Loving War(66)
TRIA
Nervous? No. I’m not nervous. I’m a frigging train wreck.
I’ve changed clothes three times, and though I can’t explain how incredibly grateful I am for this opportunity, I also want to strangle him for not giving me a heads-up. I could have brought more options.
“Tria?” Kode asks in his deep, sleepy voice that I find too sexy as I curse the next dress.
“Sorry,” I mumble.
“Babe, it’s six in the morning. What the hell are you doing?”
I’ve been up since four. It’s impossible to sleep right now.
“I’m getting ready for this meeting.”
He laughs, that deep rumble in his chest doing wild things to my already weakened heart. He really needs to stop being so amazing before I go and tell the big jerk that I love him.
“The place is just a block from here. Come back to bed¸” he grumbles.
Of course he doesn’t understand how nervous I am. He has control and power no matter what room he’s in. I’m an absolute mess in front of a small department chain store manager. How in the hell can I handle talking to a room full of representatives for five of the largest cosmetic lines there are?
Kode sighs while getting out of bed, apparently noticing my inner meltdown, and he comes over to where I’m at. Naked. Does the man always have to look like a model?
“I’ll get on some clothes, and we’ll start working on your presentation again. Just pretend they’re me.”
It’s amazing at how much calmer I can get the second he speaks. With a mixture of fascination and awe, I watch him pull on a pair of track pants, bypassing underwear. That has my mind going in all the wrong directions.
“You don’t want me thinking they’re you,” I mumble, absently licking my lips.
He arches an eyebrow, looking too damn amused. “You’re right. Pretend they’re all Brin. You talk easily and comfortably with her. Now, let’s get to work before the props get here.”
“Props?” I ask.
He grins while quickly punching something into his phone. Then he sets it down and ignores my question.
For the next hour, we run through my presentation, and he absorbs it as though it’s the first time I’ve done this with him. He never once seems bored or annoyed, and it’s impossible to believe this guy is really Kode Sterling—the playground bully.
Room service has come and gone, delivering breakfast that my stomach refuses to let me eat, so when there’s another knock on the door, I’m confused.
Kode goes to answer it, and then he pulls out a key card to hand to a very stunning woman. What the hell?
She thanks him, batting her lashes as she rakes her eyes over his bare chest. He hands her a bag, still not bothering to glance my way. By the time she leaves, my arms are crossed over my chest, and I’m very much glaring at him.
“She’s a stylist. She stopped by to get the key to the suite I reserved for her and the two models I hired for your presentation.” His cheeky grin tells me he sees the unintentional jealousy I’m wearing like a glowing beacon.
It actually takes a minute to process his words.
“What?” I ask, confused.
“Models, Tria. They’ll help you present your stuff with a live example. That was Sarah. She’s going to go take care of their makeup and hair. She’s only going to do their hair right now. She’ll be doing the makeup at the meeting while you’re presenting. All you do is introduce them, and make them aware that the models will be getting a makeover while you’re presenting. Believe me, a visual will do wonders.”
And again he does something that has me wanting to drop down on one knee and propose to him. Is he trying to ruin all other men for me? Because it’s working. Which means I need to keep myself in check and not rush things, because I really don’t want to ruin this thing between us.
“Thank you,” I croak, consumed by so much emotion that I feel foolish.
His grin is rewarding, and he comes over to lightly brush his lips across mine, teasing me with the reverent touch.
“What are their names?” I ask, clearing my throat as he pulls back.
“Emma is the thirteen-year-old model who suffers from a light acne problem. Just as your line is designed for. And Lisa is the forty-year-old model that has fine lines from aging, and a few age spots, just as your line is designed for.”
He just keeps getting better. “But I thought you wanted me to slim down the target age.”
“For your presentation, yes. But for the visual, it’ll show them the reach your line has. You’ll get to prove your point, without voicing the numbers aloud in a way that will cause skepticism.”