‘If you could perhaps see your way to changing your plans, I can spend tonight familiarising myself with the campaign proposal and meet with you again in the morning.’
‘And can you promise you’ll offer me exactly the same level of service and expertise Clare ordinarily would?’
‘Well, given that I’m head of the legal department and I’m more comfortable wading through hundreds of pages of technical contracts than analysing public relations, I can’t promise exactly the same level of expertise, but I think you’ll find me sufficiently well-informed.’
They stared at each other across the desk; it was impossible to say who was more surprised. Ares for having succeeded in stirring her into the outburst, or Bea for having given in to the sarcastic flood of words.
She clamped a hand to her lips, shaking her head. ‘I’m sorry; that was rude.’
‘Yes, it was,’ he agreed, brushing aside her words and still taking a perverse pleasure in making her sweat. ‘I have already told you though: I’m not interested in apologies.’
Her eyes swept shut, her dark lashes forming two perfect crescent fan shapes against her creamy cheeks.
‘As for your offer—’ he loaded the word with as much condemnation as he could, in no mood to be messed around after everything else he’d been through ‘—I’ll take it into consideration.’
She frowned. ‘What exactly does that mean?’
‘That I’ll see how I feel in the morning. Do your homework, Miss Johns. If I’m here, I’ll expect you to be prepared.’
She hadn’t even corrected him on her surname! ‘It’s Jones,’ she’d intended to snap, but the words had died on the tip of her tongue, as they often did when confronted with people who treated her as he had just done. Instead, she’d watched him stalk away through the offices, his pace long and feral, anger emanating off him in waves.
She sank into her chair with a worried expression, staring at Clare’s computer with wariness. She was not a public relations expert and she wasn’t interested in becoming one, but she would protect this business with every fibre of her being. And that meant fixing this monumental mess-up, or risk losing their biggest client.
Not on her watch. It would be a long night, but that was nothing new to Bea. For the sake of the company, she’d do whatever it took. Even suffer through another meeting with that arrogant bastard of a man.