“Or you wanted to see me fail faster.”
I shook my head once. “If I thought you’d fail, I wouldn’t have backed you.”
She stuck her tongue out, then leaned in slightly, closing the space between us like she planned on picking up where we left off in her office.
But I stopped it. “Too soon.”
Her smile didn’t drop, but it shifted from playful to measured.
“Marlon—”
“I said no.”
“Please?”
“Rabbit.”
A pout. “Fine.”
She pulled away but I stopped her. Just because I wasn’t gonna fuck her on the boardroom table, didn’t mean we couldn’t talk.
Huh.
To think I wanted to spend time talking to her.
“Ain’t as easy as you thought it would’ve been, was it?” I gestured to the room. “Don’t take it personal. You young so they wanna see if you can handle pressure.”
She studied me. “I’m guessing you’re testing me too.”
“Slightly,” I said. “But you did exactly what I expected.”
She nodded once.
“Right. Well, thank you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to plan an event in less than three weeks. I got zoning to talkto, business licensing to handle and don’t get me started on budgeting.”
She moved to step around me and I stopped her again.
“Let me know if you need help,” I offered.
She paused and glanced back. “Yeah right.”
“I’m serious,” I said. “I don’t know your connections, but I have a few of my own.
She cocked a brow. “Really now, Mr. Shut-in?”
I chuckled. “We supply a lot of the wines for government galas and a lot of private ones as well. I think I know where to start with this so lean on me as needed. Besides, this process should be simple enough, a lot of these men in power are just looking for new places to cheat on their wives.”
She giggled. “See, I knew the cigar lounge was a good idea.”
“And putting it next to a hookah spot? A stroke of genius.”
She bowed. “Thank you, thank you. Hold your applause.”
Now I was laughing. “On a serious note, whatever you need, let me know.”
She watched me for a second.
Then I added, “And keep the budget small, aight? I don’t need you blowing this out of proportion and overspending. Like your Jem or some shit.”
