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Drew
Good. I do. Travis to the rescue. I’m going to invite Viola too. Don’t worry, I’ll force her to be nice. I’m hoping she can get info from Mia. Be my recon.
Travis
Fine. Do you ever stop working? You should be a detective, not a cop.
I laugh as I hit send, then force myself to get out of the car.
Entering the building, I take the stairs two at a time because I want to feel my body being pushed to the edge. Once on my floor, I walk past the administrative assistant's desk and give her a smile before I go to my office. As soon as I boot up my computer, Blake storms in without knocking.
“King.” He takes a sip of his coffee.
I’m really not in the mood for his bullshit today, but I put on a fake smile and wait.
“Crawford was impressed with your reporting. He actually asked if you could see him as soon as you arrived this morning.” Blake’s face is glum, and I know it chaps his ass that I received any sort of recognition.
“Like right now?”
Blake nods his head before walking away annoyed. I drop everything and make my way to the tenth floor, where the executive offices are. I’m trying to gain control of myself as I knock on the closed door. My palms are sweaty, and I can’t remember the last time that happened.
“Come in,” a rough voice says from the other side.
I put on a smile and open the door and see Sloan sitting behind his desk in a nicely tailored suit. His white hair is slicked to the side, and his face is cleanly shaven. As I step in, I see Alyssa sitting in front of her daddy’s oak desk. My mood instantly drops. She turns and looks at me and gives me a wink. I don’t let the smile on my face falter. I have to push our secret aside and be strictly professional.
“Sit, son.” Sloan is the type of man who doesn’t waste time, so for him to even offer a pause before speaking freaks me the hell out. Alyssa crosses her legs, her skirt riding up her thigh, and leans toward me when I sit. I shift my body away from her, trying to make it unapparent.
“I’ve given Alyssa the digital division of the European account.”
I wait because I know this isn’t what I was called up here for. There’s more coming.
“But she insists this account should be a co-project and that you’d be the perfect candidate. I looked over the reporting you completed Friday, and I have to agree with her assessment.”
Alyssa is playing games, and her father is putty in her hand. He smiles at her proudly, and I know she has his balls in one hand and mine in the other. But this isn’t the type of project a person refuses, so I suck up the bullshit and smile. I guess we’ll be partners. The thought makes me sick.
“Travis is going to be so helpful. I’m really excited for him to join me on this project, Sloan.”
In professional settings, Alyssa is known to call her father by his first name. I’ve always found it odd, but he smiles at his daughter, his only child, the one who will inherit it all if she can prove herself to the company. We both want and need recognition in this industry, and though I don’t like the idea of it, I’ll do whatever is necessary because I do deserve this opportunity. I’ve worked countless late nights and weekends over the last year with little recognition from Blake. This could be my only chance.
Sloan cracks a small smile. “Mr. King, you’re now partially in control of the digital division of the European accounts. It’s a large venture, but I believe you and Alyssa will do a superb job planning and executing greatness. There’ll be countless hours of digital marketing, branding, online meetings, and making sure our clients know why we’re one of the world’s best marketing agencies. You’ll have a team to work with, but that’ll come later. The two of you need a solid plan. I’d like a report by the end of the week. I’ll have the director of digital marketing send you a list of our current clients so you two can start compiling our award-winning strategy right away.”
“Thank you for the opportunity, sir. I won’t let you down.” Standing, I hold out my hand, and he gives me a firm handshake in return. It’s a promise I intend to keep but thinking about the amount of work I’ll be doing alone doesn’t please me. I foresee sixty-hour weeks for an indefinite time period. Considering Alyssa's involved and my name is all over it, failing isn’t an option.
“I’ve already let Mr. James know that you’ll be taking on the project and to redistribute your other work,” Sloan says as I’m walking out the door.
Moments later, Alyssa is running down the hallway toward me, but I keep walking.
“Now we can officially spend more time together,” she says, way too excited about the project. I knew it. I refuse to do all the work while she sits around in her designer clothes that Daddy bought and looks pretty. This is a co-project but one that needs two people actually working. I continue to the elevator as she speaks. Doing this to spend time with me is pathetic and I already don’t like it. But I’ll swallow my distaste and work with her.
She grabs my arm and I pull it from her. “Alyssa,” I say calmly.
She’s looking me up and down like she would jump my bones in the elevator if I let her. I’m not playing hard to get, but for some reason, I think she believes I am. Instead of starting off on the wrong foot, considering I’ll be partnering with her, I just exhale slowly and regain my thoughts while giving her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she really believes I’ll be an asset to the project, but I’ll never know the truth. It bothers me more than it should. “Thanks for referring me. I really appreciate it.”
She lifts her eyebrows and traces her bottom lip with her tongue. “You’re welcome, babe.”
Once the elevator doors close, she brushes her fake tits against my chest and stands on her tiptoes to steal a kiss. My dick instantly reacts, but we can’t do this. Not here, not in the elevator that’s eventually going to stop and open on our floor. With this project, the dynamic of our relationship has to change regardless of the attention she’s starving for. Work must come first. I’ll have to push her away slowly as we move forward with our project.
I put my hand on her hip and whisper in her ear, trying to hold her off. “Later.”
