promotion—walked in. Patrick Beaver had slicked back blond hair, a large white-toothed smile, and an impressive collection of pastel colored silk ties. He had a homely, nonthreatening-looking wife who brought in brownies every week and knew how to make small talk with Linden and his homely wife.
Yeah, Patrick Beaver was somewhat of a threat and anything but a friend.
“Phillips,” he said with that idiotic toothy smile, “you ready for the big presentation?”
Gray stood to his full height and jutted out his chin. “Absolutely. Couldn’t be more ready.”
“Excellent.” Beaver gave a nod as he arched his brow. “Is that it?”
“It is.” Gray crossed his arms in front of him, daring him to say anything else.
Beaver yawned excessively and shrugged. “Good luck, then. You’re going to need it. I’ve heard Bud B. isn’t easily impressed.” He winked and shut the door behind him before Gray could respond.
Nice tactic, fucker. It had worked. Patrick Beaver had successfully made Gray more nervous, if that were possible. He rolled his head from side to side to relieve some tension.
Get it together, Phillips . You can do this .
Just then, the speakerphone beeped and the creative department’s assistant said, “Mr. Phillips, Ms. Rachel Spencer is on line two for you.”
“Thank you, Sandy,” Gray called out. This was odd. Rachel hardly ever called him at home, much less at work. Maybe something was wrong with the wedding planning. Hell, maybe she’d come to her senses and wanted to call it off altogether.
Gray held his breath and pressed the button that lit up line two. He didn’t want to think about the reasons why he was more worried about being late for his presentation than the possible demise of his relationship with his fiancée.
“Rachel?”
“Hi, Grayson,” she said in soft, shaky voice. “I know you have that presentation, but I really need to talk to you.”
“It can’t wait?”
“I’d like to talk about it now, if you don’t mind?” She paused for a moment, probably waiting for Gray to give her his permission to go on, but he remained quiet, waiting to hear what she had to say next.
“Um,” she continued. “I was thinking about Hayes.”
“Hayes?” Gray hadn’t heard his brother’s name from her mouth since before his twin’s funeral, and he sure the hell didn’t want to hear it now, from anyone.
“You called me to talk about Hayes ?”
“Yes.” She paused again. “Maybe right now isn’t a good time to talk about this after all.”
“Maybe not.”
“I’m sorry I bothered you at work.”
“No bother, but you know that he’s not exactly my favorite topic of conversation.”
“I know. I’ll see you this evening for dinner?” she asked, her voice still shaky.
“Yes, and be prepared for good news.”
“Can’t wait.”
Gray hung up the phone and leaned on his desk. The clock on the wall said he had less than ten minutes to get to the presentation room and set up. Time to focus. He took another once-over at his boards and carefully picked them up. The speech and slogan he’d prepared rolled through his mind, but didn’t have that punch they had the last time he’d read them.
Oh, fuck .
“Focus, Gray,” he whispered to himself.
His phone beeped again as he reached for the doorknob. “Mr. Phillips, there’s a Sofia Good here to see you,” Sandy said through the speaker. “She doesn’t have an appointment but she insists it’s important. Would you like me to send her back?”
Gray clenched his eyes shut and tried not to get a mental image of her...all of her.
What the hell did she want from him?
Chapter Five
“Go right in,” the perky blonde said to Sofia, as she pointed to a door flanked by two windows.
Gray was frowning through one of them as he shut the blinds.
That probably wasn’t a good sign for what was to come. Too bad she couldn’t have dreamed of this, so she could prepare herself.
What was the worst that could
Yeah, Patrick Beaver was somewhat of a threat and anything but a friend.
“Phillips,” he said with that idiotic toothy smile, “you ready for the big presentation?”
Gray stood to his full height and jutted out his chin. “Absolutely. Couldn’t be more ready.”
“Excellent.” Beaver gave a nod as he arched his brow. “Is that it?”
“It is.” Gray crossed his arms in front of him, daring him to say anything else.
Beaver yawned excessively and shrugged. “Good luck, then. You’re going to need it. I’ve heard Bud B. isn’t easily impressed.” He winked and shut the door behind him before Gray could respond.
Nice tactic, fucker. It had worked. Patrick Beaver had successfully made Gray more nervous, if that were possible. He rolled his head from side to side to relieve some tension.
Get it together, Phillips . You can do this .
Just then, the speakerphone beeped and the creative department’s assistant said, “Mr. Phillips, Ms. Rachel Spencer is on line two for you.”
“Thank you, Sandy,” Gray called out. This was odd. Rachel hardly ever called him at home, much less at work. Maybe something was wrong with the wedding planning. Hell, maybe she’d come to her senses and wanted to call it off altogether.
Gray held his breath and pressed the button that lit up line two. He didn’t want to think about the reasons why he was more worried about being late for his presentation than the possible demise of his relationship with his fiancée.
“Rachel?”
“Hi, Grayson,” she said in soft, shaky voice. “I know you have that presentation, but I really need to talk to you.”
“It can’t wait?”
“I’d like to talk about it now, if you don’t mind?” She paused for a moment, probably waiting for Gray to give her his permission to go on, but he remained quiet, waiting to hear what she had to say next.
“Um,” she continued. “I was thinking about Hayes.”
“Hayes?” Gray hadn’t heard his brother’s name from her mouth since before his twin’s funeral, and he sure the hell didn’t want to hear it now, from anyone.
“You called me to talk about Hayes ?”
“Yes.” She paused again. “Maybe right now isn’t a good time to talk about this after all.”
“Maybe not.”
“I’m sorry I bothered you at work.”
“No bother, but you know that he’s not exactly my favorite topic of conversation.”
“I know. I’ll see you this evening for dinner?” she asked, her voice still shaky.
“Yes, and be prepared for good news.”
“Can’t wait.”
Gray hung up the phone and leaned on his desk. The clock on the wall said he had less than ten minutes to get to the presentation room and set up. Time to focus. He took another once-over at his boards and carefully picked them up. The speech and slogan he’d prepared rolled through his mind, but didn’t have that punch they had the last time he’d read them.
Oh, fuck .
“Focus, Gray,” he whispered to himself.
His phone beeped again as he reached for the doorknob. “Mr. Phillips, there’s a Sofia Good here to see you,” Sandy said through the speaker. “She doesn’t have an appointment but she insists it’s important. Would you like me to send her back?”
Gray clenched his eyes shut and tried not to get a mental image of her...all of her.
What the hell did she want from him?
Chapter Five
“Go right in,” the perky blonde said to Sofia, as she pointed to a door flanked by two windows.
Gray was frowning through one of them as he shut the blinds.
That probably wasn’t a good sign for what was to come. Too bad she couldn’t have dreamed of this, so she could prepare herself.
What was the worst that could
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