“I know Shane’s the good guy.”
She studies me a moment, seeming to weigh my sincerity and then giving me an approving nod. We both eat and she gives me a rundown on the staff, ending with Anna, Derek’s assistant. “She’s new. I don’t know her. I don’t plan to know her and she spends plenty of time behind closed doors with Derek.”
“Oh,” I say, reading between the lines.
“‘Oh’ is right.” Her phone buzzes where she’s set it on the table and she grabs it and looks at a message. “I’m helping Shane find a house or an apartment to buy and a hot one just hit the market. I need to run and look at it before someone scoops it up.”
“You’re picking his home?” I ask, surprised he would hand over something so personal.
“I didn’t want to, but he says he’s too busy to deal with it and he has a sudden urgency to move.”
Because of his father showing up at the Four Seasons with his mistress, I think, but would never dare say.
“He wants my top three recommendations,” she continues, “and I really want to find the perfect choices.” She touches my hand. “Come with me. You know him well enough to say he and I are a perfect match. I need help.”
“No way. That would be highly inappropriate.”
“Not if it’s helping me,” she argues. “He doesn’t have to know.”
“I’m not going, Jessica.”
“Fine. Fine.” She grabs her purse. “I hate to leave you.”
“I’m fine and I need to get back to work.”
She stands. “Let’s try again tomorrow.”
“Yes. I’d like that.” And I mean it. I like her. I trust her. Shane trusts her and I get the feeling there aren’t many people he does trust, most certainly not me at this point.
She darts away and I stare after her without really seeing her, my mind on Shane and the hedge fund. Why wouldn’t Brandon Senior tell him about something like that? Surely, word would spread? Is it just a power play?
“Imagine meeting you here, Ms. Stevens.”
I barely contain an outward jolt at the sound of Derek’s voice, recovering as he sits down in front of me, his navy suit complemented by a yellow tie.
“I’m sure this place is popular for busy people who don’t want to leave the building.”
He narrows his eyes on me, and while they are the same color as Shane’s, Derek’s are two shades colder. “I’m surprised my father let you leave at all.”
“Your mother influenced him,” I say.
“My mother has a way of influencing everyone. You too will be in a place of influence by my father’s side.”
“I’m not by his side. I’m outside his door and hardly influential considering everyone is betting me out of the door.”
“I’m not.”
I don’t bother pointing out his inference otherwise, nor do I like the sense of being the gazelle with yet another lion. Narrowing my eyes at him, I seek to set a tone with this man as I did his father. “You have no food, Mr. Brandon.”
“Derek.”
“Why are you here?”
“You work for my father, which means you’ll be handling sensitive material for both myself and my brother. It’s good business to know more about you. Clearly he’s already made that point. I’m late to the party.”
Unease slides down my spine. Does he know about me and Shane? Could he have seen us? We were together in the building and near here. I laugh and manage to sound amused. “He must be good then.”
“Good?”
“More like amazing if he’s already assessed me, considering I’ve had about five minutes in total conversation with him.”
His eyes glint. “Instead, he sent Jessica to get to know you and learn all your secrets.”
That hits a nerve I don’t want to exist, but logically I know he’s trying to make sure I’m not in their camp and crossing enemy lines. For all I know, his father warned him I was at lunch with Jessica. “My secrets,” I say, leaning closer, “are very interesting.”
He studies me, his attention piercing, his presence as commanding as Shane’s but with a cutting edge that makes one feel trapped rather than spellbound. “Are they now?”
“They are,” I say, stepping out on a tightrope. “I once told my boss’s son he was an asshole. He wasn’t happy. He even threatened to fire me.”
“And why was he an asshole?”