CHAPTER 14
Jackie sat in the boardroom for a weekly cross-team check-in meeting.
With the merger looming, these meetings were becoming unnecessarily long and boring.
She was grateful she couldn’t talk, because while she absolutely abhorred these meetings, it was never a good idea to say as much.
And yet…what was the point of all this? It was as if Patrick and the founders didn’t trust the agents to do their jobs.
She’d always kept her reports short and sweet—a minimum of two to three lines—then sat.
She didn’t need to brownnose like Donny, who was now presenting a detailed PowerPoint with distracting graphics that said a whole bunch of nothing.
Jackie felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out discreetly, peering at it under the table.
ANTONIO: Is this dude always this full of himself?
Jackie looked up to see Antonio pretending to be interested in the presentation.
JACKIE: Always. Aren’t you enthralled?
ANTONIO: If he kissed Patrick’s ass any harder, his breath would smell like
Jackie snorted loudly. Whoops.
Donny folded his arms across his chest. “Jackie, has your voice come back, finally? Do you have something you want to add?”
Jackie shook her head no. She motioned for Donny to continue.
“As I was saying, I—”
“Actually,” Patrick interrupted. “Donny, I think we’ve heard enough. Jackie, what’s the latest on Mo Williams?” He nodded toward her phone. “I’ll give you a second to type it out on your app thingy.”
Jackie’s eyes widened in surprise. She wasn’t prepared to discuss Mo at the moment.
Antonio cleared his throat. “Actually, Jackie and I have a lead on Mo. We’re heading to sign him tomorrow.”
Jackie cut her eyes at Antonio, who just gave her a slight smile.
Donny chuckled. “Mo Williams? You sure about that? He’s a mess. Didn’t he smash the doors of the hotel he was staying at because they didn’t give him a complimentary cookie?” He turned and looked at Jackie. “Then again, maybe he and Jackie have some things in common.”
Jackie knew he only made that quip in front of her because she couldn’t respond as fast as usual. She took out her phone and typed.
“The next time I choose to smash something, it might just be your pretty little Lambo. Don’t duck with me.”
Jackie sighed. Honeysuckle really needed to make this app useful for an adult.
Donny cowered in his seat. “Jeesh, I was just kidding.”
Andy Martin, a founding partner at AMW, held up a hand.
“Okay, you all. Let’s regroup. We have more to discuss.
As you know, this merger comes with some restructuring.
Things have been going well, but we feel as if we need to divide our offices and client pool a bit more evenly.
So, some of you will be moving to our Los Angeles office. ”
Jackie was surprised at that news. She’d assumed the merger meant both offices would be headquartered in Atlanta.
She had no idea some of the agents would be moving to LA.
She damn sure didn’t want to move to LA.
Her life was rooted in Atlanta, with her family and her friends.
Jackie’s eyes flicked up to Antonio’s, but for once, he avoided looking at her. She wasn’t sure what that was about.
The rest of the meeting was a blur, as Andy discussed potential new clients and areas in which the company wanted to expand representation. As Jackie was preparing to leave, Antonio stopped her.
“Can we talk?” He motioned toward a seat.
Jackie sat down. She watched as he sat on the edge of the table, and her eyes went straight to the thick thighs in his slacks. Good lord. Jackie could admit the man was some of God’s finest work.
Antonio chuckled. “Eyes up here, Miles.”
Jackie rolled her eyes and typed on her app. “What do you want?”
Antonio rubbed a hand down his face. “I just…I wanted to tell you that they’re looking at me to head the LA office.”
Jackie shrugged. That didn’t surprise her. He was a talented agent, and he’d been in Los Angeles most of his career. His life was there, not in Atlanta.
Antonio sighed. “I’m not sure I want to go back to LA.”
Jackie typed. “Why are you telling me this?”
He leaned closer, his scent enveloping her. “Because, Lucky. I want a reason to stay here.”
Jackie felt nervous energy course through her body. She wasn’t sure what to say next. “Your family. Aren’t they on the East Coast? New York, right?”
Antonio smiled. “Yeah, sort of. My parents are from down south. Richmond, Virginia, to be exact. They moved to Brooklyn after college. After they retired, they moved back to Virginia to live on the family farm.” He chuckled. “Can’t believe you remembered me telling you that.”
She typed. “You are always going on and on about New York. Hard not to remember. People from New York love telling folks they’re from New York, like it’s their entire personality.” Jackie tilted her head to the side as the app read her response.
“True,” Antonio laughed. “Damn, I wish I could hear that smart ass remark from you instead of the app.” He reached out, stroking the skin of her throat with his large index finger. “I mean, it sort of sounds like you, but I miss your voice, Lucky. Your real voice.”
Jackie swallowed. The spot on her neck he’d touched felt as if it were on fire.
As if realizing that they were in an exposed board room, they both stood up quickly. Jackie gathered her tablet and phone, attempting to sidestep Antonio as he buttoned his jacket.
“Yeah. So, I’ll see you tomorrow at the airport,” Antonio said. Jackie threw up a hand and walked back toward her office.
She darted through the doors, praying to God that no one had seen her and Antonio in such an intimate position. Dammit. I have got to stop letting him touch me.
She eased into her chair and stared absentmindedly until she realized that her hand had gone right back to the place that he’d touched.
The lightly calloused touch of his finger had sent a shiver down her spine, all the way to the toes that currently curled in her stilettos.
The caress had been so small, so inconsequential, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
No. She wasn’t about to let this man weasel his way back into her life. They’d sign Mo; Antonio would go back to LA. And that would be the last that she’d have to deal with Antonio Steele.
She hoped.