Chapter 8 Andrea #2
James scratched off another two boxes on his bingo card and raised a brow smugly.
The man at the back moved farther into the room toward the low wall of the kitchen, like he was oblivious to the huge meeting going on. Whoever he was, he’d be in trouble if he distracted Gerald now. Gerald was in the zone. This was the presentation of his career.
“Because this is not about products. It’s about people.”
I saw Monish shudder.
“Bingo.” Kelly punched the air like a soccer fan, completely forgetting James’s imperative to whisper.
At least twelve nearby heads snapped toward her in unison, frowning.
“Um … whoa, yeah. Bingo, Gerald, it’s always about … the people. So, so true.” Kelly turned bright red and forced me into an awkward fist bump as she attempted to cover her gaffe. “Go Novexia,” she added flatly, staring me in the eye, mortified.
The heads rotated slowly back toward Gerald. Kelly mouthed, “Sorry,” to James. Mercifully, no one on the leadership team seemed to have noticed.
I looked back toward the figure by the wall. Hang on a minute. I recognized that rangy frame.
That tall silhouette.
Those long, muscular arms, which were now wearing a dark gray suit jacket.
No. Surely not …
Holy shit.
What was he doing here?
His arms were folded as he leaned against the low wall, staring through the Novexia disciples’ heads like he was looking for someone.
Me?
My heart gave a little lift, and I elbowed James in the ribs a bit too hard, making him scowl. “It’s Liam,” I whispered urgently. “Look!”
“What?” James whispered back, frowning. “Ooh, shit. No way, Andy. Your man from the lift.” He poked Monish in the side and gestured to Liam with his head. “Check out who showed up looking for Andy.”
Monish raised his brows calmly, as if unsurprised to see the universe unfolding as he’d expected.
“What’s he doing here?” I hissed. “Not the best timing to come looking for me. Von Roth will be here any moment. If he interrupts this, I’m dead.”
Shit. Gerald was building up to his crescendo, and Liam looked like he had no idea what was coming.
I had to stop him.
Weaving my way through the throng, I tried to catch Liam’s eye. Maybe I could signal to him before he embarrassed us both. Von Roth would be here any second.
I glanced back at James, who was shaking his head firmly from left to right. We were obviously on the same page. If Liam so much as caused Gerald to stutter, the consequences didn’t bear thinking about, especially with the redundancies coming up.
Sticking to the back wall, I scuttled toward Liam. Heavens alive. He looked even hotter than he did yesterday, if that was possible. His rumpled hair had been tidied, and he wore a sharp gray jacket and a smart pair of dark jeans that hugged his firm thighs just right.
He’d even dressed up for me.
I’d misjudged him.
But I couldn’t be distracted by his thighs. Liam was walking toward the front of the room, just as Gerald was beginning to peak, his tenor rising.
“Let us dare to dream big, disrupt boldly, and redefine what it means to lead in a space that refuses to stand still.”
“Liam,” I whispered, as loudly as I dared. He turned his head toward me in surprise. I guess he didn’t think I’d be so easy to find, but Novexia was still quite small for a pharmaceutical company.
I pressed my forefinger against my lips, indicating the need to be quiet. He stopped, looking at me in confusion. I suppose I looked a bit different, cleaned up for work, too. Last time he’d seen me, I’d been naked under a duvet.
“It’s me,” I said, smiling expectantly.
“Andrea.” His expression changed. “I’m sorry, I—”
“It’s okay.” I smiled. I was just so glad I’d been wrong. “It was a crazy day, yesterday. You can explain it all to me later. But this isn’t good timing.”
Liam smiled uncertainly, then looked at the front where Gerald was standing. “I need—”
“Not now.” I put a gentle hand on his arm. “It’s all about to kick off. It’s the big meeting for that German guy, remember I told you?”
“Andrea—”
I pressed a finger to my lips. “You’ve got to go, Liam.”
Gerald continued. “And with the arrival of a bold, visionary leader—someone who truly embodies the entrepreneurial ethos that defines the Novexia spirit—we are ready to elevate. To ascend. To become more than the sum of our core deliverables.”
“We can’t do this right now.” I smiled, but I was starting to feel unnerved. Liam wasn’t leaving.
“You’re right, we can’t,” he said.
Finally. Thank the stars. Maybe I could still get him out of here before the crusty old German arrived.
“Andrea, I have to go. Can we talk later?”
What? Had to go where?
Heads started to turn toward the glass doors where we stood. We must have been making more noise than I realized. I grabbed Liam by his right arm and tried to steer him back toward the elevators, but he wasn’t moving. If anything, it felt like he was trying to move in the opposite direction.
Gerald’s voice was becoming louder. “So let us not wait for the future. Let us be the future …”
Over Liam’s shoulder, I saw James doing a T time-out sign. He stared at me, eyes wide, and switched to a very vigorous neck-slicing move with his thumb.
The clapping intensified, and all the faces in the room turned to where we stood—me, on the edge of panic, and this out-of-place gym instructor who seemed to have no idea what was going on. Disaster.
“Liam.” I was calm, but urgent. “You have to go. Now. You’ll get me fired.” I didn’t seem to be able to get through to him.
The clapping grew louder.
“Andrea, I know—”
“No, you don’t,” I said, trying to harden my expression to convey the gravity of the situation. “It was sweet of you to come look for me, but you’ve got to leave. We can catch up some other time.”
How was he not getting it? Was it unfair to expect a fitness instructor to read the room at a big corporate event like this?
“And it is with enormous pride—and an energized heart space—that I welcome our new leader, and our newest teammate, Wilhelm von Roth.”
“I’m sorry, Andrea. We’ll talk soon,” he said kindly, after a beat.
Thank God.
I dropped his wrist and smiled, opening the glass door to the elevators.
But instead of heading through them, he looked toward Gerald and the leadership team, turned his smile up to megawatt level, and walked to the front of the room.
What the—
James was pointing frantically at Liam, shaking his head rapidly. Fuck. Von Roth was obviously here, and for some inexplicable reason, Liam was intent on inserting himself into the moment. Maybe the fall in the lift yesterday gave him a concussion? It was the only logical explanation.
The floor was now erupting with clapping and chatter. James’s eyes were so wide they looked like ping-pong balls. I couldn’t see von Roth yet, but clearly, we were out of time.
I had to stop him. If they found out he was here because of me …
“Liam.”
I scurried after him, ignoring the stares of colleagues.
“Liam!” My voice was loud, but he couldn’t hear it over the cheers.
I glanced over the heads to the leadership team. Gerald was staring at Liam with an expression on his face I’d never seen before—was that shock, or fear?
My stomach lurched.
“LIAM!” I was closing in on him. I still had time.
I grabbed him by the arm, throwing a quick look over my shoulder. Still no sign of von Roth, just James, waving frantically in the distance.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Andrea—what are you—?” Liam looked over his shoulder, his face clouded in alarm.
Why was he looking at me like that?
The clapping stopped. The room fell quiet.
A strong arm pressed around my shoulders, turning me away and back toward the kitchen area.
“Andy.” It was Monish. “Don’t talk, just walk.”
I frowned, but I had no choice—Monish’s arm was like solid steel. A tall blond woman in a suit I didn’t recognize was looking at me like I had two heads.
Monish steered me back toward James and Kelly, their faces bereft. Slowly, the clapping started up again, and I heard Gerald’s voice, like it was echoing through water.
“Welcome, Wilhelm von Roth.”
I looked around for a balding old man in a sharkskin suit but still couldn’t see him. Had he come in via a side entrance?
“Andy, sit down.” Monish pulled out a chair. What was he doing? Gerald would not be impressed if we weren’t on standby for the new owner’s arrival, especially in light of this debacle with Liam.
James looked at me, his face a grim mask. “It’s him, Andy. It’s fucking him.” Kelly smacked a hand over her eyes.
What? I knew it was Liam. That was the problem. Had security stopped him? And what had happened to our new überlord, von Roth? I hoped he hadn’t seen any of that. I’d never make it through the restructure. None of us would.
I stared at James. What did he want from me?
They all continued to stare back as if flabbergasted.
“Andrea,” said James. “Did your brain melt in that lift, along with the ice in your knickers? That’s Wilhelm von Roth. Your elevator man. He’s the new owner.”