First Down (Texas Titans #3) (2 page)

Jaxon laughed. “Man, if you’re this uptight about some new hire, you really need to get laid.”

If not for the fact the rest of their partners and friends chose that minute to walk in, Grayson might have jumped across the table and forced Jaxon to retract that statement. Sex wasn’t Grayson’s problem and never had been. He had a great life, and he enjoyed the company of beautiful women with no strings attached. Just because Zach and Matt had found their happy endings didn’t mean Grayson had any desire to be tethered to the old ball-and-chain. He had plenty of time for that. He wasn’t even thirty-five yet. Maybe by the time he hit forty he’d be ready to think about a wife and kids, but in the meantime, he was loving the single life.

Jokes and insults flew back and forth between the best friends. Grayson loved those guys as if they were the brothers he’d never had.

“How’s married life treatin’ ya, Matt?” Brett asked, nudging Matt with his shoulder. “Everything you thought it would be, or is she holdin’ out on ya now that she’s got that ring on her finger?”

Grayson didn’t think intimacy would ever be a problem for Kristen and Matt. They could barely keep their hands off each other in public. He could only imagine what it was like behind closed doors.

“You won’t hear any complaints from me,” Matt said with a shit-eating grin that almost made Grayson jealous. “Taking another chance on marriage was the best decision I ever made.”

“I want to meet her,” Grayson said, glaring at Jaxon.

“Who?” Jaxon asked, looking confused.

“This new accountant you hired. I want her in my office tomorrow at nine a.m. sharp.”

“Are we back to that again?” Jaxon moaned. “Would you just let it go already? I told you I checked her references, and I emailed you her resume. Not even you could find fault with it.”

“I don’t care. I still want to meet her.” Grayson was breaking a cardinal rule by talking business at their poker game, but he didn’t care. He wanted to meet the girl who’d convinced his friend to ignore policy.

Jaxon reached for the cards in the middle of the table. “She was catching a flight back home, I think. Said she had some loose ends to tie up before she starts work next Monday.”

“She’s not going to start work next Monday if I don’t meet her first.” Grayson knew he was being stubborn about this, but their business worked because they all respected each other’s positions in the company. Jaxon had basically bypassed Grayson’s decision-making power, and Grayson wanted to send him a clear message that he wouldn’t tolerate it.

“Fine,” Jaxon said, sighing as he shuffled. “I’ll call her in the morning and see what I can do about setting up a meeting for you.”

“Don’t try,” Grayson warned, narrowing his eyes at Jaxon. “Just do it, or you’ll be the one explaining to her why you have to rescind her job offer.”

“Tight ass,” Jaxon muttered.

Alana had been concerned when Jaxon had called and asked her to come in for a second interview. She’d thought she already had the job. He assured her that meeting with his partner was just a formality, but she couldn’t help but worry. She needed the job.

“Mr. Barrett will see you now, Ms. Holmes,” the receptionist said with a smile. “His office is just down the hall, third door on your left.”

“Thank you.” Alana listened to the rhythm of her stilettos on the tile floor as she made her way down the hall. She’d been too nervous to eat breakfast, and that was triggering her hypoglycemia.
Please don’t let me faint
, she prayed as she knocked on his door.

“Come in.”

His voice was cool and composed, with an underlying edge that made her even more anxious. When she opened the door, she nearly collapsed, but not because of her low blood sugar. The man sitting behind the huge oak desk was a dead ringer for her ex-husband. Same cropped dark hair, broad shoulders, light hazel eyes, olive skin…

“I said come in,” he repeated, staring at her as though he feared she may be on something.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, stepping into the room and closing the door. She couldn’t very well tell him the reason for her odd reaction. “Hello, Mr. Barrett. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He accepted her outstretched hand with a look of consternation. His eyes passed over her fitted gray dress. The dress was sleeveless, but with conservative accessories it was appropriate office attire. Especially since it was eighty-five degrees in the shade.

“I’m looking forward to working for High Rollers,” she said, hoping she wasn’t over-stepping by reminding him that his partner had already offered her the job.

“Jaxon often takes liberties he shouldn’t.” Grayson reclaimed his swivel chair while gesturing to the guest chair across from him.

He wasn’t thrilled his partner had hired her without checking with him first. Great. She was there to prove herself to a man who clearly thought she’d gotten the job offer because Jaxon was a leg man. Alana sat down, crossing her legs as she leaned forward and clasped her hands over her knees. “I’ve been doing some research on your company, and I’m very impressed with how much you’ve accomplished in such a short time.”

“Most people research a company
before
the interview,” Grayson said, reaching for a sheet of paper. “You waited until after Jaxon offered you the job before you checked out our company history?”

She hadn’t said as much, but since she was a terrible liar, she decided to be honest. “A friend emailed me the job listing. She knew I was looking to relocate—”

“Why is that?” Grayson asked. “It says here your current address is in Sacramento. Why do you want to move?”

“I just need a fresh start.” She tried to resist the urge to press her hand against her temple when a dull ache spread across her forehead. “The friend I mentioned, we went to college together. She lives in Arlington, so this seemed like as good a place as any to move to.” She realized her explanation made her sound flighty, as if she was willing to pick up and move on a whim. “I’d been thinking about making a move for some time.”

“Why?” he asked, glancing over her resume for what seemed like the tenth time.

“Excuse me?”

He sighed, setting the paper down on his desk. “I asked you why you’re relocating.”

Grayson wasn’t amiable like his partner. She feared if she told him the truth, he would hold it against her. “Is that relevant?”

“To me it is.” He folded his arms over his broad chest and stared her down. “I don’t relish the idea of investing resources in training and development if the employee in question doesn’t intend to stick around.”

“I’m looking to build a new life here in Arlington,” she said, gripping the armrest of her chair when her stomach took a nosedive. “But I can’t do that unless I have a job.”

“Is something wrong?” he asked, leaning forward.

He looked concerned, but unless she missed her guess, he was thinking about the ramifications for his company if she passed out and hit her head, spilling blood on their inlaid marble floor.

“I skipped breakfast this morning,” she said, pinching her lips together. “It was stupid, I know—I’m hypoglycemic. But I was a little nervous about this interview.”

His eyes softened. “I’ll be right back.”

Alana closed her eyes as he left the office. She was blowing everything. He would never trust her to be a valuable employee if she couldn’t even take care of herself. She heard the door, and she opened her eyes.

“Here,” he said, setting a blueberry scone and glass of orange juice on his desk. “Have this. It should help.” He lifted a broad shoulder when she gave him a questioning look. “My mother’s diabetic. I know orange juice elevates the blood sugar pretty quickly.”

“I’m sorry about this.” She wrapped her hand around the glass tightly, hoping she could bring it to her mouth without spilling it. Her hand was trembling. “It was silly of me not to eat something before I left the house.”

“The house?” he asked, leaning his backside against the desk as he stared down at her. “I thought you were from out of town. You’re not staying in a hotel?”

“No,” she said, eyeing the scone. She would have killed for a bite, but she didn’t want to be rude. “I’m staying with my friend and her mother while I’m here.”

“Why?”

She didn’t know why he was making her personal life his business, but it wouldn’t serve her to antagonize him. “Because they offered, and I didn’t care to waste money on a hotel. Besides, like I said, Kari and I went to college together, and we haven’t had the opportunity to spend much time together the past few years.”

“Why not?”

This is getting ridiculous
. The conversation felt more like a police interrogation than a job interview. No way would she tell him her ex was an obsessive control freak who’d tried to tell her who she could and couldn’t see. “I’m not sure how any of this is relevant, Mr. Barrett. I thought you wanted me to come in today to make sure I was qualified for this job.”

Grayson’s eyes narrowed as he pushed off the desk. “Why don’t you enjoy your breakfast while I have a word with my partner, Ms. Holmes? I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

***

“What the hell do you know about this woman you hired?” Grayson asked, throwing Jaxon’s door open without knocking. His receptionist had told Grayson her boss was alone, and he didn’t feel like wasting time on social niceties.

“I know she’s hotter than hell.” Jaxon taunted him with a wide grin. “What else do I need to know?”

Grayson clenched his hands on the back of the guest chair in front of Jaxon’s desk. “She’s hiding something, and I want to know what it is.”

“You’ve been watching too many cop shows,” Jaxon said, rolling his eyes. “If you got out more—”

“Shut it, I’m serious. I get a weird vibe from her.” Grayson couldn’t put his finger on it, but he’d met enough deceptive women to know one when he saw her.

“You’re so suspicious,” Jaxon said, turning his attention back to his computer. “You really need to relax.”

Grayson forced himself to take a deep breath. “I asked you what you know about her.” No one knew how to push his buttons quite like Jaxon. Telling him to relax was a sure-fire way to piss him off, and Jaxon knew it.

“I know she’s divorced,” Jaxon said, not tearing his eyes away from the spreadsheet on screen. “Her ex owned some big software company. I Googled him after she left yesterday. He’s loaded, yet she didn’t seem interested in a settlement.”

“She told you that?” Grayson asked. “And you believed her?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Jaxon raised a shoulder. “I have no reason to distrust the girl.”

It was ironic, Grayson thought. Jaxon wouldn’t trust any of the women he dated, yet he had no problem trusting a potential employee—perhaps because his heart wasn’t on the line. “Yeah, well I do. I want a background check on her before we proceed.”

“So do one,” Jaxon said.

Grayson hated being put in that position. He hired based on his instincts, which rarely failed him. Now Jaxon was putting him in the awkward position of having to delve into a woman’s personal life because he’d hired her prematurely. “Fine, I will.”

“You in for dinner tonight?” Jaxon asked as Grayson walked to the door.

“Dinner?”

“Yeah, the Cunningham twins are back in town, and I don’t know about you, but it’s been too long for me.”

Grayson didn’t know if his friend was suggesting he’d been without a woman, but he highly doubted it. Women threw themselves at Jaxon, not that he’d met one who’d kept him interested past the third date. Grayson gripped the brushed nickel doorknob. “I’m kind of tired… and stressed. I may just hit the gym and order in tonight.”

Jaxon groaned. “Come on, you can’t expect me to entertain both of them.”

Grayson knew Jaxon wouldn’t have any problem doing just that. “Ask one of the other guys.”

“Whatever.”

Grayson made his way back to his office hoping he wouldn’t find their new hire in a heap on his office floor. She had looked a little pale and shaky when he’d left. If her story about hypoglycemia was true, she should have felt better by now. If not, she was definitely trying to hide something.

He strode into his office. “Feeling better?”

“Much, thank you,” she said, offering a weak smile. “I’m sorry about that. I usually don’t make the mistake of skipping meals, but I was a bit nervous about this interview, Mr. Barrett.”

“Call me Grayson.” If he turned on the charm, maybe he could learn more about her background. If their investigator turned up information contrary to her story, he could let her go.

“Only if you’ll call me Alana,” she said, smoothing a hand over her skirt.

“Fine, Alana it is.” He removed his suit jacket and hung it on the back of his swivel chair before undoing the buttons at his wrists and rolling back his sleeves. He caught Alana looking at him before she tore her eyes away. He smiled, hoping she bought his softening attitude toward her. “I hope you don’t mind. I’d like to get a little more comfortable. Truth is, I’d much rather wear jeans, a T-shirt, and cowboy boots to work.”

“Then why don’t you?” she asked, her eyes raking over him. “You are the boss, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s important to dress for success, especially since I’m out there every day representing our brand.”

“That makes sense, I guess.”

“When you walked in here today, you looked like you’d seen a ghost,” he said, sitting and tilting back his chair. He regarded her carefully for any sign she may be uncomfortable with his question. “Care to tell me why?”

“You… uh… reminded me of someone, that’s all.”

“Who?”

She looked as though she’d rather not answer, but she finally said, “My ex-husband.”

“Ah, I see.” Grayson would have to Google the guy as soon as Alana left, if for no other reason than to determine whether there were any similarities.

He watched her carefully. He intended to make her uncomfortable under his close scrutiny, but closer inspection only made
him
uncomfortable. He could see why his partner had hired her. She was stunning, with long blond hair, bright green eyes, and curves that didn’t belong on such a tiny frame.