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Going through her summary, she covered the work done to date—intended as a hook to bait the signature for the ongoing management of the account. She'd planned to open up a discussion about continued growth with suggestions on where to go from here, to involve the client. Could she really do that now, though? She felt the need to glance up, but tried to avoid Zac at first. Instead she looked towards Ed, who'd been the team leader on this work to begin with, but he was staring sheepishly at the table. When she looked at Tom he gave her a look of encouragement, but it had an unwanted intimacy that made her look away. Caroline gave her a warm, supportive smile, which was some help. She was aware of Abby's discomfort, although not the true cause.
When she looked at Zac and her eyes met his, her voice faltered again.
He made a remark about the figures she had quoted, encouraging her to continue. Her fingers flickered into her hair then she snatched up her pen, pointing to the place on her notes where she should be. He'd been doing things like that all along, she realized, subtly commenting. Teasing her. Testing her. She began to speak, then the pen trembled. She dropped it from her hand and her fingers went to her temple. Leaving her and asking her to meet him in Paris had been the final test. Or was this the final test? Why was he testing her at all? To find out how desperately she wanted him? Her heart pounded in her ears. Bits of their conversations from the past ten days sped through her mind. Her own words had ceased to form, then she realized Zac was speaking.
He was covering her silence for her. She looked up.
He was aiming his comments at Tom. "I certainly have no complaints about the work you've done for us, particularly the remarkably informed and well-judged decisions that have been taken in the past ten days."
Tom gave a smug smile. "Abigail has demonstrated that she has the ability to carry this account forward." He gave her a wink and a smile, both of which annoyed her. "She's a top notch Investment Advisor and your account would enjoy continuing growth under her guidance."
Zac nodded, returning his attention on her, his gaze drifting over her. "It would, I agree. I've been well aware of her skills and her potential, from the evidence that has been coming through to our offices."
Her face heated. When did this meeting turn into being about me?
"Ms. Douglas is very thorough," Zac continued. "Gifted." His eyes grew darker. He was obviously thinking of something other than work.
She wanted to slap him.
He must have sensed her change of mood, because he took on a more serious expression. "Your judgments have been excellent and we benefited greatly from your management. It was also apparent that you might have been under a lot of pressure, assuming sole control at such short notice from your boss?"
Not surprisingly, Tom frowned at that remark.
What was his point, she wondered. He certainly seemed to be leading this somewhere, but she couldn't figure out where. And she couldn't avoid his direct question.
"I haven't had any real problems...although I have had a few unexpected issues to deal with." She sent him a stern look. She was trying to indicate her annoyance with him, but it didn't come out that way. The remark only served to remind them both of their week burning up the sheets.
His expression warmed and his mouth curled imperceptibly. Then Penny shuffled in her chair, harrumphing loudly, and both Zac and Abby turned toward her, drawn by the noise.
Penny glared at Abby with a gray-eyed warning, a tense, tight-lipped mouth.
Oh my, she thinks I'm referring to her and Ed. Abby felt a laugh coming on and turned away, trying to quell it.
Mercifully, Zac began to speak, once again directing his words at Tom. "However, despite the excellent work that has been done with the Foundation's investments by Ms. Douglas, I'm not planning to renew the contract with your company."
An awkward silence followed.
"Might I ask why?" Tom asked, cautiously.
"Of course. My Mother was forced to take early retirement due to poor health. The Ashburn Foundation was her company. She wanted to pass it to me at a time when I was busy with other commitments. We needed someone to monitor the investments in the interim." He looked at Abby, letting her know this was for her benefit.
She stared at him in amazement, trying to take everything in and slot it into place.
"I want to take the portfolio back at this point, an option my Mother had written into the contract...with your agreement." He paused and glanced at Abby again. "I would, however, like to offer Ms. Douglas the opportunity to continue sole responsibility for the investments that she has managed so well, but under the auspices of our own organization. I would like her to return with the portfolio to our company...to become part of our team."
He stared at Abby openly, all his cards on the table.
Her heart fluttered to a stop. She felt weak. She remembered him pouring her champagne, the day after she had traded the domain company shares in, the same day she'd proposed the property bid. He'd been celebrating with her then and having a quiet joke about it, without her knowing.
Her stomach churned, she felt shaky. Everything was so focused on her that she thought she was goin
g to crack and run from the room. She thought her heart had stopped beating, aware that everyone in the room had fallen quiet, but unable to break eye contact with Zac.
He smiled at her, making an intimate connection.
Penny let out an exasperated groan.
Ed's pen fell to the table.
