doubt that she’s fuming on the inside. Demanding her to attend a meeting on such short notice—especially on a Saturday—is a dick move, but I wouldn’t be me without those signature ploys. She’ll come to understand that what I say goes.
“Hello there, I’m Vannah Simons.” They provide their names after her introduction. She flutters a delicate hand down the front of her basic shirt. The pink cotton is nearly threadbare. “I’m sorry about my disheveled appearance. This meeting wasn’t on my calendar until very recently.”
Betty scoffs. “You look just fine. Don’t give fancy clothes a second thought on our account.”
“We’re causal folks,” Paul adds.
They’re far too forgiving for my standards. Her frayed cutoffs and flip-flop sandals are offensive for a professional setting, regardless of the company we’re keeping. I’m not willing to note how edible she appears with all that bare skin on display.
That familiar confidence straightens her posture as she struts to my side and sits down next to me. “Well, I do feel bad for interrupting. Don’t let me get you too far off track.”
“We just started, actually. I’m glad you could spare an hour from your busy schedule to join us.” I dig deep to find a smirk entirely for her benefit.
“Anything for my favorite client.” She pats my arm, the patronizing touch steeped in needles.
Riley’s face is almost split in half by his wide smile. “I can see why he wants to include you. It’s real nice to see such a comfortable camaraderie between business associates.”
I’m sure it is. The urge to roll my eyes is almost overwhelming. Most would consider this behavior highly suspect, but these three couldn’t care less about my dealings prior to arriving on their doorstep. I sip some coffee from my steaming mug before continuing. “Ms. Simons has proven to be relatively useful as of late.”
Vannah grins at my backhanded compliment. “You’re always so generous with the praise. It makes me work extra hard, just for you.”
I couldn’t have planned a better segue. “Which explains why you managed to arrive so fast. Inviting you was the right choice.”
“That’s one way to put it,” she mutters under her breath.
Ignoring her snark is a newfound hobby. “Well, now that you’re here.”
She seems to gather a hint from my prompt. Her focus veers to Paul, Betty, and Riley. “Do you want to visit the building? I just need to alert the grounds manager.”
“That won’t be necessary,” I interject.
“Oh?”
I wave at the papers in front of me. “We’re just going over some potential maintenance costs that a contractor collected. I thought it would be good to have you close in case there are questions.”
Sifting through data from one source or another is routine procedure in the very early purchasing stages. We could discuss the results for weeks or minutes and probably arrive at the same conclusions. I loathe this process in its overly inefficient entirety, but the regulations aren’t mine to dictate. Meeting in person to discuss these findings is even more pointless, but certain companies prefer gathering as a group as often as possible. I figured we could give it a whirl in this situation for all parties involved.
This is probably the moment Vannah discovers how unnecessary her presence is. A spark glints in her eyes as she catches my stare. If I was a lesser man, that gleam might be cause for concern. I can almost hear a switch being flipped while she shifts to face me. “Sure, of course. I’m well aware you’re uncomfortable making any huge decisions without proper consultation from me.”
I choke on my coffee, nearly spewing across the wall. “There’s no—”
Her palm is still resting on my arm, and she gives me a harsh squeeze. “It’s okay, Mr. Winters. There are a lot of factors to consider when purchasing a warehouse. It’s understandable to be intimidated by these statistics. That’s why you hired me.”
A bomb detonates from somewhere inside me, turning the edges of my vision a fiery red. The savvy beauty just lobbed payback into my lap. All I can do is grin at the three people gawking at our display. I imagine we resemble a fucking circus act to those standing on the sidelines. My reputation precedes me. This mockery she’s attempting to pull off would never be tolerated under normal circumstances. I could prove that she’s completely irrelevant in less than twenty seconds. But reprimanding her in front of my partners is bad form. I’m not willing to stoop that low and let her walk away