Page 20 of The Romance Library

I was so sick of my father always questioning my abilities. But it wouldn’t be for much longer. As I pictured the day I was named CEO, a smile touched my lips. Knowing that soon I’d be the one calling the shots here was the only thing that kept me going.

Eaves Enterprises would become better under my leadership. But first I had to win this pitch.

Explaining the vision would be straightforward. But what I hadn’t accounted for was the other fluffy stuff the vendor wanted, like explaining how these flats would benefit the community.

Clearly our apartments would elevate the area by attracting a more discerning clientele, which would boost the local economy. Saying that should be good enough. But I got the feeling that this Edwin guy expected more than that.

I dragged my hand over my face. Although I knew I’d have to think about it, I had other work to do, so I couldn’t let this one pitch consume me.

Just as I was about to call my architect about another site I was working on, a message flashed up on my phone.

Edwin

Hello. Good to meet you earlier. I’d like you to join me for dinner tomorrow evening at Sunshine Bay’s finest restaurant. Please meet at Seaview High at 7.30 p.m. and we’ll go there together.

Best,

Edwin

A groan flew from my mouth. Great. I wasn’t expecting the schmoozing to start so soon.

I wondered if this would be a one-to-one meeting or if he’d invited Jessica too. My pulse quickened and I told myself to calm down. It didn’t matter if she was coming or not. She was my competitor.

The fact that for some strange reason I found her attractive was irrelevant. There could be no emotions involved, so I needed to get the stupid flashbacks of the way she looked in that skirt, the curve of her arse and her tempting full lips out of my head.

I’d go to the dinner with Edwin tomorrow night and if she was there, I’d show her what I already knew: that she was out of her depth.

Even with the help of that Cecil guy, Jessica was going to lose.

I’d do everything I could to make sure of it.

7

Jess

Istepped out of the train station into the cool evening air. I hadn’t had a chance to even think about getting my car fixed.

I’d spent hours at Cecil’s office yesterday going through the paperwork and confirming my new role. As well as giving me the five-hundred-pound ‘consultancy fee’ as promised, he’d handed me a phone and a laptop to use.

After I’d got home, showered and eaten and messaged Sarah, I’d fallen asleep. Then I’d had to get up at the crack of dawn to do my last cleaning shift, followed by an afternoon bar shift where I’d happily said I was leaving.

None of my bosses were happy about me quitting at such short notice, and it felt risky to give up those jobs without knowing whether or not I’d secure the site, but I’d decided that to stand a chance of winning this pitch, I had to give it my all. And I couldn’t do that if I was exhausted from working in multiple places. Plus Cecil had said he’d arrange for the first month’s salary to be paid into my account by the end of the week, which was amazing. It would be so nice not to worry about money for a change.

I’d tried to do research on the train journey to Sunshine Bay, but the train Wi-Fi kept dropping. From tomorrow, though, the proper work would begin. I was determined to nail this pitch.

As I walked to the site, my thoughts turned to tonight. I wondered if Edwin had invited Theodore or if this would be a one-to-one kind of dinner. It didn’t matter, though. I wasn’t going to be distracted by Theodore’s intoxicating scent, his muscular arms or those hypnotic eyes.

Men were trouble. Especially good-looking men like him. All I needed to do was focus on winning over Edwin. Theodore wasn’t important.

Luckily Seaview High was only a fifteen-minute walk from the station. When I arrived, I saw a flashy sports car in the car park.

Great. Theodore was here. And he’d arrived before me. That meant he’d had more time to bond with Edwin. Shit.

As I entered the building and heard the sound of laughter echoing through the corridor, my stomach sank. I knocked on the door.

‘Come in!’ I knew it was Edwin who’d replied. I remembered Theodore’s voice being much deeper and smoother. The kind of voice I’d imagine hearing on a steamy audiobook.

Theodore’s accent was posh but not in that plummy Hugh Grant kind of way. It was kind of… hot.

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