Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 40867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 204(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40867 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 204(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 136(@300wpm)
Nodding, she replied, “Yes, Mr. Quinn.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
* * *
Saylor
BY THE TIME Friday came around, I was exhausted. It had been a busy work week, and it wasn’t lost on me that Mason had done everything in his power to avoid me since the Jameson presentation. Every meeting we’d both attended, he’d completely avoided any contact whatsoever. I wasn’t sure what I’d done, but it bothered me more than I wanted to admit.
Sighing, I leaned back in my office chair. What had happened since then? Ava and Mason had both seemed pleased when I’d glanced over at them after my presentation. Everything was fine until…
My phone buzzed on my desk. Reaching for it, I groaned when I saw Joshua’s name.
“What does he want?” I asked myself while sliding my finger over my phone.
In a chipper voice, I answered, “This is Saylor Night.”
“Saylor, how has your week been?”
I wanted to say busy. When Ava had confronted Jenn and Robert about breaking off and starting their own company, they’d denied it at first. Of course, once Mason got to them, it hadn’t taken them long to break down and confess that they were trying to start their own company and had been using Maxwell and Locke resources to do so. Not to mention that they were trying to convince some of our current clients to go with them. Once they were escorted out of the building, Mason had simply turned to me and told me to handle all of their accounts. His exact words were: “Farm them out if need be.”
Um. Hello? I’m not the boss.
Forcing myself to sound upbeat, I said to Joshua, “It’s been good. What can I help you with?”
He laughed. He did it all the time, and it drove me insane. I knew why he laughed. Every question I asked, I was sure he turned into some kind of perverted thought. He’d flirted with me non-stop at dinner last Monday night. When Mason had said he couldn’t make it, a moment of dread had sped through me. That meant I was going to have to hold Mr. Hands off by myself. Not that I couldn’t handle him, I just hadn’t been in the mood to handle him. I don’t know how many times I’d had to push his hand off my leg that night.
“What I really want to say wouldn’t be very appropriate right now,” Joshua responded.
I rolled my eyes. “Did you receive my email with the latest boards outlining the ad?”
“I did. They look great. I responded and copied our new PR person on the email.”
“Awesome. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Cringing inside, I knew I’d just opened the door for him to say something sexual.
“I need a date for a benefit dinner tonight. Come with me.”
“Um, I don’t think that would be very appropriate.”
He sighed. “Who cares?”
“Me. I love my job and I’d like to keep it.”
“So you can’t accompany me to a simple, innocent dinner? Did I mention we’re in the planning stages of launching a new product line of workout clothing? I’m sure Maxwell and Locke would love to pick up that account. Could be worth a lot of money. We could call it a business dinner, if that helps.”
Holy. Shit. He’s bribing me.
A part of me wanted to tell him to fuck off. The other part was in panic mode. If I lost this account, it would not bode well with Mason. The good thing was, this was not the first time some asshole had tried to bribe me into going out with him for an account. It happened way more than I cared to say.
“Mr. Jameson, I need you to understand I do not date clients. It’s a policy I will not bend on for any reason.”
He laughed yet again, then followed it with a long groan. “Damn, Saylor. I like you. I tell you what, just come to the dinner with me tonight. We’ll talk about the new line some, and I’ll get a pretty woman on my arm to make tongues wag. That’s all I’m asking. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
“Less would be me not attending the dinner with you.”
“That’s true. I like your company, Saylor. That’s all.”
Chewing on my lip, I closed my eyes and thought long and hard about it. What harm could come of it? It was a benefit dinner. We could talk about the new account, and hopefully on Monday I could present it to Mason to get back on his good side. Why I had moved to his bad side in the first place, I had no clue.
“Fine. I’ll meet you there, though. Text me the address and the time. I assume its formal attire?”
“Yes, it is, and I’ll send the information along now.”
Ugh. I was going to regret agreeing to this. I just knew it.