Chapter Thirteen
Cierra
Hyped up ona triple espresso, I walked into Lindsey’s office and placed the sketches in front of her. I was proud of them and pretty sure Absolute Glam would love them.
Lindsey picked the sketches up and flipped through them. “These are really good, Cierra. Fantastic, actually.” A frown creased her brow, and she put them down and gestured for me to sit.
Something was wrong. I could see it in her face and sense it in her demeanor. Blood rushed to my head and I gripped the sides of the chair. “What’s going on?” I asked softly, not really wanting to hear her answer.
“After all the work you’ve done on the campaign, I feel bad telling you that the account has been pulled. I’m sorry.”
I sat mutely, blinking and trying to comprehend what Lindsey had just told me. As the words sank in, my disbelief turned to anger.That asshole! He’s punishing me for having a date. Is he that sick and petty?I stood up and marched out of Lindsey’s room. She was calling my name, but I kept going until I was in front of Mr. Prescott’s office. I pounded on the door and heard approaching footsteps behind it. The door swung open and his pressed lips curled up at the same time his eyes brightened.
“Cierra,” he greeted me warmly.
I was having none of it, pushing past him to stand by his desk with crossed arms and foot tapping on the carpet.
He came over and half sat on the desk, his smile not as wide. “This is a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?”
I jabbed my finger in his direction. “How could you? I can’t believe you’d take Absolute Glam away from me just because I had a fucking date. The first date I’ve had in months, by the way. And what business is it of yours if I have a date or not? You’re so petty. And vindictive. You’re a real asshole!” I turned away from him because the lump in my throat was getting bigger, and the last thing I wanted was to cry in front of him.
I swiped my hands across my cheeks and headed for the door. Strong fingers pulled me back and I fell against him. The scent of him cooled my anger down a few notches. I bent my head down, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill.
“Are you finished?” His deep voice washed over me and my body instinctively molded against his. I nodded and he cupped my chin, tilting my head back and scanning my face. “First of all, I didn’t take the account away from you—the client backed out. I got a call early this morning.” As I started to reply, he placed his finger on my lips, scorching them. Instantly, a jolt ran from my mouth to my nipples and down to the dull ache between my legs. “Second of all, I’d never mingle my personal feelings with work. And thirdly, I can’t believe you haven’t had a date in months.” A smile played on his lips.
I drew away and chuckled. “Well I haven’t. I’ve been too busy working.” The way his gaze slowly took me in made me nervous. I chewed my cuticle and looked out the window. “I can’t believe Absolute Glam pulled out before they even saw the campaign.”
Then just like that, the sexual tension between us dissipated and he walked around his desk and sat down. “They were offered the same things we were giving them at a fraction of the cost.”
“How can that be possible? There’s no way they’re going to get anything resembling what we were giving them at such a low price. Who’d they go with?” I sat down.
“DTG Agency. Have you heard of it?”
I tucked a stray hair into my loose bun and nodded. “They’re a new company. I can’t believe they’d be able to woo such a big account.”
“They seem to know a lot of the things we’re doing. They’re the ones that are trying to sabotage the launch of Vibra. I put out the fires there, but they’ve hit up three of the accounts I was trying to get. I told Absolute Glam that they’d already signed a contract with us and I’d be turning this over to our legal department.”
A sudden coldness hit at my core as what Trace was saying sank in. “Are you saying we have a snitch at Velocity?”
He inhaled sharply, then exhaled. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary with any of your coworkers?”
My mind raced as I tried to analyze every conversation and encounter I’d had for the past few weeks. Nothing came to mind. “No. Do you think this was going on when Mr. Linder was running the company?”
Trace sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. “It seems to have started when I took over. I’m thinking someone is disgruntled with me or my grandfather, or both of us. It has occurred to me that someone may be trying to ruin me so I’ll step down.”
“That’s awful. I’ve worked with a lot of the people here and I can’t imagine any of them as turncoats.”
He smiled wryly. “Money makes people do a whole lot of things.”
“What’re you going to do?” I asked, then lowered my head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that. I’m not management.”
“No apologies. I want you to be able to ask and tell me anything. I have to admit that you have the ‘telling me’ part down pat.” There was a smile in his voice.
I groaned. “I’m so sorry about all that. I don’t know what it is, but you bring out such intense feelings in me. I never go around telling people off, especially my boss.”
“I hope not all your intense feelings toward me are angry.”
“Not at all,” I said, meeting his intense stare.
