More than a few people burst out laughing and two hands dart into the air before they fly back down.
"Stop it, Christine." I reach for her phone, but she's taller than me, which means her arms are longer than mine. My hand flails in the air. "No one needs to see that."
"Calm down, Lark." She waves the phone in front of her. "Everyone wants to see what's at the end of this rainbow."
"No, they don't." I push myself to my feet and yank her phone from her hand. "It's just a penis. It's not a pot of gold."
Raucous laughter fills the room until his words cut through it all. "Ms. Benton? What exactly are you doing?"
I cringe when I hear his voice. I'd know it anywhere. It's masculine, naturally authoritative and it belongs to my boss. I place Christine's phone on the table before I look to the doorway where Mr. Moore is standing with a stack of envelopes in his hands.
"Nothing." I lower myself into my chair. "I wasn't doing anything."
"That's debatable." His lips curve into a slight smirk. "Crew was called to the store in Midtown, so I'll be taking over the meeting today. No one has a problem with that, do they?"
His eyes haven't left mine since I looked at him. Damn Christine and her phone for putting me in that position and damn Ryker Moore and his utterly perfect face and body for making me feel like the room is suddenly one hundred degrees. It doesn't matter that he's dressed in a bespoke black suit. I know what's under it. We all do.
"I'll need a moment after the meeting in my office, Lark." He studies me as he takes a seat at the head of the table. "There's a small matter we need to discuss."
"A small matter?" Christine whispers in my ear. "Nothing about him that matters is small."
I bite my bottom lip to keep from smiling as I nod. "I'll be there, sir."
Chapter 2
Lark
"The bonus was very generous, Mr. Moore," I say an hour later as he closes the door to his office behind me. "I realize you don't have final say in the amount, but I'm glad that it's marginally more than the one that was given out last year."
One of his dark brows peaks at my subtle burn. I respect Ryker Moore for the job he's doing at Matiz, but he hasn't carved out a place for himself next to my brother yet. Crew is Ryker's boss and although I'd never use that to my personal advantage, I know it can't hurt to remind him, particularly in a moment like this.
There's no business-related reason for this meeting. Every promotional campaign that I've been assigned to help manage is either running smoothly or wrapped and ready to go. The only open file is a mascara campaign for next fall which is still in the very early planning stages.
"Sit, Lark." He barks the order out as he points to a chair in front of his desk.
I lower myself into the leather chair as I watch his face for any sign of what he's about to say. He's stoic. His blue eyes give nothing away. His strong jaw is set firm. The only thing out of place is a lock of black hair that has fallen onto his forehead.
"Why am I here?" I ask with a slight tilt of my head. "I dropped off the files for the spring launch of the new lipstick with your assistant yesterday."
"I got those." He taps his long fingers on the flash drive I stored everything on. "You never cease to impress me, Lark. You have a pulse on the market."
I should. I wear only Matiz products. I did that long before I landed a job here after graduating from college. I know how I feel when I walk out of my apartment with Matiz make-up on. I want every woman to feel that same sense of confidence I do when I know I look my best.
I may have gray eyes and blonde hair, but that's never equated to natural beauty to me. I went through the same awkward acne and breakout stage almost every young woman has. I struggled with liking what I saw in the mirror. The cosmetics Crew gave me for my birthday the past few years have helped but it was learning to love myself that made the difference. I'm still working on that. I'm not perfect, but I'm enough for me.
"Thank you for recognizing that," I say with a smile. "I think the new campaigns are going to blow the competition out of the water."
"I agree." He leans forward, his elbows resting on the desk. "You've done well. You're an important part of the team."
I rest my back against the chair, relief flowing through me. I highly doubt that I was summoned here because of my recent work. I know it's stellar. I don't need Ryker or my brother to tell me that, but it's still good to hear. "Did you ask me here to talk about the holiday campaign for next year?"
It's a longshot but I want in on that campaign. I have ideas that I believe will catapult sales of Matiz products. I was passed over this year because I was still considered a rookie. I've proven my worth over the last quarter.
He pauses. "I'll be making a decision on the team for next year's holiday campaign in the new year. I haven't given it any thought yet."
I curse inwardly. The legitimate business related reasons for this meeting are quickly narrowing to zero. Ever since he walked into the conference room and heard me talking about his penis, I've been dreading any conversation between us that would involve that. I've tried to convince myself that he won't bring it up. He has to be embarrassed that the pictures were released. There's no way in hell he'd want to talk about them.
"Please keep me in mind," I reply, hoping to drag out our stunted discussion about a campaign that is months away from the planning stages. "If we're done here, I'd like to get back to my desk."