Page 26 of Billionaire Boss's One Night Stand

I would show my parents that I wasn’t a failure waiting to happen. That they could tell their friends their daughter was a high-level specialist for a company in New York. I would never give up the chance to show Becca that this wasn’t a prank or a bluff or a lie.

I spent too many years going nowhere back in Hamming. After I graduated high school and worked at the local diner, saving up for college, I had to give up my savings to “support” Becca for her wedding. That was what a good, loving sister would do, according to my parents who damn near browbeat me into going along with that plan. Then her wedding was postponed, and she needed more things added to it, more expensive items.

Because I assumed she would pay me back, or Dan would once they married, I went along with giving up my self-earned college savings. My parents blew the college savings they’d set aside for me on Becca’s wanting to go in and out of countless programs. First, she enrolled in cosmetology school. Then some kind of medical coding program that was “too boring” for her. And on and on. She used up all that my parents had saved, leaving none for me.

Once I ponied up my money and realized I might never see it again, I buckled down to volunteer and work two jobs to save up for college. That was why it took me so long to graduate. I started late.

And it was all for this—total freedom from my sister. The complete lack of responsibility to give anything to my family when they didn’t care about me in return.

I couldn’t screw this up, and I vowed not to. Especially at the big meeting next week. We’d been preparing and coming together as a team for a month now to structure a preliminary presentation for the Gammon people. Our first direct meeting was coming up soon, and instead of being nervous, I embraced the giddy excitement of action.

This would be my first professional presentation, the initial time I could show my skills and how I could handle this corporate world of marketing and PR.

“It’s going to be fine,” I coached myself as I headed to bed.

I’d keep my head up high and avoid all this drama at the office. Matt could go on being a grump. Tom could keep flirting with me, and I’d dismiss it like I had been.

Come hell or high water, I would not fail. All I needed to do was focus on the job and get it done.

10

MATT

Negotiations like the ones we’d engage in with the Gammon representatives could take up to a year. The more complex the needs of a potential client, the more meetings and discussions were expected to be had.

I counted on a few months of back and forth with them to secure their account. They only sought a marketing firm for one company, one brand of products. If they wanted us to take over more, then other arrangements could be made later on. In fact, I looked forward to that being a possibility, that as the new CEO, I would be in charge of delegating new teams and crews to handle more of the Gammon needs.

For now, we had to get through the hurdle of the first meeting. The team got together for the last week of the month to prep and rehearse this very situation. I had faith in the guys. Rupert, Brad, Eli, and Tom collaborated well with each other. They had with Janice as our fifth wheel to round it out, too. Loren was a new addition, but other than Tom’s annoying habit of hitting on her, she fit in all right.

Not with me, of course, but that was another matter I didn’t have time for. I had no patience for her to get defensive. Orstubborn. I loathed pushovers, but at the same time, Iwasthe boss.

We headed to the Gammon building together, and I was confident we could impress them. Nothing was set in stone. We left a lot of leeway for changes, counting on their feedback at this early stage of brainstorming and mapping out criteria of what they were looking for. Still, we came prepared with enough meat on the bones. We weren’t emptyhanded, showing up and expectant for general direction. I liked to come on strong and preemptively offer visions of what we could offer or adjust.

“I like that,” Eli said as we waited for an elevator to descend for us in the Gammon building.

I had to stifle my need to avoid them now. I couldn’t damn well take the stairs and let the team ride up the twenty floors without me.

We all looked over at Eli as he pointed at his head, indicating to Loren, whom he’d complimented, that he was praising her elaborate braids.

I’d noticed them too, wondering how long it had taken her to perfect it.Did she wake up early, too nervous to sleep in her first big meeting working for me?Those twisted strands of gold had to have required an hour of attention, with how thick and long her waves were.

“Thanks, Eli.” She smiled sweetly at him.

“Looks beautiful,” Tom added quickly.

I rolled my eyes. That man couldn’t let anyone compliment her without trying to one-up what they said.

“I don’t know about that,” Loren argued. “But they’re neat and make me feel ready to tackle this meeting.”

I saw the merit in that. Her hair was back almost in a warrior manner, like she was battle ready and wouldn’t let something like her hair be a trivial distraction. Athletes did hairstyles like this. And it was beautiful. I liked it best when she left it down,tumbling over her shoulders. Now that my attention was on her, I couldn’t help but imagine messing up the fine knots and twists until it was a wavy curtain.

Spread over my pillow, too. As she reached?—

No. Stop.

I exhaled hard through my nose, proud that I was at least getting quicker at dismissing these errant thoughts about her, these wandering visions of her similar to the night I’d met her.

“How about after this meeting, we celebrate with lunch?” Tom asked her.

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