Boardroom Battle Read online

  “These are killing me.” Stella bent down and started taking off her shoes. Elise bent down, too. Liz looked back at Chambers and the potential buyers. She shook her head subtly, but Chambers didn’t take the hint.

  Whack! Stella flung her bright pumps onto the table as Mr. Chambers arrived and said, “Darcy, you’ve met our director of New Media, Liz Bailey.”

  Liz knew her face was red—or maybe orange. Here was the most stuck-up man she’d ever met in her life, and she had to meet him with Stella’s shoes on the table. Whack! Whack! Another pair of pumps hit the table top as Elise’s shoes joined the pile.

  She saw Darcy’s mouth twist with malicious laughter. He already thought she was the receptionist; now she was surrounded by florescent shoes and purses like some coat-check girl from Mary Poppins.

  Liz looked into Darcy’s face. Her memory flashed back to when he asked her to get him a cup of coffee only days before. She clenched her fists. She planned to use the party to look polished and sophisticated. Now she just looked like a babysitter of insanely-dressed college girls.

  He looked at her so hard that she didn’t know what to do. She was already mortified, but something about his glare made her want to run away too.

  Liz inhaled deeply. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—let him get to her. She exhaled and composed herself. She forced herself to stand up straight and match his gaze.

  “Nice to see you again, Darcy.” She extended her hand through the shoe-covered tabletop. He smirked and accepted her hand. As soon as her fingers wrapped around his palm, she felt an unexplainable spark of energy. Liz pulled her hand back and squinted at him. Had he felt it too?

  “Introduce us,” Stella interrupted.

  Liz swallowed hard and nodded toward the shoeless women standing beside her. “These are the newest members of my team, Elise and Stella. My most senior member, Rose, is over there.” Liz nodded toward the corner of the room where Rose was standing.

  “Hi.” Stella stepped in front of the group and extended her hand to Darcy.

  Darcy didn’t grab her hand. Instead, he looked at each woman individually, then his eyes lingered on the tower of bright purses and shoes in the middle of the table. He lifted his eyebrows at Liz as he nodded toward the footwear.

  The woman who entered the building beside Darcy slid into Liz’s view. “Do people not wear shoes in the south?” she crooned.

  Liz looked closer at the strawberry blonde woman. She looked even better up close. Her eyes were a light, crystal blue and framed perfectly with eyelash extensions and mascara. Her body was flawless in a cap-sleeve black dress. Liz rolled her eyes. No one could pull off cap-sleeves.

  The woman linked arms with Darcy. Of course, they’re a couple, they probably have a five million-dollar apartment with a five million-dollar dog, too, Liz thought.

  “And this is my daughter, Dee,” Chambers interrupted, introducing his daughter. Dee moved from around the back of the table to the front, partially blocking Liz’s team from view.

  “Bathroom now,” Liz hissed at Elise and Stella, using Dee as a distraction.

  She’d never been this embarrassed in her adult life. Liz grabbed the two pairs of shoes from the table, slung them under her arm, and marched toward the bathroom. She prayed her team was following her. If they weren’t, she would fire them both.

  8.

  Darcy walked into the party and was immediately furious. Chambers said this was supposed to be a staff meeting, not a full-blown southern soiree. As soon as Darcy saw the greenery and flowers hanging above the door, he knew Chambers was making a big play.

  Darcy’s first instinct was to grab one of the mossy swags blowing in the night breeze, rip it down, and leave Georgia forever. He came here to teach James a lesson, not to promise to buy the first southern company he saw, even if the owner looked like Santa.

  Now the tables were turned. Darcy knew James was going to eat this up.

  James couldn’t help himself when it came to parties, and the more romantic it was, the more he fell in love. James grew up with huge holiday parties, surrounded by cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends. Darcy was invited every year, and he usually spent the night eating cake in the corner while James spent the night talking to each one of his relatives and playing with little his cousins. He was charismatic even as an adolescent.

  Darcy looked around the room, and he knew James would want to buy this company even more. Darcy was going to have to cram the numbers down James’s throat and tie his hands behind his back for him to forget about Chambers’s Media.

  “They have the best accents. The women are gorgeous. I just have a good feeling.” Darcy could almost hear James’ future argument.

  “The numbers, James!” he would say.

  “But the X factor,” James would reply back.

  Darcy was so busy playing the argument over in his head that he didn’t acknowledge the people he was being introduced to. Until her.

  There she was again. Liz. Something about her glare made every hair on his head snap to attention. Her eyes pierced through him, like she kind of hated him.

  He wanted to apologize for calling her a secretary, but when he stood in front of her, he couldn’t quit staring at her deep brown eyes.

  When the pair of college girls threw their shoes on the table, he couldn’t help but enjoy seeing the anger flash in Liz’s eyes. He liked seeing her flustered.

  His eyes followed Liz as she escorted the girls away. “This is my daughter, Dee,” Chambers said. Darcy’s head spun back to the table as he was roped into the conversation. He focused on the small woman smiling in front of him. Her eyes were exactly like her dad’s with the same fierce twinkle.

  “Nice to meet you, Darcy,” she said.

  “You as well, Dee.”

  The front door of the building opened again. This time much slower. Darcy turned, wondering what kind of entrance the next guest would make. Instantly, he recognized the man walking through the door as the one man on the planet he wished would disappear. Albert Hamilton. He had his shirt unbuttoned, giving off a ridiculous surfer-business-man vibe.

  Darcy could feel his pulse pound in his temples. He was transported back to the fourth grade when Hamilton walked into his homeroom class at Waverly, the boarding school they attended. Hamilton quickly became leader of a pack of boys whose only goal was to make Darcy’s life miserable.

  “Our last guest has arrived.” Mr. Chambers opened his arms as he walked toward the door, and he embraced Darcy’s childhood rival.

  Chambers walked Hamilton in Darcy’s direction. Anger surged through Darcy’s veins, and he clenched his fists. How did Hamilton have the nerve to stand in the same room with him?

  What started as a childhood rivalry had flared up again after Darcy’s parents died. Hamilton appeared in his life again, this time causing immensely more damage. If Hamilton were smart, he wouldn’t even come to the same continent Darcy was on, let alone the same building.

  Hamilton held out his hand to Darcy. “Hi, old friend.”

  Darcy ignored the gesture. “What are you doing here?”

  “They haven’t told you yet?”

  Darcy looked between Mr. Chambers and Dee. “No, but I’m sure you will.” Competitive adrenaline rushed through Darcy’s body.

  “I’m a prospective buyer, too.” A smile formed on both corners of Hamilton’s mouth.

  9.

  Liz walked out of the bathroom, and there he was, standing in front of her in a light-blue button-down and fitted and gray pants. He had hair that looked like it had been styled by the salty ocean. It was Hamilton. It was like some kind of former fat kid miracle. No, it was better. It was like some kind of former fat kid miracle dipped in ranch dressing.

  “Did you see a ghost?” Stella asked, putting her face just inches in front of Liz’s.

  Elise stuck her face beside Stella’s, making a wall in front of Liz’s sightline. “Maybe it’s a vampire.” Liz wanted to push past the girls, but suddenly, she was too nervo
us to move.

  “Nope, it’s a man,” Stella and Elise said to each other, then turned completely away from Liz, their backs blocking her view.

  Liz took a deep breath as the butterflies she had in her stomach swarmed her whole body. She pushed past the girls and walked toward Hamilton. It was like a movie.

  They saw each other, and Liz realized why she was nervous. Did he remember her? A man like that probably met a lot of women, she told herself. Before she had to wonder any longer if he recognized her, a slow smile spread across his face, and he winked, making her insides melt.

  They both stood there, looking at each other for a second. Then he bent down and kissed her right cheek. “Nice to see you again, Lizzy. You look brilliant,” he whispered in her ear. A shiver ran down Liz’s spine right into her toes.

  Hamilton slipped his hand around Liz’s waist, making her knees buckle.

  “You as well.” She pulled away from him just an inch, trying to get a little space from whatever cologne he was wearing that was making her head spin. She looked around the decadent office, reminding herself she was a director here, not a drooling schoolgirl.

  “Hi.” Stella pushed her body between theirs. She extended her hand to Hamilton. “I’m Stella, and you’re beautiful.”

  Hamilton shook Stella’s hand. “Nice to meet you.” Then he turned all his attention back to Liz.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. Before he could answer, Liz looked around the room. The roar of the party had dulled, and all eyes were on them. Mr. Chambers was watching them, and Dee’s smile reached from ear to ear. Even Darcy had turned his stuck-up nose in their direction.

  “I’m buying this place.” He took a step closer to her. “What are you doing here?” She could feel the heat off his chest through his blue shirt.

  “I work at this place,” she said.

  They looked at each other for a few seconds more until the roar of the party steadily climbed again, and Mr. Chambers interrupted them.

  “Ahem,” Chambers said. “Looks like you know Liz, but I guess you should meet the rest of the staff, Hamilton. I want you to meet our amazing team.”

  Mr. Chambers ushered Darcy, the strawberry blonde duo, and Hamilton to the other side of the room to meet the rest of the staff. Hamilton threw one last smile over his shoulder at Liz, and bolt of electricity shot through her body.

  Liz leaned over the tall tabletop. “What’s going on?”

  “Dad found another potential buyer,” Dee said. “He thought he should bring him here tonight. Put a little pressure on this trio from Chicago.” She nodded her head toward Darcy’s group.

  Dee flicked her head toward Hamilton. “Now you tell me what’s going on.”

  Liz looked down at the tablecloth. Her heart was still beating quickly. “What do you mean?”

  “What’s going on with you and that piece of bronze perfection?”

  “You won’t believe it.” Liz couldn’t contain the breathy surprise in her voice. “That’s Hammy, the guy I met at last night.”

  Dee leaned toward Liz. “He is gorgeous. Wow, I thought you were exaggerating, but you definitely weren’t.”

  Liz rubbed her index finger and thumb down the long tablecloth. “And he’s nice and funny. You’re right; he’s perfect. Part of me thought I dreamt him up last night. Like a mirage from my dating desert.”

  Dee and Liz watched the potential buyers make their way around the room, talking to different people. Occasionally, Hamilton would look in her direction and grin, and each time, without Liz’s permission, her stomach flipped.

  As people started to leave, Liz stood alone in a corner of the room, trying to distance herself from her orange teammates, who were taking selfies across the room, and hoping to get an opportunity to talk to Hamilton.

  She didn’t have to wait long. Hamilton shook Mr. Chambers’s hand, said goodbye to Dee, and then he immediately headed her direction. His crisp shirt moved flawlessly on his torso as he walked slowly toward her.

  When he stood in front of her, somehow he looked even better than when she met him the night before. He lifted his hand slowly and brushed a stray brown tendril away from Liz’s cheek. “Want to get some dinner?”

  Liz was definitely hungry, and she couldn’t wait to spend more time with Hamilton. Plus, she’d been too worried about Elise and Stella to eat any of the food at the party. “Sure. I need to tell Dee bye, but that sounds wonderful.”

  “Theo’s? We can finish our conversation from yesterday,” he said.

  “Deal.” Liz watched him walk out of the door, and she struggled not to throw her heels off and chase him down.

  Liz saw Dee across the room and walked quickly toward her. It had been a year since Liz had seen her friend, and she didn’t know when she would get another opportunity.

  Liz gave Dee a big hug and whispered in her ear, “I’d like to stay, but I’m having dinner with Hamilton.”

  She stepped back from the hug, and Dee squeezed Liz’s arms. “I’ll only let you leave if you promise to tell me all about your date. I need something to talk about other than Andy’s Fortnite obsession.”

  “Do you want me to stay? We could catch up now,” Liz said.

  Dee pushed Liz toward the door. “I’m great. Go. Have fun.”

  Liz looked back and smiled at her friend. Then she took a deep breath, excited for the first time in a long time about something other than work. She took two steps before she hit a tall, unexpected roadblock: a man in a black suit. She looked up and tried to figure out whose chest her nose was touching. As she figured it out, Liz almost groaned out loud. It was Darcy.

  “I need a little information on your digital media strategy for next quarter.”

  Liz stared at his frowning face. “What?” Liz looked around the decorated office. Did he not see the flowers? The food? The mood lighting? This was a party; the point was not to work.

  Liz faked a smile and looked toward the door. She wasn’t going to let him get in the way of her date. She stepped away toward the exit. “Okay, I’ll email it to you.”

  Darcy didn’t move, and his words stopped her from going any further. “I need it tonight.” He gazed over her head, like he was too good to actually talk on her level.

  Liz had been talked down to by plenty of men during her career—clients and the other execs at her company. It happened so many times she was actually kind of used to it, but the way this guy wouldn’t even look her in the eyes when requesting her to stay late made her insides burn.

  She stepped back, ready to tell him where he could put his smug face, when a familiar hand touched her back. Liz turned to look, and standing behind her was her childhood best friend. Dee’s face was scrunched and pleading. “Please, just for a few minutes,” Dee whispered into Liz’s ear.

  Liz pulled Dee a few feet to the side and hissed, “What about Hamilton? He’s a potential buyer.”

  Dee grimaced. “Dad said Darcy has more money. Please give him what he needs.”

  Liz’s arms went limp as she stared into her friend’s eyes and at her prematurely wrinkled face. She looked exhausted and empty. Even her hair looked tired. Liz knew Dee needed someone to buy her dad’s company as much as Mr. Chambers wanted to sell it.

  Liz walked back to Darcy. “Fine.” Hopefully she could make it quick so she could still meet up with Hamilton. Liz pointed toward the large executive office. “I’ll meet you at my desk.”

  Darcy turned and walked toward Liz’s desk. Dee grabbed Liz’s arm and whispered in her ear, “I’ll make it up to you.”

  “You need to become a sun-kissed man with a hot meal to make it up to me,” Liz whispered back.

  Dee let out a single burst of laughter. “I’ll work on that.”

  Despite Liz’s disappointment, it felt really good to see Dee laugh. Who was she to complain about missing out on dinner when Dee hadn’t been out on a date since Andy was born?

  “It’s totally fine. I’m happy to do it.” Liz squeezed Dee’s hands. />
  “I’m really sorry,” Dee said.

  “It’s really fine.” Liz hugged her friend once more and looked into the executive office. She took a deep breath and walked in the office, sitting down slowly at her desk, as she tried to figure out a way to get to her date.

  10.

  Darcy couldn’t ever defend a goal against Hamilton in lacrosse, but Darcy did know his moves off the field. He knew by the way Hamilton leaned into Liz and the way she looked after him as he left the office, that the pair was going on a date. Nothing brought Darcy quite as much pleasure as standing in the way of what Hamilton wanted.

  A smirk crossed Darcy’s face as he walked back to Liz’s desk, but he felt a little bad for her, too. Darcy knew he wasn’t someone she wanted to talk to. First, he’d called her a secretary. Now he was ruining her dinner plans. If she knew what Hamilton was capable of, she would thank him, he reminded himself.

  Darcy put Liz through the paces: profit, ad sales, ad costs, rate of returns, and future trends. Halfway through their conversation, he forgot all about Hamilton.

  As Liz told him about her social media campaigns for next quarter, he realized what was lurking behind her deep brown eyes. She was innovative, hardworking, and smart. She wasn’t just a token female director.

  “And we’re working on a microtargeting campaign focusing on stay-at-home moms in eastern Georgia. Based on our research, our campaign should increase sales for Ray’s Grocery—the largest, locally owned chain in Georgia—by at least fifteen percent.”

  Darcy nodded, impressed. He checked his phone to see what time it was. It was almost ten. Surely Hamilton realized he had been stood up by now.

  “What are you doing?” Liz asked in a tone that reminded him of his mother when he stole her heirloom tea set to make mud pies.

  Darcy jerked his head up from his phone and looked into her narrowed, dark eyes. He quickly decided to play dumb, just as he’d done when his mother asked him why he was stirring brown sludge around in her silver.