Page 18 of Unbound Boxset

CHAPTER SEVEN

“You got it.”

Ariel looked up at Tim. He stood in the doorway with a half smile on his face. “Got what?” she asked.

He shook his head in amazement. “The promotion. Un-frikkin believable. Sanders promoted you.”

The file dropped from her fingers as his words shot through her brain and squeezed with clarity. “You’re joking.”

“Not. He wants you to lead the team for the Rosebud account. Damn, Ariel, he’s sending you to Chicago.”

The reality of her situation crashed over her. Sheer excitement fought with pure emotion. Grant. She would have to leave Grant.

Ariel pushed the thought aside and stood up. “Is this official? How do you know?” she demanded as she made her way through the corridor to her manager’s office. “Don’t start this crap with me that a rumor was started and I have to keep it quiet. You know I don’t play that game well.”

He trotted after her. “Don’t know what you have against the grapevine, it works for me. Never wrong, either. You can’t just barge into his office and announce you heard a rumor. Ariel, wait till he offers you the position, for God’s sake.”

She knocked on the door and tossed him a cheeky grin. “Too late. I won’t mention your name.” Tim’s groan echoed in the background as she shut the door behind her.

* * *

She was moving to Chicago.

Ariel sat in her office with her blinds drawn, struggling to process the last few hours. Tim had told the truth. It was hers. As the head of the Creative Services Department, she’d closed a few big accounts into G&B, but the Rosebud account was in a different league. She assumed Sanders would go with one of the more senior leaders for such an important victory. But he hadn’t. He’d taken a chance on her, and now she was the youngest executive in the company to be piloting an account out of New York.

She’d spent the last five years working toward one goal: to showcase her talent and head a big account. Chicago was the key. She would be in charge of the whole damn division—the lead person on the biggest advertising deal of the century.

They were creating an ad for the Super Bowl. Just a few precious seconds of television exposure, but during the most watched game of the year. Millions of dollars were at stake, months of preparation for the one pitch that would land G&B into the big leagues. The future stretched before her like the yellow brick road of Oz.

The knock on her door caused her to jump. “Yes?” she called out.

Grant opened the door and stepped in. “I thought I’d stop by to check out the corporate world. Do you think if I passed out business cards I would get some new students?”

She laughed. “Hell, yes. If Tricia let you in, you must have seen her facial tick. I think corporate sponsors could open up a whole new world for you.”

He looked thoughtful. “You’re right. I never thought to expand into the corporate environment, but it’s a whole untapped market.”

“What are you doing here?”

Onyx eyes heated and gleamed. “I wanted to see you. I know you’re working late for the next few nights so I thought I’d stop by.”

“I’m glad you did.” She crossed to him and linked her arms around his neck. He moved in to kiss her long and deep, his tongue lazily exploring her slick mouth with the command of a lover who knows every inch of his mate. She let herself go and sink into the embrace, automatically fitting her hips to cradle his, her breasts flattened against his hard chest. The familiar energy sparked around them, and settled to a low hum.

He eased back slowly and looked around. “I like your place.”

She let her gaze slide over her office. Ariel had been proud to get a small space of her own, and had to work her way up the ranks from cubicle to sharing an office with many, to her own. The bright red splashes of color lent a creative air to the space with the wine carpeting and bold watercolors on the wall. Dark cherry wood accents with the desk and matching chair added richness. A lush palm tree stood in the corner, its leafy greens blending with the stark simplicity of the room. Framed photos of inspiring words and mottos hung from the walls.

Grant paused at one of the quotes. “Dare to Suck.” One dark brow lifted. “Very poetic.”

“It is. You gotta love Aerosmith. If you don’t, I think our affair will be doomed.”

“Love the guy.”

“Good choice,” she said. “He talked about songwriting and freedom. If you’re going to shoot for mastery, you have to dare to suck first. It clicked with me.”

He gave her another hard kiss. “Amazing. I probably could have quoted a guru master in a paragraph. I think you covered it with three words. Would you like to come speak at my next conference?”

“Only if I get the same fringe benefits I did in Boston.”