Mr. Grant clears his throat, claiming both our attention, and whatever that was is now broken. Belinda’s boss offers Manning a semi-apologetic look when his daggered gaze settles on the older man.
Manning turns back around, pinning that intensity on me again. He slowly extends his arm, holding my eyes captive the entire time. “Drew Manning,” he says in a sinfully sexy voice that sends shivers cascading up my spine. “Thank you for taking the time to present to us today.”
His large warm palm glides against my smaller less callused one, and he grips my hand in a solid handshake. “Thank you for the opportunity to pitch for your business. AMC Solutions would be honored to work with Manning Motors.” It’s a miracle the words came out of my mouth because I’m struggling to maintain composure in the face of his overwhelming presence.
I knew Drew Manning was a powerful dangerous man, but if I didn’t, this greeting would have confirmed it.
How can anyone get work done around here with him? I bet the women in the office cream their panties at the sight of him every day.
“Now all the sucking up is done, shall we begin?” he asks, his lips tipping up at the corners when I realize I’m holding his hand prisoner.
I withdraw my hand, just about managing not to blush like a schoolgirl. “Sounds good.”
“This is my personal assistant, Hilary.” He tips his head at the young redhead with the quirky purple glasses.
Hilary hurries around the table to shake my hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Lewis.”
“Likewise, and please call me Athena.”
“That’s an unusual name,” Drew says as he holds out a chair on the opposite side of the table for me.
“Thank you,” I say as I drop into the plush gray velvet chair. “It was my mother’s choice. She picked it when she was a little girl.” Drew pushes my chair in and Belinda takes a seat beside me, hooking up a laptop to the screen at our backs. “She was insistent if she had a daughter she wanted to name her Athena. She was a big fan of Greek mythology as a child and an avid reader.”
“If I’m not mistaken, Athena was the warrior goddess and a counterpart to Ares,” Drew says, reclaiming his seat across from me as I extract my notes from my briefcase.
“She was also the goddess of craftmanship and known for her inventive mind,” I reply as Belinda tees up the presentation.
“And which are you?” he asks, tipping his head to one side. “The creator or the destroyer?”
“You’re assuming I’m either of those things because of a name bestowed on me long before I was ever born?” Incredulity drips from my tone.
“I’m not assuming anything.”
His brown eyes pin me in place, and momentary fear freezes me in my seat.
Does he know who I am?
Is he aware this is a setup?
No, he can’t know. It’s impossible. I use the name Lewis professionally to hide my real name, and the experts in our world have carefully crafted a false identification and history for me in the event anyone starts looking. Our people are masters at this stuff, and there is no way he knows who I really am.
I allow myself to relax a smidgeon, forcing my fear deep down inside.
He continues staring at me, and it’s unnerving. Belinda kicks me under the table as she slides the laptop in front of me.
“If I had to choose between those options, I’d think the answer is obvious, Mr. Manning,” I say as I rise to my feet. “I invent strategies that enable businesses to achieve their growth plans and unparalleled success.” I fix him with a broad smile. “I build. I don’t destroy.”
Unless you threaten me and mine, and then all bets are off.
ChapterSeven
Drew
She’s got bigger balls than most of the men in this building. I like she’s not easily intimidated, and she’s clearly as intelligent as she is beautiful, but we won’t be hiring her. It might seem ironic or hypocritical, but I despise nepotism, and it’s obvious Markham or Grant, or maybe both of them, have worked on this pitch with Athena, and I already know they’re going to push for her firm to win the coveted contract.
I don’t usually let personal bias or emotion dictate business decisions. That’s a slippery slope. But there is something about this woman that gets under my skin, and I can’t have her around for the next six months.
Athena progresses effortlessly from slide to slide, speaking passionately about our values and her ideas for rebranding the business—if they even areherideas—and how it will align to our goal of growing revenue by twenty-five percent in the next three years.
