“About me being the Chief Executive Officer of Dufort Hotels, and I’ve asked you to meet with me,” Daniel said. “Now go change your tampon and I’ll see you after.”
Asshole.
Working with family was a pain in the damn ass some days. On principle, he was going to be busy all morning now.
Fletcher stepped into the large meeting room, where the wider marketing team sat around the board table. It was covered with notepads and pens, phones, coffees, water bottles, and laptops.
There were around twenty-five people in the room with a dozen more dialed in via video from around the world.
Olivia was seated next to the empty chair, which was his usual spot, and staring at her tablet.
He should never have snapped at her.
Fletcher took a moment to acknowledgethiswas why the anti-fraternization policy was in place. The power imbalance was completely in his favor, and Olivia was probably, right now, concerned about her job.
She had nothing to worry about. He had been an asshole.
Damn it.
The thing was, he didn’t know how tonotwant her. How could he go back to their jovial, fun working relationship when all he wanted to do was tug open her shirt and run his thumb over her nipples? How could he greet her every morning when his body wanted to tug her against him and feel her lips on his?
Everyone looked up as he closed the door.
“Good morning.”
A bunch ofmorningssounded throughout the room. Some chirpy, some mumbled.
He sat.
“Before we get started with the agenda, I want to thank Olivia and her team for doing a great job on Friday night at the opening of SoHo Dufort.” She glanced at him and gave him a polite smile. “Katy, you handled the media like a pro. It didn’t go unnoticed.”
“Thank you, Mr. Dufort,” Katy said, sitting up straighter in her seat and shooting Olivia a proud smile.
Olivia was a fantastic leader, and he was impressed with how much effort she was putting into growing her people. Sure, the past week had been a buffer to their attraction, but she’d been focused on both Katy and Thomas’s career progression for over a year, and it was paying off.
He knew Olivia well enough to know she wouldn’t have delegated to them if they hadn’t had the skills to handle it.
She was a professional.
“Okay, let’s get started, as I know we have a lot to cover today. Team managers, why don’t you kick things off?” He sank back into the chair and let the meeting progress.
As Barbara Little, Dufort brand manager, began her update, Fletcher let his gaze cast around the room. When they arrived at Olivia, she boldly returned his stare.
A mix of emotions stirred in her expression, blazing back at him. Finally, her gaze dropped, and it felt like someone had punched him in his chest.
Fucking hell.
Trina, the internal communications manager, was on her update when she asked him a question. But he missed it.
“Fletcher?” Olivia asked, prodding him.
His eyes darted to hers, then to Trina.
“Could you repeat that?” he asked.
“Will Daniel be in New York for the next quarterly review? We’re planning out the monthly Red Couch Executive Interview series that we stream for all staff.”
He nodded at Scarlet.