Chloe
Dinner last night hadn’t been at all what I’d expected. First, I ate so much, I was still full twelve hours later. Second, there had been no stuffy work talk or awkward silences. It had been like going to dinner with a friend, if friends could set your skin on fire with a single, smoldering look. Rhett had to know the effect he had on women. No one could be ignorant of such appeal. He was outrageously charming, funny, and witty as hell, and he was a verified billionaire. He must have women throwing themselves at him wherever he went.
Not me. I won’t be one of them.
I was fully capable of keeping wishful thinking from affecting my actions. Life was far from a fairy tale, and I knew it well.
Before my shift at the pool started, I headed to one of the many conference rooms in the main building. Today, we were being officially introduced to the new manager. I waited in line to enter the heavenly, air-conditioned room.
“I’ve heard he’s hot as fuck,” Lara said in front of me.
She’d decided to wear her bathing suit inside after instructing her class. I’m sure it had nothing to do with our hot boss. To be fair to her, she’d put a completely see-through kaftan on top, so I guess she was fully dressed.
Her fellow aquafit instructor, Stuart, shrugged. Poor guy had been half in love with Lara for a year, but she wasn’t interested. Sure, he had muscles, the killer smile, and was kind, but he was lacking the most important thing for Lara. Extra zeros in his bank account. Lara worked at Hill Crest for one reason—to snag a rich man. She didn’t seem to care that the average age of the members here was late fifties, and most of them were on their third wives. She’d once told me she preferred that age group. Less competition.
“As long as he guarantees jobs around here and helps things pick up, I don’t care what he looks like,” Stuart said plainly.
Lara tossed her wet hair at him and rolled her eyes. “Of course, you don’t. It’s not like you have a chance of catching his eye. Sadly for you, I’ve heard he’s one hundred percent straight.”
“How’d you know that?”
“He was nearly engaged to Mr. Blakely’s daughter, Victoria, a few years ago.”
The rest of Lara’s comments faded away as I processed what she’d said. Nearly engaged? That meant he’d used me to hide from his “almost” ex-fiancée last night. Annoyance and something dark and slippery filled me. It was disappointment, which was crazy because I had no claim on Rhett. I swallowed the knot of envy at the thought of the snotty, spoiled Victoria having the devotion of a man like Rhett. Life wasn’t fair.
“If everyone could take their seats,” Evan announced from the front.
Poor Evan. He was doing his best, but Hill Crest and its problems were huge beasts to wrestle, and now he had a new owner looking over his shoulder. I didn’t want to see him get fired. He was one of the few not annoying people around here and had been my neighbor when I was in middle school. He was a familiar face in a sea of luxury and wealth.
My eyes met Evan’s, and he nodded to me. I sat down on a creaking plastic seat and looked around for Rhett. Most people were making casual conversation, but I didn’t feel the need. I’d always been the same. I could laugh and tease, flirt and make conversation if I had to, but it exhausted me. An introvert pretending to be an extrovert. I knew my shift would take it out of me, so I had to save my energy. This meeting didn’t affect me because I was a summer worker, but I’d come to see Rhett in his element.
As if my thoughts had summoned him, the lights dimmed, and Evan scurried off the stage. Rhett entered with the presence of a movie star. I thought he looked good in country club casual, but he was a straight-up killer in a suit. He looked so sharp, I was surprised he wasn’t classified as a lethal weapon. The streets he walked must be littered with swooning ladies.
“See? I told you. Hot as fuck,” Lara whispered to me from my left.
I shrugged, a phony move, but luckily, she wasn’t paying any attention to me. “He’s alright.”
“Get your eyes checked. He’s fine.”
Yep, he was, but fawning wasn’t my thing. I blocked out Lara and her irritating gushing and focused on Rhett. He walked the stage as if he owned it, which he did, so that checked out. He wore a navy suit with a white shirt open at the throat. It was hard to keep my eyes from that tanned column, disappearing into the crisp white collar.
“Good afternoon. Thank you all for coming,” Rhett said, his deep voice curling into my belly like a cat taking a satisfying nap. “I’m excited to spearhead Hill Crest’s leap into the future. I think we can all agree that changes will have to be made.”
Uneasy murmurs went around the room at his words, but he didn’t pause as he laid out his plans for the future.
By the end of the presentation, I was impressed. I couldn't help it. Rhett Sutton was an impressive man. It was in the way he carried himself. He’d warned people to be ready to defend their jobs, and plenty of folks were upset about that. I checked my watch. It was time for my shift, and the lifeguard couldn’t be late. Rhett opened up the floor for questions, and I sensed it would be a long afternoon as anxiety settled on the room.
I got up. “I’ve got to get to the pool,” I hissed to Lara.
She looked alarmed. “You can't leave. He’ll see!”
“I have no choice.” I crouched low and started along the line of people sitting.
The questions droned on, and I made it to the door without mishap. My cheeks were blazing, and it seemed like all eyes were on me. They weren’t, of course. When I straightened and made for the door, I glanced back to confirm the entire room wasn’t watching me. No, only one person was watching me.
Rhett’s eyes met mine, and I jolted, shocked into stillness for a moment. I could make out the sea green, but I couldn’t read his expression. It was intense. Not impassive or cold. Not brisk or professional. No, it was an entirely unprofessional perusal. It was as if his eyes held me in place through sheer force of will and kept me captive. As if they could peel back my clothes and touch my skin.
My watch alarm vibrated on my wrist, and I blinked. I had to go.
I pushed through the door, my skin so hot it could be used as a Firestarter. I stumbled into the cool lobby and made a run for the pool. Maybe if I plunged into the icy depths, I could cool myself down. Unlikely. Nothing could cool me down around Rhett Sutton.