Page 104 of Nothing to This
THIRTY-SIX
Two weeks didn’t sound like a lot until one was living it and separated from something valuable.Life was topsy-turvy.No longer was she an inconsequential creative consultant in the marketing department.Somehow she’d graduated to the CEO’s desk on the top floor.
The trip that was meant to take only two weeks had spilled into a third.JD promised her and the kids he’d be back by Friday.On Tuesday, time dragged.The whole spell without him had actually.Could she get through another three days without him?Although finding her rhythm in her new professional role, she didn’t feel like a natural.
When it came to work anything, JD had been on the end of the phone whenever she needed him.Even in her uncertain moments, he’d shown nothing but confidence in her and wouldn’t even think of giving her a reprieve.
As long as she believed in herself, she could do anything.His words.It sounded like some baloney he’d feed the kids, but she accepted it and followed the adage of faking it, not that she really thought she’d ever “make it”.
“I’m sorry, gentlemen,” she said to the ten men seated around her conference table.“Those factors simply will not affect our timeline.”
At the end of that sentence, a familiar figure sauntered into the doorway, his hands sunk in his pockets as he propped himself against the frame.Fuck, her stomach flipped.Her skin shimmered and her heart sped up.JD.God, relief!No, calm, keep cool.What was he doing there three days early?Who cared?He was a welcome surprise.
Their eyes met and she smiled but had to quickly forget his arrival when one of her guests spoke.“But Miss Hampton, we—”
“I’m sorry,” she said.“Duo will not expedite their order.If this creates a problem for your company, we’ll be more than happy to take our business elsewhere.We would not want to inconvenience you in any way, we value your corporate friendship.”
Twisting in his chair, her guest appealed to the man in the doorway fixated on her.“Mr.Dawes, please, can you—”
“Miss Hampton is doing just fine,” JD drawled, a smirk touching his lips.“Please, carry on.”
“Actually, we’re done,” she said, picking up the documents from the table and gathering them into their binder.“Thank you for your time, gentlemen.Mieux will show you out.”
The men took a second to catch on that they were being flung out.Eventually they blustered and rose, forcing JD to step inside out of their way of the exit.Ignoring their appeals, his focus remained on her.
He waited until they were all gone before speaking.“We wouldn’t want to inconvenience you,” JD quoted.“We value your corporate friendship.What a nice way to say go fuck yourself, but we might use you again in future.”
Getting up to round the table, she hugged the binder to her chest.“They’ll call.”
He pushed away from the wall.“How do you know?”
“They always do,” she said.“And we’ll get a discount.”
“What makes you so sure?”he asked, coming to a stop in front of her.
No way he didn’t know the answer to his own question, what was the harm in humoring him?
“He wants to bolster this quarter’s numbers to appease investors.Without our order, he won’t do that.Investors will be edgy, and Pullen has a hair trigger.He’ll solicit our order next quarter, I’ll hesitate, question his ability to deliver, and he’ll panic.”Straightening JD’s tie over his buttons, she laid her fingers on the fabric for a brief second.“He can’t disappoint his investors two quarters in a row and his relationship with your affiliates has shored up support from his investors in the past.If it seems he no longer has the ear of the boss, you, investors will threaten to bolt.I’ll hint at a discount, he’ll sell it to investors by citing your friendship.And we get a boost in our quarterlies, which will coincide with Duo’s major relaunch thus, it will help us attract new clients.”
“And you figured all this out…”
“Around the same time I saw how tight he was clutching his briefcase… Don’t underestimate the importance of body language,” she quoted.
His smile betrayed his own recognition.
“Our daughter just keeps on giving, doesn’t she?”
“Have you seen them?”
He shook his head.“I thought I’d surprise them, pick them up, take them home… but I wanted to check in with you first.”
She grinned and pulled the binder higher.“Check I hadn’t wrecked your company?”
He trailed a fingertip down her jaw.“Did you hear me ask about the company?”he murmured.“All I’ve thought about is you.You and the kids.I had to see your face, to look at you.”
“I thought you weren’t coming back until Friday.”
“Sorry to see me?”
