Behaving Badly in Vegas (Vegas Love #3)

8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Hunter

My first day back at Mystique was already a shit show.

I got to work super early to set up my new office, only to find Trent already there, having a new lock installed on his office door. I strolled in and took a seat across from his desk, restraining my jealousy of his view of the casino floor. My old office had a view too, but nothing as spectacular as his. Mine overlooked the dumpsters in the back alley, something he never tired of pointing out.

“Don’t you trust me?”

Trent twirled a pen between his fingers. “Not even a little bit.”

Okay, so I put cameras in his office and recorded him and Gia having sex. Yes, it was wrong, but they shouldn’t have been having sex in his office. It was as much their fault as it was mine. No one acknowledged their culpability. All they could talk about was that I had the nerve to record them. And send it in an email to the entire staff in the administrative offices .

Not one of my finer moments, but Trent wasn’t supposed to be fucking anyone on staff. My father had warned him. It was my only chance to prove that I was more fit for the CEO position than my brother.

There were worse things a brother could do. I mean… look at Cain and Able. Now that would be going too far. What I did was only a bit of humiliation. I’d say he recovered quite nicely, seeing as he’d be taking over for my father when he retired.

“How long are you going to hold a grudge?”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “How long do you plan on living?”

“Longer than you if it means I get to take over your job.” I quirked an eyebrow for emphasis. It was no secret I wanted what would be his. It’s why I went to the lengths I did to disgrace him.

“Then there’s your answer. I don’t give a shit about what you did to me. But Gia? You crossed way over the line involving her in your temper tantrum. Just like when we were kids, you never cared who got caught in the cross fire.”

He wasn’t wrong. With Trent being the perfect child, I often resorted to extreme tactics to get attention. I wouldn’t be ignored.

I was born to be at Mystique. Once I had my old job back, I wouldn’t have to kiss ass anymore, but until then, I resigned myself to the fact that my lips would be puckered like a duck for the foreseeable future. It didn’t mean my tongue wouldn’t still be sharp as a blade. This time, I let his insult roll off my back. There were other tactics just as effective but not quite as lethal. “Yes, well, not all of us can be perfect. It’s a good thing I have such a wonderful big brother to show me the way.”

He threw the pen he’d been twirling onto his desk. “Oh, fuck off with that bullshit. You don’t respect me. You never have.”

Bull’s-eye. I held my hands up in surrender. “I’ve seen the error of my ways. I’m here to learn and make amends. For the sake of our family. For Carina.” He may have hated me, but there was no way he could hate an innocent child. His only niece.

Trent’s lips twisted to the side. “How is everything going with her?”

How the fuck did he think it was going? I got on a crazy train the moment Carina showed up and I hadn’t gotten off yet. My life turned upside down. I got a kid, and I didn’t even remember the fuck that made her. It seemed like the least I deserved. The memory of one good fuck… at least, I hoped it was good. I guess it would be worse if I remembered, and she was a shitty lay. The only thing I was sure of was she had big tits. Those I distinctly remembered.

But I couldn’t say any of that.

“Fine. It’s only been five days. Between going to court, getting everything legal, trying to find her goddamn mother, and hiring a nanny, I haven’t had much time with her. Besides, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, so Mrs. Hadley, my neighbor, pretty much watched her until yesterday. Other than that, it’s going splendidly. She’s a good baby.”

He leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers together. “Do yourself a favor and don’t fuck the nanny.”

“Hardy har. I’m not you. I don’t fuck my employees.” I would have fucked Gia too, but now that she was my sister-in-law, that ship had sailed.

“Touché. I’m serious, Hunter. She’s attractive and your willpower is terrible. Plus, she’s Tom’s sister. I don’t need your drama bleeding over into the office. You should have hired Ms. Peters.”

Although I didn’t disagree, I really didn’t give a shit if she was Tom’s sister or the Pope’s. Who I slept with was no one’s business. “Thank you, oh wise one. I’m sure your wife would be pleased to know how attractive you find my nanny. Thanks for the invite to the wedding, by the way.”

“Must have got lost in the mail. What is this world coming to when you can’t trust the postal service?” He shrugged his shoulders in a what-can-you-do motion. “And I assure you, I keep my wife incredibly pleased. Speaking of Gia… you still owe her an apology. Not that it will make her hate you any less, but it would be a gesture of goodwill. You know… now that we’re being a family and all.” His sarcasm was palpable.

“Riiiight… one big happy family. I’ll get on that the moment I see her.” Apologies weren’t my thing. I’d rather pee on an electric fence than apologize. At least then, I’d get a little jolt in my dick.

“And don’t be creepy about it. No sexual innuendos or double entendres. A simple I’m sorry, I’m a fucking asshole will do. And look in her eyes, not at her boobs. ”

I rolled my eyes. “Geesh! I didn’t realize there were so many rules.”

Trent pointed at me and growled. “I’m fucking serious. If she tells me you even hinted at something inappropriate, you’re done. You can pack up your shit and go back to the bank.”

God, I loved ruffling his feathers. Nothing gave me more pleasure than seeing my brother come unwound. I should have brought popcorn. With a dash of salt and extra butter. “Understood. Can you show me my new office now?”

There was a glint in Trent’s eyes I didn’t trust. “Absolutely.”

I followed him past my old office. Peeking in, my replacement sat at my desk wearing wire-framed glasses and a three-piece suit. He looked like a douche. He’d better enjoy it while it lasted because I intended on being CFO again within a few months. He could pack his shit, or he could be my assistant. The choice would be his.

As we turned the corner, a sick feeling slithered down my spine. When we got to the end of the hall, I saw my name placard attached to the wall outside the last door. I could have sworn…

Trent opened the door and motioned inside. “Here you are.”

“What the actual fuck.” The six-by-six room was filled to the brim with file boxes, office supplies, and all the other things nobody knew what to do with.

“It needs a little cleaning out,” Trent said with a smirk.

“It’s a fucking closet,” I gritted through clenched teeth. Losing my temper wouldn’t serve me well, especially on my first day back.

“Well, you see, we’re limited on office space. This was the best we could do on short notice. That is”—he tapped his fingers together—“unless you’d be more comfortable in the bullpen with the other assistants.”

“There’s not even a desk in there,” I pointed out.

“Oh, there is. It’s buried under a few boxes. We’ve been meaning to throw this stuff away, but you know how it is when things get busy… all the shit gets thrown into the closet.”

His implication was clear. I was shit. Suppressing the urge to walk out the door and back to the bank, I loosened my tie. “I’ll make it work. ”

“See? I knew you were a team player. Now you won’t have to look at the dumpsters anymore. I’ve done you a favor.” The smug look on his face made me want to punch him. “We have a meeting in the conference room at three. Don’t be late.”

Trent: 1

Hunter: 0

As he walked away, I flipped him the middle finger. It might have been immature, but it gave me a teeny bit of satisfaction.

This entire situation was temporary. All I had to do was prove my worth to the hotel and make amends with the family. The first was easy. I was the fucking best at my job. I’d have that hack in my office packing his briefcase in no time. The second would prove to be more difficult. If my interaction with Trent was any indication, he intended to have me crawling on glass and begging for forgiveness.

This was all a game to him, and I was ready to fucking play.

Within a couple of hours, I’d gone through most of the boxes, which, indeed, were filled with shit. Old time cards, schedules, event invoices, and a bunch of other useless crap at least ten years old. There was no need to keep any of it. I separated the documents to be shredded and set them aside. The hallway was filled with garbage for the janitorial staff to dispose of.

My tie and jacket were long gone, and my sleeves rolled up when my father appeared. “How’s it going?”

How the fuck did he think it was going? My hands looked like I’d been sifting through actual shit instead of outdated documents. Everything in this closet had half an inch of dust on it and my Armani suit now looked like something I bought off a sales rack at a discount store. “It’s getting there. I can see the desk now,” I said with a forced smile .

He looked at my disheveled appearance and stuck his hands into his pockets guiltily. “I know it’s not ideal, but it’s better than the alternative. This way, you’ll have your own space.”

“I appreciate that.” I scratched the back of my neck, knowing I was probably getting dirt on the collar of my white shirt. “Any chance of getting a new desk?”

He stared at the gray metal abomination and winced. “I’ll see what I can do. I’ll send maintenance to install a phone line too.”

“Thank you.” I turned to grab another box off my dented desk.

“Hunter, I’m glad you’re here regardless of the reasons why. I always imagined I’d leave this company to both my sons. It broke my heart that you and Trent fought so much, but I think it’s because you two are more alike than you realize. Please try to make peace with him. I want my family back.”

It was strange seeing the man I’d always admired pleading with me. When I was younger, he seemed so strong and powerful, but as I stared at him now, I noticed more lines creasing his face and smatterings of silver in his once jet-black hair. We looked nothing alike. Never did. The only things I inherited from him were my work ethic and keen sense for business.

I was nothing like Trent. My brother resented me from the day I showed up, and I fueled the fire by following him around like a lost puppy. He hated it. Hated that I stole attention from him. It wasn’t my fault at first, but over time, I made a habit of it. Whatever Trent did, I did it twice as well. If he brought home an A on a spelling test, I brought home an A-plus. Trent was responsible for my determination… he just didn’t know it.

Nothing much had changed between us, except the stakes were higher. I hoped he enjoyed his time in the limelight while I was gone because my time in the shadows was over.

“Trent and I will be fine. We fight and move on. It’s been the same story for almost three decades.”

“It’s different this time. He’s not going to make it easy on you,” my father said, rocking back on his heels .

“Obviously.” I nodded toward my new office . “He never made it easy on me.”

“You weren’t so innocent yourself,” he said with a chuckle. “You used to really push his buttons when you two were kids. You got him good a few times.”

I shrugged my shoulder. “Eh. It was all in fun.”

“It’s going to take more than a tussle in the front yard to fix this.”

“I’m aware, but I’m prepared to do whatever I have to do.”

My father clapped me on the shoulder. “Glad to hear it. Let me know if I can help,” he said before he walked away.

Help? How about kicking that douche out of my office? That would help .

I stared at the mess still inside the closet. Day one wasn’t exactly what I imagined it would be. Checking my watch, I was disappointed to find it was barely eight thirty. If I was going to make it through this day, caffeine was essential. One thing about Mystique, we stocked the best coffee of all the Vegas hotels. Some things were nonnegotiable. An exquisite cup of coffee being one of them.

After washing the filth from my hands, I headed to the break room. What were the chances my old mug was still in the cupboard? I shuffled the array of mugs around and found mine stuffed in the back corner. I pulled it out and read the white letters etched onto the black. I’m the accountant, so let’s assume I’m right. This mug always irritated Trent, so it definitely deserved resurrecting.

I washed the mug and poured myself a cup of decadent coffee. No cream or sugar… black like my soul. The aroma kicked my senses into overdrive and the first sip was like a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. God, I missed this. The bank’s coffee tasted like something dredged from the bottom of a lake. Next to the pitiful paycheck, the shit coffee was the thing I hated most about working there.

Carina’s furniture was due to be delivered soon. I pulled out my phone to check the cameras installed around the apartment. I wondered what Charlotte was doing. Was she snooping in my shit? I should have locked my office and bedroom, but honestly hadn’t given it much thought. After I checked on Carina this morning, all I wanted to do was avoid an unnecessary interaction with Miss Bently.

It was a mistake hiring her. Hopefully, today, she’d bring a bunch of unflattering sweatpants and T-shirts over. If she wore sundresses every day, I’d be sporting a boner twenty-four seven. An inconvenience I’d rather avoid.

I flipped through the camera feeds and didn’t see Charlotte at all. Where the fuck was she? I was about to call her when a tiny brunette practically skipped into the break room humming.

When she saw me, she skidded to a stop and her eyes bulged. “Mr. Dorsey, I didn’t know you were here.”

“Surprise,” I deadpanned. “I started today.” She looked familiar, but I couldn’t place her.

“Oh… I… well… I’ll get out of your way.” She backed out of the room.

I snapped my fingers and pointed at her as recognition hit. “Patty, right? You work for Gia.”

Her nose scrunched up and she stepped back in, throwing her shoulders back. “Actually, it’s Penny. Penny Kingston.”

Hey, I was close. It’s not like I got friendly with the personal assistants. “That’s right. You married Brett. I read all about it in the Las Vegas Not So Confidential . Rumor has it you’ve got a bun in the oven.”

“That’s not really any of your business,” she snapped.

She was pregnant. I was sure of it. “So, tell me, why are you working now that you’ve married a billionaire? Wouldn’t you rather go to the spa and eat bonbons?”

Penny propped her hands on her hips. “I happen to like my job, thank you very much, and I’m good at it. The question is, what are you doing here? Didn’t you get fired?”

There was a time when no one dared speak to me that way. I was respected and feared. Now, I was office gossip. “The whys don’t matter. I’m back. Get used to it.” I pushed past her and headed to my office .

Before tackling the rest of the crap in the closet, I pulled up the cameras again. I searched through all the feeds, and Charlotte wasn’t in a single frame. Where the fuck was my nanny? It was 9:06 a.m. The delivery guys should have been there already.

I grabbed my keys because there was a more pressing issue. Where was my daughter? This is what I got for hiring some unknown chick without doing a background check. For all I knew, she could be halfway across the state with Carina.

With my phone in my hand and my eyes glued to the screen, I started for the lobby. I jabbed at the button for the elevator but before the doors could open, there she was.

I let out a sigh of relief and ran my hand through my short hair. Charlotte pushed the stroller through the apartment door and let the delivery guy in. I specifically told her nine o’clock, not 9:07 a.m. Nothing pissed me off more than people being late. If she’d missed the delivery, I’d have been furious.

Miss Bently and I were going to have a little talk tonight about promptness and responsibility. If she couldn’t handle the job, she needed to go.