Everything You Need: Everything For You Trilogy Book 1 by Orla Bailey Page A

little fingers.
    “Mr Keogh?” Anderson speaks up for his agency. “What in hell’s going on here? We have a contract to sign.”
    “And we may still have, Anderson, if you’re someone I can work with.” The implication is clear. Do what you’re told or any potential business deal is off the table.
    Jack’s eyes return to mine. “Get everyone out, Zuckerman. I’m postponing any decision.”
    I think I’ve done it. What it is, I have yet to work out, but I have a stay of execution. Jack isn’t signing anything today. Aware I’ve been holding my breath I exhale in one short burst. What made him change his mind? Is it my reminder of his original opportunity with my uncle? A debt of honour. Whatever it is I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to make his change of heart a permanent one. I’m not fooled into thinking I have anything in the bag yet.
    “Look here.” Anderson isn’t going quietly. And he glares straight at me. “I don’t know what sort of game you’re playing.”
    One glance at Zuckerman from his boss and Jack Keogh’s team bundle Anderson’s out of the door as they protest their treatment. The blonde stops and lays her hand on Jack’s sleeve briefly. No stabbing puncture marks this time. The gesture makes me uneasy. I see her mime giving him a call later which receives a curt nod of acknowledgement before she throws me a final dismissive glance and departs, encouraging her boss onwards.
    I begin to understand the level of Jack’s power.
    When he turns the lock, I’m not sure if I feel elated or threatened. Being locked in with Jack Keogh may have been the stuff of my youthful fantasies, but in the cold light of reality, I’m anxious. It’s like being shielded from gunshot behind a powder keg.
    “You, Miss Caid, may sit.” The only offer on the table so far is the chair I’ve already vacated as he moves back to turn it around and hold it out for me. Offer? It’s most definitely a command.
    This is what I wanted, isn’t it? A chance to be alone with the head of Zee-Com, to talk to him, to get him to listen to me. It’s now or never. He pulls his chair so much closer I can smell the heat of him. I’d die if he knew I was exploring his scent but I’d be able to recognise him blindfold in a room of a hundred other men, even after all this time.
    “I wish to offer my sincerest condolences for the loss of your uncle. Harry Caid was a decent, wonderful man.”
    A diplomatic beginning but sincerely made. Jack had sent flowers, donated generously to our nominated charity and attended the funeral, stepping in quietly at the back although he’d left without a word as soon as the service ended, I remember, so as not to intrude on family grief. My grief.
    “Thank you. He was. He believed in me just as he did you. I don’t want to fail his trust.”
    “You won’t,” he says. “And yes, Harry gave me a chance and just as my business undoubtedly thrived, so did his. He benefitted as much by our alliance as I did. How many clients do you think CaidCo gained on the back of his association with Zee-Com as it grew?”
    Okay, Jack knows his worth but I know mine too. “I understand that. You both advantaged each other, but it happened because he was willing to take a chance on you in the first place.”
    Jack slams the ball back. “A calculated one. I brought a lot of technical expertise and new ideas into developing my business. Frankly, he had nothing to lose. If Zee-Com hadn’t prospered rapidly and paid its way, he would have cut me adrift without a backward glance. That’s good business. But my contract with your uncle died, when he did. Read the fine print.”
    Not a sentimental bone in Jack Keogh’s body. I know that much already. But loyalty means something to me. “All I’m asking is that you give me the same chance Harry gave you.”
    “No.”
    He might have been brushing aside a coffee refill. How could he be so callous? “Do you have no sense of fair play?”
    “This is