Limited Time Offer - Kelly Jamieson Page 0,73
her, obviously thinking over what she’d just told him. “Was he a seventy-year-old man with no hair?”
She choked on a laugh. “No.”
“Was he young and good-looking?”
“Define young.”
“Under forty.”
“Then yes. And very attractive.”
His eyes narrowed, then a grin spread across his face. “Go, me.”
Her eyebrows rose. “What?”
“If you turned down a seventy-year-old man, well…I’d expect that. But you turned down some handsome dude…for me.” He smooched her lips again.
“Your ego is so big it’s a wonder there’s room for me here under this umbrella.”
His smile went crooked. “Babe. It’s huge.”
“That’s what she said.”
He burst out laughing, his arm around her lower back tightening into a hug.
“Where did you get an umbrella this big?”
“It’s for golfing.”
“You golf?”
“Of course.” He rolled his eyes. “My parents made me go to golf camp every summer at the country club.”
“Of course.” She loaded tone into her voice. “The country club.”
They smiled as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
“Come on. I can’t be late, or I’ll be in trouble with the boss.”
She grinned and fell into step with him. “I’m not your boss.”
“What? Wait, what did you say? Speak into this microphone.” He held his hand up to her face, and she laughed again and pushed it away.
How did he suck her into these feelings, every single damn time?
Chapter Nineteen
Sloane dried off in the ladies’ room after she and Levi got back to the office, getting her head back into business mode. She brushed out her damp hair and wiped off her shoes with paper towels. Walking down the corridor toward her office she ran into Kaleb.
“Hey, Sloane.”
She smiled at Kaleb. “Hi. How are things going?”
“Good. In fact, pretty damn amazing.”
She lifted one eyebrow. “Great to hear. How so?”
“Remember I told you about the buying program Bailey was working on?”
She nodded. Where media buyers used to negotiate price on the phone and enter media buys into an Excel spreadsheet, now they were using data-driven, real-time, platform-based buying, and Bailey had developed her own buying program. “Yes, although I have to admit I don’t totally understand it.”
He grinned. “I hear ya. Anyhoo, it’s working great. Saving us tons of time and giving us way better information.”
“Good to hear.”
“Who would’ve thought cute little Bailey had such a technological mind.”
Sloane frowned. Bailey frequently got underestimated. The younger woman was bright and hardworking, although she did disappear every day right at five o’clock. Not that that was a problem, but in this business, leaving on time every day could lead people to question your commitment to the job. But Sloane knew that Bailey busted her butt every day to get her work done and had never failed to meet a deadline, and she was always aware of budget constraints. She was a smooth negotiator and had made a number of great deals with various media outlets. Her research was always thorough and her follow-up meticulous.
She was also young and into technology, savvy about using modern tools to place ads. And yet so many at Huxworth Packard looked down on Bailey because she was little and cute and blonde and had big boobs.
“You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover,” she said. Then she rolled her eyes. “Cliché alert.”
“Ha. Clichés are clichés because they’re true.” He shrugged. “You’re right.” He continued down the hall toward his own office.
Sloane paused, thinking about what she’d just heard. Then she changed direction and instead of returning to her office she went to find Bailey. She found her and Phoebe in the coffee bar, stirring lattes.
“I think they should call moustaches mouthbrows.” Phoebe touched her fingertips to her upper lip. “Like eyebrows. Only here.”
Sloane blinked at Phoebe. She turned to meet Bailey’s eyes.
Bailey’s lips twitched. “That’s a good idea, hon.”
Sloane repressed a sigh.
“Did you need something, Sloane?” Bailey turned to her.
“I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. Can you come to my office?”
“Sure.”
“Kaleb was just telling me about the buying program you developed.” Sloane led the way across the open space and then down the corridor to her office. She noticed Levi and Scott sitting on the couches in the corner of the staff lounge, throwing a tiny football back and forth. “He’s very impressed.”
“Oh yay! That’s so great.”
Sloane gestured for Bailey to have a seat, taking her suit jacket off. She hung it on the back of her chair and sat. “I know you don’t want to be a media buyer forever.”
Bailey nodded slowly. “That’s right.”
Sloane tipped her head. “I think you should join me for lunch tomorrow. I’m meeting with Derek