9. Hartley

9

HARTLEY

I wasn’t excited. Not at all. Except I really was.

I was finally at the point where I could open my studio. It wasn’t a storefront… yet. One day I’d like to make it so. Until then, I had everything in place for me to increase production, work smoother, and I even hired one of my previous employees back, thanks to not having to pay rent. Jordan had bought me the place. And all the supplies and equipment. I kept telling him not to, but Jordan did what he wanted. I couldn’t turn it away. It was everything I used to have but better.

Hazel was petite with long black hair that went nearly to her waist. She was here to help with my business management. The more she took over, the more time I had to focus on creating.

“I’ve got your accounting set up and your social media pages have been revamped with your new logo,” she told me.

“Thank you. I’m so glad you came back to work with me.”

“Of course. I hated leaving the first time. Not even growly Jordan Altair could scare me away.”

I grinned. Anyone who worked for me had to be comfortable with Jordan being here. The studio was also only two blocks from where we lived. There were always guards around me too. Jordan was more protective with Gil in the wind.

I had Rory and Kayli with me today. Kayli didn’t typically provide protection, but she wanted to dress up and come to the party.

Kayli ran her fingers over a suit I had on a mannequin. It was one of Dexen’s that hadn’t been delivered yet. He commissioned more after the first one. “Are you sure you don’t want to make women’s clothing?”

“I know the male form very well. That’s where I’m comfortable.”

She hummed. “I guess you do.” Her eyes drifted to where Jordan stood near the back door, talking to Barry. I would have been happy if Barry stayed, but Jordan had him on detail outside. According to Jordan, there couldn’t be too many people watching over us tonight.

Turning back to Kayli, I focused on her. Staring at Jordan would only cause me to worry, wondering what was going on. I had enough of that with the party tonight. It was starting in minutes.

The front door opened, the bell ringing. I didn’t want to be startled by someone coming into the building, so the bell was a must. It wasn’t like the building I was in before that resembled a home. No one visited me there except Jordan.

Vail stepped through the door in a navy suit that fit his body perfectly. I made it, so it damn well better. Both Vail and Jordan, as well as Dexen, would be wearing my designs tonight. And me, of course. There were a few reporters here who Jordan knew. They would run features about me and my business. They’d mention Vail and Jordan but keep the articles positive. Jordan wanted this night to be about me and no one else.

I was drawn to Vail like a magnet. My hands immediately went to his lapel to run my fingers over the expensive material. “This looks so fucking good on you.”

“That’s because you made it. You do amazing work, Hart.” Was it wrong I still got a little weak in the knees when Jordan and Vail called me that?

“How did I get so lucky?”

“I’m the lucky one.” Vail leaned down to kiss me. There were too many people around and last-minute details I had to tend to, so I broke the kiss far too soon. “I still wish you would have let me cater it.”

“I wanted you here with me, not feeding people. Besides, Irene is enjoying herself. Wait until she gets all the other men here. She’s going to have fun mothering everyone.”

Not only were JJ, Dexen, and Greer attending, but so were Jordan’s nephew, Perry, and his partners. Romeo and Dash would be here too. Tristan was already buzzing around, helping out where needed.

Two of the members of Ruined & Relinquished were having a commitment ceremony this weekend with the third in their relationship. I didn’t want my party to coincide with their celebration, even if mine was public and theirs was only for a handful of people to know about. That was why I had mine when I did.

Luckily, Dash was going to be here. I’d only briefly met him once. Romeo had walked down here twice to see how I was doing. In reality, he was checking on Tristan, who wanted to be involved in my work. The more Tristan was here, the more he learned, or so he said. The only knowledge he gained from me was probably how to be a scattered mess, although he did help with Jordan’s clothes.

More guests trickled in as I made myself busy tending to the final preparations. This was a full relaunch of my business.

I didn’t know everyone who arrived. Some were people Jordan knew who worked for him in high-ranking roles in his legitimate businesses. He introduced me as they entered. Others were faces I’d seen before, like Dr. Alton Keeley, Jordan’s personal physician.

When I first met him, I was too sick to take in just how attractive he was. Now though, hot fucking damn. Alton was in a black suit with a baby blue button-down beneath it, sans tie. The top buttons were undone, revealing the tiniest bit of chest hair. His blond hair was combed back from his cleanly shaven face, showing off a sharp jawline.

“Hartley, it’s nice to see you again,” he greeted, offering his hand, which I shook.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Of course. I enjoy watching businesses thrive in East Dremest.” Alton owned a medical practice that was affiliated with East Dremest Hospital. “I’ll browse what you have on display. I could always use more clothing, especially more comfortable ones.”

That was another thing I did for tonight. There weren’t only suits on display. That would have been boring. Instead, I had samples of everything from soft knit sweaters to slacks to lounge pants. I was still trying to get Jordan to wear those. Vail had a pair and, oh my god, did they do wonderful things for his ass. If no one ever bought them from me and I strictly made them for Vail, I was perfectly okay with it.

“If you see anything you like and want to commission, let Hazel know and she’ll take down your information. Eventually, I’ll have a storefront, but I want to build up my customer base first so I can fund future developments.”

“That’s smart. You don’t want to grow so fast you can’t handle it.”

“Exactly.”

How I went from working out of a place with drafts and creaky floorboards to having a beautiful studio had everything to do with Jordan. Sure, he was heavy-handed. He swooped in and told me I was moving in with him. And I let him do it. My lust-filled brain ruled. I was falling for him even back then.

Alton shifted his gaze from me to over my shoulder. I turned to find Raiden standing along the wall with his eyes holding Alton’s. Whatever their history was, only they knew. But it was obvious there was something between them.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Alton said. I thought he’d walk toward Raiden. Instead, he made his way to Jordan.

I didn’t have time to think about them because the next group through the door had Jordan abandoning Alton’s approach. Jordan moved through the growing crowd toward Perry Altair Jr. and his partners. It was easy to recognize Perry. He was in the news enough due to being a prominent business owner and wealthy as hell.

Jordan searched me out and waved me over, doing the same to Vail.

“Vail, Hartley, I’d like to introduce you to my nephew, Perry, and his partners, Dominic and Peyton.” There was only a slight hesitation and a barely-there growl when he said Peyton’s name.

Peyton nodded, while Dominic shook our hands.

“This is amazing,” Dominic told me. I’d heard he was a dancer at Untouchable. He was the same height as Jordan, only a hair taller than Perry, with dark brown hair and gray eyes.

Perry was more formal when speaking, especially to his uncle. Their relationship had been strained over the years, although Perry didn’t seem as irritated to be here as Peyton did. He kept close to Perry’s side, his eyes sweeping the people in attendance, taking his job as Perry’s bodyguard seriously.

“Oh!” Dominic exclaimed. “There’s Romeo. I’ll be back.” Before Peyton could protest, Dominic wove through the crowd to where Romeo stood near the back. Dash was at his side, with his arm around Romeo’s waist.

This wasn’t ideal for Romeo. Tristan mentioned Romeo had severe anxiety but wanted to come for Tristan and Jordan. I was important to them, which meant I was to Romeo as well.

No one would put Romeo and Jordan together though. Not with the way Romeo held back and didn’t interact with Jordan. It could easily be played off as him being here for Tristan.

Next thing I knew, I was swept away to meet more prominent people in Dremest. There were reporters mingling, taking candid photos and some where people were asked to pose. In one of them, I stood with Jordan and Vail, me in the middle making it glaringly obvious how much taller they were than me.

I worried about Gil seeing it and getting pissed, but Vail put me at ease. If he wasn’t worried, I tried not to be. Jordan was concerned enough for all three of us. Neither of them wanted to dim my party because of the uncertainty with Gil.

People grabbed appetizers while I said a short speech. It was a reintroduction to the city, to the people who could make my career. Jordan had a lot of connections and used them, going to each person and thanking them personally for their attendance. When he returned to my side, he muttered something about him being soft, then planted a kiss on my lips before grabbing a drink.

Vail didn’t drift far for me. He’d mingle close by, always there in case I needed an out from another talking far too long or far too much about a topic. I wanted their business, not their life stories. Yes, it was part of the whole getting to know them and making connections, but fuck me, this was going too far. I didn’t care about their upcoming or past surgeries or if they were leaving for vacation soon. I pretended I did though. Smile and nod and all of that.

Dominic was a social butterfly, floating around the party, sampling food, stopping to pop a bite into one of his partners’ mouths. How he had that much energy was anyone’s guess.

“Hartley!” he exclaimed when his rounds brought him to me again. “I love this sweater.” He glided his hand down my arm. “Could you make it in magenta?”

“I can. It’s one of my favorites. The material is so soft, it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing anything.”

He grinned. “That’s my kind of clothing. You should visit Untouchable to watch Romeo and me shake our asses.” His voice dropped to say, “Among other things. And to push your business a little more. That’s what we’re here for, but the ass shaking would be a nice perk at the club.” He winked.

A shadow fell over us as an arm protectively wrapped around Dominic’s waist from behind. He let out a startled squeak.

“Not everyone wants to see you strip, vixen,” Peyton said near Dominic’s ear. I was close enough to hear him.

Dominic turned to face him. “You just like it when I give you and Perry private shows.”

Peyton nipped at his chin. “They’re the best kind.”

And on that note… I slid away from them and into a conversation with another guest.

By the end of the party, when there was only a handful of us left, I was completely exhausted, but I had a long list of new clients interested in commissioning my work. It further fueled my desire for an eventual store. One thing at a time. I had to build up my finances so I could hire more staff. Growth was a good thing. I couldn’t have done this without Jordan and Vail by my side throughout the evening, and every day they’d been with me.