Once Upon A Time(24)

“You work for Blue Stone PR.”

I hesitated, unsure whether to answer him. I nodded.

“Am I to presume Ms. McKenna sent you in her place?”

I nodded again.

“Are you going to speak or do I have to spank you to get your voice to work?”

I nodded.

Wait. What?

“No!” I yelped. “My god, this is so embarrassing.” I groaned, throwing my head in my hands.

Maybe I should just leave and beg Kate not to fire me. I couldn't lose this job. If Kate fired me, I’d be working for Starbucks for the rest of my life. That’s me, Payton Miller, coffee-making extraordinaire. I could see the billboards now.

“Payton, you’re mumbling.” He chuckled. Oh shit, was I thinking out loud? Oh my god, I hoped I didn't mention the Starbucks thing. Could I be any more embarrassed? “Make me the offer, Ms. Miller.”

“Sorry, what?” My head flew up so hard I was positive I’d given myself whiplash.

“Make me the offer.” He stood, moving around the table as he stalked towards me in a predatory way. Was I his prey? That thought thrilled and frightened me all at once. “Make me the offer you were going to pitch to me.” He stopped for a moment, our gazes locking.

Those. Damn. Eyes.

He didn't move for what felt like minutes, his close proximity doing all kinds of things to my body that I had no doubt were illegal in some states. I audibly gasped as I watched him move behind me to stand behind my chair, my senses on high alert as I could no longer see him.

“Make. The. Offer,” he whispered into my ear.

Oh my… Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

I shuddered. I actually shuddered from the deliciousness in his voice penetrating my ears.

With a gulp of air, I decided if he was going to give me a chance to redeem myself, I’d better nail it. Well, that was a poor choice of words, I thought momentarily before getting back to the matter at hand.

“Blue Stone PR is a global business, highly regarded as the elite in public relati–”

“Stop.” He groaned from behind me. “Stop giving me the bullshit you had drummed into you the day you started in the business. SELL. IT.”

I was mortified. I was angry. I was damn turned on.

With the mixture of emotions coursing through my body like a freight train, my professionalism disappeared and my sailor mouth emerged. Standing from my seat, I turned and locked eyes with him. I kicked the chair, with a little more force than necessary, to my left, watching as it spun around and around. He wanted me to sell it? No problem, I’d sell it.

“Mr. Black.” I paused, stepping towards him. “It’s quite simple. You came to us.” He coughed, his eyes a little wider than before. Good, I have his attention. “You need a skilled PR company that can potentially make you more millions than you could possibly need. You can sit in your not so ivory tower,” I paused, waving my hand in the air, signaling the building, “and you can look down on your less than worthy loyal subjects. You know Blue Stone PR is the best in the business, that’s why you contacted us. Now, do you want more millions? Or do you want to sit in the lonely room at the top of your tower, wondering what could have been?”

I may have lost my damn mind.

Suddenly, the courage I had found disappeared. Now I was a nervous wreck, wondering what the hell possessed me to saying anything like that to a potential client, whether I'd screwed him or not.

Mr. Black stood stock still, watching me for a couple of moments before sharply nodding his head. He walked silently back to his seat at the head of his table, his expression blank as his gaze locked with mine.

“The contract?” he stated, turning me into a flustered mess as I dived into my purse for the sixty-nine page contract. Placing it on the desk, I slid it across the polished surface into the awaiting hands of Mr. Black. His brow peaked. “Would it make you uncomfortable if I signed this?”

Would it make me uncomfortable? Yes. Hell fucking yes, it would make me uncomfortable.

“Most definitely.”

A smirk graced his lips that had me all out flailing inside my own head.

"Where do I sign?"

Oh, fuck me sideways.

“No!” I jumped from my seat, wincing as my voice carried around the large room. “No,” I repeated softly.

What was I doing? I couldn't sign him as a client! What was I even thinking? If Kate knew I’d slept with him, she would go nuclear ogre. I wanted to keep my job, even if it meant risking showing my boss I couldn't handle a simple meeting.

With determination, I marched to the very spot Mr. Black sat with an amused expression on his face. I reached out for the contract, ready to stuff it back in my purse and strut right out of the building when his hand moved to the inside pocket of his suit jacket.