Perfect.
Or it will be once my brother arrives. Where the fuck is Miles, anyway? I check my watch. The meeting starts in two minutes, and the chair to my left is glaringly empty.
I pick up my phone and tap out a quick text.
Me:Where the hell are you?
Three little dots appear as if he’s been expecting the message.
Miles:Something came up.
A muscle flutters along my jaw. Nothing is more important than the successful launch of the Epos mobile payment system.
Miles:Relax. I sent my assistant to take notes. Isn’t that what you really need?
The muscle in my jaw ticks again. It’s no secret I have a revolving door of assistants, none of them lasting more than a few weeks. Despite my brothers’ teasing, it’s not that I’m fussy. I just like things done a certain way. And I have yet to find anyone who can keep up with the demands of the job.
Because you’re a control freak.
I shove the thought aside, not giving an inch to the long list of shortcomings my ex-fiancée eagerly shared with ATX Exposed, Austin’s local gossip column.
Me:What I need is a little of that charm you throw around like confetti.
Miles:Are you saying you miss me? Do you need a hug?
Me:Fuck off. Which one’s your admin?
Miles:The one with the laptop and great attention to detail.
I roll my eyes, in no mood for Miles’s sarcasm.
Me:I meant what does she look like, asshole?
Miles:Seriously? She’s been sitting right outside your office for the past month…
If you’d bothered to notice.
Miles doesn’t need to type the last part. It’s implied. The guilt trip is a waste of time. I’ve always been driven, and I’m not about to apologize for it now. It’s my drive—combined with Miles’s charisma and Beck’s brains—that’s grown Triada from a basement startup to a multibillion-dollar company in just eight years.
Besides, playing nice is Miles’s job. He’s a people person, which is why he’s the Chief Operations Officer responsible for sales, marketing, and human resources, while Beck—the quintessential computer geek—serves as Chief Technology Officer, and I shoulder the role of Chief Financial Officer. We share the CEO duties, though my brothers are pretty hands off, letting me oversee strategy and deal with the Board of Directors.
It’s an unconventional business model—which has been pointed out by every consultant and investor we’ve ever enlisted—but it works for us.
Three more dots appear, floating on the screen.
Then disappear.
A moment later, the dots reappear.
What the hell is taking so long? Miles never has a problem describing a woman.Ever. Women are his specialty. Or they were before he fell head over heels for Lucy, his former assistant.
Miles:Scarlett Evans. Five-five. Blonde.
Me:You realize that’s vague as hell and describes half the women in the room, right?
Miles:Dude, what do you want from me? I’m not trying to get sued for sexual harassment.
Oh, now he’s worried about lawsuits? That mindset would’ve come in handy last summer when he took his entire team skydiving.
