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“About why you left without saying goodbye or giving me your name.”
Martha swallowed. “I should go.”
“What?”
“I just started this job, and I really don’t want to get fired for hijacking Mr. Banks’ meeting. He’s here to meet up with you, our new investor, and I doubt he’s happy about the fact that you whisked me away to talk about this.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “What else did you want me to do?”
Martha took a step back and cleared her throat. “I should go and make sure his table is ready and all of the details are in order. I can’t afford to lose this job.”
Before I could say anything else, she brushed past me, and I caught another whiff of her floral perfume. I stilled against the onslaught of memories bombarding me one after the other. I resisted the urge to pull her back against me and instead wheeled around to watch her duck into the banquet hall. I saw her hurry in, her head ducked, and make a beeline for one of the reserved tables in the back.
When I blinked, Banks stood in front of me arms crossed over his chest. “What was that about?”
I swung my gaze back to him. “Nothing important.”
“She’s my assistant, Mr. Arkwright. Don’t think about stealing her for yourself.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
Banks’ eyebrows knitted together. “So, what did you want to talk about?”
“Ms. Auden and I knew each other once,” I replied after a brief pause. “We were just…catching up.”
Banks let his arms fall to his sides, and he pressed his lips together. “Is that going to be a problem? I don’t like mixing business with pleasure. If Ms. Auden’s presence is a problem, I can have that taken care of.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s nothing to worry about.”
Banks came to stand next to me and clapped me on the back. “Excellent. I hate it when women get in the way of things, as they tend to do. Now, about that deal—”
“It would be rude to discuss business before we’ve even had the chance to enjoy the banquet. Don’t you agree, Mr. Banks?”
Once we stepped through the doorway, Banks stepped away and looked over at me. “I’m a straight shooter, Mr. Arkwright. I don’t believe in beating about the bush.”
I reached for a glass of champagne from one of the trays being held and served by uniformed waiters. “And I don’t believe in conducting business without knowing all the details first. You invited me to the banquet hall, and I intend to enjoy it.”
Even if it meant being so close to Martha and not being able to do anything about it. Having her somewhere in the same room, oblivious of the effect she had on me, was difficult, but causing a scene wasn’t an option. Not when I could tell how much this job and staying on her boss’ good side meant to her.
Regardless of how I felt about seeing her, I couldn’t do that to her.
Banks nodded and reached for his own glass of champagne. “You’re right. Enjoy the banquet. We can talk business later.”
“There are still a lot of details to discuss,” I added, eyeing him over the rim of my glass. He was glancing around the room, hungrily looking at all of the women in sight, all of whom promptly ignored him.
Banks was not the kind of person I wanted to deal with.
Business or otherwise.
Only a few minutes into the banquet, I could already tell he had other things on his mind. Not only did he strike me as the sort of man who preyed on women, but he also didn’t come off as the kind of businessman who could help me take my company to the next level. However, there was no denying the power ofGent’sor the kind of influence it had as a magazine.
Turning away from this kind of business investment because I disliked the editor-in-chief was stupid.
Yet, I still found myself reluctant to invest.
Instead, the two of us stood there, making small talk while conversation rose and fell around us. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Martha sticking out in a sea of unfamiliar faces as she made a beeline for us. She whispered something to her boss, and he gave her a lewd smile that had annoyance bursting through me.
Eventually, she drifted away, and I saw her go up a flight of stairs before she disappeared out of sight. As soon as she did, I downed the rest of my drink and made my excuses. For the rest of the night, I did my best to steer clear of Martha, wanting to respect her wishes and wondering what I was meant to do now.
