Page 32 of Cocky Prince
Hayden
My little birdies (a.k.a. Mira and Nessa) tell me Adam has had interviews lined up over the last two days. The interviews have all taken place in the large conference room, which is completely soundproof, dammit. Not that I haven’t walked past several times to test the theory.
Time to pay a visit to Adam’s new assistant. I’m a manager. She can’t refuse my inquiries. Unless Blackwell warned her off the way he has the Blue Star managers… Fingers crossed he’s done what he always does, and left the secretaries and assistants to their own devices.
Pain in the ass though he is, Adam doesn’t cater to Blackwell’s every wish like the rest of the managerial herd. It must explain why he still talks to me. I don’t think Adam would have told Bridget to stay away from me.
I drink the last of my twenty-ounce super espresso latte, type out one final email to the data manager who’s updating our HR system, and shake out my pleated skirt. It’s an icebox in the casino with all of the indoor air conditioning, but between the hot drink and the hyped-up energy I have over conducting sneaky reconnaissance while Adam is tied up in meetings, my face is flushed.
Grabbing a notepad, I hurry out the door before I lose my nerve—and Mira barrels into me.
“Back, back—go back!” She shoves me inside. “You can’t snoop.”
“Why not? You just texted me that the coast is clear.”
“It was, but your dad showed up.” Her eyes are wide and harried.
“What? Why?” I say, mostly to myself. My family moved to Reno after the high school incident. They come down to visit, but never unannounced.
She holds up her hands in exasperation. “You’re asking me? And never mind that. He’s talking to Adam.”
“I thought you said Adam was in an interview.”
“Well, he’s not. He’s talking to your dad.”
Anxiety fills my chest. “That needs to stop, like, right now. I don’t want Adam getting friendly with my dad. What does he think he’s doing?”
Mira twists my shoulders around, opens the door, and shoves me out. “You should go ask him, because he’s looking a little too comfortable with your father and you might want to put an end to that.”
Thin as she is, Mira has a hell of a heave. I catch myself before I trip in my heels and face-plant.
I peer down the hallway, and just as Mira said, my dad and Adam are talking several doors away. My father is even laughing at something Adam said.
Adam looks up and catches sight of me first, a knowing expression crossing his face.
What is that? This is my reconnaissance mission, not Adam’s day to infiltrate my personal life. I sweep down the hallway, and Adam’s gaze drops to my hips, his mouth turning up at the corners. I stop in front of him and glare.
My dad looks from Adam to me, appearing confused. I’m usually more polite than this, but my dad has no idea how much Adam presses on my every last nerve.
“Hayden,” Adam says. “I didn’t realize your dad was a Warriors fan.”
I stare at him. Who cares if my dad is a Warriors fan?
Apparently, men do, because my dad grins, as though those are all the credentials he needs, and says, “Go Dubs.”
I blow out a frustrated breath. “Dad, what are you doing here? Were we supposed to meet? I don’t have it on my calendar.”
“Well, no. I was in town and thought I’d drop by.”
“Oh.” I sound disappointed. Crap, of course I want to see my dad. The problem is I’d just psyched myself up for this information-gathering mission while Adam was supposedly preoccupied.
I turn my shoulder to inch Adam out of the conversation. For some reason he’s still standing here. “That’s great, Dad. Do you want to grab dinner? I’ll be off in a couple of hours.”
“Actually, honey, Adam here just offered to give me a tour.”
I cast an irritated glance at Adam, who’s smiling. “But Dad, I gave you a tour at the last casino where I worked. Don’t you remember?”
“Sure, honey, but this is Blue Casino. I’ve always wanted to check this place out. See how they run the fancy ones.” He grins cheekily.
