Page 7 of Her Cocky Client
Chapter4
Lily
Waytoo much is going through my head. I can’t process it all right now. I need to get away from this lodge. Ideally, it would mean seeing Mr. Forer today. Heck, I’d take anyone from Tapped who would listen and have the decision-making authority to tell meyes.
I also need to forget that I just fucked my competition up against a wall—and I liked it so much, I was about to go back for seconds.
“Miss Henderson?”
The restaurant hostess steps towards me, a slip of paper in her hand. “A call just came in foryou.”
I nearly rip the paper from herhand.
Lily,
I regret having to miss our meeting. As I’m sure you know by now, the roads are impassible due to the snowstorm. Feel free to contact my office after the holidays to reschedule. Happy Holidays,
Gerome Forer
I stare at the hostess.“The roads are thatbad?”
She wrinkles her nose and nods. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“And taxi cabs aren’t available?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Henderson. The front desk has been working hard to arrange taxis and shuttles for some of our other guests. Sadly, we have not been successful. The roads are closed in several places, so until the storm passes, I’m afraid that we’re all stuckhere.”
The note falls to my side. “Thanks,” I mutter.
“Let me know if you need anythingelse.”
Snowed in. I’m actually snowed in. I’ve lived on Staten Island my whole life and this has only happened maybe once or twice before. But now here I am, stuck in New Jersey, on the wrong side of the bridge, and the most important meeting of my career ends before it gets started.
I need that Tapped deal. I need it bad. I’ve spent months creating this new digital platform. It’s perfect, exactly what Tapped needs.
And if I don’t sell it tothem…
I can’t even think about that. After multiple loans and months of putting a job on hold so I can design and get my business off the ground, this deal is my last hope. If it falls through, I’ll have to move out of my apartment. I’ll be back living with my parents. I might even be back to working at the family deli. My NYU education will have amounted to nothing. I’ll be starting all over, desperately searching for clients and deals.
I’ll be royally fucked.
No.
That’s not going to happen.
Taking a deep breath, I look across the dining room. Nick is in the same spot, reading what must be another note from Mr. Forer. He doesn’t even flinch. Because this would probably be a fun pet project. His company is so successful, he’s got offices in Silicon Valley.
He’s my competition, and he may be set for life, but I could use a dick between my legs. I head back to him and take the seat I left. He looks up without a trace of surprise.
“Too bad about that meeting,” hesays.
“Yeah,” I answer.
The waitress arrives with the wine. We’re quiet while she pours. After she leaves, Nick pushes my untouched glass towardsme.
“Go ahead,” he says. “Have a drink. You may as well help me finish it before we leave.”
“We’re not leaving. We’re snowedin.”
