Chapter 6: Corban

The door shut behind Luna and plunged my mind into a chaotic spin of self-doubt and guilt. I’d judged her exactly the same way Twin Cities Magazine and everybody else judged me – looks first, acumen later. What in the hell was wrong with me? My mother would slap my face if she knew the bent of my thoughts. I wasn’t raised to be a superficial, chauvinistic bastard.

I owed Luna an apology. I probably owed her personal prostration at the floor in front of her stilettos. She’d come in here bumbling and pressing all my warning buttons but ended up taking control of the room. The presentation had been a resounding success. And now, I felt nothing other than… impressed. And turned on. So much so the swelling in my pants was becoming an annoyance.

The last slide of Luna’s speech remained on the screen. She’d used my laptop to play it, since she’d left hers at home. I couldn’t help admiring her presence under pressure. Every man inside the Loon conference room had been wary, distrusting, and then enamored. It wasn’t even based on the fact that she happened to be model gorgeous – a fact of which she seemed totally unaware. She’d won them over on sheer capability and poise.

A true professional, passionate and interested in how her skill set could help Unique. Her plan for the event could work, though I wasn’t sold on the idea of a live band. Owl City was cool, but how well would the Twins respond to them?

We needed to keep the aesthetic just right – in keeping with the brand.

I bent and retrieved my notepad from my briefcase, then plopped it on the table. The other guys hadn’t done the same. Instead, they talked among themselves, sly grins tugging at the corners of their lips. I could imagine every single one of them undressing Luna with their lascivious eyes and wondering if she’d be interested in their moldy asses. For some reason, I already felt protective of her. Maybe it was the bumbling that was so damn sweet and endearing. I didn’t know for sure, but for Luna, I’d keep the wolves at bay.

I flattened the page on top of the table and lifted my pen. “All right. We need to decide what we like and don’t like before we go ahead. Does anyone have any notes on Miss Faye’s presentation?”

“I’ve got your notes right here,” Timothy said and drew his business card out of his pocket. He flashed his number and one of the sleazy grins he used to get women to blow him under his desk while his heavily pregnant wife waited for him at home.

The man sickened me, but I couldn’t say anything about his extracurricular activities – he was the CEO’s son. An automatic silver spoon in his dirty mouth and a first-class ticket to the top. One of the accountants had discovered irregular spending and linked it back to Timothy – he’d used his company card to book hotels and spa treatments for several of his conquests.

Timothy hadn’t been let go. The accountant had. Ever since that day, many employees at Unique had turned a blind eye to the shenanigans of the heir apparent.

“Focus,” I said.

The CEO’s son smirked at me – he knew it wasn’t my place to tell him to do anything. We delighted in yanking each other’s chains. I knew just how far I could push him without getting in trouble with my boss, and I made use of that knowledge whenever I could. I was an asset to the company, and my meteoric rise said it all. Nothing could get me fired outside of an epic fuck up.

“I’m glad we’ve got the event approved,” I said. “And I liked the idea of the cake and the specialty beer in particular. What about–?”

“Man, did you see the ass on her?” George said from across the table. He spanked the air above it. “Fuck, I’d eat that booty like groceries.”

“That’s not appropriate,” I said, contemplating a trip to HR. So much for a non-hostile work environment. These guys were dogs. Horndogs. Thank god, they wouldn’t get the opportunity to work closely with Luna.

George continued, “We’re gonna have to set up an office pool to see who can bang her first. Winner takes the pot.”

“I’ll take that bet.” Lucas actually brought out a platinum engraved money clip and waved it above his head. “I’ll lay down a thousand.”

“I’ll match it.”

“She’s gonna like what I’ve got for her. She can burn her ruler; she’s gonna need her yardstick. Raise the pot another hundred.”

Laughter rolled around the table.

I clenched my fists to keep the tremors from infiltrating my rigid body. I’d never wanted to stand up and knock a couple of heads together more in my life. These jackasses couldn’t hold a candle to Luna. She’d walked in here and showed them how a presentation was done, how much talent she had, and all they cared about was how good she looked in a skirt.

“I’ll raise you two hundred.” George whipped out his wallet. “I got to touch her, guys. Silky smooth. I’ve got the inside edge.”

“Fuck that. She didn’t exactly cream her panties over you.”

“Ooh, panties? I bet it’s a thong. Even better yet, commando. Man, I’m gonna hammer that–”

“Cool it,” I said, and couldn’t keep the growl from my tone. “This is unacceptable. Even though there aren’t any of our female executives present, this talk could be considered offensive. Sexual harassment even.”

The laughter cut off, and the guys looked over at me. Timothy snorted. George raised an eyebrow.

“You feeling harassed by it? You’re not my mother, Drake. What the fuck? You into that chick or something?” Timothy asked.

George slapped his thigh. “Look at his face. He is. He’s totally into her. Fuck, that’s hilarious. Rookie mistake, man, falling for the sweet piece of ass that’s got your promotion tied up in the strength of her Crème Brûlée. I wonder if she tastes as sweet.”

“Pussy whipped,” Timothy said. “You never get too deep, bro. That’s a one-way ticket to bankruptcy. Those bitches will suck you dry. And not in a good way. Trust me, I’ve got firsthand experience.”

That was how he spoke about his wife. Classy guy. I clamped my eyes shut because I couldn’t even stand the sight of him.

“The event planner?” Lucas scrubbed his fingers through his short, curly hair. “You’re kidding, right. The event planner. Man, that ain’t good for more than one night. She’s smokin’, but she’s not pay-her-bills smokin’.”

“I guess you can’t put a price on what a man will do for pussy,” George said. “But hey, maybe I’ll get to her first. I’ve got something real big to show her.”

“Stop it,” I growled.

“Stop it,” George mimicked me, and the room filled with laughter again. “Damn, you’re in too deep already. This asshole over here needs one in the pink and–”

“That’s enough!” I stood up, and my chair toppled to the carpet.

My ears rang in the resultant quiet. The men shuffled their papers. Lucas put the money clip away. He was the youngest of the men in the room, and he usually kept to himself, but when the jokes rolled out, he joined in.

It disappointed me. I’d expected more from the kid. My mentee. He’d never get anywhere if he fell to the depths of the women as sex objects mentality.

“I don’t care what you do in your spare time, but this is an office, not a frat party. Keep the dirty shit to yourselves or get the hell out,” I said. “We came here to do a damn job and plan an event that could land this company the biggest account in its history. Now, shut up, put your dicks back in your pants, and focus.”

Timothy yawned but didn’t say anything else. None of the others broke into laughter either. I felt like a pariah only being tolerated for the time being, knowing that the second I was out of earshot, they’d fire right back up again like a pack of deranged hyenas.

“Are we good?” I asked, meeting each man in the eye. “Can we finally get to work?”

The men didn’t answer, but they didn’t break into another bout of vulgar jokes either.

“All right,” I said and tapped the folder in front of me. “Let’s take a look at the things we think need improvement. Any thoughts?”

“Yeah, I’m not sure about the band,” George said. “I mean, it’s great we can get them because they always draw a good crowd, but will they really gel with the guys? I feel like that’s a hit or miss situation.”

“I agree,” I said and scratched down a note. “I’ll contact the manager and discuss it with him. Maybe he’ll have some valuable input for us.”

“What did she mean when she said local cuisine? I didn’t like the mention of tater tots,” another of the guys said from the far end of the table. “That’s common food. If we wanted tots, we could get them from a school cafeteria. This is supposed to be upper-class cuisine.”

“Didn’t you hear the mention of a Michelin star chef?” Timothy asked. “Haven’t you ever heard of the show Chopped, dipshit? They make award-worthy fare with common ingredients.”

“Which chef? That’s the damn question. We could have–”

I wrote down notes and drifted through the concerns with the other men. I wasn’t fully in the moment though. Some of the stuff they’d said struck a chord. What if I was pussy whipped?

Shit, that was a terrible word for it. What if I had a thing for Luna that went deeper than just the business relationship we’d stumbled into? I couldn’t afford to get distracted by those kinds of feelings.

Luna was an enigma. I didn’t understand how she operated and why she was on permanent ‘clumsy’ mode. The thing was, she’d switched out of it to take control so fast my head had spun. I’d lost my words. I wondered if she didn’t like me and that caused her bizarre behavior. A dull knife pierced my heart. For some reason, I couldn’t stomach the thought of her out there, working on my job and hating my guts, wishing she were working for anyone else but me.

I wanted her. Like no other woman I’d ever met. And I hardly knew her. The sight of her up there, talking, power dripping from each word… shit, it’d made me excited for the company and to spend more time with her.

“And then there’s re-organizing the entire lounge,” James said.

“What about it?”

He blew out a frustrated breath. “You realize that if we reorganize it at the start, we’ll have to move it all back again afterward. That takes a lot of work and the moving is extra money.”

He had a point. I took down the note, then gestured with my pen. “We can’t cut costs at every corner. We want this to be extravagant.”

“There’s extravagance, and then there’s waste,” James said and raised both of his hands to make the shape of a scale. “We don’t want to tip over onto the wrong side from a cost-benefit analysis standpoint.”

He hadn’t made jokes about Luna. I could respect that. I could respect him and his opinion.

“Point taken. Still, if we’re going to strike that balance, I don’t think changing the layout of the event will help us. These guys are used to seeing the locker room look the same every single time they play.” I tapped my pen on the page. “We want to leave an impression. One they’ll never forget.”

James conceded the point.

The rest of the meeting proceeded without mishap – or pussy whipped jokes – and the only time Luna was mentioned was to reference a particular section of her presentation. We finished up, and I read the notes out to the men, including the resulting to-dos, to make sure we’d discussed everything of concern.

I checked my watch. It was noon, and I was due to have lunch with Ross in about fifteen. “And that’s it. Good afternoon, gentlemen.”

I whipped out my cell and shot off a text to Jeffrey to tell Lou to bring the car round the front of the IDS Center, then strolled over to the laptop. Without a doubt, Ross would have worthy input on the whole Luna thing. He’d have my back and tell me just how to handle it.

I couldn’t tell him how I felt about her – God, what did I feel? If I said anything even remotely romantic about her, that news would sail straight from my mouth into Larissa’s ears. And if the women were friends, I could just as well drive over to Luna’s house and tell her I had an inappropriate crush on her. Kind of like what she’d already written in her journal. At least we’d be even. But then again, I kind of liked having the upper hand.

My heart thumped. Sure, that would go down well.

Hi, Luna, I read your journal last night and thought you did really well in the presentation today. I can’t get you off my mind. Wanna go on a date?

Highly inappropriate. Fuck, why was my brain even entertaining these thoughts?

I clapped the lid of the laptop shut, then unplugged it. The overhead projector clicked off. Timothy stood beside the switch on the wall, his gaze on me. That annoying rich kid smirk hadn’t dropped off his face.

I wasn’t a violent guy, but I’d have given a nut to take a swipe at that little pervert.

“Hey, pussy whipped,” he said in a low tone.

Most of the other guys had already trailed out of the boardroom.

I felt the muscle pop in my jaw. “What did you say to me?”

“You heard me,” Tim said and took a step closer. “I think it’s cute you’ve got this little romance going on with the event planner, but you’d better watch your back. I don’t care to be disrespected in front of the other guys. My dad wouldn’t like it.”

“Really?” I asked and lifted the laptop from the lectern. I pictured knocking him over the top of the head with it. My own version of whack-a-mole. Every time his head popped back up, I’d pummel it with all my might until his head never bobbed again.

“Yes. News of your inappropriate liaison could get back to my father. Mr. Brooks would be highly interested to know you’re fucking a contract employee. It might call into question why you hired her in the first place.”

“We’re not involved,” I replied and mentally winced at that response. It’d sounded defensive, giving Timothy the upper hand. “In fact, I just met her.”

“Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that,” he said. “Listen, I enjoyed your pep talk earlier.” He strolled toward the door but stopped right beside me, shoulder lined up with mine. “If you speak to me like that again, I’ll be sure to let Mr. Brooks know about your interest in Miss Faye.”

I seethed on the inside. Outside, I maintained the same professional façade I’d perfected on my climb up the ladder. Fuck this guy. He wasn’t directly involved in the event or securing the account. He could go running to daddy all day and all night, and he’d never be able to prove anything. Because I was innocent of any of his off-color accusations.

“Have a good day, Corban,” he said. He walked off, trailing the Armani cologne he wore.

I waited until he’d left before I exited the boardroom.