Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 95311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
But he had to make the purchase to ease himself of some of the guilt he felt in assuming that if he wasn't such a demanding, intimidating person, she wouldn't have been in such a rush and would have taken her time and looked where she was going and not ruin her shirt and burn herself. He needed to make amends somehow, even if she never knew it was from him.
Besides, he couldn't have her walking around the office in a man's jacket with a tie as a belt. And, especially, not his brother's jacket and tie. People were already going to talk about them. He had heard the laughter from the kitchen when they left to make more coffee. It had irritated him. Hannah seemed every bit as serious and sober as himself, but the fact that James had so easily gotten her amused proved otherwise.
Or proved that she was attracted to James. His brother had always possessed a knack for charming even the most taciturn of women. Maybe it was because he had all the time in the world to pursue anything in a skirt because he hardly ever showed up at work. Except on days when he threatened to terminate him if he refused to show up to an important meeting. Like the one they had had earlier with the slimy snake of a CEO to a company they were trying to acquire. James had a much stronger tolerance for the backhandedness and B.S. they were sure to hear from the impossible man.
When Elliott was all but ready to grab the man by his neck and throw him from his office, James sat there, hands steepled in front of his mouth, lounged back in his seat with his feet propped up on the desk.
"We understand your concerns, Alan," he had said, sending a look to Elliott that only a brother could interpret as 'hey look, I know he's a total tool, but we need him so keep your cool.' And, perhaps, 'I know you think I'm incompetent, but I can handle this.'
Sometimes he forgot that James actually had a higher level of education than he did. While he had been busy busting his ass working sixteen hour days to get his company on its feet, James had chosen to stay in college. Mostly, he stayed because he liked living on campus with the crazy parties and the abundance of women. And while he switched majors four times before he settled on (see: was forced into) business, he always kept an almost perfect GPA.
The guy sitting next to him, who often came into work with cartoon characters on his shirt, actually had an MBA.
In the end, they had secured the deal and James had shot him a look that screamed 'I told you so' as they shook hands with their unfortunate new business associate.
–
Hannah slipped into her new shirt, staring paranoid at the two doors of her office despite the fact that no one ever came in. It felt soft on her skin- much softer than the one she had worn. Thankfully, her bra had dried, though it still smelled strongly of coffee, reminding her of when she worked full time at a coffeehouse and would swear she could still smell coffee in her hair even after shampoo and conditioner.
Her arms and chest stung whenever anything brushed against them and had settled permanently to a bright, angry red color. Her skin had even blistered a little in spots, a fact she was choosing to ignore.
It was just after lunch and she still needed to go grocery shopping for him, interview three housekeepers, file, fax, figure out who "Dan" was and call him to tell him they would have to reschedule.
"Ding dong," Tad said, peeking his head in the door and raising an eyebrow at her. "Nice shirt."
"It was a gift."
"I'm sure it was," Tad said, throwing himself onto the sofa and closing his eyes. "Sally is in a mood. I need refuge."
Hannah giggled. "Stay as long as you need."
"He's every bit as delicious as I told you, isn't he?" Tad opened one eye and looked at her. "Oh, don't pretend you don't know who I am talking about."
Hannah conceded, "Alright. Yes, he's very charming."
"And gorgeous," Tad added.
"And gorgeous," she agreed. "Oh, now that I have you here.. Who is Dan?"
"Dan," Tad repeated, turning his face fully toward her.
"Yeah, I'm supposed to call Dan and reschedule. He didn't say what."
"Probably their court date," Tad said with a frown. "Dan is his wife."
Hannah felt like she'd gotten the wind knocked out of her. He was married? How? Why? She shook her head. Why did it matter?
"Yeah," Tad said, looking at her intently. "It was weird. They dated casually for a while. She's some kind of heiress, gorgeous and cold and she somehow got him to tie the knot. God only knows how she managed that," he grimaced. "It lasted like three months. They are going to court to settle the terms of the divorce. Good riddance. She was a real piece of work."