Page 28 of Cocky Prince
She sighs. “Great. He has you do all the legwork, then hands it off to someone else? What’s his reasoning now?”
“Apparently, he’s hiring the talent through a special account. It’s a loophole so he can bypass our department before they sign anything.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know. But I have a feeling that if I figure it out, I’ll be one step closer to finding the suites.”
* * *
Adam
Istareat Paul and William in confusion. “I thought you wanted strippers.”
Paul glances at William, who shrugs. “We do. And these are upscale strippers—some of the best chests in the business. Burlesque showcases sexy, high-style talent. They’re not simply performing striptease; they’re seducing. It’s classier. Blackwell believes they’ll make a nice addition to the suites. They’ll be here for the show anyway, and we want to look into recruiting a few of them.”
William hands me a brochure of the burlesque dancers. “Make sure you’re at the meeting next week. Charm the ladies. If any of the dancers brings down the house, we want to make them an offer they can’t refuse.”
I toss the pamphlet on my desk. “Throwing around a lot of money, aren’t you? The bonuses, paying my assistant what most low-level executives make. I want the success as much as anyone, but is it worth the expense?”
Paul smiles devilishly. “Extremely. Based on the figures from phase one of the venture, we’ll more than make up for it in revenue earned.” He glances at William and nods toward the door.
William stands and walks across the room. He closes the door, silencing the sound of voices and office activity on the other side.
Paul crosses his legs. “Blackwell wouldn’t sanction the suites unless they were lucrative. And Bridget isn’t just an assistant. She’s going to be much more as soon as the Bliss suites are up and running. So stop with the pushback. It’s getting old. Or have you changed your mind about making a mint in bonuses by keeping your mouth shut? Did the ladies I sent you not treat you right? They said you showed them a good time. I assumed you were game for all that’s involved in Bliss. Was I wrong?”
Paul and William watch me in silence. The last thing I want is to screw up the one thing capable of providing me quick financial freedom.
“Of course not. I’ll attend the meetings with William—when I’m not interviewing the dozens of strippers and bodyguards you’ve sent my way. Because that’s my job, right? Hiring? Oh wait, I’m hospitality, not HR.”
Paul gives me a tight-lipped smile. “Watch yourself, Cade. We need you to be a go-to man.”
Not fifteen minutes ago I was lecturing Hayden about keeping her cool, and here I am blowing a golden opportunity. “Count me in. I’ll take care of it.”
Paul and William leave, and I proceed to get my priorities straight. Seducing Hayden is not one of them. Though that didn’t seem to stop me in the boardroom. I don’t know what that was…too much abstinence. Jaeger is right; I’m not myself around her, which means I need to stay away from her.
I’ve played a dangerous game where Hayden is concerned, which I’m only just beginning to realize. She’s not like other women, and neither is my reaction to her. I need to remember I’m at Blue Casino for one reason only. Originally, it was to please my father. Now, it’s to free myself from Cade Enterprises and the money I’ve depended on for too long.
I check my calendar and the interviews Bridget scheduled for next week. There’s a conflict with the meeting Paul and William arranged with the burlesque dancers. Instead of emailing Bridget, I walk next door to talk about the conflict and see how she’s holding up in her new position.
Only when I get there, I can’t see her through the swarm of men crowding her office.
I knock loudly on the open door. “Is there a problem?” I ask, my patience in short supply this afternoon.
Between losing my head and nearly kissing Hayden—at work, no less—and receiving a drilldown from my douchebag colleagues, I’m not in the mood for whatever this is.
Bridget’s head pops up above the men leaning over her desk writing down what appear to be notes on business cards. “No, Adam. Everything’s fine.” She smiles, a touch of nervousness in her eyes.
I enter, glaring at one of the men in my way, who gets the message and scurries out. “What’s going on?” Several others notice the look on my face, and quickly tuck their cards into Bridget’s outstretched hand.
“Oh, this is nothing. I just wanted to make sure I have everyone’s information.”
Bridget didn’t come from a corporate environment, but I figured she knew the basics about how an office runs. “You have their information. Contacts are located in the company directory and in your work email account.”
She steps around her desk and the last of the men, except for one, file out of the room. “Oh, right, but these are their cell numbers. Just in case of an emergency.”
“That’s right.” Paul hovers near her desk. He must have left my office and come straight here. “Anything comes up, particularly in regard to the special venture we have going on, we want everyone within reach. Bridget is seeing to it that she can get hold of us no matter where we are. Isn’t that right, Bridget?”
She grins and lowers her eyes. “Yes, absolutely.”
