Page 31 of Nothing to Win

She could do this.She could.Deep breath.

Inside.Get a drink.Schmooze.She’d been to these parties before.Under close supervision, but present at the least.

With the first group, she didn’t speak.Not a word.Another group?More of the same.

Why couldn’t she open her mouth?

Brogan grew more unimpressed by the moment.She wouldn’t be far away from a stern talking to.Do what she’s told.That was the deal.

“Leadership,” she said, startling the four men around her.

“Excuse me?”one of them asked.

“Your executive team are pushing back for a reason,” she said because it just came out.“Either there’s a genuine problem with the deal or you haven’t convinced them yet.The best thing you can do is listen.Hear them out and consider their angle.They don’t want the company to fail.The more money it makes in the long term, the more money they make.You must think about longevity.Is this opportunity going to align with your company goals in five or ten years?Your people don’t need confrontation and hostility, they need leadership.”

“That so?”

“If you can’t prove to them that you can be a reasonable person and show them respect, you’re more likely to face pushback in the future.”

“Won’t take them long to push you out,” another guy agreed.

“Listen to them,” she said.“Show them respect.Maybe they’ll bring you around to their point of view.If you still don’t agree, take the time to explain your angle.Belligerence won’t get you what you want and it won’t bring you job security.Listen to them.”

Brogan bowed to murmur above her ear.“Like that.”

She smiled.Okay, that was what he wanted?Now she got it.

A drink.A few words here, a few there.The night was an eye-opener.Her family never wanted her to be seen.It had been that way from the moment she’d been born.The status quo was habit.

Who would’ve thought Brogan Spurn would be the first to show her another way?

Most of the guests were her father’s friends and blinked at her like they hadn’t known she had a tongue in her head.This wasn’t a room of Brogan’s biggest allies, but he was there, making an effort, and he’d let her donate a serious amount of cash to the cause.

Some of the circles they moved in were brazen enough to ask about their relationship.Brogan fielded the questions with his usual stoic grace.In a thrilling surprise, it turned out he was an attentive date.No, they didn’t dance, but she didn’t want for anything else.She always had a drink and food when she needed it.He’d escort her to the ladies’ room when she needed to go and in the times his phone rang, he’d ensure she was comfortable before answering.

In return, she did her best to match his finesse.She smiled and laughed, doing what she could to be a glittering trophy.And, out of her comfort zone, she hazarded a word or two, then a sentence or two, confidence growing as time passed… and alcohol disappeared down her throat.

Her family were around, somewhere.She couldn’t say she was sorry they kept their distance.Forgetting they were there made it easier to relax with Brogan.It was one thing to say they accepted the relationship, it was another to embrace it.Whispers followed her and Brogan all night, the scandal hadn’t escaped her, though her date seemed oblivious.

Every once in a while, she caught a glimpse of her parents or brother, but they wouldn’t look for long.

The crowd was thinning, the night was coming to an end.

“Time to leave, Irish,” Brogan said.

All night she’d moved under his direction.Until then.When he tried to move, she stayed put, pulling him back.

“Wait a minute,” she said, licking her lips, avoiding his eyes.

“It’s midnight,” he said.“We’re done here.”

“That’s not it, I… This isn’t a good idea.”

“What isn’t a good idea?”

His impatience lowered his tolerance.It was late, he had to be tired.Most people would say he wasn’t the most tolerant of men at the best of times.Testing him wouldn’t serve anyone.

Letting her eyes drift upward, she salved her lip, steeling herself to admit weakness.