Page 36 of Their Greatest Strength

Her green eyes are deep and guarded when she slowly turns her head and stares up at me. I almost reach for my chest again. Not out of fear of her commanding my heart to fall into her hand, but that I’ll end up ripping it out myself and gifting it to her.

“Thank you for making it easy, Pretty Boy.”

12

BLAKELY

The door opensas I finally get the words out, leaving Jamie no time to reply to them. It’s a blessing, really.

I shouldn’t have said anything at all. The last thing he needs is more confidence or any sort of hint that I’m beginning to enjoy his company. No, I’m not falling for him, but friendship doesn’t seem too far in the distance, and I fear that’s as scary as love.

Having him directly at my back does make it easier to face the man now in front of me. From the three-piece suit to the glistening silver Rolex on his wrist, he screams wealth in a way I’ll never be able to truly comprehend.

“Blakely, I assume?” he asks, peering down his nose at me. Not in a rude way, just . . . like he knows he’s got an advantage over me.

I refuse to look weak in front of him or any one of the men coming after him as I tilt my head back and answer, “Yes. And you are?”

Jamie leaves his position at my back, settling at my side instead. I feel the ghost of his palm as he hovers it over my back, not making contact.

“This is Briggs. He’s the lawyer I told you about.”

Right. If only I remembered a single thing from the summaryJamie gave me in the elevator on the way up here. My skull is full of hot air right now, not a lick of knowledge to be found.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I manage to say.

The lawyer shifts out of the doorway and gestures for us to come inside. “Likewise. Come in, everyone is here and ready for discussion.”

“PR is here?” Jamie asks, hovering in place.

His hand makes contact with my back, and I suck in a breath at the blistering heat coming from it.

Briggs nods sharply. “Everyone is here that you insisted be.”

“Why PR?” It’s out before I can zip my lips shut.

“You need to know everything required of you before you sign off on this. From today to our wedding and afterward. I don’t want any surprises for either of us,” Jamie says, a sharp edge to the words. A warning, maybe.

If it is one, Briggs reads it loud and clear. “We hear you.”

Jamie flashes a smile. “Perfect.”

I follow his lead, putting all my limited trust in the hope that he won’t turn out to be a piece of shit after all.

We enter the office, and I’m immediately hit with a sharp sense of inferiority. I’ve never been around so many different successful men before. It’s like being suspended above a tank of piranhas and hoping that the rope around your waist doesn’t snap.

The bulky man behind the massive desk must be Graham Warren, while the leaner one resting his back against it looks too much like a coach to be anyone else. It’s not even the windbreaker with the BC Pythons logo on it, but just an overall aura. Like he’s the guy who’s capable of demanding a team with not only power and success but respect.

Then, there’s Briggs and a—woman.

Naturally, I drink in her presence and take it as a good sign. She appears completely calm and collected, lounging on the white leather couch with one leg slung over the other beneath a slim-fitting pencil skirt. Her pink blouse is professional but stillcute, and her bright red hair is swept back into a professional bun that draws attention to her plump cheeks and lips lined with a soft blush colour.

She adjusts her position on the couch and offers me a warm smile. “Hi, Blakely. Since nobody else has decided to do it, I’ll introduce myself to you first. I’m Sadie, and I’m so happy to meet you. Thank you for taking the time to come down here tonight.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Sadie.”

“Sadie’s the one with all the answers,” Jamie chimes in. “And she’s the nicest one in this room. Other than myself, of course. But you already knew that.”

Sadie looks to the other men. “Cocky as he is, he’s not wrong. The others will be on their best behaviour. Right, Graham?”

---