Page 72 of Go Deep (A Bad Boy Sports Romance)
“That’s in the other direction. Tell you what, after your pitch, my driver will take you back to your hotel.”
This was no ordinary interview, I gathered. He was expecting a pitch, and because I’d practically hijacked his time, I’d put all that pressure on myself to make a pitch for God knows what at the back of his limo. “I’ll make it work, sir.”
He nodded.
We stepped off the elevator at a parking level, and he led the way to a black town car. His driver was standing beside it, holding a rear passenger door open for us.
“Your time starts now, Ms. Greyson.”
“Just so I’m clear, are we discussing the executive summary I sent to you by email, or more in general about the skills that make me a solid candidate for a position somewhere in your organization?”
“Let’s try for both.”
I sucked in a breath as the driver took off, we began our chat, and the conversation didn’t stop until we were parked outside a modern office tower.
“Thank you, Ms. Greyson. I can tell you’ve done a lot of legwork for this proposal. You were persistent, prepared and able to think on your feet. I’d say that both you and your idea shows promise.” He checked the time again. “I’ve got about a minute left before I must leave. So, down to brass tacks. There’s a vacant junior marketing associate position here at the head office that may be a fit for you. I’d need you to meet with the Marketing VP. He prefers a teleconference as he travels so much. The position is here in New York. When can you start?”
I hesitated.
Why was I hesitating?
What I needed to say was ‘I can start right away, sir,’ or ‘Would Monday work so I can move a few things into town from Baton Rouge?’ or ‘I’ll just need a week to find a place and get settled in, sir.’ None of those logical responses came out of my mouth.
“I…well I’m…is there any chance at all you can give me a week to confirm?”
He paused as he was about to step out of the already open door that the limo driver had come around to open on his side. “Are you in the running for positions at other firms?”
“Well no, but…” I struggled to admit the reason for my indecision. This was exactly what I wanted, except I had no idea where Slade would end up.
“Thirty seconds, Ms. Greyson.”
I did it.
I spat it out, telling him my reluctance was because New York would only be manageable if Slade were drafted into one of maybe three NFL teams. After I had said it, I wanted to slap myself. When did I become the girl who held off on life-altering career decisions because of a man? Apparently today.
Mr. Lewis nodded. “Not a problem.”
“Pardon me?”
“Speak to Marjorie when you get back to your hotel. If you make it through your three-month probationary period, which I have no doubt you will, the VP of Marketing can have you report in at any one of our fifteen office locations across the US. She can set everything up after you meeting with the VP. I do need to go now. Impressive work, Ms. Greyson. Send my best to Mr. Clark for the NFL drafts next week.”
He went into the building, and the driver got back in the limo and drove me to the hotel. All the way there, I was wondering whether I was dreaming. Sure, this job wasn’t a hundred percent set in stone. I still had to meet with that VP, but at least I was still in the running, plus the idea of working in one of fifteen possible locations was way better than just New York.
By the time the thought of phoning Slade crossed my mind, I was back in front of our hotel. I thanked the driver and hopped out. Slade wasn’t expecting me for at least an hour or two. He could have been out site-seeing or may have already found the hotel gym by now. All of a sudden, I couldn’t wait to tell him. I hurried to the elevators and made it up to our floor. As I tugged out the room key card to swipe it, Slade opened the door, dressed in a white dress shirt and dark gray dress slacks.
“Hey. That was fast. I was just about to head out to see if I’d catch you outside the Empire State Building after your interview ended. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s great!” I declared, wrapping my arms around his neck right there at the front door.
“You got the job?” He sounded so excited for me. There wasn’t even a hint of sadness or concern that my getting a job in this city probably meant we’d end up living in different parts of the country.
“It’s a strong maybe.” I stepped inside, and he led me to the living area, taking a seat in the camel-colored upholstered leather sofa.
“Tell me all about it,” he said, pulling me to sit in his lap.
I took off my shoes and snuggled up against him before getting a word out. Right now I couldn’t verbalize it, but I was in awe of just how much I really loved this man. I needed these few minutes to have him all to myself, with no family, no teammates, no frat buddies, and no friends.
Just the two of us.
