Brothers of Paradise Series

“Kyle Renner is here to see you.”

“Send him in.”

The door opens automatically and Kyle saunters forward, an eyebrow raised at me as if to say see? Told you!

The door shuts behind him and I roll my eyes at it. He’s obnoxious, but nothing I’m not used to. Elliot Ferris’s firm was bigger than this, and with even bigger personalities. Builders, developers, architects… all of them, insufferable egos. When I’d been an architect myself, it had been easy to give as good as I got.

But as an assistant… people like Kyle enjoy asserting the little dominance they have.

Ten minutes later the door swings open again. Kyle’s face is red with anger-actually red-and I can see Henry by his desk. He looks the picture of calm.

What the hell happened?

Kyle stops beside my desk, out of view from the open door. His voice is furious. “I can see that you’re taking a different approach than your predecessors. I clearly underestimated you, Faye.”

I blink after him, storming off down the corridor. Anger of my own makes my cheeks flush. How dare he speak to me like that?

“Miss Alvarez? Please join me in here for a moment,” Henry calls.

I rise and lean against the door frame, still shaken from the exchange. “Well, you certainly look calmer than he did.”

His lips curve slightly again, like he can’t stop himself. “He didn’t take the news particularly well.”

“Oh?”

“He’s off the Priority Media project with Terri.”

It’s my time to be surprised. “But the pitch is next week.”

“So it is.” Henry taps his knuckles against the desk. “How well do you know the project?”

“It’s the renovation of a mid-century building in downtown Manhattan. Could provide a lot of visibility for the firm. It’s a big pitch.” And one that Terri probably can’t handle alone, I think. Pitching to a board is a scary experience, and it’s nearly impossible to cover all the potential bases alone.

“I want you to take Kyle’s place.”

My eyebrows shoot high. “Work alongside Terri?”

“Yes.”

“But you didn’t hire me for architectural work,” I say lamely, echoing his prior words, even as excitement floods through me. His project, and now this…

“I’m aware. But Kyle has proven himself unable to work effectively with Terri, and we have no one else.”

“Will Rykers be all right with this?”

Henry’s eyes flash momentarily. “Yes, I’ll make sure of it.”

I think of all the others at the firm. This won’t go down well, not with a team of twenty architects who up until now have only thought of me as one of Henry’s many assistants, nameless and interchangeable. I don’t think any of them actually know about my background. No one has bothered to ask.

But I have survived far worse, and would go through worse again, to get to work with things I love. A chance to pitch… If I do this well, maybe I could get promoted when a spot opens up on the architectural team and graduate entirely from making restaurant reservations.

“Well?” Henry asks. “I had thought you would jump at this chance.”

I smile at him, slow and true. “Oh, I’m jumping on the inside, sir.”Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

His lips curve again, amusement flashing in those dark green eyes. “Set up a meeting with Terri.”

“I will. And… this won’t interfere with my regular duties.”

“I’m sure it won’t,” he says, the smile still lurking around the corners of his mouth.

Henry

I run my hand along the smooth leather interior of the Town Car. We’ve been in traffic for over half an hour, trying to get to the address Faye sent me. It’s given me ample time to think, specifically about whether it was clever or terribly stupid of me to ask her to join me.

A date isn’t necessary, strictly speaking. I’ve gone stag to plenty of these events. At the same time, it’s expected, not to mention it makes networking easier and more enjoyable when you can work as a team. Several of the women I’ve dated in the past go to many of these events and understand the codes, the cues.

I have no idea if Faye does. It’s a complete shot in the dark.

I tug at the sleeve of my dinner jacket and frown at the building site I see outside the car window. I know who’s developing them, and it’s not someone I have a lot of respect for. Elliot Ferris.

He’s well-known for shady business practices, particularly in the suburbs and further afield. He regularly develops low-income housing and then profits enormously through increasing rents, often with stringent policies on his tenants regarding missing a day or two on rent. Builders like him didn’t deserve the name. Not to mention that he had, in one way or another, hurt Faye by letting her go without a recommendation.

In her initial letter, she had clearly thought it was a mark against her, when her lack of a recommendation from Elliot was practically an endorsement in itself. She’d called out the elitism of this industry perfectly.

My phone rings and any mirth disappears as I read the name on the caller ID.

“Hello, Dad.”

“Henry,” he begins, voice businesslike. “Have you read the files I sent you about the Chicago project?”

“I have, yes.” I considered it to be a spectacularly stupid deal.

“And? You haven’t gotten back to me about it, son. It’s almost like you don’t want to partner with my firm.” He laughs, like the thought is outrageous.

“I have some reservations,” I say carefully. “I’m flying there next week, to meet with your partners and get answers to my questions.”

“Good, good. Nothing like eyes on the ground.” He pauses, and I imagine him gearing up, sitting in his study in the family house in Paradise Shores. Large bookshelves behind him filled to the brim with political biographies and Sun Tzu. “It’s a guaranteed return on investment. I’m doing you a favor by offering you an in on this, you know.”

Of course that’s the way he sees it. My father, with his capital, doesn’t need Marchand & Rykers’ financial backing.

But the project is dated, it’s not in the right neighborhood, and more than that… it feels unethical. That argument won’t work on him, though.

“I appreciate the offer,” I say. “I’ll get back to you after I’ve visited it next week and spoken to the team.”

“Good, good. I might even fly out and join you.” A brief pause. “It’s time for you to level up now, son. You’ve done well so far but I want to see you in the big leagues. And come home some time, all right? It’d make your mother happy.”

I grit my teeth. “I’ll be home for Lily’s wedding in a few weeks.”