Conviction (A Stand-alone Novel): A Bad Boy Romance (12 page)

Now I was facing a financial windfall past anyone's overactive imagination. Plus the looming judgment of the board, the certain enmity of my business manager, and the overzealous interest of federal agents. If it hadn't been for Autumn's hand on my shoulder, I would have run out the door and car-jacked the first vehicle I saw in the hopes of heading back to the relative peace of prison.

Chapter Eight

Autumn

I took a deep breath before pushing open the glass double doors that lead to Knight Holdings headquarters. Jace's corporate office was on the top floor of a sleek, glass-paned office building just south of Summerlin. He loved it there, and as I pushed open the heavy door, I remembered how he always pretended he was entering the deck of a space ship.

A semi-circle front desk of gleaming white faced the double doors, and the assistant smiled brilliantly. "Nice to see you again, Ms. Bishop."

"Good morning, Darla." I noticed the sheen of tears in her eyes, and it brought an answering wetness to my own. "How's everyone doing here?"

"It’s been quiet. Or at least it was," the assistant cut herself off and bit her lip.

"Is Mr. Rooke here?" I asked even though the answer was obvious.

Through the clear-paned walls of the fishbowl offices, I saw David marching down the hallway. People ducked or turned or became very interested in the papers on their desks when he passed. There were frowns and glares behind his back.

"He took down the memorial," Darla explained. "He said it would only slow down productivity."

Anger burned in my chest, but I took a deep breath and pushed it away. "I'm sorry to hear that. Any other news?"

"We have a board member visiting. Mr. Anton."

"Thanks, Darla." She had more on her mind, but I smiled and took off down the hallway. Through the glass walls, I could see David heading straight for one of our new interns and that was never a good sign.

"Hello, Ms. Bishop."

"Good morning, Frank. How's your baby nephew?" I turned around to smile at him as I kept moving.

"Great thanks, eating lots."

"Ms. Bishop, thank you for helping me with that client request."

"Not a problem, Janice. Let me know if you need anything else."

The hallway was long, and I could already see David lighting into the poor intern, but Jace never dismissed a single employee and neither would I. Everyone got a smile, a nod, and a pleasant exchange. I prided myself on knowing everyone's names.

"Oh, Tanya, I have to thank you for the lasagna. It was the best thing I ate all week," I said.

"I'm so glad, Ms. Bishop. My mother's recipe."

"Well, it was absolutely perfect."

I made it around the corner and heard David berating the intern for falling behind in his filing. "Business doesn't take breaks, and I want to make that clear. We are done with all the distractions and getting back on track. Are you with us or do I need to find another intern?"

The young man peeked over David's shoulder and met my eyes. "I'm with you," he said.

"Mr. Rooke, a word?" I could not keep the edge from my tone.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Bishop. I don't have time for you today." David adjusted his tie. "I realize you may be feeling a bit lost now that your position here is tentative at best. As Mr. Knight's assistant you were invaluable, but it may take some time to re-evaluate how you fit in here," David said.

The intern's jaw dropped and he beat a hasty retreat. Through the fish bowl offices, I could see him running to his manager and reporting what he'd heard. David was going to try to get rid of me.

"Well, until that process is completed, I suppose you would like me to continue to work as usual?" I asked.

"Perhaps it will be best if you report to me daily," David tipped his nose up.

"Starting now?" I turned on my heel and went into his office, trying to ignore the worried glances I could see through the glass walls.

David smoothed down the front of his shiny suit and sauntered around me to sit behind his desk. He gestured to one of the chairs, but I remained standing. I was too irate to sit down.

"First item on the agenda. You know full well I will report directly to the board and not to you. Secondly, after your outburst at the lawyer's office, I am not surprised to find you lashing out around here, but if I see you berating another employee, I will personally report you for creating a hostile work environment," I said.

"Sounds like you're the one being hostile," David said, though his cheeks were ruddy.

I forced myself to take a calming breath. "You better tread lightly between now and the board's decision."

"Good advice you should perhaps take yourself, Ms. Bishop. Now, if you're done, I have quite a lot of work to take care of." David turned his desk chair away from me and picked up his phone.

I did not wait to hear what bogus call he tried to make. I marched out of his office and headed towards the front desk. Darla met me halfway down the hall and held up her hands to stop me.

"You have a meeting in the conference room," she said. She opened the door for me then shut it firmly behind me.

The conference room was the one private space in the otherwise glass-walled office. The frosted windows were further screened by large potted plants. Standing near a towering palm tree was Mr. Anton, the visiting board member.

"I'm sorry we did not get a chance to talk at the funeral," he said. "It was a wonderful turn-out and a great send off for an exceptional man."

I nodded, unable to speak to that, and then cleared my throat. "I suppose Mr. Rooke has already approached the board about appointing him CEO."

"Naturally he is in the running, but I think you know how the majority of people feel about him," Mr. Anton said. "I wanted to make sure I saw you face-to-face so I could reiterate how much the board loved and respected Jace Knight. In alignment with his final wishes, we are also considering Ayden King."

"Whom Mr. Rooke has been slandering?" I asked.

Mr. Anton nodded then smiled. "Like a child tattling. What he neglected to notice is that the board holds the same regard for Ayden as Jace did. I understand he has come a long, hard way, but it shows dedication and focus. Traits we think Knight Holdings may need in the future."

The relief was so heavy that I pulled out a chair and sat just in time. "Thank you, Mr. Anton. I'm glad to hear you say that."

"I am also here to inform you that your position has officially become Board Liaison. Mr. Rooke already broached the subject of your redundancy and this is our solution. He will have the official memo before I leave today."

I smiled. "I'd be happy to deliver it for you."

Mr. Anton laughed. "It is always a pleasure, Ms. Bishop. I look forward to seeing more of you in the future."

"Thank you for this opportunity, sir. I will not let you down." I stood up and shook his hand.

"You start in two days. I suggest you take some time to relax and enjoy yourself first." Mr. Anton took the official memo from his inside pocket and opened the conference room door. I thanked him again and walked with Darla to the front desk as he headed towards David's office.

"Please tell me everything is going to be alright," Darla said.

"As your Board Liaison, I can assure you the board wants what is best for this company and its employees," I grinned.

Darla shrieked and hugged me. There was no doubt the news would travel fast and help lighten the mood in the office.

"I'm heading out, but could you please do me one favor?" I asked.

"Anything, Ms. Bishop!"

"I'm going to use Mr. Knight's escape. Could you make the reservations, please?"

Darla grinned and clapped her hands. "Of course, that is perfect. I'll make the call right away."

I intended to drive around Las Vegas and let the good news sink in, but I ended up driving directly to Jace's house. When I pulled in through the gates and parked, I saw the front door was wide open. Inside the entryway I spotted Ayden marching down the staircase with Jace's portrait under his arm.

"I'm sick of climbing the stairs to argue with him," Ayden said.

I followed him to the home office where he balanced the portrait on a chair in the corner. Without pausing or commenting on his decorating decision, I went into the guest suite and headed to his bedroom.

He followed me with a curious frown. "What's going on?"

"Pack a bag. You need to get out of this house," I said. "And, no, I'm not finally kicking you out. We've discussed that. I'm taking you on a short trip."

"I'm not really a vacation sort of guy," Ayden scowled. "Weekend getaways are out of my scope."

"Jace's escape. I'll explain when we get there." I opened the closet and tossed him an Italian leather duffel bag.

We did not speak again until I drove into the valet circle at the Venetian Hotel and Casino.

"No," was all he said.

I handed off the car keys and our luggage and got out of the car. Ayden had no choice but to follow me as the valet hopped from one foot to the other and waited.

The concierge met us in the middle of the gleaming marble floor of the Venetian lobby. "We would like to offer our heartfelt condolences, Ms. Bishop. Jace Knight will be sorely missed."

"Thank you, Donald. This is Mr. King. The board is considering him to lead Knight Holdings," I made the introduction.

"Ayden King? How wonderful to finally have met you. Mr. Knight had a running list of amenities he wanted you to experience here at the Venetian," the concierge said.

Ayden shook his hand without a word. He stood tall in his black-on-black suit, the shirt collar unbuttoned, as his laser blue eyes took in the gilded opulence of the lobby. "Nice place you got here."

I shook my head and wished I had been half as cool the first time I had set foot in the stunning hotel. I stood next to him, like an overly excited schoolgirl, as he calmly scanned his surroundings and gave a small nod.

I lead him to the elevator and used the penthouse key. Right after the doors closed, Ayden grabbed me by the shoulders and spun me around. His blue eyes blazed down into mine.

"This is extravagant and unnecessary. What on earth are we doing here?"

"Jace's escape. This was his favorite place in all of Las Vegas, and he came here every time he was scouting for new investments," I explained. "It’s also where I first met Jace and I thought, I wanted to, it just seemed like the right thing to do."

Ayden's hands softened on my shoulders, but he did not release me. Instead, he pulled me a step closer. The tense square to his jaw was gone, and I ran a hand along his shadowed cheek in amazement. I had never seen Ayden like this before. He was wide open, vulnerable, and wanting. His lips neared mine and every nerve in my body sang out to touch him.

The doors slid open and the spell was broken.

"Way too extravagant, just like Jace." Ayden flexed his jaw again and stepped into the Venetian penthouse.

The room was luxuriously furnished with a main room large enough to hold two full-sized sofas and cozy stuffed armchairs ringed around a fireplace as well as a full-sized dining room table with hand-carved chairs, and a baby grand piano. Two bedrooms flanked the main room, each with a spa-inspired bathroom dominated by large soaking tubs edged in marble. There was also a butler's pantry that met every need from extra toothpaste to workout equipment.

Ayden went directly to the room's most sought-after feature: the view. Far below, the glittering lights of The Strip looked like a phosphorescent sea, while in the close distance, the mountains glowed in the early evening light.

"Yeah," I sighed. "Not bad for a casino waitress."

A smile softened Ayden's expression. He made himself comfortable and patted the sofa next to him. "Tell me how you two met."

* * * * *

"I was working my way up the ladder of wait staff when I literally ran into Jace on the floor of the Venetian Casino," I started. The memory lit up in my head, and I could not help but smile. "He caught me before I fell, but we lost three gin and tonics and a screwdriver. He doubled the round and gave the order to another waitress."

"He wouldn't let you go until you'd told him your life story." Ayden smiled and shook his head.

"Exactly. By the time I had explained how I grew up in Vegas, studied the hospitality industry, and had decided to work my way to the top, he had heard enough. He hired me right then and there and told me to earn my credentials as part of my pay. Within five years I had my MBA and had officially become Jace's Executive Assistant."

"And you spent weekends here with him." Ayden cocked an eyebrow at me.

I smacked his shoulder. "It was never like that and you know it."

"True. Jace would never have been able to keep a secret like you." Ayden jumped up when the elevator rang.

"Sorry, I ordered us room service," I called, as he faced the opening doors.

Two attendants rolled a heavily laden cart into the room and started to set the dining room table. Behind them a familiar face beamed at me. "Autumn! I'm so glad to see you and your, ah, companion."

His eyebrows waggled at me despite Ayden's wary frown. I laughed and went to hug my friend. Only Trent would not be intimidated by Ayden.

"Damn, girl, you have got good taste," Trent said in a theatrically loud whisper.

"Trent, may I introduce Ayden King. Ayden, this is Trent. He is the resident sommelier here at the Venetian," I said.

"Fine wines, huh?" Ayden said. He peered at the bottle in Trent's arms. "Sorry, but a $1,200 bottle of champagne is not quite my style."

"It’s for the lady," Trent said, "and in memory of Mr. Knight. I heard how close you two were, and I am very sorry for your loss."

Ayden stood back and allowed Trent to pop the champagne. Trent made sure that everything was in place, then he kissed my cheek, and shooed the attendants back into the penthouse elevator.

"To Jace," I raised my sparkling glass.

"To Jace," Ayden agreed. He looked out the wall of windows. "It is easy to see Vegas through Jace's eyes here."