31. Pepper
THIRTY-ONE
PEPPER
I was sweating.
It was Thursday. Over the last couple days, I’d been in a blissful routine with Salt. I’d completely ignored all my concerns about the meeting, and instead just tried to enjoy us.
I’d learned a lot about him. I’d also learned a lot about myself. Like how much I enjoyed being a brat, CNC, and aftercare. I loved cuddling and eating chocolate after an intense scene. The high of it all was addicting.
But today was the day. We were having a meeting with Salt in thirty minutes, and I’d be in the same room with the man I was falling for, in front of people who had known me forever.
My ex-husband. My friend of almost twenty years. Kendra, Lee, and Scott all knew me too well. And then Ellen. Ellen would see straight through my lies.
Hence the sweat dripping down my back. I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror and swallowed hard.
I looked good. I had this new glow about me that definitely came from being with Salt. Since Sunday night, I’d lost count of how many times we had sex. Our routine was the same every day—we each went to work, then he’d come over to my apartment, and we’d play and make love until falling asleep draped in each other’s bodies.
I wanted it to be like that forever.
My eyes closed and I practiced deep breathing exercises. Filling my lungs, holding the breath, and then exhaling slowly as my stomach did somersaults. It was going to be fine. I didn’t do anything wrong. And Salt knew he needed to be on his best behavior.
Basically, he needed to not look at me the way he always did.
And I needed to be calm. Collected. Cold.
Perfect Pepper.
“Okay,” I whispered.
I fixed my makeup and hair, straightened my blouse, and headed back out into the office. My heels clicked over the floors as I passed by Ellen’s desk.
“Hey,” she said in a loud whisper.
I backtracked a couple steps. “What?”
“The guy is here early. Jeff took him to the meeting room. Do you need me to grab anything?”
“No,” I said. “Just bring yourself to take notes.”
Ellen always took meeting notes when we had new clients. Although I wished that wasn't the case today. Even now, she narrowed her eyes on me.
“You’re acting weird,” she muttered.
“I’m fine. I’ll be in the meeting room in a few.”
Deep breath. Deep breath. Fuck my life.
I measured each step back to my office. This was how I normally walked, right? Everything was fine.
I went to my desk and gathered up my papers and laptop, stacking them neatly. Unstacking them because the order bothered me. Stacking them again as perfectly as I could. Then, I forced myself to back away, going to one of my windows and staring out at the Nashville skyline. It was sunny, with beautiful blue skies and not a single cloud in sight.
My palms were clammy.
They were going to know.
How could they not know?
A rap on the doorframe made me look over my shoulder. Tommy smiled expectantly. “You ready?”
“Yeah,” I said, plastering on a smile.
“It’ll be great,” he said.
“It will be. We will need to recommend a lawyer for him before anything is signed, though.”
Tommy’s smile faltered. “A lawyer? Why? We don’t usually do that.”
“It’s business,” I said. “He doesn’t even have an agent.”
“Hasn’t stopped us before. It’s not like we’re preying on him.”
But we were. It was a business, at the end of the day.
And here I was once again, going into business with someone I cared about.
A sticky feeling rose up inside me. Was I doing the right thing? I wasn’t sure. I didn’t have time to think about it though, so I bottled all of my emotions and put a cap on them. A familiar level of peace came over me.
I gave Tommy a nod. “Let’s go.”
The walk to the meeting room gave me enough time to truly steel myself. Everyone else was already inside, I could hear their voices. Kendra’s chuckles as she talked to Salt, Lee and Scott chatting away. I could see Jeff’s head through the doorway. Ellen was already seated next to my chair.
Tommy went in first.
When I walked in, everyone stood up.
And I felt him .
“Good afternoon, everyone,” I said, keeping my tone pleasant.
I looked up at Salt, finally meeting his irresistible gaze. He was wearing a black button down with the first two popped open, showing off his tattoos, the sleeves pushed up his muscled forearms. Black pants and boots. His scent made my mouth water—a masculine woodsy scent with floral undertones.
He was stunning.
It felt impossible to see him as anything else.
He was beauty, and in this room, I was the beast.
I always shook hands with clients, so I approached him and held out my hand. He took it, his calloused palm sliding against mine. Without fail, I always felt the electric shock of him.
Talk. Fuck. Say something.
“Hi Pepper,” he said, pulling his hand away. “It’s good to see you again.”
Like he hadn’t woken me up by eating me out this morning.
I felt like I was bathing in fire. “Good to see you again.” I moved around to my chair at the head of the table and took a seat. Everyone was watching me. “I’ve met Salt, and so has Jeff and Tommy. But I suppose we can go around and introduce ourselves.”
There was a moment of silence. Ellen cleared her throat, looking at Scott.
“Sure,” Scott said, taking the lead after her nudge.
Salt settled down in a chair, his gaze landing directly on me. Stop looking at me like that. Damn it, Salt.
Jeff glanced at Salt, then slowly turned his head, looking at me. I ignored him, though, focusing on Scott.
“I’m Scott,” he said. “I’m the director of legal for Rosethorn. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other at first, and then hopefully you’ll never have to lay eyes on me again. Except for company parties.”
Salt chuckled, finally tearing his gaze from me. “Nice to meet you, Scott.”
Kendra smiled and leaned forward. “I’m Kendra. Director of marketing. I like your music.”
Salt smiled and the entire room lit up. God, he had charisma. A dark, brooding kind that wrapped around you until you’d do anything for him.
And he’s mine.
Lee held up a hand. “Lee. Director of promotions. I just want to say, my wife loves your music. I think I’ve seen too many of your videos at this point.”
That made everyone chuckle. Except for Jeff.
“What kind of music do you play, again?” Jeff asked.
The offhanded degradation alone made everyone in the room tense. Salt leveled his gaze on Jeff, but I said something before he could.
“Jeff, did you not read the file?” I asked. “Tommy sent one out with everything we needed to know about Salt, his music, his following.”
His face turned red, his head snapping up as he looked at me. “I mean, a file isn’t music?—”
“Okay,” Tommy interjected. “So, Salt here is a singer-songwriter. His songs are sexually charged, and I’ve heard them acoustic, but also with a band. With the band, it falls under indie rock with R&B, blues, and synthwave undertones.”
“Correct,” I said. “Today, we’re meeting to talk about Salt’s future with Rosethorn. We’re going to discuss timelines, planning, and hear what questions he has for us. If all goes well, he’ll continue with Scott and Jeff.”
“He could just come with me,” Scott said quietly. “Since Jeff is busy…”
“Busy with what?” I snapped.
“Okay,” Tommy breathed out, flashing me an irritated look. “I’m sorry, Salt. Do we need to take five and?—”
“It’s okay,” Salt said. “It seems like everyone is picking up the slack.”
Oh god.
Ellen snorted and then covered her mouth. I needed to get everything back under control because it was spinning out fast.
Salt continued to sit there with a soft smile and looking completely unbothered. But he was getting under everyone’s skin.
And into my panties.
I squeezed my thighs together and cleared my throat. “Let’s get back on?—”
“I’m not signing him on,” Jeff interrupted.
For fuck’s sake. “Salt, can you give us five minutes? I’m sorry.”
“Sure,” he said, standing up. “I’ll just wait outside the door.”
Silence followed as he stepped out, the tension in the room thickening. As soon as the door closed, I stood up and leaned over the table.
“What the fuck is your problem?” I yelled at Jeff, stunning everyone into silence.
Jeff rolled back from the table slightly. “You’re overreacting.”
“No, she’s not,” Kendra said. “The way you’re behaving is unprofessional. You just told a client we want to his face that you won’t sign him—and why?”
“I don’t like him,” Jeff snarled, looking at me. “I don’t like the way he talks to you. I don’t like the way…”
“The way?” I echoed. “The way what , Jeff?”
My tempter was boiling over and yes, I was making a scene.
And it felt really fucking good.
“I don’t like how he looks at you!” he growled.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Was I gaslighting him? Yes. Did I feel bad about it? Nope. “You just humiliated all of us in front of a new client. You didn’t do your research. You didn’t do your job.”
“And it’s not the first time,” Scott quipped.
Jeff’s cheeks turned even more red. He looked at me and then around the table. “I founded this fucking company.”
“You co-founded it,” Tommy said. “With me and Pepper. And Pepper is the CEO. Not you. Not me. This is her record label.”
“But I still own it,” Jeff said. “The only reason it’s here is because of my money.”
“The money you invested almost two decades ago,” Tommy said. “And Pepper not only outranks you now, but she also makes more than you.”
Jeff threw up his hands. “All of you are ganging up on me. I’m the reason this label even exists.”
“And I’m the one who made Forty under 40 last year,” I said. “I’m the one who picks out our artists. My vision is what made this company. Tommy works his ass off, just like everyone else at this table. Everyone except for you . So I’m going to bring in our client, and you’re going to sit there and do your goddamn job, or you’re going to leave. Do you understand me?”
Jeff’s lip curled into a snarl. “Or what? What would you do?”
“Jeff,” Lee interjected. “You’re not gaining any friends right now by behaving like an asshole.”
“We need to get this moving,” Ellen said. “Everyone has other meetings to attend before the end of the day. And that young man ”—she glanced at me as she said that—“is out there waiting.”
“Jeff, get up and welcome him back inside,” I commanded, sitting back down in my chair.
He shot me a dirty look, but did as I asked. He rolled his shoulders before opening the door. “Hey, Salt. Sorry about that. Come on in.”
Salt entered the room and returned to his seat.
I sent up a silent prayer that we could hold it together this time.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s get into it.”