“Doesn’t matter.” How much could it be? “Get me the pay out.”
She nodded and relief shown on her face. I studied her for a moment. Money had never been an issue in my family, thanks to my grandmother’s business savvy. I could only imagine what it would feel like to have debt hanging over her head, maybe even impacting her quality of life, and then to have it gone. The relief and small smile on her face made her look even prettier.
“Thank you, Mr. Strong…ah…Ryan.”
I laughed. “We’re a crazy pair, you and I. Can you make the arrangements to travel to Italy?”
“Yes, sir…ah…Ryan.” She turned to leave, and I swore there was a skip in her step. It made me feel a whole lot more comfortable that she felt like she was getting something worthy from this arrangement. As the door closed, I realized I was watching the curves of her ass sway out the door.
Jesus, fuck. I sat down in my chair and scraped my hands over my face. Don’t think of her like that, I chanted in my head.
I worked to distract myself from her pretty face and sexy body by immersing myself in numbers.
An hour later, she walked back in. Thankfully, she had her professional face on. “I booked first class tickets to Rome and then a flight to Florence.”
“Excellent.”
“I’ve talked to Mr. LaMont who says he’ll have a car for us there and he’ll take care of the rest.”
God she was making this easy. But there was still a lot to do. I stood and pulled out my wallet. I handed her my credit card.
“What’s this for? Was I supposed to pay using a different method?”
“No. That’s for you to go shopping to buy whatever you need to get married in. Dress, shoes, something blue…” I made a rolling motion with my hand. “you know. Whatever you need for this trip.”
Again, her eyes rounded. “What is the budget?”
“No budget. Whatever you need. I trust you.”
She looked a little overwhelmed and I wondered what I should say or do to help her. But then she smiled and left my office.
I took a moment to gather my wits, and the strength to tell my brothers what was going on. I texted them all and asked if they could meet me in an hour. They all showed up, even Noah, and we met in my office to try and avoid prying eyes and ears that might pass by the conference room.
“Where’s your assistant?” Noah asked. “I don’t know that I’ve ever been to your office and not seen her here like an iron gatekeeper.”
I smiled at the description. She was very good at her job, in particular, in keeping unnecessary distractions from bothering me.
“I’ve sent her on an errand.”
Hunter’s brow rose. “That’s not her job.”
Jesus, just wait until he heard that I had to tell him. “Have a seat, I have something I need to let you all know.”
“Don’t
tell me. You’re running away to join the circus,” Noah said, propping his boots up on my desk.
I smirked. “Even weirder than that, little brother.”
Hunter and Carter both had intrigued expressions. Hunter sat down on my couch while Carter remained standing with his arms crossed.
“The distributor deal with LaMont hit a strange snag,” I started.
“Strange?” Hunter asked.
“He prefers to work with family-owned businesses,” I continued.
Carter frowned. “We’re family owned.”