4
Zara
Simply Stark had been a staple on the events scene for a while when I first started. Everyone at Easton fumed about losing out on jobs to them, but they’d fallen off the radar recently. Of course, I’d also been buried under a mountain of tasks that left me dead on my feet and sometimes nodding off in meetings, so I hadn’t paid as much attention to which jobs we’d won, just the eighty things standing between me and the end of my to-do list each day.
But my job here was simple. Find a way to make sure Easton Events came out on top in this pitch, steal away the Winthorpe account and get my bonus. Ty’s spot at his school would be safe and I wouldn’t have to deal with the eventual scurvy after being reduced to getting my vitamin C solely from drink garnishes stolen off picked-over catering trays.
If I’d missed Mr. Hosken, it wouldn’t kick things off on the right foot. I hadn’t even remembered hearing his name before in relation to Simply Stark, but my competitor research wasn’t as sharp as it could’ve been.
My phone flashed the time. Two minutes after I was supposed to be meeting him, although from the glare the receptionist had given me when I walked in, I didn’t think she’d do me any favors by letting him know I was in the bathroom.
“You’re in the wrong place for sex appeal to work, sweetheart.” She leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed over her chest.
After buttoning my blazer, the frilly edges of my camisole weren’t exactly providing full coverage.
“It’s been a long day and someone spilled coffee on me twice. Trust me, I don’t normally head into meetings like this.”
Her eyebrows were like a scrolling electronic billboard across her face and they spelled out, I don’t like you and even if you’d walked in here on fire, I’d possibly spare you a wet nap to blot out the flames.
“Is Mr. Hosken in?” I craned my neck to look through the double glass doors behind her.
She set down her nail file. “You’re the one from Easton Events, aren’t you?”
“Yes, we have a meeting at nine.” Could she see the bead of sweat rolling down the side of my face? Good thing I never wore foundation anymore. It was too expensive when I was already using out-of-date mascara and eyeliner.
Keeping her gaze locked onto me like I’d sprint through the doors and start toppling desks and flower arrangements if she averted her gaze for a second, she lifted the phone. “I have someone here from Easton Events to see you.”
“It’s Zara.” I leaned in.
She covered the mouthpiece of the phone. “I didn’t ask. You can go in. It’s the office at the back. Don’t touch anything.” Her voice was crocodile friendly.
The lights flicked on as I moved past the empty desks. Was everyone already out on site for the day? There was a stillness to the space like no one had moved around in it for a while. Taking a deep breath, I stood outside the open door and tugged my blazer lapels closer to cover the black lace trim of my top. I rapped my knuckles against the wood.
A gray-haired man looked up from his desk, took off his glasses and smiled. It was a jolly one, instantly melting some of the tension wired through my muscles. Maybe I wasn’t about to walk into the lion’s den.
“Zara.” He wrapped his hands around my extended one. “Bill said he was sending over one of his best, so I’m happy to have you here. I’m Sam.”
His kind eyes immediately made me feel like shit for what I’d been thinking about in the hallway. He actually seemed happy to see me.
“Yes, I’m Zara.”
“Take a seat.” He motioned to the one beside me. Instead of settling behind his desk, he sat in the second well-worn chair across from mine. “I’m so happy you’re here. The moving parts are hard to juggle, and I’ll admit I’m a little lost.”
Guilt rode in right behind my flash of excitement at him not knowing what to do next. Swooping in and stealing this account would be easy, but an uneasiness sat heavy in my chest after only a few seconds of meeting him. He’d made me feel more welcome than I had in two years at Easton and here I was trying to take away some of his business. I smiled and nodded, focusing on what he was saying.
“Together, we can pull this off and enjoy a wonderful long-term relationship.”
Was he hitting on me? I leaned back in my seat, the leather squeaking under my shifting. I wasn’t getting creepy lecherous vibes like I got from some guys at the events we held. His gaze hadn’t once dropped to my almost-underwear camisole.
“Felix was the design and execution brains, so I’ve brought in someone new you’ll be working with.” Sam lifted his coffee cup high and took a sip. “He stepped out to go grab some breakfast and get a coffee for Phyllis out there, but he’ll be back shortly.”
The ding of the elevator echoed through the nearly empty offices. I craned my neck to get a look at who I’d be working with over the next few weeks. The person I was supposed to outshine to win the account outright. Sam had said they were new—maybe I’d have a shot. Unless he meant an established rock star planner, but new to Sam? My designs and event execution were still green, but I could hold my own. I hoped they weren’t a seasoned pro.
Tyler’s financial aid letter with the giant bolded dollar sign at the bottom opened the bottomless pit in my stomach. All I needed to do was win the job of one of the most historic hotels in the city, win them over to Easton Events while screwing over Simply Stark, and collect my check. Piece of cake, right?
I swallowed past the lump in my throat and tried to focus on what Sam was talking about.
“And we’re ready to put in as much work as needed. You’ll have the full resources of Simply Stark at your fingertips.”
The heavy footfalls signaled the arrival of my competition.
“Leo’s wonderful. You two should get along well. He’s an absolute sweetheart.”
The footsteps ended outside the doorway.
“We’re in here, Leo. The associate from Easton Events is already here,” Sam called.
“Phyllis is already devouring her short stack of pancakes. For some reason, I had a hankering for a chocolate croissant. I got one for you too.” A syrupy thick voice poured through the doorway and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
The entire doorframe was filled with a guy who would have been more at home on a football field than in a room filled with fabric swatches. He filled out the suit well. Broad shoulders without a hint of shoulder padding. They were all him. The cut fit him perfectly, leaving just enough room while staying taut, almost like it concealed a brick wall.
Sam stood to stand beside the guy who was a head taller than him. “Leo, this is Zara. Zara, this is Leo.”
My eyes landed on the same chocolatey brown ones that had twinkled with laughter after ruining my first shirt of the day.
I shot up from my seat.
We both shouted, pointing accusatory fingers at each other, “You!”
5
Leo
“It seems you two have met.” Sam turned to me with a tentative smile and a question in his eyes.
“Briefly,” the woman gritted out. “This morning.”