Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 29567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29567 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
“Well, it feels like an hour.” He presses a hand against his forehead. “Skip to the mock commercials, preferably with a bit more enthusiasm and less crap.”
I lean back in my chair, grateful that he’s saying all the words coming to my mind. Well, the words regarding work and not Ivy.
She’s sitting across from me, crossing and recrossing her legs, and I’m trying not to stare.
“Okay, let’s bring customers back and show them there are more ways to taste the rainbowww!” The presentation begins, and I swear this is not what we discussed the other day. It’s nothing like what Ivy suggested—he hasn’t incorporated any of her brilliant notes—and I can see Braxton’s eyes about to pop out of his skull.
“Okay, enough.” I hold up a hand. “Let’s take the rest of the day off and reconvene tomorrow morning. I’ll send emails this evening. You’re all dismissed.”
Everyone scuttles out of the room—including Ivy—and Braxton walks over to the window.
“Thank you for finally saying something,” he says. “Has Miss Locke’s pussy got your tongue?”
“What?” I arch a brow. “That’s a highly inappropriate thing to say to me.”
“You’ve never been this quiet on a pitch polish day,” he says. “You’re over there smiling like the team isn’t serving up turds on a pee platter.”
“You really need to work on your metaphors... I was in deep thought.”
“About what?”
“Am I really that selfish?”
“Stop bullshitting me, Dominic.”
“It’s a genuine question.”
“You once paid an executive fifty dollars extra on a check by accident,” he says. “You immediately called the bank to claw it back.”
“That’s not selfish. That’s good accounting. If I let that slide a hundred times, it starts to add up.”
“You’ve done it over a hundred times,” he says. “For overages of like thirty and fifty cents.”
“It still adds up.”
“Right.” He rolls his eyes. “Are we going to be ready for Skittles at the end of this month? It’s looking like we’ll need to reschedule, cancel, or replace everyone on this team for severe incompetence.”
I tap my fingers against the table, unsure of what to say.
“They could potentially be one of our biggest clients if we land them, and it’ll forever close the door on Mars, Inc. coming back to us, but…” He sighs. “They will laugh us out of our own building if we present whatever the hell I just saw.”
I nod. I agree with him one hundred percent, but we’re too close to make any major shifts.
“Miss Locke had some extremely good ideas at our last meeting,” I say, pushing my notebook toward him. “More upscale than nostalgic. Focused on elegance instead of memories and summer.”
He picks it up and reads. Then he slumps into a chair.
“Can you and I work on her idea together today, and then make them rework it for you?”
“Only if you give me five ways in which I’m not selfish.”
“I can’t even think of one.” He laughs. “Can I have a rain check?”
“No.” I groan. “Let’s just get to work.”
THE INTERN
IVY
Nolan (BF… I think?)
Why are you avoiding me, babe?
Are you seeing someone else?
Babe? Seriously? I’m in Central Park, ready to have dinner with you and my parents and talk about our future and… you’re not here. Is this a joke?
PICK UP THE PHONEEE!
Shit...
This is the last thing I need today.
On top of Marcus completely ignoring all my ideas—and everyone getting kicked out for it—to the heated stares I couldn’t avoid from Dominic, I completely forgot about Nolan. I can feel my world collapsing around me.
I never responded to his previous texts, never told him that we need to adjust our “meet up and discuss the break” promise at Central Park.
“So, tomorrow we’ll bypass the ones without a doorman and see how you feel about that, okay?” Tracey smiles at me as we pull into Dominic’s condo garage.
“Sounds good.”
“Are you okay?” She tilts her head to the side. “Your face is red and you look kind of sweaty.”
“How fast do you think I could get to Central Park from here?”
“Pretty fast.” The driver smiles at me through the rearview mirror. “But I’d suggest getting an umbrella from upstairs first. We’re due for a thunderstorm.”
“Here…” Tracey hands me a water bottle and some type of pill.
I don’t ask what it is; I just take it.
“Should I wait for you to go retrieve an umbrella, Miss Locke?” the driver asks.
“No, that’s okay.” I step out of the car. “Tracey, when do you think Mr. Sutton will be back?”
“Probably not until midnight,” she says. “He and Mr. Braxton aren’t going to leave that room until they’re happy with the pitch.”
“Perfect, thank you.” I grab my purse. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
Shutting the door, I rush to the elevator and finally text Nolan back.
Sorry. Was in a long meeting.
Since it’s about to rain, we can meet at my new place for our usual hour or so. Here’s the address.