Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 112701 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112701 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“You’ve got it bad, and you can’t fool me.”
I scoff. “You’re insane. She is my employee. That’s all.”
He shakes his head. “You’re a complete moron, but I’ll let you tell yourself these lies.” He pulls me into a brotherly hug, patting my back. “Good luck.”
I scowl, knowing better than to continue to deny anything to him. He’s a dog with a bone, and the last thing I need is Raven walking in on that conversation.
I need her. Cavendish Group needs her.
I won’t fuck this up again.
“We need to talk.”
Trying to clear emails and my head after being at Paxton’s office with Raven, I lift my head when a very frazzled Shelby storms into my office. My back goes ramrod straight as I wonder what has her up in arms.
Removing my hands from the keyboard, I give her my full attention.
“Very well.” I gesture at her to proceed with whatever news is important enough to interrupt my morning correspondence.
“We lost two accounts.” Shelby starts to pace. “Both of the accounts were in the preliminary stages. No contracts signed, but still.”
“Breathe, Shelby.”
“Breathe? How can you tell me to breathe? Didn’t you hear me?”
“I did. But we expected some push back when we started this office and pushed away from the London headquarters.”
“How are you not freaking the fuck out?” she scoffs.
“We were bound to lose one or two. Of course, two is not to my liking, but I expected as much. Some clients don’t agree with us being in New York. It was a matter of time before they left.”
“But that’s the thing. It isn’t a location issue. Neither client is located in London.”
This news has me furrowing my brow. “Explain.”
“They both went to Bauer.”
Her words have my fist clenching on my desk. “Do we have any of the details?”
“The only thing I have heard is that the campaigns pitched were a bit too similar to my liking.”
“And you think this isn’t a coincidence?” I ask.
“I don’t believe in coincidences.”
I nod my head as she continues to pace. “Neither do I.”
“Last month, we had a client step away from us and over to them for a ‘better option,’ and the month before that, they took one of our smaller restaurants.” Shelby’s footsteps halt, and she stands in front of my desk, arms crossed in front of her chest. “How do you want me to fix this?”
“Number one, you aren’t the only person in this office. I’ll look into it with some security help. Proceed as if nothing is amiss from your side.” Lifting my wrist, I look down at my watch and check the time. So much for spending the rest of the day in the office.
There’s always a fire to put out. This loss is barely a spark, but if I’m not careful, it will spread until it becomes an inferno.
“Well, whomever you get, make sure they are doing a deep dive into everyone in this office. I don’t trust several people if our campaign was identical to what Bauer produced.”
Standing from my desk, I stride over to Shelby and put an arm around her. “You are my fiercest ally, and I know you are upset for all of us. But stressing does no good. Why don’t you head home early and take Brad out for dinner. He doesn’t need to suffer your cooking every night.”
“You asshole. Stop making me laugh. You know I want to stay mad about this.”
“I can’t let you do that, love. You know I’m the angry one in this relationship.”
“No, you are the grumpy asshole who needs to get laid.”
“Watch it, Shelby.” I give her my stern look. I swear she likes to act like the big sister I never wanted and ended up with when I found her anyway. “I will check in with what I find out on security system options.”
Stepping out of my office and down the hall to grab a drink before I make this call, I run smack into someone.
No. Not someone. The only person who keeps invading my mind all hours of the day and doesn’t let me get a moment of sleep without her in my dreams.
Her.
Time slows down as Raven wobbles in her black stiletto heels. I see her falling before it happens, and my hands shoot up to bracket around her. Once she’s in my arms, I pull her toward me.
Raven feels small in my arms, fragile, and I feel the need to protect her. Keep her safe from all harm. But as I inhale the soft fragrance of lilacs, I know I can’t do this.
You need to let her go. You cannot be enough for her.
With a cough, I steady her body, then drop my arms and step away.
“Thank you, I—” she says, but I cut her off.
“If you can’t walk in women’s shoes, Miss Bennett, maybe you should try something different. We don’t have that strict of a dress code. Maybe trainers would be best from now on.”