Page 10 of Until You’re Breathless (Insatiable #1)

Jagger

S crolling through my phone while I wait for some drawings to load onto my computer, I see an article pop up.

“Fuck, Axl!” I nearly shout. “Goddamn you. Can’t you keep your face out of the goddamn news for more than a month?

” Sure, it’s a tabloid, but still. They’ve got his face blurred out, but as sure as the nose on my face, it’s him.

Especially since he’s wearing a shirt with his name and company logo on it.

‘RamYouRacing’ is a logo well-known to anyone not living under a rock, let’s just say that.

And he sure lives up to that standard, seeing as, according to the photo, he’s been caught getting head in a limo by some slut that looks like he picked her up in a back alley.

“God, I cannot do business with a dude like that!” I say to myself, hearing my family’s voice scream at me from inside my head.

The guy is great. He’s a world class race car driver, a genius, has a heart of gold, is as loyal as fuck, but when it comes to having his face plastered on a paper, he is a glutton for attention.

..and for punishment, evidently. His agent has a field day with him.

I’ve seen enough and I’m in terrible need of a coffee and a walk, so I head outside my office.

And I immediately regret it...

As I walk to the coffee carafe at the back of the reception desk, I see her coming into the building...Bowie Ritter.

I see her first before she sees me, as she’s never been inside this place, to my knowledge, and she doesn’t know where to look. But it’s too late for me to hightail it back to my office and tell the girls at reception that I’m not available for a spontaneous guest. Also, I’m not a pussy.

“Hey, a...are you here to see me?” I ask her, as the girls behind the desk scurry to help. I raise my hand, indicating that I’ve got it.

“Yes, if you can spare the time.” Bowie says.

She’s dressed in a pencil skirt that goes below the knee, a double-breasted jacket done right up, a frilly scarf that pokes out from said jacket, to cover any cleavage that may want to peek out, conservative-length heels, and her hair is in a messy bun.

Bowie always knew how to be professional, and her clothes scream that.

“Sure. Come on in. I’ve got about five minutes before my next meeting.” Which is the truth. My production team and I have a session every day around this time.

“Thank you.” She says, her tone clipped but again, professional.

I gesture her into my office and close the door.

Again, I gesture to her, this time to have a seat.

After I pull the bottom button of my jacket open and give slack to my trousers before sitting, she sits and crosses one leg over the other.

“What can I do for you.” I say as more of a comment than as a question.

“This is probably very strange.” She scoffs.

“It’s not something that I planned on doing today.”

She exhales sharply. “Okay, I’ll get right to the point. I’m sure you know why I’m here and I’ve come to make you an offer. If you’re not interested that’s fine, just let me know if I’m wasting my time.”

I don’t let her start. “You’re wasting my time.”

Her mouth was open. She closes it. “You’re not even interested in hearing me out?”

“Not even a little bit. I just invited you into my office to avoid a scene and to not have my staff asking questions that I don’t want to answer.”

“Jagger, look. I’m not just here looking for a job. This is about what I can offer you.”

I chuckle mirthlessly. “Not without a lawsuit, you can’t. I know Boston too well, and he’s not stupid enough to not make anyone that walks through his door sign an N.D.A.”

“For the record, my N.D.A. is null and void, and the people that have teamed with me had an N.D.A., but it didn’t include a clause prohibiting them from being employed by a competitor, only for not sharing trade secrets.”

I lift a brow. “And you’ve had this checked out by an attorney?”

She nods. “Yes. Boston lost all rights when he...um...dipped his pen outside of company ink...so to speak.”

I refuse to let this be personal. “That still doesn’t change my mind, Bowie.

” Her name feels weird on my tongue. Haven’t said it in years, and especially not to her.

“I want people here that are dedicated to me and to my company. Not out for revenge. The team that stands between these walls have heart. They’ve been handpicked by my brother, who is the best in the business. ”

She goes for cocky. “Word is that you’re short staffed, Jagger.

How else would you know why I’m here. I’d say that if you have any sense, which I know you do, you’ll at least consider my offer.

Treat me like any Joe Blow off the street and give me a probationary period.

Better yet, give all of us that treatment. We’ll show you we mean business.”

I have questions. “Just what are you proposing, anyway? Do you want to be front and center like you were at Kruger? And what sort of people are you bringing my way, anyway, hm? This isn’t a fucking refugee camp, Bowie.”

She raises a finger. “First, I’m looking for my place.

Whether that’s front and center or not is up to you, but I’d rather be here at a place where I can shine and do what I love to do and not be dodging bullets all the time.

Second, I have an HR manager that’ll knock the socks off any other in the state, as far as I’m concerned, and a bunch of suppliers that would rather follow me than stick with Boston, if that’s any indication of where I’ve come from and where I’m willing to go.

Also, it proves that I was the brains and the heart behind that outfit.

Not tooting my own horn, Jagger, it’s a fact.

And I think you know that’s true as well. ”

I lift a brow. “Jinny walked, too?”

She nods. “Right after she plowed him one, she did. Didn’t give it a second thought.”

“I always liked her.”

“And, based on the fact that your brother is headhunting for you, is my guess accurate that you don’t have a proper HR department outfitted yet?”

“I won’t discredit Celeste, but she hasn’t got the eyes or the stomach to ground this place with what we have.

Rush is picky, for all the right reasons, so we’ve got Celeste standing in until we can find someone better, I’ll admit.

But I’m not sure that bringing you and Jinny on board is the right thing to do.

The last thing I need is Boston up my ass.

And the media will eat this up, too. I don’t want anything sullying my chances of getting this European deal.

The cars slated to come into next year’s and even the year after’s markets are prime for my engine designs.

It’s like the timing is perfect. And I don’t want anything to fuck it up. ”

“I can appreciate that.”

“Can you.” I say as more of an accusation. “You’re not just offering to come and work for me until Boston dangles some carrot in front of your face, and then you go running back to him?”

“That’s never going to happen. I promise you.”

I’m not convinced. “And you walked away from everything without a second thought.”

“No, actually. I gave it a lot of thought, if you want to know the truth. I gave it a few chances, but I can’t trust him anymore, and he’s well aware of that.

It’s like we’re both waiting for the other to do something vengeful.

And It's not the way that I want to work. He gave me a decent package and I walked.”

“How noble of the asshole.”

“Look, I don’t want to talk about him. It’s over and I’m over it.

I just want to move on and do what I love doing.

Truth be told, I didn’t realize until I took a step back, just how much of a back seat I’ve been taking for him.

This way, I can offer more of my strengths, instead of walking on eggshells and doing things that frankly, I never got credit for. ”

“Why come to me?”

She hesitates for a moment. “Because I know that you’re the closest competitor.”

“Why not go work for Ford?”

“Because I can’t stand them. They’re the neediest fucks on the planet. They call night and day with no regard for boundaries.”

“I’ve got news for you, Bowie. I’m not much for boundaries, either. In fact, I went to visit Axl Lennon at five o’clock this morning, and then I saw my brother Rush right after that.”

“But would you call a staff member at two o’clock in the morning?”

I’ve wanted to. But I hold the keys to the building and there isn’t a machine in this place that I can’t handle on my own. “No.” I say honestly, feeling like I want to lie just for the satisfaction.

She’s content with that answer but she doesn’t make further comment.

“Look, I just...I don’t think that this will ever work, Bowie. If you want the honest to God truth. I know your worth and I know what you’re capable of, and I just think that it’s too much of a risk.”

After a swallow and a tight nod, she licks her lips and speaks. “I can appreciate that. If you want to know the truth, if the shoe were on the other foot, I wouldn’t have even seen you. I sort of judge you for that.” She chuckles.

I rise as she rises, knowing that this conversation is over.

As I walk her to the door, she turns. “But understand that you’ll never find another person that loves this business more than I do.

I’ve sacrificed everything for it and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

There is nothing more fulfilling for me than watching a project come to fruition.

It’s not about money to me. It’s about the American dream.

And I’ll put that front and center no matter what company I work for. ”

“Ever thought about starting your own?”