me. She made coffee and toast while I showered.

Then she helped me decide what to wear because I wasn't sure how I was supposed to dress since it was a weekend, and it made me nervous. I didn't want to wear what I did for a regular workday, but I also didn't want to come in leggings and a sweatshirt.

After trying several options, I settled for a dark green maxi dress and a jean jacket. It was cute and flirty. Maybe more on the casual side of business casual, but not inappropriate.

"You look fabulously cute," Fiona declared and slapped my ass as I walked out the door. "Have a great day at work dear"

"Yes, dear," I teased back.

"See you later."

The parking lot at work only has three other cars in it. They are all in the preferred parking area next to the entrance. I recognize Preston's Audi R8, and the others, a Porsche and a Bugatti, as belonging to Easton and Andrew. Parked together like that, they look like they should be on the front page of some fancy car magazine.

I swipe my employee badge over the scanner and the door unlocks. It's empty inside, and it's kind of eerie to walk into an empty lobby with no guards or co-workers around. My wedged heels make loud sounds as I walk across the tile floor toward the elevator.

It's even more eerie when I get off the elevator on the C floor. The lights are all off, except for the hallway lights inside.

I push through the door into the waiting area. There are murmuring voices coming from the boardroom, so I follow the sound.

"Good morning," I say as I step inside.

Easton, Andrew, and Preston are already there. They turn my way at the same time.

"Good morning, Valerie, "Andrew greets me with a smile. Preston says "hello" while Easton goes with "morning."

The tray of breakfast food I ordered has already been delivered and sits on the table together with several cups of coffee. It smells good. My belly growls in anticipation.

I put my tote bag down on a chair near where Preston stands at the end of the table with a cup of coffee in his hand. He's dressed in jeans and a button-up shirt, which he has rolled up to the elbows and open at the neck. I've never seen him in anything but a suit before, but boy can he work casual into something super sexy. Who knew bare forearms were such a sexy thing?

I sure as hell didn't.

But the tanned skin with a fine dusting of hair over

hardened muscles does it for me and has me thinking thoughts that are not appropriate for the boardroom.

"Thanks for getting breakfast," Andrew says, and I force myself to focus on the job and him. He is the one who looks the most like the way I'm used to seeing them, in a pair of dark gray slacks and a light blue shirt. He has it buttoned all the way up and there are no forearms on display there, but the color does wonders for his complexion and brings out his bright blue-gray eyes.

Easton is also in jeans, but he has a cobalt blue golf shirt on. Again, the blue makes the Cartwright's eyes look incredible. But it's how

normal he looks in such a casual outfit that throws me off. He could be anybody dressed like that. Then Hayes strolls through the door with a cup of Starbucks coffee in his hand and my mouth drops open.

Easton is dressed up compared to Hayes. With messy hair, worn-out, ripped jeans, and a faded black Metallica t-shirt stressed across the shoulders of his trim body, he looks like the family bad boy, and damn, it works for him.

I always thought Preston was the bad one. The one who broke rules and didn't give a s**t. But I'm starting to think they all have their naughty side.

"This night?" Andrew asks Hayes in an amused tone.

"Or early morning?" Easton adds.

"Something like that," Hayes mutters in response. He pulls out one of the leather chairs and sits down at the conference table, reaching for an egg and cheese sandwich.

"I'll get you a cup of coffee, "I offer, because I need to get one for myself, anyway.

His eyes light up. "Thanks, Val."

"Of course. Anyone else?" I ask and look at his brothers. They all shake their heads no, except for Preston, who studies me a little too close for comfort.

"Do you want another cup,

Preston?"

His eyes snap up and meet mine. "No, I'm good."

"Okay."

I hear the brothers rip on Hayes and each other as I am brewing the coffee. It reminds me of me and my brother growing up, and I realize I miss that. The easy banter, the silly name-calling. Just how easy it all was back then.

Paul and I are still close, and we'll always be there for each other, but it's different now without our parents around. We used to tease each other relentlessly.

About every stupid thing we could think of. It was to the point where it drove

them crazy. But the more they threatened to ground us, the more creative we got.

I chuckle to myself as I carry the cups into the boardroom. The brothers are all seated at the table, munching on breakfast sandwiches.

"Thanks, Val," Hayes says when I hand him the cup and proceeds to gulp down the hot coffee like it's a bottle of water.

I wince. That just has to hurt.

Andrew gestures for me to sit down and offers me the rest of the food. I selected a fruit cup since I already had toast at home. He proceeds to thank me for bringing this problem to their attention while I spear a strawberry with my fork. But he doesn't stop there. He goes on about how I'm an ultimate employee, the kind who goes above and beyond the job duties, and that it will not be forgotten come performance review time. His speech is so over the top, I'm flushed and slightly embarrassed when he finishes, but also proud, and thrilled to be so appreciated.

Preston grins at me like he knows how I feel. And maybe he does. Or maybe he's proud of me? Whatever it is, it makes me feel all warm and sappy.

"How do you want to do this?" Hayes asks from where he's slumped in his chair, picking at some hash browns. It's obvious he

doesn't want to be here and wants to get whatever the work is over with.

"We're looking for inconsistencies," Andrew responds as he takes charge, which I've also learned is the norm when they're all together. "We need to add up everything that was billed compared to what was paid."

"For every trade," Preston adds.

"From the beginning?"

Hayes asks, wide-eyed.

"Yes, starting with the proposals, the contracts, purchase invoices, estimates, bills," Preston responds, ticking off the things on his fingers.

"For over four years?" Hayes groans. "That's a lot of f*****g records."

"Yeah, probably the reasons we're all here on a weekend," Easton comments dryly, and I have to bite back a laugh.

"Damn."

Preston grins as Andrew chuckles.

"Just tell us what you need us to do," Easton demands, and looks to Andrew.

"I want to look into Peter and go through what he has," Andrew says, and that makes sense. Peter is an employee of Cartwright & Sons, not someone they hired. His betrayal, if there is one which I think there is-will hurt more.

I'll pick up where I left off yesterday while Preston and Andrew divide the rest of the work between the four of them.

When I slide the paper file of the now missing folder from the shared drive over to Andrew, he blinks at me in surprise.

"What's this?"

"Records that no longer exist on the server."

That only deepens the frown lines on his forehead.

"Peter posted these on the sshare drive a little while ago, only to delete them a few hours later."

"No s**t?" Andrew says.

I nod.

"Valerie printed everything on there just in time," Preston adds. "It's all gone from the server. I can't access it either."

I feel my cheeks darken at the praise. I'm not used to compliments. Especially not from him.

"Nice," Andrew smiles.

"Good job. I can't wait to see what's in here."

"Thanks," I respond, knowing my cheeks are getting even redder. We all settle into our assigned work, and the room gets quiet. There's the rustling of papers, a scribble on a notepad, and the occasional clicks on a laptop and taping it. It's comforting.

Hayes hums softly as his fingers fly over the laptop.

Preston scowls at the records in front of him.

Andrew takes handwritten notes on a pad, and Easton mutters something about stupid, ridiculous numbers.

I can't hold back a smile as I dig through the mountain of records in front of me. For the first time in a very long time, it feels like I'm part of something special, and that I'm truly being appreciated for my contribution.

One cup of coffee becomes two and it's when I'm on my third one that things become clear. We're missing many of the

subcontractor invoices. And while that makes sense to a point, it makes it more difficult to pinpoint the issues.

Cartwright hired Demers as the general contractor and he, in turn, hired the contractors. The problem with that is that we only know what Cartwright paid Demers, not what he paid out. Cartwright was billed for overtime at the going labor rate and paid that, but I can't prove that the contractors actually did all that work without the subcontractor records.

I dig through what we have and find the complete plumbing records. They support the theory that Cartwright & Sons got billed for hours that nobody

ever worked. We do not, however, have the records from the drywaller framer, roofer, or flooring contractor. There might be others missing as well, but that's as far as I can tell.

I look over at Preston, wondering if he's picked up on the same thing, only to find him watching me.

"We need..." I begin, and he finishes the sentence for me," The subcontractor records."

I smile and nod, glad that we figured it out at the same time. "Yeah."

"We had everything for the plumber and the steamfitter, so I didn't realize we didn't have the rest until just now."

I nod my head. "Me too."

Preston flashes me a quick, but deadly smile. It's all sexy and enigmatic. Like we're co-conspirators in this. Like we're a team within the team working to solve the company's problem. And that does something to me. To places that are all dried up.

I look away and resist an urge to squirm on the seat.

He's so stupidly attractive.

If I was alone I'd be fanning myself. Or try out the purple d**k.

I pray I'm not blushing even though that's some serious hopeful thinking. I let out a slow exhale and tried to get my focus back on the records in front of me, but the feel of Preston's intense gaze on my face had me looking back over at him.

He's no longer smiling. And there is something in the way he looks at me that has me thinking this attraction I feel towards him might not be one-sided. It's the way his eyes darken, and how he licks his lips that has me sensing a hunger. One I'd like to unleash.

But it's when Andrew's hand lands on my shoulder a minute later that I'm convinced I'm right. Preston's brows pull together at the sight of it and his nostrils flare.

If Andrew notices at all, he chooses to ignore it and just asks me "What time is the lunch supposed to arrive?"

I'm stupefied for a minute at the sight of the brother's silent conversation, which involves squinting eyes and raised eyebrows.

"Um, around noon," I

say, and have to clear the hoarseness from my throat.

A quick look at my phone next to me tells me it's getting close to that time. "It should be here soon," I add.

"Alright." Andrew pushes back on the chair and straightens up to his full height. There's a knowing smirk on his face as he looks at Preston. "I'll go downstairs and wait for them."

"You don't have to do that, "I almost gasped. That's my job. "I should do it."

Andrew shakes his head from side to side. "No, I got it. I could use some fresh air, and I need to stretch my legs for a few minutes."

"I'll come with you," Hayes speaks up and pushes back on the table so abruptly that the wheeled chair flies back and almost hits the wall behind him before he gets to his feet.

"Me too," Easton adds with a yawn.

I hear their laughter as they walk toward the elevator. It's just me and Preston left in the room, and suddenly I don't know what to do. My heart races inside my chest and the back of my neck is getting clammy.