4
Drake
I’M working in the barn when I hear the crunch of gravel behind me. Confused as to who it could be, I turn and walk out, stopping quickly when I almost run into a leggy blonde. My fingers tighten around the handle of the hammer I’m holding. Her glimmering green eyes flash from mine, to the hammer, and back. They’re now filled with fear. Her thick, plump lips part and her hand flies up to her heart.
“Oh, you scared me,” she stutters as her feet start backstepping. “Are you Drake Slade?” Her hands are visibly shaking. Her voice is nervous and full of fear, even though I can tell she’s desperately trying to control it.
“I am. Who are you?” I ask, sliding the hammer into the loop on my tool belt.
With the tool—or I guess, weapon—no longer in my hand, she forces a smile and holds out her hand. “I’m Celeste Teller. I’m the new lawyer who’s replacing Mr. Burns.”
It takes a moment for her words to register. I glance down at my watch, realizing I completely lost track of time again. I totally forgot about the appointment. I look at her soft, dainty hand but make no move to shake it. I look her up and down instead. She’s tall in those black high heels, and I can’t take my eyes off of her shape. Her tanned legs look soft—giving me the urge to feel them wrapped around my hips. Her long blonde hair is curled and hanging down her back, softly brushing against the slender neck I can picture myself kissing.
I shake my head. What the fuck is wrong with me? “You? You’re the lawyer they sent to replace Burns?” I ask, my voice gravelly and rough.
She nods. “That’s right. I look forward to working with you. I’ve heard so much about you already.”
I laugh—or more accurately, I grunt. “Yeah, I’m sure you’ve heard some wonderful things,” I say, but the words come out sounding a little sarcastic and bitter.
She finally lets her hand fall, realizing I’m not going to shake it. “My assistant’s told me all about what you’re doing here, and what you’re needing from the firm.” The forced smile is back in place.
“Did she now?” I ask, turning and walking back into the barn.
She follows. “She did. But I’d like to go over the specifics with you, if you don’t mind.”
“Did she tell you that I need this project completed within a year?”
“I do know that.” She nods matter-of-factly. “In fact, I’m only set to be here a year and I refuse to let things go unfinished. I’m just as excited about getting to work on this as you are.”
Her voice is sweet. It teases me. It makes my muscles tighten, my back straighten. My heart starts beating harder. My lungs demand more oxygen. And all of these damn responses from my body make me hate her. After Casey, I swore to myself that I’d never be controlled by anyone ever again. I’d managed to keep that promise this whole time, until now. Now I can’t even force myself to breathe like a normal person. I wipe my sweaty palms down my jeans, drying them and mentally threatening to tear them off if they betray me again.
I pick up my beer and take a swig, hoping to wash away these uneasy feelings clawing their way up my throat. “And how is it you expect to get the job done?” I can’t help but look her up and down once again. Those heels, that skirt, her perfectly manicured nails, that hair, the done-up face—everything reminds me of her. Casey. I’m sure she’s just like her too. All they care about is themselves. They don’t care who they hurt, as long as they get what they want.
She looks down at her feet as she kicks the dirt. “I have a plan,” she says around a smile as she places one hand on her hip.
“Care to clue me in?”
“I intend to. Once we can have a formal meeting instead of standing in the dirt.”
“What’s wrong with the dirt?” I ask, a grin forming on its own. “You’ll never make it out here in the country if you can’t handle a little dirt.” Teasing her gives me a little of my control back.
She rolls her eyes and it makes me want to bend her over my knee.
“You got me, Mr. Slade. I’m a city girl through and through,” she says, walking closer to me as slowly as she can. “But I don’t mind getting my hands a little dirty when needed. On the other hand, I do believe in doing business the proper way. And that includes a sit-down meeting where everything can be addressed. I want to know everything you have planned. Everything you expect of me.” She’s standing right in front of me now, looking up with those big green eyes. She’s so tiny compared to my height and weight. I want nothing more than to throw her over my shoulder and take her into the house where I can show her what I expect from her.
“Well, Ms. Teller, let’s go into the house, shall we?” I hold up my arm, motioning toward the door.
She nods, her smile returning as she starts toward the house. On our short walk, I have to make an effort to keep my eyes off of her ass. I fail several times, but luckily, she never catches me. I know most men would be excited about working with a beautiful woman, but I’m not most men. I’m not looking for a relationship. I’m not looking for a random hookup, either. I want no distractions when it comes to this expansion, and unfortunately, she’s going to be a major fucking distraction whether she realizes it or not.
I reach out and open the door for her, and she thanks me as she steps into the house. I lead her into the kitchen. “Have a seat,” I say as I move around the island and pour two glasses of whiskey. I walk back over to her and set a glass on the table in front of her.
“Oh, no thank you. I don’t drink much.” She waves her hand in my direction, dismissing the thought.
I laugh as I pull out my chair and sit at her side. “Ms. Teller, you said you wanted a business meeting. Here in the country, our business meetings involve a stiff drink. Now, how badly do you want this meeting?” I ask, toying with her. Obviously, I won’t force her to drink it, but this is a little test. How badly does she want this job? What will she do for me if asked?
Her green eyes move to the glass. She picks it up, swirling the liquid as she talks herself into it. Finally, she moves the glass to her lips and takes the smallest of sips. I watch as she swallows it down. Her hand moves to her throat as she blows out a long breath. “Please, call me Celeste.”
A smile covers my face as I tip my glass, throwing back the liquid. “All right, let’s get down to business.” There’s a cardboard tube sitting on the table in front of us. I pick it up, open it, and pull out the rolled-up blueprints. “Here are the plans we’ve drawn up.”
“I was wanting to ask you: is there a reason why you want this expansion built over on the far corner? It seems to me like you’d have an easier time if you cut your parking lot in half.”
“I see you and Mr. Burns think alike,” I laugh out. “The answer to that is: I don’t want to. This land is mine, and I want to be able to use it how I see fit. I don’t farm it. Right now, that land isn’t doing anything but costing me money. I don’t like things that cost me money. I want things to make me money. The only way that land is going to make money is if it’s put to use. Plus, I plan on expanding the brewery once I have this new location up and running for whiskey. I have to make more beer to recoup my losses, since we’ve had to slow down production on account of the whiskey. Once the whiskey side of things is done and in production, the brewery side will also need to expand in order to double production numbers. After a year of doubling production, it’ll be like we never slowed down to begin with.”