“Morning.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “You ready?”
She glanced up at him, smiling briefly. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.”
He took a moment to look her up and down. The woman had impeccable taste. Another highly professional but extremely sexy work suit fit her nicely, showcasing those lush curves that still cropped up in his head on the hour.
“Do you need anything from me?” He asked it as she started to turn away.
She shook her head. “No, I think I’m good. But thank you for asking.”
They shared an awkwardly long look, and then she tore herself away, heading into the board room. Imaad sighed testily, unsure why this tension bothered him so much. With chemistry as explosive as theirs, there shouldn’t be any tension. And he wanted to get to know her. Invite her over to his place. Continue exploring the fascinating depths of her, in all senses.
He walked into the chilly conference room, taking a seat across from Annabelle. Board members filed in, carbon copies of each other, all men in suits with dark hair, followed by both of his brothers. His father arrived a few moments later, and after some greetings and conversation, everyone settled into place.
Imaad’s father opened the meeting with some stiff formalities. After introducing Annabelle to the board members, she took the lead.
“Hello, everyone.” She smiled politely, spreading some documents in front of her. “As we all know, two companies are going to merge into one. This process has been in the works for some time, but only today can we finalize it.”
The board members listened politely as she spoke, her voice ringing clear and professional in the room. Imaad sat, transfixed by her, as she delivered her presentation. She covered the existing state of operations for both companies and what the proposed operations would look like as soon as next year. She detailed the plans for new divisions of each company in each country and how these two disparate organizations were a natural and obvious fit as they both sought to grow.
“In conclusion,” she said, her gaze darting around the table to all her stone-faced audience members, “only with the merging of our two fine companies will either of us have a chance to realize the future that has always been destined for us. I hope that you will all vote to merge, as I have shown here why that’s the best choice.”
Silence descended on the room, her words still ringing in his ears. Imaad looked around, desperate to start a round of applause to recognize her, to give her the accolades she deserved after that spot-on presentation. Her gaze met his, unsure, and he nodded his head. A smile ghosted across her face.
His father did it first. He started clapping, nodding his head, and soon the other board members joined in. Imaad clapped, smiling over at Annabelle. You did it. He was proud of her—coming to his country to make that sort of sales pitch was no easy task. Especially when she was the only woman in the room, fifteen sets of stony eyes trained on her.
“We’ll be signing soon,” Imaad’s father declared as the board members stood to take their leave. “We’ll inform you of the first phase of changes as soon as the information is made ready.”
Imaad waited as everyone filed out of the room, his eyes on Annabelle. She approached him, folders clutched to her chest.
“Excellent job.” He offered his hand for a shake, which she took hesitantly.
“Thank you. Merger complete.” She smiled briefly. “Well, almost. Once I sign.”
“And get married. But before that, I’d like to celebrate.” His words fell heavily in the now empty conference room. Annabelle lifted a brow.
“You won’t get me back out into the desert.” She laughed a little, but it faded quickly.
“No. I’d like to take you to dinner tonight.” When her eyebrows scrunched together, he added, “A business dinner. Entirely professional.”
He waited with bated breath for her answer. If she told him no, he might go crazy. Even just looking at her was enough. He just needed more Annabelle.
“Sure. I suppose that wouldn’t be a bad idea.” She smiled tightly at him and strutted out of the conference room, leaving a fragrant trail of perfume in her wake.
Imaad watched the door close behind her, satisfaction meandering through him. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do.
10
Annabelle
scurried around her room to gather her purse. Getting ready for the dinner had taken doubly long, since she’d changed her dress three times trying to achieve the exact balance of “I don’t care about you” and “Sexier than fuck” for her business dinner with Imaad.
It would cause a stir, but she didn’t care. She wanted to make a little commotion. The black dress dipped dangerously low, and the slit up the side went similarly high. Teasing him seemed par for the course, though she wasn’t sure why. All she knew was that this was a game she sometimes liked to play…even though less than twelve hours ago, she’d been staunchly anti-game.
She flip-flopped. So sue me. She snapped her handbag shut and looked over the room one last time before heading down to the lobby, where Imaad surely had to be waiting if he was as punctual as usual.
When the elevator doors slid open on the lobby, she spotted him immediately. In a black suit and immaculate hair, he was just as done up as she. And maybe with the same intention—blending business meeting with provocation. She swallowed a knot in her throat, approaching him hesitantly. You’re gonna bone him again. You already know it.
“Hey.” She smiled, avoiding his gaze. She wouldn’t be weak this time. She was going to honor that boundary, once and for all. Besides, if she started sleeping with him regularly, she might develop feelings for him. Imaad seemed like the type of guy she could fall for. And then what? Her father would win.