A Billionaire's Mistake

5|Whiskey

Chapter Five: Whiskey

Lincoln

After the day I had, I decided to take Archer up on that drink.

He chose a bar in Manhattan that we used to go to during our time at NYU. College kids flood the place as I try to find the familiar gleam of red hair, the sound of laughter and music overpowering my thoughts, which for once I'm grateful for.

College bars are my preferred spot, and although some might question why a billionaire would choose somewhere like this, it's because I'm able to be completely myself without the fear of anyone recognizing me. If I were to choose a bar on the Upper East Side, I'd risk running into a colleague, or, even worse, one of the women my mother has attempted to set me up with.

Speaking of, the date that I got mixed up for my meeting with Sienna is scheduled for tomorrow.

SiennaSiennaSienna.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about her after our time together today in her office. I've never felt so compelled to take someone on a desk without a care in the entire world about who would watch. I know women, and I know when they're attracted to me, and despite how well she was able to hide it during our first encounter, she failed epically today.

And she's...smart. So smart. She's well-spoken, successful, and has more knowledge about money and running a business than I do. Maybe that's why I can't stop thinking about her. She doesn't need a man to take care of her because she can completely hold her own, and I've never met a woman like that.

I'm intimidated. I took over my father's company without any knowledge of the business at all, or how to run it. I went to college for criminal justice, and what happened with my father was...sudden. I didn't have time to go back to school before the company fell in my lap, and sometimes I feel like Margo runs more of this company than I do. Sienna thinks I know what I'm doing, but I don't. Not in the slightest.

"Nash!" I hear Archer's voice through the crowd, so I elbow my way through until finally, that wide-toothed grin meets mine. He's in his usual attire: a printed polo and khaki shorts. This shirt has neon blue palm trees on it, almost seeming to glow in the dark. "Damn, it's been a minute! How are you?"

I've been so busy that I haven't been able to hang out with him like I used to, but I'm going to change that because right now, I feel more myself than I have in weeks.

I clap him on the back and take a stool beside him at the bar, putting two fingers up to try and get the bartender's attention. "I need a drink," I tell him.

"That kind of day, huh?"

I nod. "You have no idea."

The bartender's eyes linger on mine, and when she notices I need help, she drops everything she's doing to make her way over to me. She's wearing a pair of black short shorts and a bright pink crop top that barely covers her midriff, exposing her impressive breasts. "What can I get you?" she shouts over the music.

I stare briefly at her breasts, then meet her green eyes. "A whiskey. Straight."

She winks and sways her hips as she walks away, her blonde ponytail swinging behind her.

"I see you haven't changed," Archer states. "Only two minutes here and you've already found your conquest for the night."

I shrug and thank the bartender when she sets the whiskey in front of me, throwing it back immediately down my throat. I don't care if it burns. I want to stop thinking about Sienna bent over her desk as fast as possible.

Archer raises a brow. "I take it the business isn't doing any better?"

"It's fucking miserable," I admit, hanging my head in my hands, "I had a meeting today with a woman who's supposed to re-brand everything, but I'm having second thoughts. My dad built this company from the ground up, and if I change it, am I changing what he wanted? What he envisioned?"