It hasn’t, and I want to know if I am right in my assumption or if it’s a mark of some other nature.
I shift my gaze from her arm to her long brunette hair, which is pinned back from her face but hanging down her back, poker straight. Her makeup is just enough to enhance her gorgeous light green eyes, but she doesn’t need it. In fact, she looks fucking beautiful without it, and my favourite moments were always of her in the morning, wearing a pair of my jogging bottoms and a crop top, her hair on top of her head in a messy bun, and nothing but happiness written all over her face. I put that happiness there. Me. Until I took it away.
“So, Mr Carter, care to share your thoughts?” the woman to my right says in a sickly-sweet voice—Wendy, is it? All I know is that she has zero appeal about her, unless you are a fake tit man, and then I guess it’s a winner. It doesn’t do anything for me though, so her efforts to try and show me her cleavage at every given opportunity are wasted.
I didn’t expect her to ask me this question, and I turn to Mr Garrett, who has a stern look on his face. It’s clear he wasn’t expecting her to question me either.
“Wendy, I’m sure Mr Carter would love another coffee, as would I,” he says to her, and the smile momentarily drops from her face before she catches herself and puts on a jolly front.
“Of course. Americano, Mr Carter?” she says, almost purring my fucking name.
“Please.” I’ll keep interaction with her short, because I don’t think it would take much for her to be flashing me her knickers and what’s underneath them—I shudder on the inside.
She gets up and totters out of the room on her ridiculously high heels, putting an extra sway in her hips. I have to stifle my laugh and the roll of my eyes. Does that shit really work? But then I picture Cameron’s arse and her putting extra sway in her hips, and I conclude quickly that it totally does if it’s the right woman.
“Apologies for Wendy, she gets a little… overexcited,” Mr Garrett says.
“Hmm,” I mumble, because I have no desire to discuss the PA he’s clearly screwing. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that one out.
“Anyway, the presentation. I would like to hear your thoughts,” he continues.
“Well, I thought it was impressive. Your team are clearly well put together and they know what they’re talking about,” I say honestly. A smile appears on his face, and I get the feeling this guy loves nothing more than money and how to make more.
“That’s excellent,” he says. “And I presume I can keep the meeting for Friday, for your boss to come and see it himself?”
“Of course.” I didn’t think his smile could get any wider, but apparently it can, and I’m surprised I don’t see cash registers replacing his pupils. “But there is one condition,” I say, and his face drops.
“Which is?”
I smirk as I tell him what is needed to seal the deal, and even though I feel a little shady about what I’m doing, I know that I need to find out what that mark is, and if this is the way to do it, then so be it.
ChapterTen
Cameron
I’m sat at my desk, feeling proud of the way I composed myself when Caleb walked in the room. He was the last person I expected to walk through the door. And I’m even more impressed I didn’t drool everywhere from the way he looked in that suit. Dear God… total dreamboat. But again, I haven’t worked this hard to let a guy mess anything up for me, whether that’s Danny or Caleb showing up unexpectedly.
Danny or Caleb.
That isn’t even a question anymore, and if it was, the answer would be neither.
I’m going to break things off with Danny, and then I won’t have to deal with him or with Caleb again. And after Danny’s behaviour last night, I will be ending things in a public place, regardless of how he will react. I can’t be on my own with him now—I don’t trust him anymore.
I look down and see I’m rubbing my wrist where Danny grabbed me, and I hide my hand under my desk as I pull the shirt sleeve back to see the bruising has gone a little darker than it was earlier on. Crap. I’m going to have to keep it covered until it’s completely faded. I can’t be doing with people asking me what I did, and that’s if they even ask, because it’s very clear that I’ve been grabbed as the bruises are in the shape of finger marks.
I close my eyes to stop the tears of frustration from escaping.
I’m not sure what has happened in the last couple of days, but I feel like I am totally out of my depth, and when I open my eyes because someone is knocking on my office door, I feel even more out of it, because stood there is Mr Garrett and Caleb. Marvellous.
I rapidly blink a few times to try and hide the fact that my eyes were starting to glaze over, and I plaster a fake smile on my face.
“Gentleman, how can I help you?” I say, making my voice sound over-the-top cheerful.
Mr Garrett walks in, followed by Caleb, and they both stop in front of my desk.
“Cameron, Mr Carter was impressed by the presentation, and he just wanted to congratulate each of you individually on how well you did,” Mr Garrett informs me, and I keep my fake smile fixed in place.
“Great,” I say, and I see Caleb raise an eyebrow at me. He knows I’m being sarcastic, even if I tried to hide it. Mr Garrett, however, has no fucking clue.