Merger to Marriage (Boardrooms and Billi - By Addison Fox Page 0,17
which meant she’d had very little sleep. Of course, she mentally admonished herself, she wouldn’t have gotten a lot of sleep had she had the results in hand, either.
After another half hour of aimlessly roaming her room, she finally threw in the towel and put on her workout gear. “Might as well have a productive morning if nothing else.”
Keira had given them a quick tour the day before, and Mayson only took one wrong turn on her way to the house’s workout room. And stopped short as she walked in on Holt, his large form striding impressively on one of the room’s treadmills. His smile was broad as he eyed her from across the room.
“Morning.”
“Good morning.” Mayson crossed to retrieve a towel and bottled water from a small alcove along the far wall, then headed for the empty treadmill next to him. She’d have selected another machine, but her stomach chose that moment to protest its empty state and she was suddenly afraid of passing out on the elliptical.
He eyed her sideways as he ran a towel over his head. “You’re up early.”
“I couldn’t sleep. What’s your excuse?”
“A maniacal unwillingness to miss a work out.”
“Impressive.”
“Obsessive.”
“Clearly it’s working for you.” She laughed as she said the words, but the moment they were out, Mayson wished she could snatch them back, especially when images of every inch of his hard body floated through her memories. She fiddled with the treadmill’s control panel and searched for a new topic. “I think we’re the only ones up.”
“A lot of people were up late. Nathan and your sister know how to entertain.”
The treadmill came to life beneath her feet. “They’re in sync with each other. It’s nice. Even if it means neither of them will get much sleep this weekend.”
“I didn’t see much of you.”
She nearly stumbled on the treadmill but righted herself just in time. “It was a long week and I pooped out early.”
If he suspected anything underlying her words, he didn’t show it, and they moved into their respective workouts, the quiet between them punctuated only by the heavy whirl of each machine and a flat-screen TV on the opposite wall. She pointed toward the screen. “I didn’t take you for the hard-hitting celebrity journalism type.”
“I’m not.” Holt nodded toward the blonde who filled the screen. “I’ve been watching to see if the recent rumors about her were true. She’s sent her business people to sniff around investment opportunities at the Vegas property. Rumor has it she’s getting ready to launch a lingerie line and wants to open a flagship store.”
“From the sounds of that story, she knows her way around lingerie. And cocaine.”
“And if that story is even half-true, I don’t think we’ll be inviting her to join us any time soon.”
Mayson knew her work put her in contact with the mercurial lives of the rich and famous, but she hadn’t realized his would do the same. While McBride Media had always made it a policy to avoid coverage of out and out bad behavior, she knew the success of their magazines and websites hinged on keeping tabs on what was considered hot and newsworthy. Qualities that wouldn’t necessarily be a plus in Holt’s line of work. “Likely a wise choice. Her erratic behavior’s been on the rise. Even by Hollywood’s standards.”
“Yet one more reason I’m more than happy to call New York home.”
She’d always loved her home, and she couldn’t hold back a conspiratorial smile. “I know exactly what you mean. There’s no place like it.”
“Nope.”
His ready acquiescence had her probing further. “Are you a native?”
“No.”
Although it was subtle, she didn’t miss the slightest hesitation in his voice before he answered. “Where are you from, then?”
“Small town Midwest.” His shoulders lifted in a slight shrug.
“What brought you to New York?”
“A bus ticket and fifty-four dollars in my pocket.”
The answer was so honest—and so unexpected. “Wow. That’s pretty amazing considering what you’ve created.”
“I had a lot of attitude and determination to go with the bus ticket.” His grin was back, and whatever brief hesitation she’d sensed in his words was gone.
“Those two traits will take a person far.”
“Something you and your sisters know something about.”
She smiled at that, the we-will-not-fail mentality the three of them had carried into the restoration of the family business front and center in her mind. “You could say that.”
“Why don’t you tell me more about it over breakfast?”
Here was the chance she was waiting for. Breakfast would get them out of the house and away from