Top Notch (Man on Top Book 1) Read online

  “Especially since the big boss will be here soon.”

  “Do you know anything about that?” Admins usually had firsthand knowledge of the office happenings.

  “Nope,” she popped. “But did you see how delicious Spencer looked in that suit sans the tie with the top button undone and the sleeves rolled up?” She sighed all dreamy-eyed.

  “Kelsey,” I chided.

  “What?” She shrugged. “There is nothing wrong with looking.”

  Since as far back as I could remember, she thought Spencer was the most beautiful man to have ever graced the earth. It didn’t matter that she had a long-term boyfriend, she still looked.

  “Whatever.” I shook off her craziness. Besides, Spencer was my best friend. And looking at him in any way other than that was just—gross.

  Tapping my red pencil on the desk, I looked around to see if there was anything she could help me with. I shoved a bunch of stuff to the side and grabbed the five pages of comments from the various government agencies we needed to address before final approval could be granted on one of the subdivisions I was working on.

  I shoved some papers in her direction and by the smile on her face, she knew exactly what needed to be done.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Levi

  “Good game, guys!” one of the fans yelled from the stands as we filed into the dugout and then the clubhouse.

  Ray, our batting coach, stood to the side, making sure we heard loud and clear. “Wash the sweat off your balls and meet in the lounge in twenty.”

  Hatch and I looked at each other and shrugged, wondering what that was all about.

  “Alvarez?” Ray singled Hatch out.

  “Yeah, Coach?”

  “Pass it on to the pen.”

  “You got it.” Hatch turned to look at me, just as baffled as I was. “I wonder what this is all about.”

  “Beats me.” I shrugged and kept a steady jog, ready to get cleaned up and out of there. Cold brews were calling my name, ready to hit Bucks, our customary home game celebration spot.

  I showered, dressed, and with barely a minute to spare, made it to the lounge with Hatch next to me and Chase and Trevor trailing close behind.

  “We still on for Bucks?” Chase spoke low, coming to a stop behind the two of us.

  “I was thinking I could use a fresh pretty face and a lap dance. What if we hit The Slammer for a change?” Hatch looked from me to Chase and then Trevor. I shrugged, not caring in the least, as long as they had beautiful, half-naked women and cold beer on tap.

  I didn’t care much about anything anymore when it came to the female population. Not since Madison pulled her stunts and left. I was all about having a good time.

  Lucky for me, Bucks and the titty bar had both.

  “Dude. We can’t disrupt the tradition. Bucks is our post-game ritual,” Chase argued, but it was most likely so he could keep his sights on Cece. It was obvious he was hard up by that Bucks Beauty, just wouldn’t come clean about it.

  “I bet if Cece worked at the titty bar—” Hatch instigated, but Chase shut him up with an elbow to his side.

  “Shut the fuck up, Alvarez. Do not even go there,” Chase growled.

  “Good game tonight, gentlemen. I’m proud of you.” Coach Greg Ferguson, our general manager, looked around the room, grinning and nodding at each person who played today. “Alvarez.”

  “Yes, Coach.”

  “Phenomenal pitching. Keep up the good work.”

  “Thank you, Coach,” Hatch replied respectfully.

  Greg looked around a little more, and when his eyes landed on our newest relief pitcher, he added, “Howards, set up some one-on-one time with Alvarez in the pen.”

  “Yes, Coach,” Howards replied.

  “All right. I didn’t call this meeting to blow smoke up your asses or single anyone out. You all played a damn good game. And a win is a win in my book, so you won’t hear me complainin’.” Everyone in the room began hooting and hollering, Coach included. After a minute, he gave a loud, ear-piercing whistle. “Okay—okay. Settle down. There’s something I have to say.” He waited for the team to regain some kind of order before shocking the hell out of us. “This might come as a surprise to most of you, if not all of you, but I’m getting married in a few weeks and want to personally invite each and every one of you to my wedding.”

  The room went quiet.

  More like deathly silent.

  I didn’t think any of us knew Coach was dating anyone. When his wife died fifteen years ago, he had devoted all of his time to the team, or so we thought. Not once recalling him talking about having a woman, let alone a steady one. Come to think of it, we all assumed him being a private man that baseball was his one and only love.

  I stared curiously at the man and wondered why he never mentioned anything to us. When a nostalgic expression crossed his face and quickly disappeared, he added, “I hope you all can make it. Invitations are here, laid out on the table. Grab the one with your name on it and don’t forget to R.S.V.P. The Lady can get a little crazy when it comes to order. Now get the hell out of here and go celebrate.”

  The usual clubhouse raucous resumed as each guy searched the table for his name. One-by-one the guys made their way out of the lounge. My throat felt parched and thinking about that damn beer made me want to grab my invite and haul ass over to Bucks.

  “Montgomery. Alvarez?”

  Hatch and I both looked up and replied in unison, “Yes, Coach?”

  “Wrangle up Covack and Casey. A word in my office, please.” He raised one brow, telling, not asking and to hurry it the fuck up.

  “Sure thing,” I replied.

  We gathered the guys and filed into his office. Trevor shut the door and the four of us stood in a straight line similar to a police lineup, waiting to hear what he had to say.

  “I couldn’t very well say this in front of the other guys. Can’t have people thinking I have favorites.” He paused and gave each of us a pointed look and then sighed heavily. “I’m just going to come out and say it.” We all nodded. “I know you have questions. But I need to make myself very clear. My stepdaughters will be at this wedding. And I do not need them getting firsthand knowledge of how our players carry themselves.” He stood from his seat, trying to come off as intimidating. “Your indiscretions—your business, but not on my turf.” He drilled the tip of his finger into the desk for emphasis, causing the four of us to bite back our laughs.

  Greg Ferguson may be our GM, the club’s second-in-command, but he was our coach first. And the guy was the biggest teddy bear with a mean mug if you ever saw one.

  “Plain and simple, keep your dicks in their respective pants.”

  Hatch and I struggled to fight off the laughter brewing deep. “Coach’s girls must be somethin’,” Hatch whispered, and I couldn’t help but agree. Chase and Trevor not as much as they gave me and Hatch a backhand to the bicep.

  “Shut the fuck up,” Trevor hissed.

  “And to make myself very clear, if I find out any one of you have gone against my wishes . . . you can bet your ass, come July you’ll be finding yourself a new club to call home.”

  “Shit,” Chase spat and then recovered. “But we’re under contract.”

  “You think I give a shit about contracts?” Coach stared at the four of us for a long beat. “The four of you are the best this club’s got. Don’t fuck it up.”

  “Yes, Coach,” the four of us replied in alliance, his message heard loud and clear. Any indiscretions as he called it would be taken care of prior to his wedding where we were required to be on our best behavior.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Rowan

  At a quarter to two, I stopped off at the ladies’ room, going straight for the mirror to give myself a quiet reminder of “how I was born to do this.” I was confident and capable of rising to the top, regardless of being in a man’s world. And civil engineering may still be widely viewed as a male-dominated profession, but more and more women were ent
ering the field and doing a damn good job at it.

  On my way out, I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and headed for the conference room with five minutes to spare. Just enough time to set my game face in motion. I neared the entrance and knocked twice before pushing the spotless glass door in, my eyes dropping to the manila folder lying on the large, recently polished oak desk.

  “Rowan, please, come in,” Spencer greeted, and I smiled timidly. Had it only been Spencer in the room, I’d be more at ease.

  “Thank you.” I approached the two men and offered my hand to the one I had heard of, but never officially met. Mr. Davenport’s presence was as strong as his appearance. He was a tall, handsome man, close to reaching his sixties if I had to guess. He still had a full head of dark, almost black hair with streaks of gray on the sides. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Davenport. Rowan Landry.” I offered my pleasantries with an air of faux confidence, but a genuine smile.

  He shook my hand and the smile on his face and his soft grip told me to relax, that I had nothing to worry about. Easy for him—his job wasn’t on the line.

  Until he told me otherwise, I was naturally going to think the worst. Another bad habit.

  “A pleasure indeed,” he replied and unbuttoned the two breast buttons of his gray suit jacket. “Please, have a seat,” he offered, gesturing to the chair across from him. Mr. Davenport adjusted his tie and went for the kill. “I’ll cut right to the chase, Ms. Landry—”

  “Rowan. Please.”

  He nodded. “All right, Rowan,” he replied firmly and opened the folder in front of him. He leaned back and answered my unspoken question. “I’m sure you’re curious about my visit today.” I nodded, holding my eyes to his, and he continued, “While Spencer is certainly capable of handling these tasks, it wouldn’t be in my best professional interest to not include myself. Not for this particular meeting anyway.” I sat unmoving except for the nauseated feeling swirling in my stomach. I had no idea where he was going with this. There was a short pause while he studied me. “We’re extremely pleased with your work, Ms. Landry. Our clients included”—he shook his head—“my apologies, Rowan.”

  “No apology necessary. And thank you, I appreciate that.” This should have been about the time I let go of the tension in my body and relaxed. They were happy with me, clients included, but for some reason, his words amplified my nerves and curiosity as to what would come next.

  “Davenport Engineers is in the middle of a corporate restructure, and we found it to be in the company’s best interest to promote you to Senior Project Manager, to start of course.” My cheeks pulled up high, this unexpected meeting getting better by the second. “With that, there will be other more fulfilling opportunities should you still be with the company when the opportunities present themselves.”

  Not moving a muscle, my eyes cut to Spencer. The look on his face said he was pleased, that I was one step higher on the corporate ladder. “I don’t know what to say.” I paused, searching for the right words, but realized I didn’t need much more than, “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome. You already have the experience we were looking for, making the decision a lot easier. Aside from our company’s culture and how we operate—which you are already familiar with, it’s a win-win for all involved.”

  “Thank you, sir. I’m happy to be here.”

  “The feeling is mutual. You’ve proven in a short time that you are capable and valuable to this firm. I’m optimistic about the outcome.”

  Without missing a beat, Spencer cut in and respectively took over the conversation by sharing confidential information of upcoming projects, one of them holding a lucrative payout. More importantly, it would put the Atlanta office of Davenport Engineers higher on the professional map.

  I sat there content and happy, appreciative that my hard work finally was starting to pay off. Concentrating on my career had been my only focus for quite some time. For a really long time actually. I gave up dating after one too many duds. Men and relationships didn’t come with any kind of guarantee, and if I couldn’t control the outcome, I didn’t want any part of it. Hell, for those reasons, I didn’t have a pet, and every single close-to-thirty-something had some kind of pet.

  Just as Spencer was ending the discussion, Mr. Davenport stood and buttoned his suit jacket.

  “My apologies, I have another meeting with an old colleague of mine, but I had to stop in and share this news with you personally, Rowan. I’ll let Spencer continue and answer any further questions you might have. You’re in good hands.”

  Spencer and I both stood. They shook hands, and Mr. Davenport told him he’d be in touch. I rounded the table and shook his hand as well, appreciative of the opportunity he’d just handed me.

  “It has been a pleasure meeting you, Rowan. Keep up the good work.”

  “I plan on it. Thank you, sir.”

  My eyes remained trained on the man until he disappeared down the hall. When I turned to look at Spencer, he pulled me in for a congratulatory hug. “Do you know how hard it was keeping that secret?” He chuckled and released me.

  I knew it was hard for Spencer to be my boss and best friend. He took his responsibilities seriously, and while at work he tried his hardest to remain impartial so others wouldn’t accuse him of playing favorites. I completely understood and appreciated him for it. Any promotion I earned would be through my own hard work and dedication. The way any advancement should be. Earned.

  “I can’t believe it!” I squealed softly but enthusiastically. “I thought this day would never come—or it would take at least twenty years longer.” I clasped my fingers together, beyond excited for what I had to look forward to.

  Spencer’s validating grin was all I needed to confirm I was one step closer to obtaining my goal.

  “You deserve it. And keep up the good work, because Davenport wasn’t bullshitting about there being other positions.” He shoulder bumped me and gestured for me to sit. “I’ll never understand how those idiots couldn’t see your worth,” he mumbled off topic.

  Spencer was the only one who knew the real reason I left my previous employer and decided to move back home. I wasn’t about to sleep my way to the top. The multiple advances, my refusal falling on deaf ears, led to Jeremy’s unwelcome hands on me, and it had been the last straw. I never hesitated in my decision to turn that asshole in, even though he happened to be the nephew of the firm’s owner. He thought I wouldn’t do it, banking on the backlash, and the strong possibility of being blackballed to keep me quiet. Fuck him. If I didn’t, it would have defeated my mother’s purpose for teaching my sister, Gabriella, and me that a woman’s self-worth and respect should always mean more to her than any kind of position. We should never compromise—never sacrifice our integrity as a means to rise through the corporate world—or anywhere for that matter.

  “Anyway, I’d like for you to move to the office next to Aaron. It’s not the biggest, but we’re updating a few things, and it should be ready for you to move in either Monday or Tuesday right after the paint dries. You’ll need the privacy now that you’ll be working on contract proposals and negotiations, along with being privy to confidential client information.”

  My own office? They could have offered me a broom closet, preferably with a window, and I would’ve been thrilled. No more peeping Tim popping his head over my cubicle divider. If he wanted to chat, he’d have to knock like every other normal associate.

  “We’re also promoting Kelsey to an executive assistant position and hiring another admin for more of the day-to-day responsibilities,” he told me in confidence, and I smiled.

  “Does Kelsey know about this?”

  “She knows about her promotion, but not yours.”

  I nodded in understanding and excitement. This was my first step up. I earned it, and my good news was definitely something to celebrate. I’d have to ask Kelsey if she wanted to grab a drink after work. I’d call Gabby too.

  For the remainder of the
workday, Spencer and I went over the intricate details of what the position entailed, what was expected of me, not to mention the generous salary increase and added fringe benefits. Early next week, he would give me a starter crash course on how management operated at Davenport Engineers.

  “You should celebrate,” Spencer suggested as he closed the manila folder. “You definitely earned it.”

  “I was thinking the same thing. You want to come with?”

  “Wish I could. I have a lot of work to finish before the weekend.”

  My excitement took a short nosedive.

  “Yeah, I do too. Maybe I’ll wait on that celebratory drink.” My nerves reappeared lightning-quick. It didn’t matter that Spencer suggested it, I should be thinking about putting in a few more hours, not have my mind in celebratory mode. Slackers never got anywhere. What the heck was I thinking?

  “Don’t be silly. I just got a little behind rearranging schedules for Davenport’s last-minute arrival. You go and celebrate. Take Kelsey with you. She’s always up for an evening out, and I’ll catch up with you guys on the next one.”

  I nodded, thankful that Spencer was so accommodating. Case in point, making it easy to occasionally slip my mind that he was my immediate supervisor.

  “I need to make a stop by HR; I’ll see you tomorrow morning—bright and early?”

  Although his tone was sincere, his question was more of a statement. One I heard loud and clear. After today, I needed to make sure I set a good example.

  “Bright and early,” I chirped.

  Satisfied with my answer, Spencer stopped outside the doorway and turned around. “I’m real proud of you, Ro. And I’m glad Davenport didn’t flinch when I suggested you over a couple other people.”

  “Spencer,” I chastised. He knew how much it meant to me that I earned my way and not get there because of the favors he was able to grant me.

  “Don’t even go there, Ro. You know me better than that, and if I thought you weren’t capable of handling the job, I’d never have suggested you.” Spencer winked. “Besides, you have wicked multitasking skills.” He tapped the doorjamb twice, ending the conversation and before exiting the conference room. I followed shortly after, making a right back to my cubicle, high on my accomplishment and excited to celebrate.