I narrow suspicious eyes on him. “So it’s not a completely selfless move?”
“We’re all winners.” He signals me down the corridor on a cheeky grin that I can’t help but match. I can’t believe he’s done this. “We’re in Brawler’s boardroom. Last door on the right.” I take the lead, following Jack’s extended arm. “And after the meeting, I want you on my desk,” he whispers into my ear, making my shoulders roll and a shudder travel down my backbone.
“You’re coming in to the meeting?” I ask, my alarm growing. I have to be all professional in front of him? Jesus, I’ve been trying to do that since I found out he’s Colin’s contractor, and I’ve not been very successful.
“I’m coming in to the meeting.”
Oh, God. “Please don’t look at me.”
“You’re asking the impossible, Annie,” he says seriously, slowing to a stop when the lady from reception appears, looking apologetic.
“Mr. Joseph, your wife is on the line.”
I nearly pop a back tooth with the force of my bite, discreetly looking at Jack. His fresh face definitely takes on an edge of unease. “Tell her I’m in a meeting.” He clears his throat and overtakes me, opening the door for the boardroom and gesturing me in.
I wander past Jack, glancing up at him. He smiles, but it’s small and strained. I hate that just the mention of his wife wipes away the sparkle in his eyes that I love so much. It makes me want to take him and run away, to get him away from the source of his misery. And now my misery, too.
The boardroom is big, a huge table taking up nearly all the space, with at least thirty executive chairs positioned around it. There’s a projector screen on the far wall and a sideboard loaded with glass bottles of water and platters of cakes. Richard is sitting at the table, along with three other suited men and a woman.
“Annie, you know Richard,” Jack says. “And this is Terrence, who I believe you spoke with.”
Terrence nods, his eyes glimmering at me as he stands and offers his hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Annie,” he says around a big, toothy grin. “Jack’s told us wonderful things about you.”
I laugh, slightly uncomfortable, feeling my cheeks flush. I bet he has. “Nice to meet you, Terrence,” I reply, accepting his hand. His delighted eyes take in my form, and I look at Jack when I hear a low, throaty growl emanate from his direction. His eyes, narrowed to slits, are trained on Terrence.
“These are my partners, Dick and Seth, and their PA, Lydia.” Terrence motions to the two men seated next to him, and then to the lady.
I shake hands with them all and take a seat as Lydia pours everyone a glass of water and sets some plates and the cakes between us on the table. Her smile is friendly and her fifties-style glasses suit her heart-shaped face perfectly.
Jack slips his jacket off and hangs it on the back of his chair—the chair directly opposite me. He lowers to the seat and begins to tap his pen on the leatherbound writing pad before him.
He smiles, the smile that’s so dazzling and genuine, it makes me smile, too. “You’ve got this,” he mouths across the table.
My nerves vanish just like that, and the fact that he’s here suddenly fills me with comfort and ease. I’ve just fallen for him a little bit more.
“Guys.” Jack looks to the men from Brawler’s. “We’re working with Annie for the first time on a new art gallery in Clapham.” He pushes the drawings across the table to them, and they all look down with hums of praise.
Like he’s read my thoughts, he glances toward me, a secret smile hiding behind his professional front. “She’s diverse, hugely talented, and passionate about what she does.”
I melt all over the chair, and Jack breathes in, holding my eyes for perhaps a moment longer than should be acceptable for business associates. “She won’t disappoint.” He clears his throat and realigns his focus. “I assure you.”
I just stare across the table in silent awe, watching his mouth move as he speaks. He looks so fucking sexy, relaxed back in his chair, reeling off words that are making me fall harder and harder for him. He recommended me. He set this up, gave me this amazing opportunity.
He takes his phone from his pocket and spins it in his hand. “So, guys.” Jack waves his mobile between me and the people from Brawler’s. “Over to you. This is a long-term project. We need to get off to the best start.”
His gray eyes meet mine fleetingly, and I frown across the table at him, my head tilting. Long-term. Best start. My brain threatens to go off on a tangent, but I quickly rein it in. I can’t allow myself to think beyond today.
I cough and realign my focus, set on nailing my meeting. “So, tell me about the project,” I say, giving the other people in the room my undivided attention. “Your partnership with a giant social media company means expansion.”
“Yes. We’ve acquired a plot of land in Blackfriars,” Terrence says, pushing over a portfolio. “It has planning permission for a ten-story building, our new home.”
I open the folder and scan the details—square footage, surrounding buildings, et cetera, happy to see other modern buildings in close proximity to the space. “You want to stand out.” I state it as a fact, because I know it is. Brawler’s has an ego as big as its share prices. Fucking huge.
Terrence smiles. “Can you make us stand out?”
“You mean make you the envy of every company operating within the area?” I ask, closing the file.
I hear Jack laugh softly and Richard smiles, as well as Terrence. “If that’s how you’d like to put it.” He links his fingers and lays them across his broad tummy, his smile widening.
I return it. “No point beating around the bush, is there, Terrance?”
Jack coughs and my eyes shoot across the table, finding him clenching his big hand around his tumbler of water, and as he lifts his glass to his lips he glances at me, his lips straight with displeasure. “Your top priorities for the new home of Brawler’s?” I ask, pulling my attention back to the team of people that I’m trying to sell myself to. He’s feeling threatened, and while it’s quite an amusing sight, I can’t let it distract me.
“Light and space,” Dick answers. “Clinical, clean, and modern. When it comes to the interior people getting involved, we plan on having open working spaces to connect the entire company, but with clear distinction between departments. That gives you a good indication on the theme we’re going for. We’re excited to see what you come up with.”
I smile and start making notes, my mind going into overdrive and building Brawler’s in my head as I sit here. “Outside space?”
“Definitely. Take indoors outdoors.”
I visualize a courtyard in the center of the building connecting all four sides, every floor visible from every part of the structure. “Do you have any leaning toward a sustainable energy-efficient ethos?”
“Of course.”
I nod, happy with his answer. “I’d need to research the surroundings in regards to landscaping and orientation, et cetera.”