Page 17 of Nothing to You (Nothing to… #7)

LEON CORNISH SHOVED into their conference room. “Are you ready?”

“Oh, God,” Helena said, pressing her hands to her stomach. “Is he here?”

“We’re prepped for the presentation,” Johann said. “Can you tell us who it’s with?”

Frustrating Rourke had been tightlipped about the identity of the person due to meet them any minute. They’d prepped, just like he told her to do less than forty-eight hours ago. But even she felt ridiculous waiting there for some unknown entity.

“Where is he?” she asked. “Rourke, where is he?”

“On his way,” Leon said, checking something on his tablet.

“Who could it be?” Guillermo asked. “Who could deliver all the people on our list?”

Helena shrugged. “It must be someone important.”

“Someone rich.”

“Someone influential. You think he’s in politics or—”

“Politics are divisive. Not everyone on our list was from the same side. If this person can deliver everyone, they have to be neutral.”

“Or incredibly charming.”

Her gaze tracked to the elevator as the doors parted. When Rourke came out with another guy, her mouth opened. Shit. Was that…?

“Zairn Lomond,” Helena whispered the name that stuck in her throat.

She swallowed.

“Oh, shit,” Franco said. “Oh, no, this is bad.”

“How could he do this to us?”

“What’s the problem?” Myles asked. “Zairn Lomond knows everyone in the whole world. Everyone. Literally.”

Helena spun around just as she put her back to the sight of the smirking billionaires crossing the floor together.

“Yes, he knows everyone,” Helena said. “Which means if we fuck this up, we’re finished. All of us. In every arena. Industry. Everywhere!”

“Were you this nervous presenting to me and the SIT panel?” Leon asked.

No one had a chance to answer that, thank God. Myles opened the doors and the duo came in.

“Zairn Lomond,” Rourke said, slapping a hand onto his buddy’s back.

“These are the people I was telling you about. You don’t need to know their names.

” He pointed at her. “Except that one. That’s Roux Radley, watch out for her.

” He leaned closer to stage whisper. “She makes the Kyst-meister look like child’s play.

” He patted his friend again. “Go to it.”

“You’re leaving?” she asked, taking an involuntary step toward him.

His brows rose a fraction. “You nervous?”

“No!”

“Good. Didn’t think so,” he said and winked. “I’ll swing back at the end for the big finish. Radley does it like no one else. Hope you’re up on your movie quotes, buddy.”

He departed. Leaving them alone. Her team. Leon. And Zairn fucking Lomond.

“You’re in charge,” he said to her.

She blinked.

“Roxanne is the most beautiful woman in the world,” Myles said from absolutely nowhere, giving her whiplash.

Zairn took the random comment in stride and turned just enough to look at the speaker. “Her name’s Roxanna,” he said, “and she knows.” His head twitched in a tilt as he approached the chair at the head of the table. “Though Knox Collier would disagree with you.”

Way to start them off on the wrong foot by insulting the man’s girlfriend.

And Collier.

The man really did know everyone.

“I watch her streams all the time,” Myles said, rushing over. “She’s just…”

“Beautiful?” Zairn asked, sitting down. “You said that already. You know I have met her.”

“Stop slobbering on the man’s girlfriend,” she said, marching down the room.

“Fiancée,” Myles said. “You’re engaged, right?”

“Some say,” Zairn said. “She has single friends we’re trying to offload.”

The moment she reached the screen and spun on the spot, Leon hit a button on his tablet and the glass walls went white. More Dyce glass. “Mr. Lomond, let us tell you about Huddle Hope.”

They talked for more than an hour. Each of them took their turn to say their piece and dazzle the billionaire with their presentation.

At least, that was the idea.

She was feeling good about it until Leon put the lights back on and she got a better look at Lomond’s impassive expression.

“We’re happy to answer any questions,” Johann said with an optimism she sure didn’t share.

“No,” Lomond said and stood up.

“No?” Franco asked. “What does that mean?”

“It means this isn’t in my wheelhouse,” Lomond said, retrieving his phone to type and swipe.

“You don’t want to give it a chance?” Johann asked. “What exactly are your objections?”

“I’m sure it’s a brilliant idea. It’s just not for me.”

“Wha…? Wha…? What?”

She understood the others’ surprise. Why had the guy let them go on and on for an hour if he was just going to slap them down?

“I do know someone who will be interested,” Lomond said. “A startup perfect for this.”

Hope! Yes, okay, that was something, wasn’t it?

“Who?” Johann asked.

“I can set up a meet, if you’re interested.”

“We’re interested,” Helena said.

“We are,” their doctor said, “but we don’t want to waste our time.”

Was he really so arrogant? What was with the attitude? There had always been a chance the pitch wouldn’t reap results. It was disheartening, annoying even, but that was the way the game went. Not every roll of the dice got you to the finish line.

When Rourke came in, there was an air of knowing around him.

“You knew this wasn’t for me,” Lomond said like he sensed it too.

The straight smile on Rourke’s face tilted just a little. “I sure did.”

“Mr. Lomond—”

“You want me to set up the meet or not?” he asked, cutting Franco off.

“Yes,” most of them said at the same time.

“Yes, please,” Myles said after.

“My people will be in touch within twenty-four hours,” he said and went out, taking Rourke right along with him.

“Well, that was…”

“A bust,” Johann said, his expression tight. “Why did they put us through that? Is this some game?”

“He’s right,” she said. “Kind of. Zairn Lomond knows a lot of people, but he’s not known for being the caring and gentle type.”

“You ever see the video of him with Roxie when she was sick?” Myles asked and she shook her head. “Watch it. That’ll change your opinion.”

“Don’t we need someone warmer? Someone more approachable?” she asked. “Look, it wasn’t a bust. Rourke said he would connect us with someone who would deliver the list.” Now that she thought about it… “He never said Lomond would invest.”

The others considered this.

“We have to trust him,” Helena said. “He knows what he’s doing and wouldn’t have gotten to where he is without some expertise. He’s on our side.”

“Is he?” Johann asked. “And a startup? How will they have the foundation we need? The stability? Does Rourke want this to succeed?”

The doctor’s glare drilled into her. The others weren’t quite so harsh, but there was a sense of expectation from them too.

“What?” she asked. “Why are you all looking at me?”

“There’s something going on between you,” the doctor said. “The way he talks to you, and you go running in there—”

“We’re friends,” she said. “Is that a crime?”

“How did that happen?” Myles asked. “How do you get to be friends with—”

“You treated him horribly in the SIT pitch,” Helena said.

“Worked for us, didn’t it?”

“Is that how we got here?” Franco asked. “Because you yelled at him.”

She wasn’t exactly sure how they’d ended up there. Did Rourke love the Huddle Hope idea or was their relationship a factor?

“I never asked him.”

But she would. If she remembered the next time they were together. Though that didn’t guarantee an answer or honesty. They could just end up arguing again.

“What do we do now?” Myles asked.

“Wait,” she said. “What else can we do?”

“Who do you think he’s going to hook us up with?”

“God knows,” Helena said, slumping into a chair.

“I won’t be getting my hopes up,” Johann snapped.

Wow, the guy needed to chill. Yes, she was disappointed. They were all disappointed. But they had cause for optimism. Her phone buzzed, so she fished it out of her pocket.

HOTSHOT: Come to the office.

His office? She started across the room.

“Where are you going?” Helena asked.

“Everyone stay here and tweak the pitch. An hour’s too long. We need to make it more interesting. Less of the facts and figures.”

“Serious people like facts and figures.”

“Serious people can take one look at our graphs and draw their own conclusions,” she said, opening the door. “Just do what you can.”

Thankfully, their conference room was still obscured by Dyce glass. Not only could it protect from the inside, but it concealed her path from the others. Already they were curious about her and Rourke and didn’t need more to whisper about.

She scanned the room before going inside. Rourke was alone. So the friends hadn’t spent much time together.

“…four at the end,” he said into the phone as she went inside. “Yeah, later.” He hung up. “Congrats!”

“Congrats?” she asked, going over to the desk. “For what? We didn’t get a deal.”

“You were never going to get a deal with Z.”

“And you couldn’t have told me that before giving us false hope?”

“These things have a way of working themselves out,” he said. “It’s a step closer. Z was your only guaranteed way in.”

“Okay,” she said, eyeing the boxes on his desk.

“Okay? You trust me?”

“In business, I do,” she said, gesturing at the boxes with her phone hand. “What is this? You moving out? Am I getting your office?”

His tight grin was false but warmed her amusement.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Reminding me how catty you are. Now I don’t feel so bad.” He nodded at the boxes. “These are for you.”

“What are they? Diamonds?” she asked, removing one of the lids. “Still won’t grant you permission to put it in my ass.” But there were no sparkling jewels. “Files? You’re giving me files?”

“You didn’t open the first gift I got you, so I’m trying again.”

Putting her phone on the desk, she retrieved the first folder. “With files?”

“It’s the semi-finalists.”

“Semi-finalists of what?”

“SIT,” he said, startling her. “Leon and his people narrowed it down to these forty-eight groups.”

“Forty-eight?” she asked, trying not to gasp. “That’s hardly narrowed down.”

“Yeah, I want it down to fifteen before the end of the week.”

“It’s already Thursday. That’s a lot of work.”

“It is, which is why I’m not doing it. My time is way too valuable. Yours? Not so much. The pitch materials and panel’s observations are in each folder, along with a video of the pitch and presentation on the USBs.”

“Good. At least they’re organized, I don’t…” Trailing off, she put all the pieces together. “Wait. You want… You want me to…”

“Cull the list,” he said, pushing back in his seat. “Yep.”

“I have Hope stuff to do,” she said, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder. “We have so much to—Lomond said we’d hear in twenty-four hours. Whoever he’s referred us to—”

“That’s what your team’s for,” he said. “Come over to the house tonight. You can spread out there.”

“You just handed me a fuckload of work and you expect me to—”

“Come over and put out? Yeah, I expect that too,” he said. “And watch that language around the boss.”

“The boss can go fuck himself,” she said. “How will I get through this and—”

“I’m out for the rest of the day. Z and I are hitting the strip clubs,” he said, getting up to grab his jacket from a hat stand behind him. “Work in here.”

“You want me to work in here?”

“Sure,” he said, rounding the desk to duck and kiss her head. “Have fun. I’ll dedicate a lap dance to you.”

Have fun? Screw him. Forty-eight presentations. She had to read and review… Inhaling, she held the breath for a second and blew it out as she went around to sit in his chair. She’d never finish if she didn’t start.

Put out? Yeah, he could suck it himself.