Chapter Seven
An older woman scrutinized my work on the boards displayed in front of her. It was nearly five o’clock, and we had yet to secure their business. Beside me, Mickey remained engaged and bullet-pointed additional reasons why As You Wish would be the perfect choice.
The event was for Mr. Shaw, personally. He would be hosting this year’s event to honor local police officers. It was last minute—the original sponsor dropped out due to financial reasons. The event was next week. Invitations had already gone out from the previous sponsor. As luck would have it, they were black and white, which was the same as the Shaw International brand.
“Knoah, can you handle the amount of time this event will take? From the boards I’ve seen, I believe you will be perfect for the job. But this Sunday doesn’t give you much notice.”
It was six days away, which left little preparation time.
Mickey nodded. “Knoah’s schedule will be completely cleared. She’s handled events of this size before.”
Not of this magnitude under this type of deadline, I added silently. But I would get it done. With confidence and an easygoing smile, I looked at Brenda, who waited for my confirmation. “Yes, as long as I receive feedback promptly. If something is not achievable, I’ll let you know. I don’t want to promise something I know can’t be delivered. That never bodes well for either party. But I have always delivered.”
Mickey nodded her approval at what I said. Good. Sometimes she was a ballbuster.
Brenda’s phone pinged. The room grew silent, and her brows drew together as she read a message. “Would you accompany me to my office, Mickey? I believe your organization best fits our needs. We’ll need to go over the contract.”
“Most definitely. I think you’ll see As You Wish truly lives up to its name,” Mickey responded as she gathered her things.
Brenda stood. “This way. It was nice meeting you, Knoah. I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes, I look forward to working with you, as well.” I stuck my hand out to shake Brenda’s. Her firm grip gave her an authoritarian vibe. I turned to Mickey. “I’ll wait in the office for you to return.”
She glanced at her watch. “I’ll call you when I’m leaving here. No need to stay.”
“Thanks.”
They walked out of the room, and I gathered my things. A clash of lightning caught my attention. The storm brewing seemed a little more intense than the everyday shower we got.
I shivered.
“Ms. Knox?”
I turned to see a petite woman in a pencil skirt. “Yes?”
“I’m Annie, Mr. Shaw’s PA. Mr. Shaw would like to have a word with you about the event.”
Fortifying a confident smile, I asked, “Do I need to call him?”
“He’s waiting for you in his office. Follow me and I’ll show you.”
“Sure. Let me grab a few boards in case he has questions.”
She gestured for me to do so. “I’ll let Ms. Rapier know where you are when she comes out of Brenda’s office.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Of course.”
There were still several people working in the offices lining the walls, but the vast sea of cubicles looked nearly empty. Mr. Shaw had to have several hundred people working for him alone on this floor. The responsibility had to be overwhelming at times. As we passed one office with the title Chief Financial Officer, the occupant peered up from a stack of papers and nodded before returning to his work.
When we arrived at the end of the corridor, Annie opened one of the large double doors. An onyx sign with white lettering read Garrick Shaw.
I walked through the door. Behind the black stone-looking desk, a man sat with his back to me. The timbre of his voice was strong—powerful, even. Wait… where have I heard it before? I listened harder, trying to place the voice.
“The time for excuses is done. The situation has spun out of control. Handle it, Hastings. Now.”
He slammed the receiver down, and my nerves ratcheted up a few notches. I plastered on a pleasant expression and willed it to stay in place.
Ever so slowly, the chair turned. My mouth grew dry. It was him. The man I’d dreamed about every night this weekend. The man who wouldn’t stay out of my head. The man from Cameron’s office.
Garrick Shaw.
No. No. No. This cannot be happening.
My mind was going all mushy before he even said a word.
Strong jaw offset with scruff from a day at the office.
Green eyes like emeralds.
Dark hair cut close on the sides and longer up top.
Hell, he was better looking than I remembered.
His lips turned up in a pleasant smile. Does he know I’m affected by him? Wait… maybe affected. Okay, no maybe. I was.
Internal deep breath.
I took a step forward.
He stood.
It was like a choreographed dance.
I cleared my throat. “I’m Knoah Knox with As You Wish Event Planning. My boss, Mickey Rapier, is currently going over the contract for the police officer gala you’re sponsoring with Ms. Rothchild.”
Of course he knew who I was—he’d called me in here. Crap. I kept the smile on my face.
For a second he looked perplexed. Then he shook his head, and the confusion on his face was gone. He stuck a hand in his pocket, which gave him a more casual feel. Geez, he was gorgeous. “Knoah with a K is what I think you said. It’s nice to meet you, officially. Please call me Garrick.”
My body felt hot, my palms sweaty. I was having a literal physical reaction to him. I wanted to be closer, yet run at the same time. Can he hear my heart beating? The thump, thump, thump echoed in my ears.
Hearing my name from his lips shouldn’t have affected me the way it did. But I was a deer in headlights. I stuck my hand out and noticed a slight shake.
Get it together.
With a few strides, he stood in front of me and took my hand. His was warm and the contact sent little electric sparks up my arm. Quickly, I withdrew and walked to the other side of the conference table to put some distance between us. The instant attraction scared the living daylights out of me. I fumbled a bit with my boards as the tingles I’d experienced the last few days whenever I thought about him raced across my skin. “Would you like to see examples of my experience?”
Garrick checked the time. “Tomorrow. At lunch. I can clear some time for us to discuss. Annie will arrange it.” Taking a few steps toward the conference table, he glanced at the boards before making eye contact again. “I saw your events online when I researched the company.”
Of course. He’d asked for me specifically. I was messing this up every which way. Tomorrow, Mickey could accompany me to keep my thoughts on the straight and narrow. Shaw International was our customer. Garrick Shaw was a customer. I needed to stay on my A game.
I made a note in my planner. “Where would you like to meet?”
“Here. Do you have any special requests?” He took another step forward, and I forced my legs to remain in place. They wanted to bring me closer to him.
Stop.
I felt the intensity of his stare on me, and I nervously tucked a few loose strands of hair behind my ear. “I’m fine with anything. I’ll let Mickey know about the appointment.”
“Perfect.”
This all seemed more intimate than I was prepared for. It’s only a business lunch. My mind was using my attraction to him to make more out of it than there was.
I’d tried unsuccessfully to date over the years, but something inside kept me from pursuing it. Now the barrier was gone, and that scared me to death. He is a customer. Stop.
I gathered my boards to indicate I was leaving. “That sounds good. Is there anything you want me to prepare?”
He looked at me for a minute. “Why don’t you leave your boards here? I’ll review them. Tomorrow, bring me your ideas. I want to see what you envision for this, given the information you have and the time limit.”
“Of course. That won’t be an issue.”
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
“Garrick, we need to talk.”
Another nicely dressed man with dark blond hair stepped into the room. He stopped short when he saw me and looked a little startled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were meeting with anyone. Annie wasn’t at her desk.”
The stranger introduced himself. “I’m Hastings. Hastings Monroe.”
This was who Garrick had told to “handle it” in a not-so-nice tone. He prickled my nerves.
“Knoah. Knoah Knox. I work for As You Wish Event Planning.” Why am I explaining what I do? Garrick had me all sorts of flustered.
“I’ll meet you in the lobby, Hastings.” Garrick’s tone was one of obvious dismissal.
Hastings gave a quick wave. “Nice meeting you, Knoah. Can’t wait to see what you do at the gala.”
“Thanks. Nice to meet you, too.” The man must have worked closely with Garrick if he knew about the gala.
At my parting words, he turned to leave the office. Garrick adjusted his tie. “Do you have a business card with your contact information?”
I snapped back into business mode and pulled one out of my purse. “Here’s my card. It has all my contact information.”
Garrick grabbed the card and studied it for a moment before handing me his. The heat of his hand seeped into mine, sending sparks across my skin for the second time. The man smelled delicious with his spicy masculine cologne. I wanted to rub my face in his shirt. My eyes widened at the thought, and I looked away.
“I put my personal cell phone number on it in case you need anything, Knoah.”
“I… uh… okay.” This was uncharted territory for me—more than business but not inappropriate. Personal cell phone? Okay, hold on. I had my other clients’ personal cell phone numbers. Stop overreacting. “Thanks, Mr. Shaw. I’ll see myself out.”
As I reached his office door, I felt the heat of his body behind me. The damn cologne engulfed me, making my knees weak. Hot breath tickled my ear. “You forgot to take my card.”
An audible gasp left me. “I… uh… thank you.” I took the business card.
He moved ever so slightly closer but didn’t touch me. The distance was a blessing and a distraction. I wanted to feel his touch again.
He continued, “Have a good evening, Ms. Knox.”
Taking a deep breath, I willed myself to focus and remain on task. “I’ll see you at lunch. To work. A working lunch. Good evening, Mr. Shaw.”
Hastily, I grabbed the door and yanked it open.
Annie greeted me from her desk outside his office. “Ms. Rapier is still meeting with Brenda. Do you want me to let her know you’ve left?”
Is it obvious I need to leave after being so affected by the man behind the door? I nodded woodenly. “Yes, thank you, Annie.”
The elevator ride down was excruciatingly slow before the doors released me. Emotions swirled inside. I had to get control and shut down whatever was trying to surface. It scared me… terrified me, actually.
In the lobby, Hastings was having an intense conversation on the phone. He paused and turned as if to speak to me, but I cut him off.
“Have a good evening, Mr. Monroe.”
Even to my own ears, my voice sounded a bit off, but hopefully he wouldn’t notice. Before he had a chance to respond, I was out the door. A barrage of flashes hit me as photographers threw out question after question. I froze.
“Knoah, how long have you and Kurt been dating?”
“Knoah, have you seen the pictures from last night?”
Flash.
Flash.
Flash.
Panic rose. “I… uh…”
Flash.
Flash.
Flash.
“Knoah, how long have you known Kurt?”
Flash.
Flash.
Flash.
“I… uh…”
A strong arm came around my shoulders. “Ms. Knox is not available for comment and is late for a business meeting. Excuse us.”
A sleek limousine pulled up. The crowd pressed in, and Garrick’s chest pressed against my back. I wanted to sink into the comforting touch. Oddly, I felt safe with him—a complete stranger.
A big, burly man stepped in front of us. “This way, Mr. Shaw.”
Garrick nodded before whispering in my ear, “Get in my car, Ms. Knox, until we get this crowd thinned out. I don’t want you hurt.”
He doesn’t want me hurt.
On autopilot, I followed instructions. I scooted across the soft leather, and Garrick slid in behind me. If I wanted to resist him, my body had other ideas.
The door almost closed, and then I heard, “Knoah, is everything okay?”
At the sound of Mickey’s voice, I closed my eyes and sighed. Great. This is the last thing I need. I took a deep breath and peered out the door to face my boss. Hastings stood behind her with a look of concern on his face. Something was off with Hastings, but I couldn’t place what. All I knew was I wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.