Page 3 of Four Weddings and a Baby Shower

Chapter Two

Liam

Her appointment was at three. Leave it to Silver to take the last appointment of the day. She was probably nursing a hangover. Cheap wine was the worst. I admit, I was worried after I heard about her firing. And even more worried when I saw her worn and tattered at the grocery store. But I could still see the fight in her eyes. That was my girl. She was a fighter. I knew that better than anyone. And it still turned me on to this day. She was one of the few people in the world that could rile me. I relished that.

I looked at my watch for the fifth time in the last hour. Did time slow down when you were waiting for someone? I think so. Ten minutes to three. Let’s see if unemployment had caused her to slack or scurry. My phone buzzed.

Scurry, it was.

“Yes?” I answered on speaker.

“Miss Silver Warren is here for her interview,” my assistant said.

“Thanks. Send her in.”

I sat back and waited for the fireworks. Silver would not be happy to see me again so soon. Or maybe at all. I still hadn’t figured that part out yet.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” I said.

The door cracked open and slowly widened. I stood up. In walks Silver, dressed in her best business attire, looking the way I’d always remembered her. Hot, sexy, savvy and all business. Well, mostly all business for now. I chuckled inwardly.One step at a time, Liam.

Her smile was warm, broad, and well-practiced. It faded fast.

“Liam? What are you...? Is this some sort of joke?”

“Nice to see you too, Silver. Please, have a seat.” I gestured to one of the chairs opposite my desk.

She remained standing, tall and mighty. Mighty pissed off.

“What the hell is going on here? I thought this was for a job interview? What kind of game are you playing?”

“Calm down. And please, sit down. This is a job interview. I’ll explain everything.”

She eyed the chair suspiciously before finally balancing her luscious butt on the edge of the seat.Focus, Liam, focus.

“Start talking, buddy,” she said in a terse voice.

At least she’d sat down. “I started this company a few months ago. I got tired of working to make other people rich and wanted to build something. Hence, Chase Enterprises, my newest creation.”

I could almost see the daggers of steel coming out of her eyes at me. “Why didn’t you just tell me last night?”

I shrugged. “I wasn’t sure you’d show up. I really wanted a chance to discuss the opportunities here in a professional environment. Not the local grocery mart.”

She relaxed a little, scooting back into the chair and crossing her long legs in front of her. I felt that familiar hint of arousal that always seemed to accost me when I was around Silver. Down boy. Back to business now. “Are you still with me?” I asked.

“Keep talking,” she commanded. She retrieved a pen and pad of paper from her briefcase and looked up at me. “I’m ready.”

I tried not to think of what those words could mean under different circumstances. It was hard, though, no pun intended. “I’m trying to land the Magnum Hotels account. I don’t know what happened to get you fired, but I know you’re a top sales person. I believe the two of us can work together to bring them on board.” Of course, I did know why she was fired. That was vintage Silver.

“The Magnum account? You mean the one you stole from me?”

“I didn’t steal it from you. I won it fair and square. And then the bastards at Telaros cheated me out of my commission. So, I quit and started this company.”

Silver shifted in her seat with a satisfied smile. Her skirt rode just a tad bit higher on her thigh. “I call that karma.”

“I intend to get Magnum back. They belong to me, not some fat-cat chain smoking executive who never lifted a finger to secure the account.”

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