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“They can’t officially sign the contracts until the vote,” Bruce added. “But you should have no trouble securing verbal agreements. We just need to keep them happy until they mark their ballots.”
“Consider it done.” Hunter started toward the door.
“Hunter.” Bruce’s bushy eyebrows pulled together. “Aren’t you going to ask what will happen if you fail?”
“I never fail.” He left the room.
Juliette laughed, a hard abrupt sound echoing behind him.
Returning to his office, Hunter stopped at his assistant’s desk. “Margaret, get me a Monday flight into San Francisco, a car rental, and a hotel in a town called Bliss Cove, south of Santa Cruz.”
“Certainly.” She adjusted her glasses and peered at the computer.
Hunter glanced at his Rolex. Only four-thirty, but he was taking Victoria Davenport to the Rainbow Room tonight. She was potential marriage material, even if her father was a slumlord who illegally subdivided his properties to maximize profits.
“I’m taking off for a few hours.” He strode past Margaret’s desk. “I’ll be back tonight around ten.”
“I won’t,” she called after him.
Hunter went into his office and started packing up his briefcase. A light knock came at the door. Juliette entered, the epitome of cool poise.
“Congratulations.” She stopped in front of his desk.
“I haven’t closed the deal yet.” He tossed a stack of folders into his briefcase.
“You will.”
“Compared to Manhattan Row, this will be like playing with Legos.” Hunter snapped his briefcase closed. “What else is Imperial planning for Bliss Cove?”
“That will be up to you, I suppose.” Leaning forward, she rested her hands on his desk. “Why else would Dad insist you be the one to close the deal? It’s clear he wants you to be CEO of Imperial when he retires.”
“What about you?”
“Oh, I’m in the running. I’m just not thefrontrunner.” She rolled her eyes and straightened. “I’ll spare you the garbage about both nepotism and glass ceilings. Since it looks like you’ll be running Imperial soon, I wanted to assure you that you will also havemyfull support. I’d be happy to help you with the Mariposa deal in any way you’d like.”
Hunter nodded his thanks and picked up his car keys. “Anything else?”
“Would you like to have dinner tonight?”
Wary, he lifted his head to look at her. She’d given off plenty ofinterestedvibes over the years, but she’d never made a direct move.
She met his gaze. A hint of uncertainty gleamed in her eyes.
“You have a project you need to talk about?” he asked.
“No. God.” She expelled a breath, her jaw tensing. “I’m asking you out socially. On a date. You do know what a date is, don’t you?”
“Thank you for the offer, but I have plans tonight.”
“Look, Hunter, it’s not that complicated.” Juliette huffed out a laugh and ran her hands over her hips. “We’ve been working together for a long time. We both hold top executive positions in a company my father started. Together, we can expand Imperial Properties and turn it into an international leader in property development.”
She picked a nonexistent piece of lint off her sleeve. “And if we get to know each other outside of work and discover that we also get along personally, we have the potential to be a very powerful couple.”
It wasn’t a bad proposition. Juliette was intelligent and beautiful. She had an exceptional handle on real estate and property development. She checked all the boxes Hunter had when imagining a future wife. She’d lock in another piece of his puzzle.
“Think about it while you’re in California.” Juliette moved away from his desk. “Consider it a business proposition.”
“What else would it be?”
