She replies.
“We had a good night. Why not leave it at that?”
My heart drops like a stone.
“Quit teasing. I’m dying here.”
Geoff Stark, head of accounts addresses the room. “And that concludes our meeting. Anything you want to add, Mr. Morelli?”
I jolt back and rack my kneecaps against the table. All eyes are on me. “Um, yes. I just want to say thanks for all your great work. I’m proud of you all. Keep it up.”
I give a faux smile and adjust my erection before jogging out of the office space.
Immediately, I call her, and she answers within seconds. I walk through the hallway, cupping the phone against my ear, smiling because this woman is in my grasp. She’s ready to play whatever game I throw at her, and I love that.
“What do you want from me?” she asks.
“You know what I want,” I whisper. “I want you on your knees waiting for me.”
“Not going to happen,” she says.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see my secretary walking my way with a stack of papers.
“Mr. Morelli, you have a call waiting for you on line seven. Here are the consumer reports you asked for, and—”
I wave her away before she can finish. I really don’t need the stress today.
I’m only thinking about one woman. That elegant, young beauty from the party.
“Why won’t it happen?” I ask her. “You and I both know you had fun.”
“It’s not a good idea,” she says. “I looked you up last night.”
“You’re kidding,” I reply.
“I’m not,” she says. “I know who you are. You’re competing against my father.”
I defend myself. “No, I’m competing against that twerp, Byron. Besides, it’s not about competition. It’s just business.”
“What you and I both know is that it’s all about competition. One way or another, it comes down to a battle between you men. I don’t need the hassle,” she says.
Okay, I have to laugh at that. It’s true.
I sigh and grip my phone harder. “You’re a smart girl,” I say.
“Woman,” she corrects me. “I’m an intelligent woman.”
“Semantics,” I say. “Let me come over for lunch.”
She laughs at my expense. “You can beg for it. Maybe I’ll reconsider.”
The hallway is packed and irregular today. Company profits are down, meaning people are freaking out.
My team is scheduling last minute business meetings, looking over any neglected reports, and combing through the money channels. Someone will pay for this.
It’s no one’s fault but my own. I didn’t bid in time against Byron, so he beat us on an offer. An entire hotel, down the drain.
Sometimes it really is that simple.