Page 27 of Protecting Bianca

She looked up. “Hey.”

“How’s that virtual event going?”

She frowned. “It’s not. Everyone’s over the virtual meetings. Only two people RSVP’d. I told Mr. Towers we will have to postpone the launch.”

Ah. That was the rush, then. He didn’t want to keep his business back.

“Can I sit?” I asked, pointing to the chair in front of her desk.

She waved me over. “Please.”

I leaned back and crossed my ankle over my knee. “If the virtual meeting won’t work, and I don’t like the idea of having a bunch of strangers in the office, what else can we do?”

She leaned back and tapped her finger against her lip, and I couldn’t help but stare.

Did she do that on purpose?

“What if we hold the event at a public place like a restaurant?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think a public place makes it any safer.”

She nodded, then grinned. “What if we keep the location a secret from the press? I tell the media the date and time and then send a car to pick them up and drop them off at the event?”

“That could work.”

“Yes, it could.” Her eyes lit up. “Everyone will wonder where the event will take place and all the speculation can be good for publicity, too. It makes it more exclusive.”

“I just need to vet all the invitees.”

“I can get a list of names and publications to you this afternoon.”

“All right. But schedule the event in two weeks from now. I’ll need some time to prepare for this.”

“Of course, me too. But it’ll be great.” She grinned, and the excitement on her face was enough to make all the extra hours of planning worth it. “I’ll go tell Mr. Towers the good news.”

She rose from her desk, and I watched her leave. But as soon as she reached her door, she turned to look over her shoulder. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For coming. I know we didn’t end well…but…it’s good to have you here.”

“Of course.” I forced a smile on my face to match hers and kept it on until she turned and walked away.

I know we didn’t end well…

That was certainly an understatement. I’d left her a note, pouring my heart out to her, and she never bothered to answer it.

Yeah, I’d say it ended pretty badly. At least it had for me.

8

Bianca

This could possibly be the stupidest thing I’d ever done.

Steadying my hand, I applied my eyeliner in the bathroom mirror. Despite the open window, there was still a bit of steam, so I wiped the mirror with the side of my hand. It squeaked, but the visibility improved.

I puckered my lips and checked for any pink gloss smudges. It looked fine.

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