She gave me another huge smile, and I followed Justin and the luggage trolley to my room. I gave Justin a generous tip, he said an appreciative thank you and left, and I looked around the room.
This room was a far cry from the sad excuse for a hotel room that Jack was sleeping in. I took a moment to appreciate the luxuriously large room, the smell of fresh linen, the thick carpeting with vacuum tracks. There was a king-sized bed, two armchairs, a writing desk, a flatscreen tv above the dresser, a closet, a mini-bar as well as a mini-fridge. The drapes, now open, revealed French doors that opened onto a balcony with lounge chairs overlooking the pool and out to the golf course beyond. And the bathroom, ah, that was the stuff of dreams. Whoever designed that bathroom knew what they were doing. A two-sink countertop, stacked with fluffy towels, a shower that was big enough for at least two (although why more than two would want to shower together was a question for another day), and a tub that I wanted to live in. Fill it with bubbles, put champagne and chocolates beside it, and I would never want to leave.
But that particular fantasy would have to wait. I called room service and asked for them to bring a pot of coffee and breakfast. Taking my toiletries with me, I headed back to the bathroom. When I came out, swaddled in a thick, soft bathrobe, my hair wrapped in a towel, the breakfast was waiting for me. A tray had been left on the table between the armchairs. A pot of coffee, a fresh roll, a bowl of strawberries, and, under a domed lid, beautifully scrambled eggs. And a rose bud in a vase. Perfection.
As I poured my coffee and took bites of the roll I thought about the events of yesterday. It was definitely one of the top five strangest days I’d ever had. I’d held hands with Jack Garcia. Jack Garcia! That thought still gave me a tingle of excitement. And I’d spent the night with him. Technically, I’d slept with him. Not that anything had happened, but….my lips curled up into a smile at the thought of the possibilities. I knew it was a dead end. 100% chance that I’d never see him again. But still, it was nice to think about. He was certainly just as handsome and sexy as he was in pictures, but there was more to him than that. He was…nice. Surprisingly kind, thoughtful, polite, and just nice. I would have to tell Grandmère all about my day’s adventures when I called her for our Sunday call. She would love to hear the story.
But right now, I needed to center myself and focus on my presentation. I needed to put the delightful memories of my time with Jack Garcia into a box and shelve it. I could take it down later and revisit them, but I needed to prepare for the upcoming meeting. I finished my breakfast and went to dress.
An hour later, I was ready. My pale blond hair was pulled back into a chignon, my makeup was flawless, and a pale blue silk wrap blouse paired with my navy skirt and heels looked professional. Pearl stud earrings and a simple strand of pearls finished the outfit. I wanted to project both success and luxury, the hallmarks of Duvier, the company that employed me. The elite, boutique, luxury hotel chain had been very good to me, and I tried my best to live up to their expectations.
I tucked my presentation folder into my laptop bag, mentally ran down the list of what I’d need, and when I was satisfied that I was as prepared as possible, I left my room and took the elevator down to the conference room. The hotel tech liaison was already there, ready to connect my laptop to the giant flat screen that filled the wall on one end of the room. As he worked his magic with cords and cables, I laid out packets of information at each of the places for the Luxe executives who were coming. The hotel’s hospitality liaison came in and laid out a snack center — fresh coffee, tea, a selection of pastries, fresh fruit, and bottled water. I snagged a bottle and put it next to my laptop.
I had worked on this deal for the better part of a year, doing market research and looking into the stability of Luxe and their branding. When I had presented my boss with the proposal, he’d been quite impressed and gave it the green light. This meeting was the culmination of several meetings, offers, and counteroffers between Duvier and Luxe. We were not trying to take over Luxe, an exclusive luxury spa company, rather we were offering a partnership. Luxe was a small company and by partnering with Duvier, placing top of the line pampering spa facilities in our hotels, they would increase their revenue and market share, without the costs of building and maintaining their own facilities. Plus, there was the added advantage of having Duvier’s wealthy clientele funneled to them. The advantage to Duvier was the revenue from the rental of space to Luxe, the percentage, and the added luster to the prestigious name of Duvier.
Promptly at 10:00 the door opened, and the Luxe executives came in. I greeted each one at the door as they entered. Scott Ballanger, the president of Luxe came in first. He gave me a firm handshake and a warm smile. He was followed closely by Phil, his financial officer, Megan, head of marketing, Natalie, the company attorney, and Robert, Scott’s assistant. Or, as I called him in my mind, PBD. I’d never seen him wear anything other than a pink button-down shirt and today was no exception. On my previous visit, PBD had decided that since we were both single, we should hook up. Euw. Not in this universe. Or any other. I hid my dislike with a pleasant smile and ushered them all inside. They quickly claimed seats, pulling out their own laptops, pads of paper, and pens.
I returned to my spot by my laptop and turned it on, with the distinctive Duvier logo appearing on the large screen.
“Thank you so much for coming. I think we’ve made some terrific progress with our negotiations and I’m hopeful that the offer I have for you today will be acceptable on all sides. First, let me quickly bring you all up to speed, as I know Megan and Phil haven’t been at all of the meetings.”
I flipped to the first slide showing market share statistics. At this point, I could have given the presentation on autopilot. I knew the information inside and out and I was certain that they could not possibly have any objections. I knew this was a slam dunk and signing the papers would happen this evening. Possibly earlier.
Just as I was launching into my second slide, the door opened. Distracted, we all glanced over to see who was coming in. It was a good thing there was thick carpeting because there would have been a loud thud as my jaw hit the floor. What on earth was Jack doing here??
Flashing his megawatt smile, Jack strode into the room as if he owned it. He gave a nod at the assembled group, waved at me, said, “Sorry I’m late, Eve. I had a little trouble finding the place,” and dropped into a seat next to Megan, who obviously recognized him and looked like she might need a paper bag to breathe into. And I would be next in line for that paper bag. My heart thudded against my ribs as I sucked in a breath.
My brain was a jumble. What The France was Jack doing here? And how do I handle it? Acknowledge that an international pop superstar just crashed our meeting? Ignore him like the puppy at the cocktail party who wants to nose everyone’s crotch? How did he find me? And why?
I decided to play it cool and try to figure it out as we went along.
“Oh, hi, Jack. I’m glad you found us. I don’t have a packet for you, but I’m sure you can pick it up as we go through the material.”
I picked up my water bottle to give myself a bit of time and to cool off my flaming cheeks. The Luxe people were looking at me, confused.
“So, as I was saying,” I continued. What moments before rolled off my tongue with well-practiced ease was now halting and stilted. Focus, Eve! Ignore the handsome man in the corner, smiling at you. Killing him would have to wait till after the meeting.
I studiously avoided looking at Jack and made it through the rest of my presentation. When I concluded, Jack stood up and applauded. I hoped that even if he couldn’t read minds, my laser vision would tell him I was mentally saying, “Shut UP!”
But, of course, he didn’t. He turned to the seated group and spoke. “Hi, I’m Jack Garcia. Some of you might know me (he winked at Megan, and she started hyper-ventilating), and some of you might have daughters who know me,” he grinned his trademark grin. “I’m the lead singer of the pop band PRTY. You might be wondering why I’m here. My manager and I have been kicking around ideas for endorsements and when Eve mentioned to me last night at dinner that she had this meeting I thought I’d tag along to see if this would be a good fit endorsement-wise. Based on the numbers I’ve seen and the reputation of Luxe Spas, I am 100% on board. So, add that into the mix, if you like, or table that discussion for another time. I know this is really last minute and sudden, but if it helps seal the deal, I’m ready to do that.”
The looks on the faces of the Luxe exes would have been comical if I hadn’t been so steaming mad. I took another swallow of my water and said, “As the conference schedule indicates, we will meet in the restaurant this evening at six-thirty to wrap things up. If you have any questions before then, please call me. Thank you and I will see you then.”
I turned my back on the group to gather my notes and put my laptop into its bag. Jack was at my side in an instant. “Hey, babe, let me get that stuff for you.” He reached for my bag, and I hissed, “I’ve got this!” and walked rapidly out of the room with Jack chasing after me.
Chapter 4
I was halfway down the hallway before Jack caught me and grabbed my elbow, pulling me around. I was furious. He’d crashed my presentation, possibly derailing the deal I’d been working on for a year, and now he was manhandling me!
“What? What do you want, Jack?” I demanded, shaking off his hand.
He looked abashed by the intensity of my anger. Contrite, he dropped my arm and gestured to a small alcove in the hallway, out of the way of traffic. “Eve, I’m sorry. I’m just trying to help.”
“I don’t need your help! I’m not a damsel in distress who needs saving! I had everything under control until you jumped in with your big size 9’s and stomped all over my presentation!”
“I said I’m sorry, Eve. I just wanted to…I know you didn’t need my help. I just… You helped me and I wanted to do something nice for you.” He sounded so sad and wistful that my anger collapsed like a soufflé. His puppy dog eyes made me melt just a bit.
“How did you get here, Jack?” I asked.
