“Good luck getting past his team.”
“You underestimate my ability to get what I want.” Elise replied with a teasing lilt in her voice. The irony wasn’t lost on me. If only she knew how much I needed to be the one she wanted. How much I needed her to look at me the way she waslooking at Titan. Every man in this room could see her worth. I just had to make her believe I was the one who deserved it. “Besides, wasn’t it you that said I look mesmerizing tonight?” She added.
I opened my mouth to tell her I didn’t care if she was on the clock or not, that she was representing me and the company so she shouldn’t be trying to get close to Titan. Not to mention, that she was out of her fucking mind if she thought I was going to let another man near her when she was wearing this dress. But before I could say any of this, Tom Rossi, CEO of Dauntless Records, stepped in front of us.
“Nathan,” The short and stocky billionaire greeted me coolly.
“Tom.” My tone carried the same amount of coolness. Dauntless Records was Edge Record’s top competitor and Tom was the biggest pain in my ass. I managed to avoid his presence when coming to these types of events, but it seemed as if my luck had run out.
“I see you’ve brought your lovely assistant with you this evening.” Tom’s gaze was hungry as he looked at Elise. “Word on the street is she won’t be your assistant much longer.”
“Nice to see you again Mr. Rossi.” Elise held out her hand for a handshake to which Tom accepted, taking it a step further by brushing his lips against the back of her hand.
“Tell me, Elise, what are your thoughts on Reyna Ford?” Reyna Ford was the nineteen-year-old South African singer who was making waves online, but other than her beauty, there wasn’t anything else significant about her to make me want to bring her onto Edge Records, but to someone like Tom and Dauntless Records, that was all that mattered.
Knowing Tom, he asked Elise, thinking that someone with her looks and her position was only good for coffee runs and being arm candy to the CEO and the fact that he had such a lowopinion of her based on her looks had me curling my fingers into a fist.
I stepped up, ready to defend Elise but she beat me to the punch.
“While it’s undeniable that she’s a strikingly beautiful young woman, her vocal abilities leave much to be desired. Her tone lacks depth and versatility, which significantly limits the range of material she can successfully perform. As I mentioned before, her appearance will undoubtedly draw attention. After all, sex sells. However, I firmly believe her career will peak with a single hit before fading into obscurity.”
That’s my girl.
Tom looked impressed. “Dauntless Records could use a sharp mind like yours. If you ever decide you want to work somewhere that matches your potential,” Tom reached into his suit jacket, pulled out a business card and held it out to Elise. “My door's open.”
Elise glanced at the card then back at Tom. “Thanks. But I’m not interested in a downgrade.”
“Now if you’ll excuse us.” I grabbed Elise’s hand and steered her away from the blood-thirsty music exec and brought her close to me amidst the other dancing couples.
“What are you doing?” Elise’s eyes widened, resembling a deer caught in headlights.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to dance?” I moved my hand lower, resting on her hips.
“Y-yeah but—”
“Then we’re going to dance. I don’t like the thought of another man’s hand on you.”
The heat in her cheeks intensified as she gave a soft head nod. “Okay.”
I tightened my hold.
“You handled yourself quite nicely.” I complimented as I moved my hips to match her rhythm.
Elise grinned. “Thank you. There’s a reason I vouched for Darryl and not Reyna.”
“You’re gonna be hard to replace.” Every day Elise’s impending final day drew near and the thought of walking to my office and not seeing her face evoked a strange, unsettling feeling in me.
“There’s gotta be someone else on this planet that specializes in dealing with your level of assholery.” Elise teased.
“I’m afraid there isn’t,” I chuckled. “It seems like you’re the only one qualified for the job.”
“Lucky me,” Elise exhaled dramatically.
Damn. She’s adorable.
“The next person who gets you is very lucky,” I told her, my voice low and deliberate.
“Professionally or romantically?” she asked, a teasing glint in her eyes.
