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I attempt to grab her attention, but she keeps her eyes lowered to her screen and doesn’t even acknowledge we are in the room at all.
I slip into the seat beside Troy and note how business-like he is as he sits straight and regards Mr. Wilmslow with cool detachment.
Ten minutes later, I am bored as fuck. I don’t even know what they are talking about. It’s as if they have a secret language that only rich, powerful men practice. It’s difficult to stop yawning, especially due to my lack of sleep and the strange evening last night. My attention drifts to Adonis, and I wonder what he is doing now. Probably terrorizing some poor unfortunate soul because he looked as if he enjoys torturing people for a living.
He was certainly hot, I’ll give him that, but there was an underlying current of terror surrounding him that reminded me he was not a man to mess with. I compare him to the man besideme now, and yet there really is no comparison. One is wild and wicked, and my body was strangely desperate to test out its attraction to what would obviously be a dirty encounter. Then there’s Troy. Polished perfection with the soul of Satan, a man who probably expects his women on their knees in front of him after having showered first.
It amuses me to think of his idea of sex. Probably in a sterile environment with no emotion attached. I can’t ever imagine him doing normal things like walking in the dark and bringing home a trail of mud on his shoes, or working up a sweat as he runs for the bus.
I am so deep in my daydream I lose all sense of time and am surprised when Troy kicks me sharply under the table, dragging my attention back to the business in hand.
CHAPTER 18
TROY
Laura is somewhere else entirely, and it’s irritating the shit out of me. While Harken drones on about how successful his company is, my attention is fixed firmly on my assistant beside me. I’m not sure why she fills the room with her presence. It’s as if a light follows her wherever she goes that blinds me. I don’t want her on my mind—at all. That’s not what this is about, but her scent is wafting toward me like a potion designed to trap a man’s soul and she intrigues me.
I hate that her attention is on something else entirely and I wonder about her life. I had the usual background check ran, and it threw up a rather boring existence. No social life to speak of and a job involving caring for animals. Hardly the stuff to interest me, and I prepared myself for a few months of boredom ahead. However, when she stood in front of me today in defiance, it stirred something inside me that I wasn’t expecting.
Interest.
I am jealous of her thoughts because it’s obvious she’s thinking of something that causes her eyes to sparkle and places a dreamy, soft smile on her face. So, I kick her hard to grab her attention and I love the slight flush of anger that replaces the soft smile as she glares at me.
She straightens up as Harken drones on about figures as his assistant taps furiously away on her computer. Unusually, I am not invested in this meeting at all and so when the man stops for breath, I say quickly, “Harken, I have heard enough. Place your order with the sales department and I will instruct them we have a discount structure agreed. For every ten million components you order, you will get a five percent discount, capped at twenty percent. They will advise you on the logistics.
His eyes widen because he was hoping for ten percent at the start, but I didn’t get where I am today by allowing my profits to drain away and he stutters, “Five percent. That seriously eats into my profit. I’m doubtful I can remain competitive.”
I shake my head as if I’m talking to an imbecile.
“Your competitors are undercutting your prices with sub-standard products. Their returns will be vast due to underperforming components whereas yours will be of the finest quality, which I shouldn’t have to remind you pays dividends in the long run. Reliability is a key factor in any purchase and people expect to pay more for a premium product. Your advertising department will take care of that for you, and I urge you to increase your prices on the back of it.”
I fix him with a hard stare and say firmly, “Be better than your competitors, Harken. Be the one they copy and don’t get into a price war because your business will be the casualty of that.”
It annoys me that I need to give this man a basic lecture on business, so I stand and hold out my hand.
“Good day. That is my final offer.”
He stands, attempting to disguise his bewilderment and I hate the way he hasn’t acknowledged Laura at all. She may as well be invisible beside me, which is just downright rude in my opinion.
I glance toward his assistant, who still hasn’t raised her eyes from her laptop, and I sigh inside.
I hate companies like this and despite being the coldest bastard on the planet, I do at least reward and acknowledge my staff. This woman looks fucking terrified, and I can’t wait to get out of here.
I head toward the door and Laura follows behind me and as I reach it, I open the door and step to the side, allowing her to pass through it before me. I willnotbe that bastard we’ve left behind. Common courtesy counts for a lot and, if anything, it reminds me how quickly I am forgetting that.
We head to the elevator and once we are inside, I say sharply, “What did you think of him?”
“Not a lot.” She shrugs. “He was obviously nervous and gave off serious, needy vibes. He was also rude to his staff and didn’t look in my direction once. I’m surprised you bother to do with business with creeps like that.”
It makes me laugh and I lean against the wall and regard her with a softening attitude. “And I thought you weren’t listening.”
“Then you were correct.”
She shrugs, “I’m not going to lie, I zoned out there for a while. Thanks for bringing me back into the room.”
She raises her eyes. “You seriously hurt my ankle by the way. I could sue you for assault.”
The fact she’s smiling tells me she’s kidding, and this time I shrug.
