“I’m sure she appreciated your help, Sean.”
He offers me a grin in response.
I don’t wait for him to add anything to that. I climb into the car once Jurgen opens the back passenger door. By the time Sean is next to me, his phone is at his ear as he answers an incoming call from what sounds like one of the company’s distribution managers.
As the driver steers the car back into traffic, I keep my gaze trained on the street.
Whenever I’m within a few feet of my boss, the intensity in the air between us is impossible to ignore.
If it feels like this after just one kiss, what in the hell will it be like after we’ve spent a night together?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sean
I read the list of marketing ideas for the winter campaign that Delora shoved in my hand two minutes ago. I spot one idea with limited promise but beyond that bland is the standard she seems to be shooting for.
“Very funny.” I toss the piece of paper with notes for the lackluster ideas on my desk. “Give me the real list now.”
To accentuate that point, I hold out my empty palm.
Delora’s gaze drops to the paper on my desk. “That was it.”
My jaw twitches at that admission. “This isn’t funny, Delora.”
Her hands drop to her hips. “It’s not supposed to be, Sean. I think every single idea on that list is a winner.”
I push back from my desk to stand so we’re almost eye-to-eye since she refused to take a seat when she arrived at my office door.
That makes sense now. She likely wanted to leave the option open to make a quick getaway after she presented that bullshit to me.
“If that’s a true statement, you’re fired.”
Her eyes go as wide as saucers. “Very funny.”
I’d give her credit for using my words against me, but I’m not in a jovial mood at the moment. Declan already dropped one problem in my lap when he shot out of the door to head to a meeting uptown.
I put that fire out, but I’m still tempted to overhaul our inventory control department.
All of their records may as well be in another language since I can’t decipher them.
If only Declan would have taken my advice and not hired three of his friends from middle school to man that department. I’m not convinced that any of them have the ability to count.
In times like this, I think my brother should have used his law degree in the spirit in which he earned it by defending criminals or prosecuting them.
Roping him into this business seemed like a bright idea at the time.
“Who came up with that shit?” I ask with exasperation evident in my tone.
The question stems from a place of genuine curiosity because the entire marketing department might find themselves in the same line at the unemployment office as the inventory control department. Or maybe, I just switch them out and give them a chance to handle a set of new tasks.
I laugh inwardly at the potential marketing ideas Declan’s friends would come up with.
“All of us,” Delora admits. “Every person has at least one contribution on that list.”
If that’s true, Champ has let me down.
I snatch the paper up again and scan it. Even with a second read through, nothing jumps out at me. “This is every idea that your department came up with?”
“Not every idea,” she admits. “There was one that didn’t make the list.”
“You’re holding back, Delora.” I drop back into my chair. “Tell me about that one.”
“It’s a yearly subscription as a holiday gift.”
With my interest piqued, I roll my hand. “I need to hear more than that.”
Delora laughs. “It’s a crazy idea. That’s why I didn’t mark it down. Who in their right mind would pay a fee to get a new pair of underwear delivered to someone else’s door once a month? We’d have to lower the price of our products to appeal to a bigger demographic.”
“You don’t believe that’s achievable?”
“I don’t believe it’s a worthwhile gamble,” she clarifies. “That’s why I didn’t include it on the list. I told Callie to come up with something different to present to you.”
“The subscription idea came from Calliope?”
She nods. “You know how it is with new hires, Sean. It’s hard to balance their enthusiasm with reality.”
I drop my gaze back to the list of bullshit ideas before leaning back in my chair. “Flesh the subscription model out more. I want you to have a full presentation ready by mid-month.”
“Sean.” My name snaps off her tongue.
“Delora.” I mimic her tone. “Put your all into this.”
She shakes her head. “All right. You’re the boss.”
I am, and I don’t know if I’m seeing potential in this because Champ is the mastermind behind it, but I want to learn more. Not just about the campaign idea but the woman responsible for it.