Chapter 36

Jeremy

Her pen is on the move again.

This time she’s resting it against the corner of her mouth while we all sample our coffees and add cream and sugar.

David took it upon himself to prepare Linny’s coffee for her before he slid it across the table.

I didn’t see her as someone who loaded up on the sugar and cream, but judging by the number of sugar packets her dad dumped into her cup, she’ll be bouncing off the walls for hours.

I make a note to memory to add just as much sugar and cream to her coffee when I deliver it to her in bed the next time we spend the night together.

She takes a tentative sip. Her brow furrows.

Jesus, she’s gorgeous.

“Go ahead, Linny.” I snap the lid back on my cup after adding a splash of cream. “I’d love to hear your concept.”

Her smile is soft when she looks my way. “Thank you, Jeremy.”

My dick hardens instantly at the sound of my name from her lips.

She calls me West most of the time. I love that, but this is different. This speaks of a familiarity I want to have with her.

I’ve always been West to the women I fuck.

I want to be Jeremy to her. I want to be everything to this woman.

I shake that off when she clears her throat again. It’s a subtle way of drawing David and Mitchell’s attention to her.

It works. They both glance in her direction.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to work with many wonderful clients over the years.” She nudges her eyeglasses up the bridge of her nose. “I took the liberty of contacting several in my quest to create a magical two-night experience in New York City.”
I lean my elbows on the table. I wasn’t expecting this.

I assumed that the money I was throwing at this campaign would result in attention being lured to my product and my product only.

I’m not sure how I feel about other companies benefitting from this.

“What clients?” Trent asks the question that I was about to.

Linny turns to look at him, her ponytail swaying. “I’ll explain.”

Trent nods and tosses her a smile and a wink.

The asshole is flirting with her. I should have expected as much given how he couldn’t stop talking about how wonderful Linny is on the subway ride here.

“It will be a cross promo between Rizon and the other clients who have agreed to take part if we get your go ahead.” She drops the pen on the table.

“Cross promos can be worthwhile.” Trent’s hand slides closer to her.

She eyes it and shifts in her seat away from him. “Rizon supplies airfare for two to New York, unless our winner is already here.”

I nod. “What else, Linny.”

She glances down at the open notepad in front of her. “A two-night stay at the Bishop Hotel in Tribeca and dinner at Nova in Greenwich Village before the launch party.”

“Your choices are certainly memorable.” Trent breezes his hand over her bare forearm again.

I grip the armrests of the chair I’m sitting in to avoid snapping his wrist in two.

She reaches for her coffee cup, leaving Trent hanging. She takes a long gulp, her eyes pinching shut and her nose crinkling. “I spoke personally to the owners of the Bishop Hotel and Nova. Both were more than happy to agree to supply the guests with Rizon products as part of their experience.”

She taps her pen on the notepad. “Mr. Bishop is going to include complimentary cocktails and caviar for the winner in their suite. They’ll be served Rizon vanilla vodka, of course.”

“I handled the Nova account. Did you consider bringing me in to talk to Tyler Monroe?” Mitchell questions from where he’s sitting.

Linny glances over at him. “I dropped in there yesterday and Chef Monroe was gracious enough to join me for lunch. Nova serves Rizon exclusively, so he was happy to agree to a complimentary dinner for two complete with vodka cocktails.”

She’s covered every base. The fact that she did it without anyone’s input is impressive.

“This certainly qualifies as a night to remember,” David says.

Linny wags a finger in the air. “There’s more.”

A smile tugs at my lips. “What else have you planned?”

Her gaze settles on me. “Our winners will also receive two orchestra seats to the New York Philharmonic the night before the launch party. Alexander Donato will be guest conducting the evening they attend.”

I’m not a fan of the symphony, so I have no idea if that’s impressive but apparently, Trent does.

“You’re shitting me,” he says with a rub of his shoulder against hers.

Fuck this guy and his touchy-feely bullshit.

Her hand darts to the frame of her eyeglasses. She adjusts them slightly. “I’m serious. A private meet-and-greet with Alexander before the concert will be included too.”

“How did you make that happen?” Mitchell drums his fingers on the tabletop. “We’ve never done any work for the Philharmonic.”

She looks over at him, her eyes widening. “I can’t reveal all my secrets.”

Trent and her dad both laugh. I don’t because I see something they can’t. I see her determination, her grit. I see a woman who wants the job of CEO and will go above and beyond to get her hands on it.

I see the most remarkable woman I’ve ever met.

“Each partner in our promotion will be listed as a sponsor on the Rizon website page where we’ll feature the contest, its rules and the requirements for entering.” She writes something in the notepad in front of her. “My suggestion would be a contest on social media. We can ask entrants to tag the Rizon official account in a post they make that includes a picture or video of them drinking a glass of Rizon vodka or posing with a bottle.”

It’s a way to further our social media reach.

“I have our lawyer working on the contest rules as we speak,” she goes on. “We’ll leave the judging to a panel of Rizon employees. Your pick, of course, Jeremy.”

I nod. “It sounds like you’ve covered all your bases.”

She glances down at the notepad in front of her. “I feel a countdown to the launch of the contest will have a tremendous impact. I should mention that Bishop Hotels and Nova have both agreed verbally to prominently feature the contest on their websites. That will link to the Rizon website. I’ll get that in writing, but it’s a win-win for us. The crossover web traffic will be significant.”

I scrub my hand over my forehead. I can’t fucking think.

It’s a brilliant idea put forth by an incredible woman.

All I want to do is take her in my arms and congratulate her for kicking ass. I want to tell her that I’m proud of her but I can’t. Not right now, at least.

She closes the cover of her notepad and places her pen on top of it. “I think that’s it. Your turn, Mitchell.”