Page 10 of Off-Limits Bosses
That wasn’t even the worst part of this situation, though. Nolan was still furious at me, and I had the feeling he wasn’t planning on lifting my ban from the kitchen anytime soon. Now I’d have to work with him on this party, and somehow not piss him off any further.
“You seem a little… terrified,” Bryant said teasingly, taking me out of my thoughts. “Can you do this, or should we get someone else?”
“No,” I answered, almost a littletooinsistently. “I will do it.”
“Good,” Mr. Klein nodded, dusting off his suit even though there was nothing on it. “Well, I have to get going. I have a lot of work to get done. Make it happen, Adriana, and do it right. Good to see you, Bryant.”
“Mm,” Bryant said, though his attention was clearly more focused on me as Mr. Klein walked away. “Well, Adriana. Let’ssee what you can do, shall we? I assume you’ve been briefed on my little soiree?”
“I know the basics,” I answered, my phone already in my hand. Mr. Klein had emailed me a more detailed brief. That was good. I was one step ahead of where I’d started. “I’ll speak with the kitchen. They should get started on the dishes and drinks immediately.”
I was about to walk away when Bryant cleared his throat. He sat up straighter on his lounger. “I’m sure Landon would have told you this. I prefer to be quite involved in event planning, especially when I get to work with someone as soft on the eye as you are. Feel free to take the lead if you’d like, but don’t leave my sight.”
“Of course, Mr. Thatcher,” I answered, feeling a shiver running through me. It felt good, and I smiled inwardly at myself. “Whatever you want.”
“You know it.” He got up, and I noticed how much taller he was than me. “You talk to the kitchen, I’ll see if I can arrange myself a good drink.”
As soon as he finished speaking, one of the waiters materialized beside him as if she’d just teleported. Bryant lazily looked at her. “Pina colada. I’m in a tropical mood. Don’t forget the little umbrella. Make it green.”
“Of course, Mr. Thatcher,” she said, bowing so deeply that she almost folded in half. She disappeared as quickly as she had appeared, hurrying off as if this drink was the world’s biggest emergency. It was a little odd to watch, but the Pacific was known for its extremely excellent service. Speed was expected.
In the meantime, I dialed the kitchen, dreading talking to Nolan, but deciding that I’d handle this with confidence and poise. Three rings passed before his voice pierced my mind.
“What do you want now?”
“I’ve got a request from Mr. Thatcher,” I explained, keeping my tone even. “His event is being moved from evening to afternoon. Can you manage it?”
“Mr. Thatcher?” Nolan’s voice changed immediately. “Yes, yes, of course. It will be done. Tell him we’ve got it covered. And make sure you check in every fifteen minutes. Time is money.”
“Sure,” I agreed, getting more curious about the way people were reacting to Bryant’s name. Nolan didn’t even seem that eager to please Dahlia; and it was difficult to imagine a VIP that was more important.
“Chef good to go?” Bryant asked with a cheeky grin, and I nodded. “Great. Bartenders next. Come now, hop to it.”
I almost expected him to slap my ass with the way he said it, but he simply waved at me as the waitress appeared again with his pina colada.
“Thanks,” Bryant said to her, and she immediately turned red. “Good umbrella choice.”
“Anything else, Mr. Thatcher?” she asked, sounding almost like she was begging to serve him more.
“Not right now,” he answered flippantly, his eyes focused on me, and she walked away, throwing a longing glance over her shoulder at him. “Hello, earth to Adriana? Bartenders, sweetie. We need them.”
Normally, being called ‘sweetie’ would have had me bristling. But somehow, the way Brent said it made me want to smile.
“Of course,” I said, already dialing another number for the bar manager. Just like Nolan, her mood changed completely once she heard that the change request was for Mr. Thatcher, and she quickly agreed to get the outside bars set up.
Soon enough, the poolside area was a hub of activity, and I found myself walking from one person to the other to get everything in place. In between, I was doing my best to check the brief on my phone and pay attention to whatever Bryant was saying to me. He followed lazily, offering people nods and smiles while he sipped on his drink.
I paid attention to how everyone reacted to him, and it only made me more and more curious. Something was different about him in comparison to other guests. Everyone treated him with reverence and wanted to jump into action as soon as he even looked at them.
“I’ve got the decorators coming out shortly for the furniture adjustments,” I announced to him at one point.
“Damn, you really are good,” he said, his eyes running over me as if he didn’t just mean in my job acumen. “Wish Landon found you earlier, to be honest.”
“Just following protocol,” I replied as humbly as I was able, though I felt the urge to be a bit of a showoff. I felt my confidence climbing through the roof, and soon enough, it was like nothing could ever get in my way.
Bryant handed his empty drink off to someone before frowning into the distance at an umbrella in the corner. “Well, that shouldn’t be there.”
He left me behind to address the issue, and I saw the opportunity to get a little more information. I made my way over to where one of the bartenders was setting up, opposite the DJ booth that was still being built.
