Wicked Torture (Stark World 3)

"Fingers crossed," he says as we head back to the conference room. He fills Maia in, who looks at me suspiciously the entire time he's talking. To the point that I rub my hand over my mouth in case I have cream cheese on my chin. Noah and I had returned to find a full spread, and I'd dug in immediately.

But, no. My chin is clean. And I can't help but wonder what my perceptive soon-to-be partner is seeing that I'm not.

We've just finished bringing Noah up to speed when my team arrives, a group of five freelancers that I've used on various projects. I trust them all, and I'm also certain that Noah has vetted them, in light of the espionage concerns. So now I trust them even more. After quick meetings with each of them in turn, it's time for the Stark marketing team to join us.

Soon the conference room is full, and the presentation begins.

Noah starts by discussing the espionage concerns, which I think is a brilliant move, as it underscores his trust in his team, something that's especially key since he's new to the company.

After that, he turns the meeting over to me. I gather the slippery stack of file folders, head to the front of the table, and then drop everything when I'm just inches from Noah.

Stellar.

I crouch immediately, trying to gather the loose sheets, my cheeks burning because I'm certain that Noah has a rather undignified view of my ass pressed tight against my linen skirt as I crawl halfway under the table.

Then he's down on all fours beside me. "Fancy meeting you here," he says, and I laugh.

"I like to command control of a room," I say.

"You got everyone's attention, all right."

I scowl at him, but he just laughs, then passes me a sheaf of papers. For a moment, his fingers linger on mine, then our eyes meet. One second, then another, and it's as if I can feel the tension running all the way through me, electrifying my skin. Making me hyperaware of even the air around me.

I open my mouth, but I have no idea what I'm going to say. That's okay, though. Noah says it for me.

"Go on. Show everyone what you've got."

He helps me up, and that's exactly what I do. My clumsiness is a tiny blip in a sea of productivity. We go through the plan, assign goals and tasks, and make sure the timeline is clear. I handle questions, give Maia the floor so that the team knows they can go to her as well, and then sit back in my chair as we move on to the final point of today's meeting.

"Product name," I say, then nod to Maia who puts up the slide. "We propose Red Brick for a number of reasons. It has both corporate and commercial appeal. It suggests strength, but also has an element of both danger and protection. You can hurt someone with a brick--but you can also build. Red has similar connotations. We're marketing a product that has intense security applications, but that is a bit edgy and potentially controversial. And also very, very useful for law enforcement. Red for danger. Red for life. Red for help and assistance and protection. Just think of the Red Cross, right?"

We toss that around for a while, but ultimately, the name is approved unanimously, although only Noah's vote truly counts. We move from there to the drip campaign I want to get started next week--a slow build to introduce the product to our core markets.

And then, right in time for a late lunch, we finally break.

"I think that went great," Maia says, after Noah and his group have left. "You all had great suggestions," she tells the team, then dismisses them to go work on their assigned tasks. "God, I love the power," she says to me, and I burst out laughing.

"Don't make me have to take it back," I say, teasing. She's accepted my offer of partnership, but we're still waiting for my lawyer to get back with the various bits of paperwork.

"You'd never," she says. "You love me too much, and that went too smoothly."

"It did," I agree, pleased. "I'm going to go find this office that Elise assigned me and see if I can narrow down a list of possible companies for testimonials." One thing we're planning to do is offer early releases of Red Brick to potential clients for beta-testing and marketing testimonials.

Right now, though, we don't have those beta-testers in place.

I'm mentally running down a list of companies as I step into my office, only to stop dead when I find Noah leaning against the edge of my desk.

"Great meeting," he says.

"Thanks." I've done hundreds of rollouts, but this is the first time a client's praise has made me feel quite so warm and wonderful.

Deliberately, I move behind the desk and take a seat in my new chair. "Nice," I say. "Most clients just shove us in a conference room."

"Maybe I wanted you to have privacy," he says, going to shut the door.

"Noah." My voice is soft. Breathy. But it's also firm.

He shakes his head. "So that you can get work done," he says, and I feel my cheeks heat all over again.