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Jess bit her lip. “Er, well…”
“Okay, fine. I’m late.”
Again.
“Carl is stalling them.”
“Carl? I’ll have to peel his lips from their asses.” I dumped my purse and glasses on my desk, chugged some water and chased it with coffee, then strode back out of my office. Jess scurried to keep up.
I held out my hand. “Art.”
She handed me the leather-bound portfolio from the art department she’d had tucked under her arm.
“Is it what I wanted?” I asked.
“You haven’t looked at it?”
“Is it what I asked for?”
“Well, yes…”
“Great.”
Outside the conference door, I forced my headache to take five and heaved another breath. “How do I look?”
“Perfect.”
“You’re an angel. Wish me luck.”
Without waiting for a reply, I pushed open the conference room door. On the table’s huge expanse of polished wood were the remnants of coffee and pastries. Three executives from Nestle were looking about ready to murder Carl, a junior client liaison, doing his kiss-ass soft shoe.
“Gentlemen.” I breezed inside. “Thank you for waiting. Carl.”
I gave him a you-can-go-now look. He returned an affronted glance. “You’re welcome,” he murmured and slipped out.
“We have meetings with two other potential agencies today, Ms. Benson,” said Mr. Nevinson of Nestle Corp. He tapped his Rolex meaningfully. This guy was the decision-maker. The snake I needed to charm.
“Well, aren’t you lucky you’re seeing me first?” I flashed him a brilliant smile and opened the portfolio. “Gentlemen, I’m about to clear your schedule.”
“Ms. Benson…? Faith?”
A light touch on my arm roused me from a dream in which the hot stranger from last night was tapping my forehead with a ball peen hammer.
“Hmmm?”
I jerked awake, disoriented. Jess set a glass of water and two Advil on my desk, where I’d been sleeping, my head pillowed on my arms.
“Terrance wants to see you.”
“What for?”
“He didn’t say, but the Nestle people have signed.”
“Already?” I rubbed my aching temples. “What am I saying? Of course they have.”
Naturally, I’d slayed the pitch. By the time I was through with them, dour Mr. Nevinson was laughing and inviting me to play tennis at the club.
I downed the Advil and chased it with a swig of water. A hand mirror appeared in my line of vision along with a Kleenex.
