Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 32431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
It wasn’t long before he came through the door into the outer office where her and I sat on opposite walls behind our desks. He didn’t spare either of us a glance as he walked through.
“Ms. Carmichael let’s go.” I jumped up from behind my desk like a little puppy before I caught myself and smoothed out my movements. I did everything but poke my tongue out at her in some juvenile display of one-upmanship.
All the way upstairs in the lift he didn’t look at me, just kept his head straight ahead while I stood there fighting not to fidget. I could still feel him inside me from earlier but we might as well have been strangers for all the notice he gave me.
I happened to look up and directly into the reflected door of the elevator and our eyes met. My face flushed with heat. He’d been studying me the whole time. My legs felt like jelly when the doors opened for us to step out.
What had he been looking for? Was he looking at all my faults? All the ways I didn’t add up to the new and more appealing Rachel? I think maybe the pregnancy had done something to my hormones. Either that or I was losing my mind, because until lately I’d never been plagued by such thoughts of these. Maybe I should’ve. Maybe I’d become too complacent too comfortable with the fact that I was the first woman he’d set up in a home with a car. The first he’d ever kept this close.
We made it to the conference room where the meeting was to take place. I took a few minutes to compose myself while we waited for Mr. Sorensen to make an appearance.
I checked over my notes one last time and made sure everything was in order. I could feel his eyes on me, could feel the heat from his gaze. I was beginning to feel the discomfort of that stare when the silence was broken.
“Jonas my man, it’s good to see you.” The younger man entered the room the way he always does, boisterous and overly exuberant. He wasn’t bad looking, but he was no Jonas Harp, nobody was. He reached his hand out to Jonas and the two men shook before Jonas retook his seat.
He’d never said it but I don’t think Jonas liked him very much. He was here to ask for money to help keep his company afloat. For the past few weeks we’d been going over his company’s numbers, well Jonas had been. I was just the one taking dictation and gathering information where he sent me.
I didn’t know what conclusion Jonas had drawn but personally I wouldn’t give this overgrown child money to buy a hotdog. He was frivolous and immature when it came to business.
Some of that could be excused away by the fact that he’d inherited the company a little over a year ago from his dad who’d ran the company for the better part of thirty years. But looking into his personal life showed that it was more than that. He was more playboy jetsetter than businessman and it showed.
Far be it from me however to tell the great Jonas Harp how to run his business so I kept my opinion to myself.
Next came his trademark behavior whenever in the presence of anything female. “And the beautiful Thalia. When are you going to take me up on that offer? It’s not going to be on the table much longer.”
My eyes flew to Jonas before dropping away again as my face heated up. “You don’t need his permission, he’s just your boss he’s not your owner.” Andrew joked as he took the seat closest to mine.
Jonas didn’t say or do anything, just sat there looking at the screen of his laptop. “Are you ready Sorenson?” Andrew cleared his throat with a grin. “This guy, it’s all business with him isn’t it? Okay Harp shoot.”
I felt sorry for him. Had he known anything about Jonas he would’ve known that he had very strict rules of protocol when conducting business and this wasn’t it. The laid back frat boy routine was the fastest way to get yourself annihilated.
Jonas sat back in his chair and tapped his finger against the smooth polished mahogany of the desk. Here it comes. “Well Sorensen after looking over the numbers of the last quarter I can’t see why I or anyone else would funnel more money into your company.”
I could see from his expression that that wasn’t the answer Andrew had been expecting. “What are you talking about? We did very well last quarter.” Oh no, never go on the defensive with Jonas, he’ll eat you alive.
“Yes, the papers you forwarded to me shows a growth, but on farther digging I found the real numbers and they are nothing like what you represented to me.”