Acquired Asset Page 2

  “Thomas, with Quinn returning from Europe to oversee the operations, the industry will be revolutionized.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Dad, why don’t we start with the hotels we have first before we revolutionize anything?”

  “She’s being modest. Quinn is a force to be reckoned with.”

  Not sure if he would think that if he knew I had allowed some stranger to—.

  “That reminds me, you haven’t met Christopher yet.” Thomas looked around, signaling to someone. “One of our biggest clients has . . . well . . . some interesting requests, and Christopher had to personally see to her—them. He went upstairs to the office suite a while ago, but I haven’t seen him until now.”

  In the hospitality industry that usually meant some sort of illegal activity, or that someone was in need of companionship. Very expensive “companionship.”

  “Christopher,” he said, looking behind me, “I want you to meet Joseph Cordell’s daughter, Quinn. The two of you will be working closely together on the project.”

  I swung around. His previously dark, lust filled eyes were bright green.

  We both were speechless for a moment, and I saw an evil gleam in his eyes, as I said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Christopher.”

  He smirked. “Likewise, Quinn, and I must say, that dress is stunning on you.”

  “You’ve been ignoring me all night,” Christopher stated.

  I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t even realize you were still here.”

  That was a lie. I had noticed him gawking at me throughout the night. Actually, I could feel his eyes on me. My skin tingled at the thought of him, and it made me sick to think I had allowed a Colby to play me for a fool. It wouldn’t happen again, even if it killed me.

  “Tophy, I’m bored,” said the blonde bimbo that was draped around Christopher’s arm.

  Tophy? I smiled at him, and said sweetly, “I see you found who you were looking for.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “This is my date.”

  “Ahh . . .” I took a sip of the drink, smiling coyly at him.

  He shifted toward the blonde Barbie with big boobs. “Mitzy, why don’t you get something to drink? I have a little more business to discuss with Ms. Cordell.”

  She leaned in for a kiss, and he grazed her cheek. We both looked surprised by that, and I watched as she sashayed across the ballroom.

  “Mitzy? Why does that not surprise me?”

  He stepped in closer, lifted his hand up to my face, and pushed back a stray piece of hair from my eye. I swore the scent of me still lingered on his fingers. “What are you trying to say, Quinn?”

  “She looks like someone you would date.”

  He leaned in, and whispered, “I was expecting you upstairs.”

  I pulled myself back. “What happened earlier was a mistake.”

  He tilted his head. “So you won’t be coming up to my room?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I should have known you were a Colby. Of course you’re not used to people telling you no.”

  “You seemed to be saying yes, loud and clear, earlier in the supply room.”

  “I didn’t realize you were the asshole who tried to take my father’s company.”

  He lifted up his hands. “That was a misunderstanding.”

  “Bribing our Board members for their stock shares was a misunderstanding? No wonder you’re in the business of testing out whores. You have no morals or ethics.”

  “Such harsh words from the same mouth that was begging me to make her come.”

  “It was a lapse in judgment, but I promise you, I will not be making that mistake again,” I hissed out.

  “Maybe a little untightening of that cork you have up your ass would help you a bit.”

  I leaned in close, and it took everything in me not to choke him. “The cork I have up my ass is working just fine. Mmm, very fine indeed.” I moaned.

  I quickly stepped away, although I could feel him on my heels. When I reached the bar, he pressed himself against my back and whispered, “You can’t say stuff like that and walk away.”

  I wiggled around to face him. “I’m not on your payroll, Colby! I can’t be bought. Oh, but you know that. Just like you know I delivered both you and your dad’s asses on a platter for trying to take over my family’s company!”

  He grinned, and nodded at the gentleman beside me; I hadn’t even noticed him. We both said nothing, waiting until he left. Christopher was the first to speak. “I must say, it was a surprise to see your people figured things out. I made sure I had all bases covered.”

  “You’re surprised the Colbys were outsmarted? From what I know about your family, I’m surprised you got this far. Yet, old money does that. The less one has to work for anything, the more useless they become, I think. In your case, a generation of sorts.”

  “Leave my family out of this!” he snapped.

  I grinned. “But why? You tried to take everything mine has worked for.”

  He composed himself, and placed a hard grin on his devilish face. “Look at us now; we have two happy families joined as one.”

  “We’ll see just how happy you are, when I’m done with you.”

  When I went to leave, he grabbed my arm. “Is that a promise, Quinn?”

  I yanked my arm out of his grip and stormed away.

  My dad walked up to me with a concerned expression. “Hey Quinn, what’s going on?”

  “Why are you asking me that, Dad?”

  “From the confrontation I just saw at the bar. Is Colby’s boy bothering you?”

  “Which time?” I huffed out.

  “Do you want me to say something?”

  I shook my head. “That’s sweet; however, I can handle Christopher Colby.”

  He chuckled. “I know that. I was going to warn the poor boy about you.”

  I laughed. “Is every Colby an ass?”

  He thought about it for a moment. “What about the daughter?”

  “Reagan? She’s as clueless as the lot of them.”

  Reagan Colby was a party girl. Her habit of drinking her family’s money away was chronicled by the tabloids on a weekly basis.

  “Don’t let them get to you, especially Christopher. Don’t let him get under your skin, honey.”

  That advice was a little too late.

  The faint, warm breeze had tickled the back of my neck before the words came out. “You’re avoiding me?”

  “Christopher, don’t you need to go play with Buffy, or Miffy, or whomever is your date tonight? Or the whore you were looking for earlier?”

  “She has been taken care of.” I could hear the smirk in his tone.

  I turned around, curious. “Why would the Chief Operating Officer of one of the biggest hotel empires in the country be moonlighting as a pimp?” I asked, twirling the lock of hair that fell in a curl over my ear.

  He grinned. “It’s all about the bottom line.”

  That got my attention.

  “Who’s the client?”

  “No one you should concern yourself with.”

  “Like Mr. Johnson, the client you took to Amsterdam on your private jet to show him a ‘good time?’”

  He laughed, shaking his head. “That was a misunderstanding.”

  “For whom, Mrs. Johnson? Your people were sloppy, Christopher. Mr. Johnson’s name may be on the bank accounts, but it was Mrs. Johnson who controlled the finances.”

  “Touché, Quinn. Lesson learned.” He bowed.

  Christopher was starting to annoy me immensely.

  “It surprised me, at first, that you would have been that dense.” I shrugged. “Then there was the blackmail, so I had to realize you were just that.”

  “I’m appalled.” He stated dramatically by placing his hand on his chest. “You would think I would stoop to such a low position as to blackmail one of your Board members?”

  “To get what you want, I think you would do just about anything.”

  He stepped uncomfortably close. “You are ri
ght about that.”

  Our eyes locked as visions of me falling over into a pleasure like no other earlier reflected from his eyes.

  “Tophy, can we go now?”

  Thank goodness Barbie interrupted.

  “Yes Tophy, it’s rude to leave your date waiting.”

  “Quinn, should I even ask?”

  Mia was worth her weight in gold. She began working for my family as an intern, and I snatched her up the minute she graduated college. Armed with a marketing degree, she had worked for me several years before deciding to take a step back to raise her family. When she realized she wanted to work as well, I offered her a position as my right-hand woman. I needed an assistant who knew the ins and outs of the industry.

  “You saw?” I asked.

  “The disgust radiating off both of you was evident.” She laughed.

  I didn’t think it was disgust she saw, but I wasn’t going to tell her what had happened a few hours earlier in the supply closet.

  “I must say, Christopher Colby looks better in person, and that’s saying something.” She fanned herself.

  “Why didn’t you tell me he would be here?”

  “Quinn, he wasn’t supposed to be here.”

  Thomas had always been the face of the company. I knew of Reagan because of her exploits, and Mrs. Colby was a wealthy socialite who frequently graced the society pages. Christopher Colby was the man behind the scenes. I had heard of his shrewd tactics, and I had experienced them firsthand with his hostile attempt to take over my father’s company. However, I had never had the personal pleasure of seeing him until tonight.

  “He is going to be a problem, Mia.”

  “I think you can handle it.”

  “How did it go, Quinn?”

  Dad looked tired as he walked into my makeshift office, in one of the hotel suites. It had been a long night for everyone. We needed to be in early the next morning to complete the profits and losses for the month of August. That was the first combined end of the month financials for the two merged companies. Our new financial team was in Chicago to streamline the two companies’ P&L reports. Unfortunately, both companies had to let a few people go in the merger process. Yet overall, it had been a financially sound decision for the operation as a whole.

  It hadn’t made sense to have two Chief Financial Officers, so after negotiations, the Colbys CFO, Evan Bradford, ended up in the position. Thankfully, we had been able to place one of our own employees as his right-hand woman.

  Being Chief Operating Officer or Co-COO with Christopher, I felt it was both Dad’s and my responsibility to make sure everything went smoothly the first time around. We also had a chance to discuss how to maintain the two offices on each coast as one company. We weren’t moving to New York and the Colbys weren’t relocating to California.

  “We were able to get the backers to agree on the expansion of the Vegas hotel, as well as the remodeling of the New York flagship. Also, Mr. Yumako has agreed for us to manage his Tokyo Seven.”

  He sat down on the sofa. “That is fantastic!”

  “Thanks, but I still need to receive the P&L from the Colby Group.”

  “Talk to Christopher; he can get it to you.”

  “Hmm.”

  “I know how you feel about them; however, we have to make the best of it, honey.”

  “Is Christopher Colby in?” I asked.

  “Whom may I say is calling?”

  “Quinn Cordell.”

  There was a pause, I heard him breathe out. “Are you still wet for me?”

  My heart jumped, but I remembered to whom I was talking. “You know, you aren’t above a Human Resources charge for harassment?”

  He laughed for a moment. “What are you going to tell them? Your kitty accidentally fell on my hand?”

  I took a long, drawn-out breath. “Look! I need the P&L for August.”

  “I’ll have it on your desk shortly.” He chuckled.

  “Thank you.”

  I slammed down the phone, but I really wanted to throw it.

  “Ah . . . Quinn, Mr. Colby has something for you?”

  Perfect timing. I was nearing the point of reconciling my figures and didn’t look up. “Thanks, Mia. Bring it in.”

  I heard the door shut as heavy footsteps approached my desk. When I saw long fingers place the financial reports to my left side, I closed my eyes and prayed to God it wasn’t who I thought it was. I knew my prayers hadn’t been answered when he whispered, “At your service.”

  I looked up into his amused eyes. “Why are you here, Colby?”

  “You asked for the report.”

  “Don’t you have people to do that for you? Or is your assistant only for show?”

  He moved in closer. “You seem to be concerned with the women in my life.”

  “Ahh, so she is one of those assistants . . . willing to please the boss, day or night?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Unless you’re saying you want the position.”

  My eyes fell to his mouth as he moistened his berry-colored, perfect, luscious lips with his tongue. I shook my head. “Argh! You are such an asshole. Thank you for the report, now get out!” I’d had enough of him.

  Christopher’s eyes scanned up and down my body. “Did you know your chest turns red when you get angry? I wonder what color some other things are right now. Pink?” he asked, while ogling at my chest.

  I crossed my arms, covering the traitors. No one told them to come out.

  “Get out of my office, Mr. Colby.”

  Christopher sighed dramatically. “Now, we both know what you really need is for me to throw you over my knee and give that ass a good spanking; however that will have to wait. I’m due to see your father and I want to make a good impression.”

  He walked out with that crooked grin plastered on his evil face.

  I sat there slack-jawed, appalled, and wet.

  One more day.

  Only, one more day, and I would be heading back to California—away from the hell the supreme demon named Christopher Colby had caused for the past week. The ass had no sense of decorum or professionalism.

  During our last meeting, he insisted on sitting across from me where he could focus on my hardened nubs through my white blouse. The boardroom was cold, as it always seemed to be, and he had the perfect view from his chair.

  How did I know this?

  He told me so when I got up to grab a cup of coffee. At least he was discrete when he reached over for the coffee stirrer. “Pink?” he asked.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Just imagining the color of your nipples.”

  I slammed down my cup, and loudly whispered, “Follow me!”

  I stormed out of the boardroom, past my dad’s narrowed gaze, while Thomas shook his head at his son. The moment the door closed, I swung around to face him.

  “Quinn, why did you stop? I thought you were taking me up to your room where I could see firsthand.”

  “That is not happening! Not now! Not ever! Let me explain something to you, Colby. I am not some whore you can be crass and crude to. You will show me some damn respect or you will find your balls tied up in a knot! You are an unscrupulous, arrogant ass. This,” I waved my hand back and forth from him to me, “might work for other women, but it will not work for me. Do we have an understanding?”

  He stepped closer. The smugness replaced with a deadpan expression. “If that’s how you want to play it.”

  He straightened his suit jacket, and strutted back to the boardroom. I took a moment to compose myself before following him.

  We both sat down as Joseph finished the forecast. All seemed well, and Christopher did not look once in my direction.

  Yes, I noticed.

  The only reason I paid attention was to make sure he understood that nothing further would occur between us.

  “Quinn?” Christopher spoke.

  I looked up and everyone was staring at me. That was when I realized I hadn’t been paying attention. Apparently, Chr
istopher was speaking.

  “Ms. Cordell, do you want to join us, or is that little head of yours daydreaming about things you say you don’t want?”

  I narrowed my eyes at the ass. “Could you repeat that?”

  “Are you going to pay attention this time?”

  “Christopher,” Thomas scolded.

  He continued. “Your calculations to expand the Tokyo Seven will increase our current debt ratio from twenty-five percent to forty percent. The point of this merger was to make both companies financially strong. Adding the Seven in the mix, which is drowning in red, would make our assets vulnerable.”

  The Tokyo Seven expansion was my project, and Christopher had nothing to do with it.

  I looked directly at Christopher as I spoke. “I had been making arrangements to add the Tokyo Seven Hotel chain to our holdings before the merger of our two companies took place. My calculations show that with my new implementations, they should be in the black in two years.”

  “What if the new implementations fail, Ms. Cordell? You expect us to invest stockholder funds for a fishing expedition? Throw money into the sea and see if the fish bite? From the market survey, the figures are split down the middle. It’s a fifty-fifty shot. One that I don’t think the Board will approve.”

  I had worked on this for over two years and Christopher wanted to scrap it as a loss? We already went over the figures, and he seemed all for it. What was he doing?

  Damn it!

  That asshole!

  I took a good look in his eyes and saw a glimmer of fire, along with that smugness of his. He was playing me. “We have already gone over the figures—”

  “Yes, but I reviewed them several times in case I missed something, and in this case, I missed something.”

  I stood up. “There is nothing wrong with the figures, Christopher!”

  “Quinn, why don’t we all take another look at the forecast?”

  “Why?” I swung my head to my dad. “It’s already been reviewed.”