Page 20 of Bargaining

“The shareholders’ feelings don’t interest me. I’m interested in how we get back on track,” I said.

“The shareholders should interest you.”

“Why? A couple of voices of dissent aren’t an issue.”

Lucas held my death glare without flinching. “People say that Beatrice might flip.”

This fucking brother of mine never lets anything drop.“Beatrice has always been loyal to me.”

“You’ve pissed her off, like you manage to piss everyone off. Apparently, you were rude at last week’s annual conference, and she’s annoyed. She’s not the only one. A couple of others are getting braver and calling for new leadership. If enough of them flip, they’ll have the majority vote, and then you’re out.”

My blood turned to ice. They could get fucked. This was my company. I wouldn’t be dictated to by people who got high off thesmell of their own farts. I wouldn’t even be having this conversation if Charlotte had agreed to the deal. Nothing would have shut the shareholders up faster at that annual conference than pulling my wholesome childhood sweetheart wife out of the bag.

Lucas sat back in his chair with a smug look. “Just a suggestion, but maybe if you held the shareholders in a little less open contempt, it would help your cause.”

“I hold most people in open contempt. I don’t know why they’re taking it so personally.”

The door opened, and my PA stepped in hesitantly. I snapped my gaze to her. “The building better be going up in flames. I can’t imagine any other reason you’d interrupt us in a board meeting.”

She hurried to me and leaned down to whisper in my ear. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr. Thorner. You asked me to inform you immediately if I had a call from a Miss Charlotte Ackroyd.”

Heat climbed the back of my neck. I angled my body away from the table. Everyone was still looking at me, but I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Charlotte called? What did she say?”

“She’s in reception.”

Fuck. She’s here now? In the building?My tie felt suddenly too tight. I stuck a finger under my collar to loosen it.

“You’re fully booked for the next three weeks. Shall I make her an appointment and send her away?”

I caught my reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window and smoothed my hand over my hair. “No. Escort her to my office.” I stood and addressed the room. “Let’s pick this up another time.”

Muttering broke out among the gathered board.

“We still have another half hour of this meeting. We haven’t even covered the essentials,” Lucas said, glancing at the clock.

Charlotte had come all this way. How? Train? Why hadn’t she called me to let me know? I would have picked her up in the chopper. “We’ll reschedule. Talk among yourselves if you like.”

Lucas blew out an impatient breath. “Talk among ourselves? These are crisis talks, Cole. Who’s going to run the meeting?”

“I trust you can figure it out.”

“You can’t just walk out of here. This is too important.”

I was out of the door before I had to listen to anyone telling me what I could or couldn’t do.

From my office on the mezzanine, I watched my PA escort Charlotte through the rows of desks in the open-plan area below. A turquoise dress hugged her curves and thick thighs, and a cherry-red handbag shaped like an old-fashioned telephone bounced at her hip.

People usually approached my office with slumped shoulders and fear in their eyes. But Charlotte glided on her worn Converse, lost in her own world. Her lips moved slightly as though she was rehearsing what she wanted to say. She looked like a rainbow cutting her path through a sea of monochrome. Heads turned subtly to watch her progress. She didn’t appear to notice.

The air caught in my throat. Did this mean what I hadn’t dared hope? She wanted to discuss the contract?Don’t get too excited.She’d backed out once over text. Maybe she was coming here to tell me never to contact her again. But couldn’t she do that over the phone?

I took my position behind my desk and shuffled a stack of paper, pretending to look busy as she walked past the glass at the front. No sense in her thinking I had nothing better to do than cancel all my meetings and stand around waiting for her. Her knock sounded.

“Come in.”

She stepped inside and hovered by the door.

“Charlotte, what a surprise. You should have let me know you were coming. I would have arranged transport.” I smoothed my tie and gestured to the chair opposite. “Please. Take a seat.”