Exactly fifteen minutes later, Paige looked at Eva and Frankie. “Ready?” She felt ridiculously nervous as Jake waved them into his glass-walled office.
Jake was on the phone, feet on the desk. “Yeah, well you don’t pay me to agree with you or say what you want to hear.” He glanced toward them and gestured at the meeting area in the corner of the room. “You pay me to tell you the truth and that’s what I’ve done. What happens next is up to you.” He ended the call and swung his
feet off the desk.
Paige hovered, unsure whether to sit or stand. Her legs felt weak and rubbery. Being enclosed in a small space with Jake did that to her. Her world shifted, as if it had been hit by an outside force more powerful than both of them.
And this was a different Jake. He was all coiled strength and restless impatience, his hair ruffled and his jaw dark with five o’clock shadow. Dani had mentioned that the dress code was informal, but Jake looked as if he hadn’t been to bed.
She knew he often worked into the night.
Since starting Urban Genie, she did, too.
He prowled around his office like a panther stalking his territory, so self-assured and confident that she felt her own nerves step up a notch.
How had she ever found the courage to tell him she loved him?
Maybe he’d been more approachable back then.
Jake looked at Eva. “Have you settled in?”
“We’ve made ourselves at home,” Eva said cheerfully. “Thank you for letting us use your beautiful offices. I hope you’re not expecting us to ever leave.”
His gaze warmed. “I intend to bill you. Do you have everything you need?”
“A few clients would be nice.” Frankie dumped a file on the table. “But we’re hoping to address that. I guess we have you to thank for the chance.”
“Don’t.” Finally he glanced at Paige. “Dani will join us. That way, if I’m out of the office and you have questions, she can act as liaison.”
Sliding into the nearest chair, Paige opened her laptop. “I’ve put together a presentation that shows our plan for the event.”
Dani walked into the room and sat down next to Jake.
“Sorry, boss.” She was breathless and smiling. “I was waylaid. Brad again. The man doesn’t give up. You going to talk to him anytime soon?”
“Maybe.” Jake nodded to Paige. “Go on. Talk me through it.”
“We have a shortlist of three venues. This is our recommendation.” She hit a key and brought up the image. “It has fabulous views of the Chrysler Building. Comfortably accommodates the numbers you specified. Fifty percent of the space is covered so if the weather isn’t kind, the event isn’t ruined. Inside or outside, it’s magical. I’ve organized events here in the past and their team is imaginative, reliable and efficient.”
Dani leaned across to look and gave a slow whistle. “Wow. Glitzy. What do I have to do to get an invite?”
“You’re one of the team. You’ll have an invite.” Jake studied the photograph. “Didn’t Matt design that roof terrace?”
“It was one of his first projects. It’s one of the hottest venues in Manhattan right now. The only reason it’s available is because they had a cancellation.”
“And Paige is a killer negotiator,” Eva said. “But she won’t tell you that herself.”
Jake sat back in his chair. “What’s your vision for the event?”
Paige relaxed a little. That part was easy. “Your business is about communicating, about finding new, innovative ways to display data so that the end user experience is good. We’re going to reflect that in our design.” She showed him more images. “You want to make it easy for people to mingle and mix. The acoustics are good. And as I mentioned, fifty percent of the space is under cover, which will mean we can use whatever technology you want without risking weather problems.”
Dani nodded. “Cool. Because water and hard drives don’t mix.”
“We deal with all on-site management and logistics. Eva is in charge of food and beverage planning.” She looked at Eva, who proceeded to talk through her plans.
“For this project I’m working with a company called Delicious Eats. They’re based in SoHo and they pitched for a piece of business with Star Events, but Cynthia didn’t want to give business to a company she didn’t know. For her, sitting in on pitches was a formality. A tick box exercise before giving the business to her friends. I think they’re perfect for your event.”
Jake came back at her with questions and Paige felt a rush of pride as she watched Eva handle each one of his concerns without faltering.