3. Vincent #2
“Incoming,” I leaned down to whisper in her ear, then nodded toward Maya.
I caught a hint of Piper’s perfume, which, based on the alcohol vapors, was a cheap vanilla-lemon scent.
A woman like Piper deserved to be in a top-shelf fragrance, not some watered-down drug store scent.
It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was so much less than what she should have.
I could already imagine how the top notes of Evermore would linger at the nape of her neck.
Dammit, I scolded myself, get it together, Vincent.
I timed our entrance back into the private room perfectly, right as Maya was close enough to spot us but not close enough that she could corner me. Thankfully, Piper relented, sheathed her pointy elbow and relaxed against me.
“Now be nice,” Piper whispered as we finally untangled.
I forced myself to smile as she took up right where we’d left off, asking the Broadway couple about their getaway location.
Jean and Joe relaxed, probably because I nodded along agreeably as everyone chatted.
Piper led the conversation like a conductor, and little by little, the tension evaporated.
She even managed to get Jean and Joe laughing again.
The band kicked off the dancing portion of the night, and the couples from our table excused themselves to the dancefloor. Larry, the lone solo guest, headed for the bar, leaving me alone with Piper. It was the perfect opportunity for the big ask I’d just worked out.
There was no way she could refuse me—it was perfect.
I leaned over to begin my pitch, and she glared at me.
“Do not ask me to dance.”
I jerked away reflexively. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to. I don’t dance.”
She eyed me up and down, silently judging me. “I can tell.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked, offended but not sure why.
“You’re too cautious. You’re a watcher, not a do-er.”
“You’re wrong about that. I’m both. And I’m about to do something that’s going to change your life.”
The corner of her mouth kicked up. “Cocky, aren’t you?”
“The word ‘cocky’ suggests arrogance. I’m confident. There’s a difference.”
Piper stared at me for a beat like she was weighing if I was correct. I liked the way she watched me, as if she was searching for weakness and coming up blank.
“I need them,” I said simply as I pointed to the elderly couple on the dancefloor.
“And why would I care?” She smiled sweetly at me.
“Those two hold the key—”
“Jean and Joe Sullivan,” she interrupted. “Might be nice if you used their names instead of treating them like items on your to-do list.”
I sighed. The way she could knock me off course! I felt like I was debating her, not having a conversation.
“As I mentioned, I need to strike a deal with Jean and Joe to harvest their heliotrope for my new premier fragrance, Evermore, and that’s where you come in.”
She slow-blinked at me. “There is absolutely nothing you can say to me that will make me help you badger those lovely people. Face it, you already blew it by being aggressive. They don’t like you at all.”
I ignored the insult. “But they love you!”
She shimmied her shoulders triumphantly. “Who doesn’t?”
Me, for one.
“Help me then,” I insisted. “Put in a good word, mention how lucrative this might be to them if—”
“Were you even paying attention?” Piper sighed. “These two don’t need your money and, if I had to guess, the last thing they want is some profit-chasing jackass wreaking havoc all over their farm. And, again, they don’t like you.”
“Oh, come on.” I rolled my eyes. “I wouldn’t ruin their farm. We know what we’re doing at Summit.”
“I still don’t care.”
“Piper, you’re not getting it. I really want—”
“We can’t always get what we want.” She smiled innocently. Damnit, was she having fun at my expense?
“Come work for me,” I blurted out. Maybe that was a desperate move, but these were desperate times. “If you were to reach out to the Sullivans as a valued member of the Summit team—”
“Excuse me? You don’t even know what I do for a living.”
Her side-eye game was lethal.
“I know all about you,” I said quickly, realizing too late that I now sounded like a stalker.
“That is to say, my security team did a quick background check on you. You’re a freelance photographer, and based on what I saw in your Antigua shots, a good one.
Summit doesn’t have a staff photographer, so you could come on board in that capacity until you secure the Sullivans. ”
Her mouth was hanging open at my info dump and offer.
“So how much would it take for you to come on board?” I asked her, trying to ignore the way her lips looked.
Damn, they were luscious.
“The number doesn’t exist.” She emptied her champagne glass and smiled sweetly at me.
“So you say, but what about this?” I pulled out my phone, typed a number, and held it out to her, waiting for her eyes to bug out of her head.
Piper shrugged. “That’s cute, but no thanks.”
The woman could play hardball, but so could I. I punched an even higher amount on my phone and held it out to her again.
“Thoughts?”
Piper leaned closer to scrutinize my phone. “Looks like you need to wipe your lens clean. It’s hazy, which means any selfies you take will come out blurry.”
“The number,” I said through gritted teeth. “What about the number?”
“Oh, that?” she said. “Interesting, but my answer is still no.”
“What is your problem?” I seethed. “I’m offering you the opportunity of a lifetime!”
“No, you’re offering me money to come do your dirty work!” she snapped back at me. “You’re a controlling egomaniac, and there’s no way I could ever work for you.”
At least I’d finally cracked through her facade and gotten a real reaction out of her. Now I could negotiate.
“I’ll guarantee you six months of salary no matter how long it takes to secure the Sullivans. And I’ll pay you a bonus on top of the salary once you make it happen. Then you can quit. As an extra bonus, I’ll set you up with all my contacts. The freelance roster of your dreams. Does that work?”
She crossed her arms and stared out at the dancefloor. “It’s a start.”
If I wasn’t so thoroughly frustrated, I’d have to laugh. Forget a photography gig—I should hire her to negotiate contracts for me.
“What’s your final offer?” she nodded toward my phone. “Including the bonus.”
I was so close to a yes, and I knew I needed to pull out all the stops to get to it. I typed a jaw-dropping sum and showed it to her.
Her expression didn’t change as she looked at it.
“Guess I’ll be seeing you Monday,” she finally said.