Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
A silhouette of her nipples on display in the moonlight after I made her come.
And those eyes . . . the way she looked at me like we had a chance at more than one night?
How can I erase the best sex of my life?
I can’t.
But I have to . . .
A loud snap has me returning to reality. “Did you come in here to stare at me?”
“No. That’d be weird.”
“It would be.” Her snark tilts her mouth sideways, and she raises an eyebrow. “Very weird.”
I clear my throat, remembering my mission, and shift closer. Squeezing the back of the chair, I say, “We have a client ready to bail to another firm. We need to put our best efforts into saving the account.”
“That sounds like why you were hired.” Her eyes slide back to the monitor in front of her. “Anything else?”
Does she really believe we can find middle ground, or am I never getting anywhere with her? “I understand it’s my job, but it involves you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”
I’m hit with a glare, and then her expression goes downhill from there. “How does this involve me?”
“The clients want all the financials with a full breakdown of expenses.”
She starts typing. “Fine, give me the client’s name, and I’ll send it over.”
“It’s not that easy.”
Laughing, she says, “Nothing with you ever is.” With her elbow anchored to the desk, she rests her chin on a fist. “Go on.”
“They want a presentation to back the campaign I’ll be presenting. Accounting down to the penny.”
Although her eyes widen, she nods. “Okay. I can do that if you can send the pitch over in the morning.” She checks her watch and then stands and begins slipping her jacket on. “I can have it to you by lunchtime.”
“Actually, they want you at the meeting.”
She stills and then looks up from the bag she had set on the desk. “What do you mean?”
“We both need to be there. I represent the creative side of the marketing campaign, and you’ll talk about the financial commitment.”
“That’s not really how things are done.”
“You said it yourself. I was hired to take things in a new direction.”
Planting her hand on her hip, she sighs. “When?”
The woman is anything but intimidating, but she puts on a solid show. I turn to leave, opening the door because so do I. “I’ll see you Friday at seven o’clock.”
“In the morning?” Turning back with a winning grin, I’m met with concern darkening her face. “If I must, but I’ll need more advance notice from now on.”
“No, Liv. Seven o’clock in the evening over dinner.”
Her brows shoot straight up. “Dinner? Like you and me having dinner?” Shaking her head, she grabs her bag and comes toward me. “No way.”
Standing in the doorway, I add, “With the clients.”
“Noah,” she cautions, stopping with not two feet between us. “I get that you want to win over the clients, but I can’t make that work. I’ll get you the files and even create an analysis for you to take. You can present it.” Patting me on the arm like we’re old buddies, she says, “You’ll do great. Much better without me.” With me in the way of her making a quick exit, she blinks several times. “I need to go.”
I step aside, hoping she stays just a minute longer because as much as I’m glad her hate has tempered, a small exposure of faith has been revealed. She doesn’t detest me as much as she portrays. I say, “I understand your hesitation, especially since it’s a favor to me. It’s a lot to ask of you to work late on a Friday night, but they were specific. These aren’t clients I’m trying to sign. I’m trying to save the account that the previous guy screwed up.”
“Chip and Leslie. The Torres account.”
Figures it was his client. I knew I smelled a slimeball. “Yes. They weren’t given what they were promised. I want to make that right, not only for myself but also for the company.” Her stance has softened. Her eyes have lifted from the floor to meet mine. “Listen, I know we got off to a rocky start this week,” I clarify because we couldn’t keep our hands off each other the first time we met. “I’m sorry for upsetting you.”
“Don’t apologize on my account.” Adjusting the bag on her shoulder, she takes a breath. The silence between us stretches so long that I hear her swallow just before she says, “It won’t fix things.”
“What needs fixing? I wasn’t hired to make your life hell. I didn’t take the job to get back at you—”
“What reason would you possibly have for getting back at me?” She crosses her arms over her chest. Her defenses are up when that’s the last thing I want to do.
“Let’s not delve into the minutia of the past when we have a pressing issue to resolve for the company.” I step closer, wanting to reach out and pull her to me, like I did that night, kiss her until her lips swell from ecstasy and her body begs me for another round.