Sucking in my breath, I stare into his golden eyes. “You’re not wrong. Despite my best intentions, I can’t resist you when you’re all growly and over-confident.”
He smiles. “And now?”
I pull my hand from his and push my chair back, prepared to leave before I admit my truth. Not only can I not resist him, but with this one little glimpse behind the perfect veneer he wears, I’ve fallen completely in love.
He chuckles, but lets me round the desk out of his reach. “You really want to help me plan this dinner?”
“Yes,” I say from the threshold between our offices. “That and any other tasks you need cleared off your plate. This is not a slight against Coulter, but you don’t give yourself enough credit. You forget, I’ve been here since you guys took over, and Manning Industries wouldn’t be pushing capacity if not for you and all of your PR, marketing, and sales ideas. A shiny Ivy League MBA looks pretty on the wall, but I think you’re very impressive with your state university degree. At least you went to and finished school, unlike some of us.” I flash him my teasing smile with a challenging raise of my brow—the one I know will pull him out of his funk and light a fire under his ass.
“Don’t tell anyone about my insecurities, okay?” He rolls his shoulders back and sits up straight, renewed confidence radiating off of him. I had no idea he could fake it so well, and now my heart melts a little more.
“As far as everyone is concerned, you’re still the dumb, pretty, rich boy in the corner office.”
“Is that what you thought of me?”
I giggle. “I never thought you were dumb.”
4
CAMDEN
Iguess I’m more stressed out than I realized; otherwise I would never have flashed my insecurities to Margot like that. Part of my persona is pretending like nothing phases me. That’s what makes me and Coulter such a good team. Where he is structured and focused, I’m loose and carefree—or so I led everyone to believe.
Deep down, I’m every bit of the control freak Coulter is and then some, and it takes a lot of work to hide it from everyone.
Dumb, pretty, rich boy.How I long to change Margot’s opinion of me.
I come out of my meeting to see if she wants to drive with me to the restaurant. She’s already gone, but left a note for me on the desk.
Camden -
I’ve gone ahead to make sure everything is perfect. I called and confirmed with the investors on your list, and we’ve had a last-minute addition, but I called Connie at Christof’s and confirmed an extra setting, so all is good! See you at noon.
XOXO Margot
Holy shit. Is this what life with an assistant is like? No scrambling because someone else is all over it? Or is this just a taste of life with Margot? Either way, I like it.
“You want me to head over early with you?” Tyson, my west coast sales manager, walks off the elevator.
I shake my head. “No, Margot is already all over it.”
He nods, as if he expected nothing less. “Latham speaks highly of her. I wish she was our admin.”
I avoid making eye contact with him, just in case there’s a green tint to my skin. “Do you think we need our own assistant?”
“Yeah man. Unlike you, the rest of us don’t want to have to do everything on our own. And I hate asking Brooklyn for stuff, considering she’s up here taking care of all of Coulter’s shit.”
“Brooklyn’s never complained, and honestly, I think she’d be bored if all she had was CEO shit to deal with.” Although she will be starting school soon, so I guess this is a conversation we can have when she gets back.
“Can we steal Margot from engineering and hire a new admin for them?”
Fuck, I can’t hold back my suspicion or the green-eyed monster. “Why are you fixated on Margot?”
“Because she’s good at her job. And yeah, fuck it, I’ll admit it since it’s just us guys—she’s hot.” He holds his hands up in surrender, even though I haven’t said a word. Shit, did I growl out loud and not realize it? “She’s also nice, fun to talk to, and sweet, which would be perfect when we’re doing sales presentations or public relation events. She should be outward facing, not hiding on the second floor with the engineers.”
He’s not saying anything I haven’t thought myself, and yet I’m annoyed. “Are you thinking of making a move on her?”
Tyson shakes his head. “No way, man. Anyone who’s paying attention knows who, if anyone from this company, she’ll give the time of day to.”