“Shut up,” I say with a goofy grin on my face. “She makes me feel like I’m back in college. It’s fun.”
Keatyn squints her eyes at me and I know that means she’s running all the scenarios through her head and about to make a decision. “Riley, if you can get her and Knox to both do this project, you can sleep with whoever you want. As long as it doesn’t affect her relationship with Captive.”
“If you haven’t slept with her yet, that makes her fair game, right?” Knox asks.
“This isn’t a competition. If you want to get in her pants, go for it. Our relationship is . . .”
“Is what?” Keatyn asks.
“Real.”
“You have a relationship?”
“I didn’t ask her to go steady, yet,” I tease, “but I’m taking off early today and we’re hanging out.”
“Who are you going steady with?” my older brother, Dawson, asks from the doorway.
“Dawson? What the hell are you doing here?” I get up and give him a hug. I haven’t seen him since this summer. And he was still a wreck over losing Whitney. Today, he’s smiling and looks put together.
“That’s what I was supposed to tell you the other day!” Keatyn says, rushing over to give Dawson a hug. “How are you?” she asks him.
“About to be better, I hope,” he replies. “I think you’re right. A new beginning is probably just the thing I need.”
“New beginning?” I ask.
“I hired Dawson,” Keatyn says. “He’s going to commute for a while, see how things go. Then if all goes well, he’ll relocate here permanently.”
What Keatyn did hits me in the chest, almost bringing tears to my eyes. My brother has been through so much.
I slap my brother on the back. “I’m glad you’re joining the team, bro. So what are you gonna do?”
Keatyn answers before he can. “I figured all his experience working with luxury brands would allow him to get great placement for our movies.” She’s biting her lip. And I know why. We have a marketing group that does placement for us. “He’ll be our new, uh, Senior Vice President in charge of product placement.”
Senior Vice President, a role just for him. She probably overpaid him too.
But I don’t mind.
“Knox, this is my brother, Dawson. I think you’ve met before over the years.”
“Yeah, we have,” they say, shaking hands and sharing pleasantries before Knox says, “I’ve got to get going. Same time tomorrow morning. Bring the girl.”
“Will do.”
I sit down. Still a little shocked that my brother is here and going to work for me.
“Tyler!” Keatyn yells. She never calls him on the intercom, she just sweetly yells his name and he drops whatever he’s doing and comes.
“You called?”
“Will you take Dawson on the grand tour of the offices?”
Tyler herds Dawson out of the room. I shut the door.
“Before you say anything . . .” she starts to say.
“I’m not going to say anything but thank you,” I tell her.
“Really? I’m so relieved. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it.”
“I offered him a job a long time ago and he turned me down. Of course, that was before. . .”
“I know. It’s so sad. It’s been almost two years and he’s still carrying the guilt around. I thought maybe coming here might help. I way overpaid him.”
“I wouldn’t have expected anything less. I’m touched, Keatyn. Really touched.”
She gives me a beaming smile and then a hug. “Good. In case I haven’t told you lately, I love that we work together.”
“I love that we work together too.”
When she pulls away, she’s in tears.
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought you were going to be mad at me. Aiden told me I needed to tell you. I went behind your back, and I feel bad. I don’t want you to be mad at me.”
I pat her back. “Why are you crying? Normally, when you want your way, you just tell me how it is. Or you pout until I cave.”
“I don’t know. I’m just really emotional right now.”
“Bout to get your period, I suppose. You want some chocolate?”
She brightens up. “Chocolate sounds yummy. Also, we had his office nicely decorated. It was expensive. And we’re leasing him a house on the beach. And got him a really nice car.”
“Wow. Rolling out the red carpet?”
“He only agreed to give us until after the holidays to see if this would work. I want it to.”
“And he needs it to.”
“Yeah, he does. Oh, there’s Vanessa. I have a meeting with her before my call time.”
I look at my watch. “And I have a meeting in five minutes.”
When I get in my office, I take a moment to read the article.
Jennifer Edwards’ new plaything, Captive Films CEO Riley Johnson
Jennifer Edwards is on the prowl again.
And this time the man in her sights is none other than Riley Johnson, CEO of Captive Films.