Reconcile by Nicole Dykes
“Good afternoon, Piper.”I look up from my desk and see the least offensive Ross brother standing in my office.
“Good afternoon, Cole.”
He walks further into my office, dressed impeccably in a three-piece suit and tie with his black hair slicked back. He takes a seat across from me. “How are you doing? It’s been a while since I’ve checked in with you.”
I offer a small smile. Cole is five years older than me, so I didn’t see him much in school, only when he would come and drag Sawyer to the family car. Still, the Ross and Ward families are often together in Kansas City high society, and we saw each other at several events. And when I needed a job, I was surprised to hear from none other than Cole Ross.
Brother of my enemy.
Of course, he’s not the CEO of this company. That honor lies with the supreme asshole, Spencer Ross. But somehow, Cole managed to talk him into offering me the job.
“I’m doing fine.”
He eyes me with suspicion. Cole is the quiet one. But that doesn’t make him any less lethal. Maybe more so. “Spencer treating you okay?”
I internally cringe, thinking about Spencer. I can’t stand him. I never could. Still, I need this job, so I pretend he doesn’t make me want to scream whenever I’m stuck in his arrogant presence.
“He’s been fine.”
“Piper.” His response is direct.
“Fine. He’s abhorrent. He treats me like a secretary from the fifties and calls me ‘sweetheart.’”
His eyebrow arches in amusement before he shakes his head. “He’s an asshole.”
“True.”
He stands. “But he knows his shit.”
I bite my tongue because I know he does. He’s ruthless in his dealings. “Also true.”
There’s a knock on the door, drawing both of our attention to the smiling receptionist, Jennifer, as she opens the door wider. “Here he is, Mr. Ross. Then she looks at Cole. ”You have a visitor.”
No.
My heart starts racing, urging me to escape even before my body tells me to do the same.
“Sawyer?” Cole looks surprised. “What are you doing here?”
Sawyer.
This can’t be happening. I saw him a while back. I told him I was working for his brother and he’d better stay far away from me or I’d make sure he’d know personally what it felt like to have his balls ripped from his body.
But as he stands in my office with that smug expression on his beautiful, arrogant face, dressed in a navy suit and silver tie, it’s pretty damn clear he doesn’t care about his balls.
His eyes momentarily dart to me before resting back on his brother. “I thought I’d take you up on your offer and look around.”
I try not to let my jaw hit the floor and look at Cole. “Offer?”
Both men turn to me, but it’s Sawyer’s deep voice that answers, “Yes, my brother is trying to pull me to the dark side.”
I snort with feral aggression, “As if you haven’t been there your whole life.”
He doesn’t take the bait, and in fact, pretty much ignores me, which is completely and totally fitting. “You have time to show me around, Cole?”
Cole shoots me an apologetic look and nods at Sawyer. “Yes. Of course.”
Sawyer exits my office, but Cole stays for a moment. “We had lunch the other day, and I told him I was disappointed he was playing at being a Sterling. He works for Linc.”
I didn’t know that. But I’ve also tried like hell not to pay attention to anything Sawyer-related for the last seven years.
“If he starts working here, I’m gone.”
Cole moves to me, placing his hands on my desk. “No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am, Cole. You know our history. I want nothing to do with him.”
He stands tall, smiling with cold assurance. “If that were true, I don’t think you’d be here.”
With that, he leaves my office. I lean back in my chair, unable to stop my hands from shaking.
This can’t be happening.
He can’t be coming back into my life. I can’t do this. I hate him more than I’ve ever hated anyone. His betrayal haunts me at every waking moment.
And more than anything, I hate how he was once my whole world.
