"You do?" She blinks.
"You can find your way home on your own, I assume."
She scowls. "Can I use your car and driver?"
"Nope."
I turn to leave.
"Jerk," she mutters under her breath.
I pause, glare at her over my shoulder. "What was that?"
She frowns at me. "Why are you acting like a grouchy-ass bear again? I thought we’d reached some kind of understanding last night?"
I have… with your body. Too bad it isn’t with the rest of you.
"Nothing’s changed, girl. I’m still your boss, and you’re my son’s girlfriend. And I need to get going, or I’ll be late for my breakfast meeting."
"So, it’s back to calling me girl, is it, and—" Her eyebrows knit. "You have a breakfast meeting before the 9 a.m. pitch?"
I glare at her.
She pales, then glances away. "Of course, you do." She squares her shoulders, then walks toward me. "I’d best get my handbag and get home so I can return in time for 9 a.m."
"You’d best." I hold the door open as she passes. Then walk with her to the lift. The doors slide open, and she enters, then turns to face me.
"You may have gotten me dinner and covered me with a blanket while I slept, but you’re still a selfish prick."
"And you’re still an immature girl who doesn’t know what she wants."
"Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way." She stabs the button on the lift and the doors begin to close. I plant my foot in between them, forcing them to stop.
"I’m still your boss. Treat me with respect."
"And I’m still your son’s girlfriend, as you like to remind me so often. Treat me with the necessary decorum."
"Fine," I snap.
"Fine," she huffs.
I step back and the doors close. Fuck this shit. Fuck my fixation with her. Fuck the fact that she still has feelings for my son. That she can tell me off, and I don’t have the guts to fire her because I want her in my orbit. The thought of not having a reason to meet with her, not being able to see her every day, is beyond my imagination. Bloody hell, I need to get a grip on myself. I need to break this hold she has on me. I need… a distraction. Something…Someoneto take my mind off of her. She wants decorum? She’ll get it. In spades. I pull out my phone and call a familiar number.
26
Lena
"So you see, Kane Enterprises is the best place to represent your brand in the market. It’s not an exaggeration when I say we have the best creative brains in the world working on your campaign. You will not regret choosing us as your agency."
I pause, then glance around the table. The one woman and three men who represent the client meet my gaze. Silence descends. Is that good? Is it bad? I glance toward JJ, who’s been sitting in silence on one end of the table. He prowled in at exactly 9:01 a.m., shook hands with the most senior member of the team, then introduced me and handed the floor to me. I hesitated initially, then picked up speed as I found my flow. I walked the team through the presentation and answered all of their questions. I’ve done my best… I did a great job… I think?
I try to read JJ’s expression, but he doesn’t give anything away. I try to signal with my eyes that he needs to do something, to break the building tension in the room. But does he? Of course not.
The woman who leads the client’s team taps her fingers on the table. "Lena, isn’t it?"
I nod.
"You make an eloquent case for Kane Enterprises."