Page 23 of Connor

“We’re here!” I hear Victoria yell out from the front doors, and I jump and pace to my desk.

“Well, shit,” I hear him mumble. “You better get yourself under control before she takes one look at how eager you are and walks straight back out.” He shakes his head at me, and I take a breath. I have no idea what the hell is wrong with me. I’m acting like some kid eager to get his rocks off. Not Connor fucking Whiteman.

“Boys?” Victoria yells again.

“In here,” Dad calls out as he takes a seat in an armchair in my office, with an eye on both me and the door.

“Oh, here you are. Boys, this is Daisy. Daisy, you have already met Connor, and this is his father, Tanner. As outlined in the brief we sent, Tanner and Connor own the distillery and are both looking forward to the expansion,” Victoria explains, and I stand, feet rooted to the floor, eyes on her as she walks through my office door.

She almost sparkles as the sun from my window coats her in amber. Her smile is wide, looking totally comfortable, in control, and so fucking beautiful. I swallow down my admiration, straightening my stance, pulling my shoulders back, standing tall, and I take a breath in to try to appear like my professional self. Not the ogling asshole I actually am when it comes to her.

“Nice to meet you,” she says, looking at Dad with a big smile and shaking his hand. I can’t breathe again. She looks better than the last couple of times I saw her. To be fair, both times, she was in some type of uniform, both at Sunshine and then also at the stadium.

This time, her hair is loose, long and shiny, her face glowing. She’s wearing tailored black pants and a black top, which looks both corporate and sexy as hell. Her belt cinches her in at the waist, highlighting her hourglass shape, and I need to swallow my groan that threatens to escape because deep curves and a body to grab on to have always been my weakness.

“Daisy.” I say her name in greeting, and I watch as her gaze falls to me and those bright blues that I’ve been dreaming about meet mine. I physically feel my chest expanding. I could barely sleep last night in anticipation of seeing her again. I’m not ashamed to admit that I thought about fisting her vibrant red hair when I gripped my cock in the shower this morning, coming harder than I have in a long while.

“Connor,” she says simply, our words not laced with malice, but far from friendly. It seems we might still be at odds with each other. I notice Dad and Victoria looking between us, no doubt wondering what’s going on, so I continue.

“How was the flight?” I ask, my body suddenly wanting to get closer. I step toward her, trying to remain professional and taming the small grin that pulls at the sides of my mouth. Flying private isn’t something everyone experiences in life, and while we do it often, because it’s more efficient and easier, I expect this is Daisy's first time.

“Well, it was my first time on a private jet, and it was pretty fabulous,” she says, and her genuine honesty is refreshing. Anyone else would be acting like it’s a simple thing and no big deal, that they themselves travel private all the time, or some have the opposite response; they have their guard up, almost acting like we’re showing off by having our plane transport them. To her, it just is, and I hear my dad’s chest rumble in what I think is a small laugh. When I look at him, his eyes are dancing as he glances between me and Daisy and back again. Shit, she even has my old man under her spell.

“Well, Tanner and I need to get to another appointment, so Connor will show you to your accommodations, where you can freshen up and unpack. Your bags are already there, and then we have dinner with the four of us at our bar in town tonight before we hit the ground running tomorrow,” Victoria explains, and I watch Daisy nod, her tense swallow the only hint I get of her slight nervousness. I raise my eyebrows at Victoria’s sudden change of plans. She was meant to show Daisy around and get her settled. I have meetings and appointments, but Victoria gives me a sly grin as she steps toward the door.

“Nice to meet you, Daisy,” Dad says, giving her nod before looking at me with narrowed eyes, then he follows Victoria out the door to go who knows where.

“Nice to meet you both. See you later at dinner,” Daisy says, her manners appreciated as we watch them go, and then it’s just the two of us.

“So you’re friendly to them and not me?” I ask her, and her head whips around to look at me.

“Well, so far, they haven’t been jerks and insulted me or my mother’s business, so I’m taking them at face value,” she fires back, and I can’t help the smirk that comes to my face.

“First day on the job, and you’re calling your boss a jerk? Very professional.” I lift an eyebrow.

“Not boss. I’m an independent contractor hired by the distillery to do a job, for a set fee, for a set time period,” she states, full of confidence.

“My distillery, my rules, Daisy.” As I step closer to her, she squares her shoulders. She grins then, like I humor her, and I’ve never wanted to kiss a woman more than I do right now.

“I’m more than happy to turn around and walk straight back out that door, Connor. You need me, remember?” Stepping toward me slowly, her hands find her hips, and my jaw clenches at her closeness.

“And go where? Back to Sunshine, that’s falling apart around you?” It's a low blow, and she shakes her head, unamused.

“Sometimes, you find diamonds in the rough,” she says, and no truer words have ever been spoken. “Besides, I’m sure your girlfriend would love to have you back in the city. She’s such a super friendly woman.” The sarcasm is clear as day.

“Not girlfriend. Not friend. Not even an acquaintance,” I tell her, my eyes not leaving hers for a second. “Simply a favor for a friend.”

She watches me carefully, no doubt to see if I’m being honest.

We stand in front of each other, both with fire in our eyes. I’ve never spoken to a staff member like this. I never explain myself to anyone. Hell, aside from Sawyer, I’ve never spoken to a contractor or supplier like this either. But this woman gets so far under my skin, I can barely concentrate.

“I have meetings, so let me show you around so I can get back to it,” I say, acting like she’s an inconvenience, when all I want to do is talk with her all day. Swiping my cell from my desk, I stride out of my office, with Daisy hot on my heels.

“This is our main corporate office. We have boardrooms, staff spaces, and all the administration for the distillery and our distribution here. Your office is down the hall.”

She looks around, taking in the space. My steps are quick, as I have things to do, important people to speak with, so giving Little Miss Sassy Pants a tour is the last thing I should be doing. My strides are long, and I hear her almost running in her heels to keep up. I feel like an asshole, but this is how we work best, I’m starting to discover.

“Through here…” I say, opening a large timber door that leads to the main distillery. “This is where the magic happens.” Pride fills me every time I enter this space. I like to think I’m smart and well rounded. I had good grades throughout college, and I’ve done well as the CFO of Whiteman’s, but I’ve never been prouder of the business. Our growth plans, both locally and internationally, are ambitious, but I plan to meet every last one of them.

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