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She follows me back into the boardroom.
I walk by the windows, to the far end of the long, shiny boardroom table.
“Which do you want to tell me first, Joe?” She’s angry. “Why you do want to see me, or why you don’t?”
Behind Cyntia’s shoulder, Georgiana rises from her desk. She raises a hand, her finger pointing up, and she calls, “Do you want me to…”
Cyntia kicks the door behind her. She keeps her angry eyes fixed on mine.
The door bangs.
“You are so damn sure of yourself, Joe.”
“You can stop calling me that now.” I lean back against the window. “My name is Jackson. You can call me Jake, or Jax, if you want to.”
“I think I like Joe just fine.”
A silence, a tight, twanging tension, fills the air between us.
She leans her shoulders back against the door. Her pelvis juts and tilts. She bites the side of her lip. Her eyes shine, and she breathes hard. Nervous, she swishes her skirt. She’s looking right at the ridge in my pants.
“Oh, my! Is that your standard greeting?”
“Don’t play the innocent with me, Ms. Brill. I know you’ve seen something like this before. More than once, I’ll bet. I wonder how many?”
“None. I haven’t seen any.” Her voice falters. “I mean, I’ve seen them like that. Not like that, not that big. But in pants. I’ve seen… damn,” she breathes. “That’s… huge!”
Her eyes pop and her face wrinkles so prettily, I could jump over the table and kiss her right now. I lean back and hold onto the windowsill. Her breasts heave.
My voice is low. “I want your beans.”
“That’s an unusual approach, Joe.”
My chest prickles. “Stop calling me that.” We glare at each other. The air in the room is charged like it could explode at any minute. “So you won’t sell me the beans or tell me where I can get them?”
“I’ve told you already,” she starts.
“But you’re selling them to Henry. “
“Only a small amount. And Henry gave me a job when I needed it.”
“Henry’s an ass.”
“Maybe he is, but he still gave me a job. I’m grateful for that.“
“I can give you a job.”
“No, you can’t. You can’t stand to be in a room with me. And I’d say the feeling’s pretty well mutual.”
“We don’t have to be in a room together for you to work for me.”
“Too late, though, Joe. I’ve got a job. Remember?”
I refuse to let her get under my skin with the ‘Joe’ crap.
“So, is that really what you want? The beans?”
My pulse races as she stalks toward me.
