Chapter 1
Jackson.
“Tell me some good news.” The moment I uttered the words, Ben’s face fell. “What
now?” I demanded, frustrated that one minor issue was causing me significant
delays in a project that should have started weeks ago.
“She refused the increased offer,” Ben, my most loyal worker and, after my
brothers, my best friend, said as he flopped into a chair in my office. There were very
few people whom I would tolerate being so familiar in my space, but Ben was one of
them.
“How can she refuse an offer that guarantees a life of comfort for the rest of
her days? Is she an idiot? You’d better tell me all about the meeting because this
stops right now.”
“There isn’t a lot to tell. She saw me approach the shop, met me at the door
and told me to tell you exactly where you could shove your offer. I’ll not go into her
exact words because they even made me wince; they were that brutal.”
“She didn’t realise we’d increased the offer?” I hated to acknowledge the
flicker of hope I felt at the thought that all was not lost. It was a fantastic offer, far
more than her business was worth, but desperate times called for desperate
measures. I had thought that she was holding out for a higher offer, so I had clung
onto the sliver of hope that this would be finalised today.
“I told her the new amount, repeated it even, but she told me that not
everything was about money. She went on to say what would happen if I darkened
her door again anytime soon, and I believed what she threatened. I’ve never met
anyone who can seem lovely and scary at the same time.”
“Lovely? Are you telling me that a pretty face has influenced you? Shame on
you Ben.”
I received a snort at my response. “I can admire an attractive woman without
it influencing my ability to carry out your demands, oh lord and master.”
I couldn’t stop the snort of amusement at his words. He’d called me lord and
master since I’d taken over as CEO. “It appears not, or we would be celebrating.”
“I will always go above and beyond for you, but I’m not ending up in prison for
intimidation or stalking. I’ve managed to dodge prison so far and I intend to keep it
that way.”
We were both aware of the meaning behind the words and I knew it was time
to back off from Ben. After my brothers, he was the man I trusted the most and he
would have done the job if he’d been able to. It was time to get back to the point.
“And she owns a business? I was right in thinking she’s a fool and she will
realise how big of an idiot she’s been when it dawns on her that she’s crossed the
wrong person. I’m not going to risk a multi-million pound deal just because she’s
playing at being shopkeeper.”
“To be fair, the shop was busy and her online presence is huge. In the few
minutes that I was there a steady stream of people kept the shop busy.”
“Then what is she playing at? She could set up anywhere with what I’m
offering; hell, she could retire to some distant island somewhere and be waited on for
the rest of her days. Who would refuse such a good offer?”
“Someone who loves their work? I don’t think you would appreciate a takeover
bid, would you?” There was no edge to his words; Ben was rarely anything but
reasonable and calm. It was why we got along so well, but this was the trouble with
old friends: they could point out flaws in our arguments.
“No, I wouldn’t, but all I’m asking her is to get out of the way of the new
development.”
Ben gave me a look. “I know it’s a radical idea, but why not offer her a spot in
the new building?”
“We are looking for a certain kind of clientele and her business doesn’t fit the
brief. She sounds like more trouble than she’s worth anyway.” Ben shook his head at
me, but I didn’t rise to the bait. “I suppose I’m going to have to visit her myself.
What’s so funny?” Ben had full-on grinned at my comment.
“Just let me come and watch when you go. It’ll be worth a month’s salary to
be there when she wipes the floor with you. I think you’ve underestimated her. I did,
and I won’t be making that mistake again.”
“Not a chance are you wasting any more time on this. You can meet with the
construction manager. This job needs to start within the next couple of weeks, or
we'll start incurring costs. Alice Lamb might not need to care about money, but I do.”
Ben’s smile was still visible as he stood. “Because you are so short of money
that you have to watch every penny.”
“You can’t build an empire without watching the pennies.”
“But you have billions of them, so losing a few isn’t really an issue, is it? Is
leaving her alone really going to cause you a problem? It’s one shop after all.”
Rolling my eyes at him, I closed my laptop. “I’ve no idea how I’ve made a
success of the company with staff like you. Are you losing your touch, not being able
to close a deal at an independent shop? Do I need to look at putting you out to
pasture if you are past your prime?”
“I can’t wait until you come back with your tail between your legs and no deal.
She’s a fiery one and won’t back down just because the big bad CEO turns up on
her doorstep.”
“I think I can handle a woman who runs a shop called Love Your Curves. I
mean, come on, she is probably clinging onto the business because apart from her
cats, there is nothing else in her life.”
“Now, now, what have we told you about being nasty to those who aren’t as
fortunate as you?” Ben chided. “The Worsley brothers are trying to clean up their
image by appearing to have hearts behind those expensive suits you all wear. As
you are the eldest, you need to lead by example.”
“Am I wrong though? Has she got a life outside her business?”
“I have absolutely no idea, and even if she doesn’t, what does it matter? Not
everyone appreciates people beating on their door to have passionate nights of sex
only to be cast off in the morning like you seem to enjoy.”
“I’ve not done that in an age.” I knew my tone was defensive, but it was a
touchy subject.
“Perhaps it will be you who ends up with a houseful of cats?”
I laughed at his words. “I’m not that bad and being nice doesn’t get things
done.” Ringing my driver, I nodded to my secretary as I walked past. “Polly, please
rearrange my next meeting, but I’ll be back in time to meet with Nick, make sure he
hangs around. He will try and miss our meeting if I’m a minute late and I refuse to let
him off the hook.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Ben followed me into the lift, I looked up from my phone. “I wish you were
as helpful as Polly is. I never get any backchat from her. She’s so efficient and
accommodating and quiet. In fact, I wish my brothers were more like her. There
needs to be more Polly’s in the world.”
“She’s so amenable because you give her the easy jobs. If all you wanted me
to do was bring you coffee and rearrange meetings, I would be far easier to work
with.”
I smirked at my long-time friend. “I can just imagine you behind a desk. I might
even create a role for you to see how long you last.”
“On second thoughts, I doubt I’d last an hour before I poured your expensive
coffee over your head after you’d complained about the quality, or that I’d put too
much milk in it for the precious little CEO.”
“Those things can ruin a day.” I tried to stop the smirk, but failed. Ben always
knew how to make me laugh, something I rarely did these days.
“Oh, you poor thing. My heart aches for your struggles. A coffee connoisseur
at the age of fifteen, most of us were experts in which cider got us drunk the fastest,
but not you.”
Ben had experienced a different upbringing from mine. I hadn’t always been
stupidly rich as I was now, but our family had been comfortable, living in a nice part
of the town we grew up in. Ben came from the wrong side of the tracks and had a
mother who was a little too keen on drugs rather than caring about looking after a
child. He’d had to learn fast how to protect himself from the visitors to his home and
the kids at school who saw a vulnerability and exploited it. Or tried to.
We probably would have never become the good friends we were, but he’d
backed me up in a fight at school, and that had been the start of our friendship.
When I’d taken him home my brothers had welcomed him without question. I’d made
sure that when our business started booming, Ben was a part of it. He never saw his
mother now, but I know she sometimes contacted him when she was short of money.
At those times, all of us would rally round and get her some help without Ben
needing to put his hand in his pocket.
Reaching the underground garage, I headed to my driver standing next to my
favourite work car, a Rolls-Royce Phantom. My brothers and Ben all teased me
about having an old man’s car, but to me, the elegance and classical design were
the real signs of success.
I had what I called my Playboy cars, but the Rolls was my go-to for work.
“Harry, I need to visit a stubborn shop owner,” I said, sending the business details to
his phone. “We’re off to Brixton.”
“Yes, sir.”
“He’s going to need some comforting after his visit goes all kinds of wrong,”
Ben shouted as Harry closed my door.
I smiled to myself, I couldn’t wait until I wiped the grin off Ben’s face. It was
time for the expert to close the deal.
Chapter 2
Jackson.
“I will count to three, and if you haven’t left the premises, I will be calling the police.”
“For what?”
“Causing alarm, harassment and distress as per the Police and Criminal
Evidence Act 1984.”
“I didn’t think you would be so easily frightened.”
She grunted at my words as if trying to stifle a laugh. “I’m not, but I refuse to
stand by while my staff and customers are intimidated by a thug.”
“A thug?” I choked out. I couldn’t believe the audacity of this woman, but she
was every bit as unwelcoming as Ben had predicted. Damn him. He was going to
revel when he heard about this disaster unfolding in front of me.
“You might be dressed in an expensive designer suit, but you are trying to
force me to do something I don’t want to do, have no interest in discussing, and will
not change my mind about. I have made that perfectly clear and yet you won’t leave,
even though I’ve asked more than once. One…. two….”
It had all started so well. I’d never been in the shop before this visit and I had
to admit that despite the corny name, the shop was large, well laid out and
surprisingly very busy. It was south of the river, in Brixton, an area that was up and
coming, hence our interest in it. Being only a ten-minute walk from the train station
and having an unusually large parking area, it was in a prime location.
Even as I’d approached it, I could hear noise and laughter from inside. The
building had clearly had many uses over the years, but from its appearance, it
probably started life as a theatre.
I’d never heard the sounds of laughter from a shop before. It was a clothing
emporium for larger ladies. I couldn’t think of any other way of describing it. There
seemed to be anything and everything a woman could need. At the rear of the shop,
an arrow pointed upstairs, offering bespoke clothes made to measure. The place
was buzzing with chatter and laughter. In the middle of it all, there she had stood.
Who laughed when shopping? I’d been into enough clothing shops over the
years, usually buying something for one of my dates to attend an event, but there
was never any laughter. It was all hushed voices, glasses of fizz and no price tags,
this place couldn’t have been more different.
There was a real buzz about the place; it wasn’t overly raucous, just had a
friendly, welcoming feel. Customers were chatting as they looked through the racks
and I could see immediately that the quality of the clothes was excellent. Not as
expensive as some, but good quality nonetheless.
There were some women seated, enjoying a drink from a coffee machine.
Liquid and clothes? I’d love to see how much wastage this business suffered from.
Even the queue at the till was animated, with customers comparing their purchases
and chatting as if they were all good friends. I felt like I’d walked into another
dimension, it was so different to anything I’d seen before.
When I’d first entered, I hadn’t needed to ask who the owner was, I had
known it was her. She oozed that special something that only came with being
completely comfortable in your abilities. She was on the larger side, but instead of
hiding under clothes that always made bigger women look like they were wearing
sacks, her clothes were fitted to accentuate her curves. Her thick, dark brown hair
cascaded in waves beyond her shoulders as she laughed at something a customer
had said to her and her amber eyes sparkled with mischief.
Ben had been wrong. She wasn’t lovely, she was breathtaking.
I was glad that she was speaking to someone else, so that I could calm my
reaction to her. I’d always been confident around women, but for the first time in my
life, my emotions were in turmoil.
She turned to me, and although there was a pause and a slight tensing in her
posture, she disguised it well as she moved to intercept me.
“Can I help you, sir?” Her voice was husky and I swallowed before standing
straighter. It was with a determined effort that I pushed aside the thoughts of what it
would be like to hold her, kiss her, and more. The thoughts made me hesitate. What
the hell was I thinking? Wanting to kiss her? Hold her? This woman had been the
bane of my life for months now and I needed to draw this to a close. Sooner rather
than later, if my heart rate was anything to go by, being distracted was unacceptable.
No one had ever interfered with my thoughts of what had to be done and I
couldn’t start now. Beautiful she might be, but I was here to do a job. I could hear my
father’s voice in my head, ‘Business is money, don’t waste time on anything that
doesn’t bring in the pounds’. That saying and many others had been drilled into us
from an early age.
“Miss Lamb, I am Jackson Worsley.”
“I thought you might be.” Any sign of the bubbly woman from a moment ago
was gone as soon as I introduced myself. Her face became a blank mask. I was
surprised to realise that I really missed the loss of her vibrancy.
“Is there some place we could talk in private?”
“There is no need for that. We have nothing to say to each other. I have been
very clear in my responses to your company’s approaches. I haven’t changed my
mind since the last offer was made. We would be wasting our time continuing any
further discussions.”
“I think there is merit in speaking with each other.” I admired that, although I
towered over her, she stood tall, unflinching and unimpressed.
“As I told the lacky you sent around earlier, and the day before that, and the
day before that, I am not selling to you or anyone else.”
“I offered you double what this building is worth, plus enough to compensate
you for relocation or if you wished, you could probably retire.”
“Why on earth would I want to retire? I’m thirty-two for goodness sake!”
“You could do anything you wished.”
“I’m doing exactly that.”
“You’re standing in the way of progress.”
She laughed, but there was no amusement in it. “Progress? You call building
a soulless monstrosity progress? Look around you, Mr Worsley, what do you see?”
“A shop just like the thousands of others across the country.” That was a lie,
but we needed the site.
She snorted at my words. “I want you to leave.”
And here we were, her counting to three and reaching for her mobile to call
the police.
The last thing I needed was a further delay in my day, so although I was
raging inside, I held my hands up. “I’m leaving, but you are making a bad business
decision.”
“Says the man who is offering more than a business is worth.”
I gritted my teeth; she was right. We’d got some of the other businesses a lot
less than we’d expected. Things can be tough in the retail world if you're the wrong
type of shop. Many had been eager to walk away from struggling businesses with
money in their pockets. I hadn’t liked offering more than the company was worth for
Love Your Curves, but if it achieved our aim, it would be worth it as we expanded our
brand across the country and into Europe. “I won’t be increasing my offer again. If
that is what you are waiting for, you’ll be disappointed.”
“Whatever offer you make is irrelevant; I won’t accept it.”
“This is not over.” I was always the cool one in any complex negotiation, but
this woman had my blood boiling.
“It really is.” She walked me to the door, pulling it open and waved me out.
I felt a muscle in my jaw tick and not trusting my voice, I nodded without a
word and left the shop. I was going to bring Alice Lamb and he little shop down. My
father had given me some life lessons that I was about to put into practice. Another
of his sayings was ‘You get nothing in this life for being nice’. I’d tried with this
business; I must have been going soft, but not anymore. She was going to be sorry
for saying no to the head of the Worsley Corporation and I was going to enjoy every
moment of watching her regret her decision.
͠͠͠
I’d worked all day, and not ten minutes had gone by before I thought about Alice
Lamb again. I couldn’t believe that she was criticising my business decisions when I
was being so generous about buying her out.
It was all part of a plan to regenerate a part of London that wasn’t the best,
nor the worst. The building that Alice owned was a peculiar one; it was situated on its
own, detached, with an enormous footprint that had ample parking. That alone was
highly unusual in London. It was a building which had survived the Second World
War bombings, but its neighbours hadn’t. I’d been surprised to find out that a clothes
shop occupied such a big building, even more so when I found out it was for such a
niche market.
Alice’s reaction niggled at me so much that I left the office far earlier than
usual and arrived at her shop a few minutes after closing time. I waited until the staff
had left and then approached the door once more.
As soon as it opened, her voice rang out. “Sorry, we’re closed!”
She was coming out of a back room, her bag slung over her shoulder. I had
no idea why this woman had such an immediate impact on me, but once again, she
took my breath away. There was something so alive about her and it took me a
moment to gather myself.
As soon as she saw me, that same blank expression I’d seen earlier replaced
the friendlier one of moments before. “Why are you here? I thought I made myself
very clear earlier.”
“Why are you closing up alone? Anyone could walk in.” I had no idea why
those were my opening words, why I had fisted my hands at my sides at the thought
of her being so vulnerable.
“I’ve never had a problem in six years. Until today.”
“You’ve been doing this for six years without any backup? You’ve been a
sitting duck!” She looked stunned at my outburst and I tried to rein myself in. “I just
thought we could talk without everyone else being around.” I tried my best not to
sound annoyed or irritated, but the way her eyebrows raised at my words, I might
have come across a little more aggravated than I intended.
“To bully me into submission?” She didn’t look in the least bit intimidated at
what my answer would be to her question.
“That isn’t how I carry out business.”
“After the last few weeks, forgive me for being sceptical about that claim.”
“Ben didn’t do anything to frighten you, did he?” I couldn’t believe that the
mild-mannered Ben would ever treat anyone without complete courtesy, but if he
had, I would be speaking to him and it would contain words ‘you’re fired’, long-time
friend or not.
“No, but showing up every single day is as bad as if he’d turned up tattooed,
dressed in black and a mask covering his face.” I couldn’t help smiling at her words.
“What’s that look for?”
“I can’t wait to tell Ben that. He will be absolutely mortified, he prides himself
on always being very polite to everyone he meets.”
She snorted and shook her head. “All irrelevant. I’d like you to leave. I have a
home to go to.”
“Explain to me why this place is so precious to you.”
“That is my business, not yours. I’ve given you an answer and it will not
change. If you had listened this morning, it would have saved us the misfortune of
needing to see each other again.”
Was it vanity that I was insulted by her words? I had women falling over
themselves to get to me and she was saying that meeting me twice in a day was
unpleasant. It didn’t soothe my inflated ego, knowing it was related to the buy-out
offer. I’d been drawn to her from the moment I’d seen her, but she clearly hadn’t felt
the same way, and her words stung.
“What about if we discuss this over a drink, like two civilised adults?”
“If you insisted on not listening as you are now, there would be a great risk
that I’d pour the drink over your head and I’m sure you wouldn’t want your nice shiny
suit being spoiled.”
“You seem to be obsessed with my suits; that’s the second time you’ve
mentioned how nice they are.”
“I said this morning that it was an expensive suit and I’ve just referred to it as
shiny. Neither can be taken as an indication that I am obsessed with them; I work
with clothes and I notice clothing on others. Don’t flatter yourself that it’s anything
more than that.”
“Wow, Ben was right, you are brutal.” A flicker of something passed over her
face. I didn’t know how, but I knew my words had hurt her and I knew in my bones
that it had nothing to do with her ego. “Can we not have a two-way conversation?”
“Nope, because you still aren’t listening.” She walked to the door and opened
it, inclining her head to show she wanted me to leave.
“To get on in business, you sometimes need to give and take.” So what if my
tone was patronising? She was as infuriating as hell, as much as I regretted hurting
her with my words.
“I’ve given you my answer and you can now take yourself off. There you are,
give and take in all its glory.”
I could feel my jaw clenching, trying to prevent myself from saying something
that I would regret. I was better than this; I had overcome far more difficult hurdles
than what her refusal was causing me. Then why was she getting under my skin so
much?
“You are being purposely facetious.”
“Look, you have clearly never heard the word ‘no’ before. As much as I like
helping people, I am not going to change my mind to benefit you and I want to go
home. Do I have to count down again like this morning before you leave?”
“You’re speaking to me like I’m a toddler, instead of the head of a multi-
national company.”
She rubbed her forehead, a frown in place for the first time since I’d seen her.
“And there it is, if nothing else works, try to intimidate me by saying you’re the big
bad CEO. Good for you. If you don’t leave now, I will lock you in.”
“Then I will have squatter's rights,” I smirked. Actually, that idea wasn’t a bad
one, the way things stood.
With a move I was not expecting, she reached out, grabbed my ear and
twisted it so that I cried out. Using my body as it twisted, trying to relieve the pain
from her hold, she managed to push me through the door, slamming it behind me
and locking it.
Cursing, I rubbed my ear—that bloody hurt.
I thought she would gloat at what she’d done, but she just turned on her heel
and disappeared into the back room again. This woman was one surprise after
another. My throbbing ear was a testament to that.
I turned to Harry, who had been leaning on the bonnet of the car the whole
time and the two bodyguards who followed me virtually everywhere I went. They got
out of their car and were heading towards me, but I could see they were trying and
failing to hide their amusement.
“Don’t say a word.”
“We wouldn’t dare,” Harry spoke for them all.
“And don’t laugh.”
“That will be harder.”
I grumbled at him as I climbed into the car. The problem with staff who had
been with me for years was that they were all too quick to mock. Blast them and
blast her, I thought grimly as I surreptitiously rubbed my ear all the way home.
͠
“You can’t build a shopping centre around Love Your Curves, it will be chaotic,” Nick,
the third in line to me in age and in the business, said when I’d explained what was
happening as a result of Alice’s continued refusal.
“Watch me.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, most of the work will take place in the area around her building. Her
position, with a few tweaks, is between the building and the car park. It can remain in
situ, even though it shouldn’t, because it will impact the site's aesthetics. Damn her,
we could win awards for this building, but not with her blighting the landscape.”
“Wow, she really has got under your skin. Surely the architects could blend it
into the bigger building somehow so that it doesn’t take anything away from the look
of the finished product?”
The architects had suggested the same when I’d asked for the plans to be
altered slightly in a way that would inconvenience Alice Lamb the most. They were
pretty clear on my opinion of their suggestion by the time I’d finished with them. I
shot a look at Nick, and to his credit, he was quicker to catch on to my thoughts and
feelings in that regard.
“Fine! You don’t want that, but you might regret it in the long term.”
“No, I won’t. The design was agreed by the board, with this tweak, it doesn’t
have to go back to them.” I should take it back to them out of courtesy, but I was
being bloody-minded in the extreme. “That is how it’s staying.”
“And how are you going to persuade her to sell? I’m presuming that’s still your
aim?”
“Everyone has a weak spot. I’m just going to have to find hers, and if not, the
inconvenience of trading while in the middle of a building site might be persuasive
enough.”
The image of Alice came into my mind’s eye as I said the words. She had
affected me deeply, which was strange in a lot of ways, one being that I never mixed
business with pleasure. In fact, I’d never been attracted to anyone I’d had business
dealings with. It was always as if I couldn’t see them in any other light except that of
part of a deal. Whereas Alice had struck me the moment I’d set eyes on her, it had
been like receiving a punch to the chest; it was that visceral.
I needed to get my head straight because dwelling on her beyond her being a
pain and an inconvenience was the path to the dark side.
“I worry about your ethics sometimes.”
“I’m just carrying on the Worsley way.”
“There is no need to be the carbon copy of him, you know.” Nick had always
had a problematic relationship with our father. He was a severe parent, but he had
built the business enough that we had a good start. Nick was more like our mother in
character and just as our mother had done, he struggled with the opinions and
actions of a hard man.
“He is living his best life, cruising the world and visiting Australia for who
knows how many times now?”
“Divorced, having screwed up his four sons and disliked in most circles
because he walked over so many people. Forgive me if I’d rather not aim to be like
him.”
“We aren’t screwed up.”
“Are we not? You’re trying to bring down an independent business owner just
because she said no to you. None of us has had a normal, long-lasting relationship
of any kind, and apart from a couple of special ones, we have the smallest circle of
friends ever. If that isn’t something to worry about, I don’t know what is.”
“Feel free to carry on worrying if it makes you feel better, but we need to make
hard decisions to seal deals. I am happy to carry on doing business the way we were
taught. It certainly gets the job done.” If there was a niggle that Nick was closer to
the truth than I’d like to admit, I pushed it aside.
“I feel sorry for the woman.”
“Don’t. She has had her chance. I’m not a mirror image of Dad. I’ve been
accommodating in offering an inflated deal. It’s her decision to refuse it; there are
consequences to all our actions. Alice Lamb was going to find out that once I’m
challenged, I don’t give up until I’ve got what I want.”
“And you think I shouldn’t feel sorry for her? Good God, you should listen to
yourself sometimes.” Nick shook his head at me and for the first time, I saw a flicker
of disappointment in his eyes. Strange for the most easy-going of my brothers,
especially as we were all of one mind in developing out-of-town shopping centres.
Pushing away why Nick was reacting in such a way aside was easy. He had
always hated it when one of us cited our father as an inspiration. He would hopefully
come to realise the benefits of being matter-of-fact about business deals. He was
thirty-two to my thirty-eight. Plus, I was the head of the family, and he had been able
to ease into the business more slowly than I had.
Satisfied that Nick would come around to my way of thinking one day, I still
couldn’t settle. It was far harder to push thoughts of Alice Lamb to one side. I found it
impossible to do so, and I couldn’t even attribute it to the deal, or lack thereof.
It was because of her and how I wanted to make her smile. I wondered how
those deep pink lips would feel pressed against mine, how she would look beneath
me, her hair spread across my pillows.
I never fantasised about women. Never. If I wanted a woman, I usually sent
flowers, an invitation, made contact somehow, but I’d never met a woman whom I’d
ached for, who I couldn’t stop thinking about. I was going to have to get a grip on
myself and forget Alice Lamb.
As if that was going to happen anytime soon. ...
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