20. Chapter 19
Leo
Ican’t seem to form words. I’ve been sitting here in this meeting listening to Ria, Jade, and Grace talk back and forth with Cole, and my brain just won’t engage.
Why, you might ask?
It has nothing to do with the powerful commanding billionaire whose business we’re trying to win.
Nope.
It’s the fact that Ria has her soft, delicate hand in mine and is gently stroking her thumb across mine.
Our hands have been clasped together on my thigh for I have no idea how long, but my brain has switched off.
I’m certain she can feel the sweat forming.
I’m clammy. Which isn’t a good look. She should be recoiling in disgust, but she seems to be leaning in.
Her scent that always reminds me of spring and flowers engulfs me, making my head swim.
For fuck’s sake, I’m overthinking this.
Kai has gotten in my head with his stupid Seduction Stone plan.
Start small, he said.
Kiss her on the cheek when you see her but linger.
Let your closeness affect her, but don’t make it obvious.
Brush those soft lips of yours against her cheek and send thrills rushing through her.
You need actual shivers. Rest your hand in such a way on her hip that it’s not friendly but not like you’re trying to grab her ass.
You want her to get a small signal that you want to take this further.
But don’t jump in headfirst. Sprinkle that shit. Have her crumbling for you.
His words rolled around my head after his pep talk this morning where he outlined this week's tasks I had to complete to ensure the plan worked in my favor. The man actually emailed me a checklist. He needs to get a hobby or a girlfriend because his dedication to this is worrying.
I did exactly as he said and felt confident as I strutted in here, but when my eyes locked with hers as I pulled away, seeing the slight hitch in her breath at my closeness, I was the one crumbling. She’s so goddamn beautiful.
Why the fuck did I listen to him?
And when Cole mentioned Enigma, I froze.
I’m not ashamed of my time at the club. For all he knows I’ve only visited the upscale restaurant and whiskey bar, but the look in his eyes told me he thinks he’s seen me walk through the doors at the back.
The doors that lead to another part of Enigma.
A part with a whole different vibe. I was twitchy after that, my body vibrating with tension and the uncontrollable need to move making me shake.
The mix of my proximity to Ria and the mention of that part of my life threw me off-kilter.
But she saw.
She saw my inner turmoil like she always does.
She could always tell when I was struggling with my urges and could distract me.
But she has never done it with physical touch.
It was like a balm to my soul. My erratic heartbeat slowed and beat in time with her gentle strokes.
And I’m trying desperately to refocus my attention on anything but her.
I need to get myself together because Cole keeps looking at me quizzically, and quite rightly because I’ve said fuck all. I’m a glorified statue in the meeting. Pointless. Completely useless. All because she held my hand.
Pull yourself together.
She won’t fall for you if you act like this. She deserves a man who takes charge. But she’s leading this meeting like the boss she is, and who am I to stand in her way?
“I would like to present our plan to you, Cole.” Ria gives my hand one last squeeze before she stands and moves to the front of the boardroom.
And instantly I miss her touch. Rubbing my clammy palm down my suit pant leg, I watch her animatedly explain and pitch to Cole an extremely detailed and well-thought-out presentation.
She never ceases to amaze me with her attention to detail.
This is the Ria I can’t help but be transfixed by.
“So we’ve run the numbers and have a full five-year plan for what we believe the market will look like.
Now obviously this is subjective, and a lot can change in that time but…
” Ria clicks her mouse and the next slide appears on the screen behind her, outlining the ideal profits she believes Cole can make.
“We’ve taken into consideration recent trends and political changes, and our sources within His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, overseas tax offices, and governments are leading us to believe that certain tax legislation will change and we need to be ahead of the curve, which is why I’m proposing you move these funds into this pension scheme and high yield bonds.
” Cole is watching Ria and nodding along with everything she says.
His attention hasn’t wavered. “Leo, could you please pass over the paperwork I’ve printed to Cole? ”
Flinching slightly at her addressing me, I shake myself out of my haze and firmly place my professional mask on.
“Of course.” Reaching inside my briefcase, I pull out the folder Ria meticulously prepared before we left for Vegas and pass it to Cole.
“We will also email this over to you, but Ria wanted you to have this copy to read at your leisure.”
“Thank you. This all looks impressive.” He flips through the document.
“We appreciate that, but I can’t take any credit here. This is all Ria and Jade.”
“I love that. Honesty.” He nods and my insides twist at the word.
Honesty. If only he knew.
I twist the white gold band around my finger at that thought, and I spot Ria seemingly doing the same.
“I’m sure you’re aware that I had a meeting with Ezra St. Claire yesterday?
” He places the documents down and leans forward, interlocking his fingers.
“He had a different approach, a more aggressive approach in some areas, but some of these items you’re suggesting, he also has put forward.
But the returns he’s implying Peak can bring me are roughly five percent higher than what you have outlined. ”
“I will not insult your intelligence, Cole. I’m certain you’re aware of my past with Mr. St. Claire,” Ria states.
“Indeed.”
“I can assure you that my personal and business life never overlapped and caused my judgment to blur.”
“That’s good to know.” He continues to assess Ria, but his gaze is curious not judgmental.
“That aside, I can tell you that my family taught that man everything he knows, to a point. So I’m not surprised he has outlined some of the same suggestions.
” Ria sighs. “But what I will say is toward the end of our business relationship, it was brought to our attention that Mr. St. Claire was showing signs of pushing for higher-risk investments and more, as you say, aggressive tactics. Here at Bright, we do look at all options available, and some high-risk investments do pull off insane returns. We do have some extremely happy clients for whom these types of investments have been beneficial. But Jade and I looked at these strategies and outlined your plan this way because of how your company is structured. We felt that offering such risk to your portfolio would be detrimental. Your staff as you say are your biggest investment, and you pay them very well as you should. And they have exceptional benefits, some of the best I’ve ever seen, and I’ll be looking to speak with you privately on how I can implement some of those for our staff.
” Cole nods along and gives her a small smile.
“But because of this, your investments need to be looked at differently. It isn't just your money you're playing with when you look at your whole portfolio, so when we suggest risky high-yield investments, they are not going to directly affect your staff if they don’t pull in the returns we anticipate. I’m not sure what Mr. St. Claire has outlined, and I won’t speak out of turn when someone isn’t here to defend themselves, but what I’ll say is here at Bright we believe we share the same values as West Hotels. Growth and wealth for everyone.”
Dear God, she’s good.
I don’t miss the tilt in Cole’s lips at her speech or the way both Jade and Grace are practically bouncing in their seats. It takes everything in me to remain in my seat. She’s fucking sensational.
“In addition to your investments, if we are lucky enough to have your wealth under management, we would like to offer our services to your staff at a discounted rate to help their finances reach their potential and maybe give their families that little financial boost for the ultimate family holiday or that new car they need.”
Cole tilts his head as he appraises Ria, before he slowly stands, buttoning his jacket.
I mindlessly rise from my seat, completely dumbfounded by the incredible woman in front of me.
“You’ve given me much to think about.” He shakes Ria’s hand before turning to Jade who confidently shakes his hand.
“I have another meeting to get to but…”—pausing, he faces me and extends his hand—“I’d love for you all to come to our gala next weekend at my Mayfair hotel.
We’re raising money for a charity very close to my heart.
It will give me more of an opportunity to see how you operate outside of the boardroom. ”
“Of course. We will be there.” Ria grins at him as Grace opens the door for him and his gaze drifts to her.
“Invite as many of your friends as you’d like. I’ll have Shannon send the details across. Just tell her who to add to the guest list.”