Poppy motioned to the empty spot beside her. After a moment's consideration, William pushed off from the table to join her at the front of the room. He was an intelligent man. He would take the opportunity given to him. Poppy sidestepped to allow him the floor.
"Jumping off from what Miss Hanniford was saying, I find her approach well-considered, and her reasoning completely sound. With that in mind…" William flowed dazzlingly into his own idea for the media spot, as if he needed no introduction, and no segue was required. Poppy couldn't help but watch admiringly; his hands swept the air, he held his audience with his gaze…until that gaze slid her way.
"…something like that, Miss Hanniford?"
"I couldn't have said it better myself, Mr. Jameson." She meant it, and she let her agreement show in her smile. Was it her imagination, or did William lean toward her then, just a little? It was hard to tell where her presentation ended, and his began…and it was harder still to track their distance from one another when her full attention was completely caught up in him.
"Wonderful!"
Poppy blinked and turned from William back to their audience. The head of Love Connection Publishing rose from her chair and offered a small, singular applause; judging by the looks exchanged by the others at the table, this sort of reception had never happened in the boardroom before.
"I want you. Both of you," the head emphasized, her eyes tracking between them. "We're going to proceed with the interview process, but I want the two of you working together every step of the way."
Poppy exchanged looks with William. "This is highly unorthodox…" William said, but he appeared at a loss. Poppy had to privately agree with him, although she wondered at the dismay in his tone. It was as if the client had personally insulted him with her indecision. Poppy herself had been under the impression that today's presentation would be the deciding factor when it came to which agency the publishing house wanted representing it. She had thought Jameson Agency would win the deal with their pitch.
But she didn't betray her puzzlement now as much as William did. Whatever his problem was, she could use it to her advantage to look like the bigger man…so to speak. She turned back to the head of the house, smiling gamely. "All right. So a collaboration going forward between agencies is what you have in mind?"
The publisher nodded. "I can only see good things resulting from the tete-a-tete the two of you engaged in today. If you accept my offer, the two of you will be working together with the panel of authors I have lined up for Conventional Romance this year. The person who works most successfully with the members of our panel, and helps our authors to successfully create and present materials to promote Love Connection at the con, will be the one awarded the account."
Poppy nodded. "Conventional Romance" was the biggest annual romance writers' convention to appear in New York City, if not the entire country, and the press coverage of the event was only ramping up with each passing year. Conventions were getting airtime, as was the motley assortment of content creators, cosplay fans, and fringe enthusiasts who attended them with such devotion and vigor. It was an incredible opportunity to promote her client, not to mention her own business—even if she did have to share the opportunity with her agency's biggest rival.
"And how will the interview process be judged going forward?" William asked.
"I'm so glad you asked." The publisher came around to their side of the table and leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. She appeared to be sizing William up over the trendy frames of her glasses—not as a sexually interested woman sizes up a man, Poppy thought, but as a writer sizes up a potential muse. It amused Poppy to think that a hero of William's description might soon be appearing between the covers of a steamy romance novel. "Your performance will be judged on how well you work within the author group. I'm excited to see which one of you pulls out all the stops and brings the most to the table for my house and its writers."
Is it just me, or did she emphasize the word 'performance'? Poppy mastered a wicked grin at William's expense. She had to hand it to him, if he was at all uncomfortable being pinned by the needle-sharp gaze of this professional woman, he hid it well.
"I assure everyone in this boardroom that Jameson Agency won't let you down," William said.
"Wildflower Agency blooms beautifully under pressure," Poppy agreed with a grin. She knew her audience, and could tell that they approved of her metaphor.
"Excellent. I look forward to seeing what the two of you come up with." The publisher took turns shaking hands with the two of them, before motioning for them to exit at their leisure. Poppy gathered up her documents, then leaned across the table to help herself to one of the muffins. When she straightened, she noticed William's dark eyes burning into her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking when he looked at her like that—all she knew was she felt the intensity in his gaze in the pit of her stomach, and possibly lower…
But it was no use trying to mind-read someone like William. He may look mild-mannered and distinguished on the outside, but Poppy knew there was more going on below the surface. Beneath still waters a shark-churned current roiled.
He held the door for her on their way out. Poppy accepted the gesture, taking a bite off the top of her muffin as if she hadn't even noticed. William followed after.
"Well, that was interesting," he muttered as soon as they were out in th
e hallway.
"I agree," she replied. "But that's how I like to keep my life: interesting. Unpredictable."
"I think you've succeeded," he said. "Even if it's at the immediate expense of clinching your client."
"Oh, I'm not worried." Poppy took another dismissive bite of her muffin. She was worried. She wanted so badly to add the publishing house to her roster, but William and his agency were proving to be stiff competition already. He had learned a thing or two from tangling with her in the past, and understood now that she wasn't to be overlooked. Even old agency dogs can learn new tricks…not that William was particularly old, but he was CEO of an agency that had been established long before either of them were born. "Only they can decide what's best for them," she added.
"I find that an extremely interesting, if misguided, approach to take." William held his hand out to her. Poppy didn't allow herself a split second's hesitation. She grasped it, knowing full well what was coming.
The pressure of his handshake was instantaneous: his grip was powerful, his fingers and palm contracting together to dwarf her. Poppy had never been so aware of the petite size of her own hands than she was in that moment. Still, it was a power play she was all too familiar with, and she wasn't about to back down just because William might be physically stronger than she was. She tightened her fingers and clutched him back with all her might. She saw one of William's dimples leap approvingly into prominence.
"Congratulations on winning the first round, Mr. Jameson," she said.
He crooked a dark, perfectly-maintained eyebrow at her. "I beg your pardon?"
"You didn't think you'd won the war, did you? Just because I promoted your design over my own?" Poppy let the smile bloom across her face slowly, drawing her painted lips back over what she knew to be a set of immaculate, pristine white teeth. She wanted to dazzle him as much as she suddenly wanted to demolish him. William may wind up coming out on top when all was said and done, but that didn't mean she couldn't give it all she had. She would fight fairly for this contract, but she would fight.
"I wasn't aware that we were at war, Miss Hanniford," William remarked. "And if we are, I certainly don't expect my enemy to concede to me as easily as you did today. It shows a lack of strong leadership, to the employees that depend on you for a paycheck…and to me."