Page 196 of Savage Suit

“Take it or leave it,” she huffed. “You’re lucky I’m willing to compromise that much.”

For now, I was thankful and relieved she’d allowed reason to take over. Although she still intended to work, she had indeed chosen me.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

An ancient human pulling a cow’s udders and drinking the white liquid squirting out is one of life’s mysteries. For that matter, who saw a fucking mushroom sprouting from the ground and decided it looked tasty enough to pluck and eat? That curiosity allowed me to enjoy my cup of joe, and I was forever grateful to the long dead Ethiopian’s discovery of the delicious, bitter bean.

Coffee.

One of life’s simple pleasures and a drink I adored, a magical beverage that energizes its drinker. As I sipped on my coffee and cream, I sighed in contentment.

“You look like you’re enjoying your coffee,” Soraya noted, sipping a decaf.

I nodded, grinning. “It’s fucking delicious. You have fantastic taste.”

Several days after the Halloween party, she and I had met up at a food truck run by a friendly foreign man. I’d gotten a kick at her outrageous orders when I discovered it was a private joke between them to throw off other customers.

Nowadays, I rode to work with Noah. There was something different about him. I couldn’t put my finger on it, so I decided not to address it. But since my first meeting with Soraya had been an early morning date before either of us went to work, Curtis had driven me. Soraya and I had taken a little longer than necessary, enjoying ourselves so much that day, we decided to meet at the same place today, and this time, we intended to treat ourselves at a nearby spa.

Reid discovered Sauncier’s final presentation would indeed happen in New York. Channing Powers and Claude Amage were the only two in on the Paris meeting. Everyone else believed Keegan Media Group and Sauncier would make joint presentations in the local office.

To say Noah was furious was an understatement. I thought hewouldkill one of them. Thankfully, out of the lesser of two evils, he did the next best thing. Moved to take over the company. While I understood he wanted retaliation, KMG would automatically win the campaign. I asked him to consider removing Channing and Claude from the board after the meeting. He’d agreed, warning me he would buy the company out, so even if Sauncier won, they were fucked.

It was better than nothing. The challenge to win the contract remained in place. Noah sent word he’d open our presentation, which Boyd didn’t think would be a problem.

My presentation to Amage had been postponed again and I was told they’d call me with the new date and time. The closer the time came for the decision on the pillar campaign, the more nervous I got. Noah’s impending takeover of the company notwithstanding, I had worked long and hard on creating what would be an unforgettable campaign should the contract go to KMG.

As best I could, I overlooked the niggling thought that I couldn’t win either way. If Sauncier won and Noah went through with the takeover, the contract would become null and void. If KMG was awarded the contract, I’d always wonder if it was because of my work or because they were fucked anyway, so why not give it to me.

I tried not to think too hard about the no-win situation, even as I asked Noah, on several occasions, what he intended to do with a perfume house. His attention was focused on the huge Kee-Tel deal as was Nicholas’s and Tina’s. KMG had been awarded several huge accounts from an international makeup brand, a well-known designer of couture, and a famous champagne house.

With Noah’s attention focused on telecommunications and most of the hard work out of the way for Amage for bothLa Nostalgieand our bid for the marketing contract, I was invited to KMG meetings and asked for input on other accounts. Unfortunately, by the time the contracts were awarded, my own with KMG would’ve expired. After the scene in the office two weeks ago, I knew Noah wouldn’t offer me a permanent position at the company, so I’d quietly begun to search for another job. Confessing to Noah would either make or break our relationship. No matter what he said, he didn’t want me to work. No matter how I pretended, I wouldn’t be comfortable without money in the bank thatIearned. It was an impasse on hold. Whether we liked it or not, the shitstorm was brewing and if we didn’t address it soon, it would drown all hopes of a future between us.

This time, I’d read any contract of whoever hired me from front to back. By the time I remembered to get the revised one Reid had left for me to bring it home, it had disappeared again.

It didn’t matter. My direct deposits came like clockwork. Now that I didn’t have to worry about rent, I could focus on a new car and my bank account. Sandy was in the parking garage of Noah’s building, after he’d purchased a space for her. At the beginning of the year, I intended to look into storage for her.

“I’ve been coming here forever, so I couldn’t think of a better place to take my new friend.”

My smile widened. After the death of my parents, the few friends I’d had dwindled away as my primary focus became my younger siblings, maintaining my grades and feeding us. Quinn and I had come a long way. Honestly, she was my best friend, but another pal was nice.

“We’re almost done with our food, and we still have some time to kill before our appointment. What do you want to do till then?”

“We can just chill here and chat.”

“Well, in that case, what’s it like living with Noah? Graham told me you two moved in together,” she said, leaning forward, a small smile on her lips. “When Graham and I first moved together, we fucked like rabbits.”

I giggled, my cheeks heating up. Fucking anytime was one of the perks of living with Noah.

“Same for you guys, huh?”

I laughed again, not denying her assessment, but not giving her a firm answer, either. “Are you certain you want details about our sex life, Soraya?”

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head no. “You’re right, I’ll pass. Noah is like a brother to me, and I wouldn’t want to know about my brother’s sex life.”

“Thought so,” I declared, leaning back in my seat.

“But honestly, how’s living with him?”