“Ivy, leave it, okay?”
“Okay.” She kissed him and didn’t say anything more about it, but the churning anxiety in his stomach didn’t go away.
CHAPTER FIVE – IVY
“I’vearrangedaninterviewfor you with Joanne from Eco News. She’s eager to talk to you about how Cherry Nails is changing to an eco-company.”
“We’re not there yet.” Yvette Marksom tapped her long bright red nail on Ivy’s desk.
“That’s why you talk about how you are changing and the steps you are taking. Here, I have drafted some key points for you to mention. This will get the environment rights people off your case because you are coming out and refuting them.”
Yvette flashed her a cover-worthy grin. “Thanks, Ivy. You’re the best.” She stood and flipped her long black hair over her shoulder. “I don’t need to tell them about my stepfather’s shares in oil, right?”
Ivy smiled. “Keyword being stepfather. Do you like him?”
“That old prick? No.”
“If they ever uncover that, you add it to your story as your source of motivation.”
“My only real motivation is to make money.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” Ivy smiled, walking Yvette out.
Okay, so sometimes her work was as shallow as Gabe said.
But she loved it, and she was good at it, and she needed to make money too. Nothing was wrong with having a job and being good at it.
Sometimes she thought Gabe would fit in with her parents’ berry farm.
“Hey Ivy, I have a meeting with Paula Gibson at one. Can you sit in?”
Ivy smiled at her friend and junior associate, Emery. “I can, but you’ll do fine. You got this.”
“It’ll be my first major client I handle by myself.”
“Hey, you’re not out there alone. I got your back.”
Her friend’s dark eyes sparkled, and she tapped her tablet. “You’re right. I’m going to be great!”
“Keep saying that.”
“Do you give yourself a pep talk?”
“Every day.” Ivy grinned.
Emery made a face, and they burst out laughing. Ivy finished making her coffee, looking at her phone as she walked down the tiled hallway to her office, passing the photos of Metric’s famous clients on the wall.
Back in her office, she looked over her calendar. Good, it was packed. She wanted to be busy the first week Gabe was gone.
Last night when he had punished her had beensogood. She didn’t know how much she needed it until it happened. With his attention entirely on her, she felt wholly connected to him. And she loved that he showed her how angry he was with her.
She shifted on her chair, the stripe marks of the cane still smarting.
The knock on her door startled her out of her reprieve.
“Hey, Ivy. Can you come with me to the conference room? I want your take on this campaign before we publish it.”
“Sure, Flint.” Ivy smiled, but butterflies danced in her stomach.
