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“After some small talk, Maya told me she’d be at the wedding, and she hoped that I would make some time to chat with her during the reception. It’s not an optimal place to do business, but…”
“Hey, we’ll take what we can get. And if getting comfortable with you on a social level opens the door to a professional conversation, even better.”
“Exactly,” I murmur.
“Wow. Talk about fortuitous. It’s crazy to think that after two years, we might still reel in this big fish.”
“Right?”
“Holy fuck, I could kiss you. Wait, never mind. You’re not my type.”
I laugh. “You’re not mine, either. But thanks for the enthusiasm.”
“So did you save the old pitch or are you thinking something fresher?”
“Go big or go home, right?”
“You’re not thinking…”
“Oh, yeah… Why not suggest our next rollout benefit her high-profile clients first?”
What better way to kick off our secret project than with Maya’s lucrative list of influencers and celebs?
“Seriously? Are you sure?”
“Think about it. Maya will have high expectations, so we have to offer her something better than last time. Project X will ensure her clients get incredible visibility, and we’ll get tons of new users and traffic. What could be better?”
“You’re right. It’s almost ready, man. Just a few more test runs and a few bug fixes. Then we’re good to go.
“I’ll just need to update the pitch to play up the exclusive features and attributes her clients will receive, and we’re golden. It’s a deal she won’t get anywhere else.”
Jake laughs. “Jonathan Knight, I think you’ve done it this time.”
“I don’t want to count our chickens, but…”
As Jake sings my praises and makes me feel guilty as hell, I hear sudden yelling just outside my office doors.
“All you can do? I don’t have time for ‘all you can do.’ I need you to march in there and persuade him to see me before my project and the months of effort that went into it fall apart.”
What the hell?
I vault out of my office chair. “Hey, man. Something’s up. I need to call you back.”
“Sure. We’ll talk later, buddy.” He hangs up just before I do.
After pocketing my phone, I press my ear against my door and listen. I need to figure out if the guy I’m hearing is from a video someone is playing too loudly on their lunch break or a jerk who’s way out of line berating Kiera.
“I understand your frustration. I’m sorry. Unfortunately, as I said, Mr. Knight isn’t to be disturbed, period.” That’s Kiera, all right. And she sounds rattled.
I’m not okay with that.
“Why do you suck at your job? You never seem able to make shit happen when I need it. This project is forhisbenefit. He’s the one who assigned it to me and designated it a top priority. And now that it’s all coming together, he’s holed up, and you don’t have the sway to even mention to him that this might all go down the toilet?” Rising anger is evident in his tone.
“Is that Dan?” I mutter to myself. I’ve always known him to be the stress-ball type, but what the fuck? He has no right to give Kiera shit.
“Excuse me?” she asks sharply. “What did you just call me?”
The fucker is calling her names? I unlock my door and yank on the handle. I’ve got to stop this.
