Page 26 of Cocky Prince
Scanning the agenda, I note the two upcoming events. Blue Casino is one of the premier entertainment providers in Lake Tahoe. Because of the scope of our next events, it will be all hands on deck today. Which means Hayden will be here. Speaking of whom…
Hayden stops in the doorway, her figure accentuated in a gray tailored short-sleeved fitted dress. Some chunky gold necklace drapes her throat, cream stilettos pushing her calves into soft swells, and damn if I’m not entranced. I love a put-together woman. Though even if Hayden were in sweats, she’d draw my eye. Despite her prickly nature—or because of it—Hayden has that effect on me.
A lock of caramel silk hair covers one eye as she rifles through a stack of manila file folders. William—damn his roaming hands—touches her shoulder, alerting her she’s blocking the entrance. She bustles to the side and grabs the agenda. Glancing around the room, she spots me and frowns. She dashes to the opposite end of the table, only to be blocked by Eve, who steals the seat next to Blackwell.
That’s right, Hayden, only two empty seats left.
Hayden darts for the second seat, across the table, but William snags it first.
The universe has it in for her. I cannot contain the joy that fills my heart knowing Hayden is forced to sit next to me. We often get stuck next to each other. Not that I’m complaining. The view works out just right for me, but I think she might object. If I were a different man, I might feel bad, but since I enjoy riling her up, it’s a perk of the job.
“Are we all here?” Blackwell asks, though the question is rhetorical. He’s already gestured for Eve to close the door. “Let’s make this quick. I have a meeting in thirty minutes.” Blackwell rattles off a few details about the concert coming up, and checks in with the man in charge. When he gets to the celebrity auction and burlesque show, he turns to Hayden. “You’ve worked with William on contracts for outsourcing décor? We’re spending a small fortune to transform the club that weekend.”
“Yes.” Hayden pushes around her manila file folders. “There are two contracts that support our company policy. These two places are by far the best available. And the burlesque dancers—”
Blackwell holds up his hand. “Those will go to William. William?”
William rises and walks around the table. Hayden hands him the folders, her expression one of stunned confusion. “I just received the contract proposals. Three out of the four burlesque companies are in conflict with our policies. I’d hoped to discuss it with you before we moved forward.”
“That won’t be necessary. William will take over from here. This event must be a success. We’ll arrange for the contracts to go through a special account.”
Hayden’s jaw drops, and to be honest, I’m stunned as well. “I don’t understand,” she says. “Any time we hire, even for temporary positions, contractors and new employees must be prescreened.”
Blackwell folds his fingers and sits back. “And they will be. As I said, William will handle it.”
“But—” I squeeze her knee under the table and a squeak erupts from her throat, but she doesn’t say any more. She stares straight ahead, her lips clamped.
After a moment, she cuts me a look, and I hold her stare. Blackwell pulled her off a project. One she should be involved with, but to speak out against the CEO is career suicide.
Blackwell turns to Eve. “Next up on the agenda?”
Eve outlines a few new policies the casino enacted to keep the employees safe—all bullshit, since Blackwell is working around his own system, which in effect nullifies the policies if no one polices them.
A secretary enters the room. “Your next appointment is here, Mr. Blackwell.”
Blackwell presses his palms to the table and stands. “That’ll be all for today.”
Hayden stares as the management team files out. “Why’d you do it?” She looks over once they’ve left, her eyes furious.
I stand and close the top button of my suit jacket. “Because you were about to piss off our boss, and I couldn’t watch you go down like that. From what I’ve witnessed these last few months, you’re on shaky ground with him.”
Every time Hayden stood up to our illustrious CEO, she had just cause, but working at Blue is a political game. One Hayden seems hellbent on not playing. Selfish of me, but I enjoy having her around. I don’t want to see her get fired.
She stands and lifts her chest—the effect drawing my attention down instead of in the vicinity of her eyes. “Why the hell do you think you can tell me how to do my job?”
“Hayden.” My voice is deep, a warning. This is to protect her, and I’m not sure how much longer I can allow her to think she has a say in it. It’s about more than her getting fired. The more I learn about Blackwell and Paul, and the rest of the power management at Blue, the more unscrupulous I find them. I fully intend to win my bet with Hayden, but even if the world falls off its axis and I don’t, I’m not letting her stoke the temper of our dubious CEO.
She crosses her arms. “Have you any idea how much time I spent curating the companies for this event? We’ve never hosted a burlesque show, and a celebrity auction on top of that? I’ve spent months—months,Adam—reaching out to contacts and meeting with people. And Blackwell hands it off to William, as if William has any idea what he’s doing? It’s ridiculous!”
“Don’t take it personally.”
“Don’t take it—Haveyouever worked your ass off and had your efforts ignored?” She flings out a hand and looks away. “Of course not. You’re the prince of Lake Tahoe, Adam Cade, who can do no wrong.”
I lean forward, her fiery temper and that chest she’s thrusting in my face making me want to toss her on the table and show her how bad I can be. “I’ve been in your place before.”
She glares back. “Bullshit.”
I’ve worked at Club Tahoe every summer since I was sixteen, in every facet of the business, and not once have my efforts been acknowledged, not even after I made Club Tahoe’s golf course a stop on the PGA Tour. I’ve had my work handed off to others more senior than me, my ideas disregarded, or used and not acknowledged. I know what Hayden is going through, but no matter what I tell her, she wants to believe I’m still that insensitive asshole who convinced her boyfriend to break up with her.
