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Shit.Silence was the worst possible response.
It appeared he didn’t reach decisions quickly. It could have been his way of operating, or he might be unsure of how an office like this operated.
I hadn’t considered that maybe he didn’t have the authority for that much without some upper-level signoff. But that didn’t make sense. His family name was on the building, and I’d read about him concluding a billion dollar merger last week.
Evan stopped nodding and stood.
I picked up my purse and stood as well, offering my practiced smile.
His lips pursed slightly. “I’ll have to do some research before committing us to any specific number.”
Double shit.If he looked into what they’d donated last year, I was toast. And, he had Chelsea’s number to complain if he wanted to sink me. That would be a classic McAllister move.
He opened his arm toward the door. “Thank you for coming in, Alexa.” His smile now actually looked genuine.
I followed Diane to the door. But I wasn’t done yet. Sliphorn had said never to leave the table without a final attempt to close the deal at a lower level. “Before I go, since the tables sell out quickly, would you like to reserve one table or two?”
“How many people does a table seat?”
This was a logical question. Why was he the first to ask it? “Ten,” I answered.
He stopped, and for a second I thought I might not even get a table commitment. “Two tables, then,” he finally agreed.
“The children thank you,” I said sincerely as I halted outside his office. I’d skinned the shark. His company had never sprung for a table before.
“On the donation side, I’ll have to consider our response.”
“Of course.” I offered my hand. “When should we reschedule?” But my hand dangled in the air without a move from him.
“Diane will call you.” The Shark of Wall Street was too important a man to call me directly. “Honesty is the most important commodity, don’t you think?”
“Yes. The most important.” Honesty? What a crock? His father had possessed zero honesty in dealing with Dad. Like father like son, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and a dozen other sayings proved Evan was no different.
Finally, he shook firmly with me.
The tingles of heat that raced up my arm surprised me. I shouldn’t have been reacting this way. Sure, he was drop-dead handsome, but I knew full well that inside the expensive suit was a cold, calculating shark.
He held my hand for a few seconds longer than standard. “It was very nice to see you again, Alexa.”
“You too,” I got out as he released his grip on me. It was an acceptable lie, said in pursuit of a good goal, helping the children. I added the parting ask, another Sliphorn-ism. “Any idea what you’ll be donating to the silent auction?”
His eyes narrowed. “Silent auction?”
“Yes, the one we hold at the gala you’ll be attending.”
Donating to the auction wasn’t required, but some people preferred it to donating cash. And it added excitement to the event as the winners were announced.
That slow nod of his reappeared. “I’ll have to give that some thought. And congratulations on your MBA. Diane will show you out.”
He returned to his office.
Following Diane to the elevator, I felt oddly uneasy that I hadn’t acknowledged his praise.Shit.That didn’t fit with my determination to be even more professional than him.
“I love your taste in shoes,” Diane commented as we waited for the elevator. “Those are super cute.”
“Thanks. I found them at this little place off Broadway, called Heel in the Wall.”
The elevator door opened.
