Her muffled laugh pulls my eyes right back to her as Anna plows on.
揧ou weren抰 listening, were you??she asks.
揑 didn抰 care to elaborate. Key difference,?I whisper back.
揑s that everything??Anna clears her throat loudly as she watches us across the long table. 揇oes anyone else have any parting questions or concerns??
There抯 a low chorus of 'noes' and 'what抯 for lunch?' comments flying around.
Anna抯 face pulls tight, her lips flattened in a straight line.
I抳e worked with her long enough to know she抯 not happy, and I hate to think I抦 halfway responsible. She seemed content with everyone抯 progress this week.
No sense in bottling it up.
揝omething wrong, Miss Patel??I call loudly.
She hesitates, glances down, and then back at me with worried eyes.
揘o,?she mouths, and it抯 not the people beginning to stir and file out with their own conversations that抯 drowning her out.
It抯 quiet and not convincing.
揂re you sure??I press.
She taps her pen off the conference table. 揑 know everyone is working hard. The ads are coming together nicely, but there抯 a segment of the market I still think we抮e missing. I just want a little more oomph behind the ads for A/B testing棓
揌ow about a personal endorsement from our fearless leader? That抯 enough oomph to be oof,?Dakota suggests with a laugh.
I lash her with a cutting look.
揥hat??I抦 never involved in the ad campaigns. I certainly don抰 put myself in front of cameras willingly. Not even cameras I control.
She shrugs like she抯 serious.
揅抦on, boss. You have the looks. I bet you抎 sell this new line to women who are already married if you just asked nicely enough. You have the whole lady-killer vibe,?she says matter-of-factly.
I rake my eyes over her, unsure if this is a real suggestion or more of her unfunny bullshit.
揟here抯 exactly one lady I抦 aware of killing,?I whisper harshly.
She glares at me.
揇ude. Why do you think the press and people after easy views on Insta follow you around? Attraction is a marketing superpower棓
揑抦 no model,?I grind out. 揑f you抮e serious, Miss Poe, we can always explore hiring talent.?
揥e could. But if you really cared about the wedding line, you抎 model the men抯 line yourself,?she says with a flick of her hand, wearing a grin I want to bite off her face.
揝lam dunk, Poe! Way to throw down the gauntlet,?our college intern says, flashing some ridiculous hand sign.
揟hat kid annoys me,?I whisper to Dakota.
揋ood. You annoy most of us, but we just bite our tongues because you抮e the boss. And he抯 hardly a kid. He抯 almost as old as me,?she says.
I don抰 like being reminded how young she is, even if my cock strongly disagrees.
揧ou抮e far less annoying,?I say.
She beams, stifling another laugh.
揥ow. I think that might be the nicest thing you抳e ever said to me.?
揘ot true. I抳e told you plenty of times you抮e as talented as you are beauti棓 I choke off mid-word and slam my yap shut.
Too much.
Too late.
She stiffens slightly, biting her bottom lip, and then she edges over, making more space between us.
I want to laugh at the effect I have on her that抯 impossible to deny. A twisted part of me enjoys it, but I hold in my amusement.
We抮e still in a meeting with several stragglers around, and I need to be professional.
揥ell then, Miss Patel, what are your thoughts? Since Miss Poe says I抦 such an irresistible ladies?magnet, should I consider modeling the groom抯 wear??I抦 joking, of course.
When Anna nods with a wide smile that shows her teeth, I almost fall out of my chair.
揘ot a bad idea. It抯 very original. Possibly the next best thing to suiting up in Haughty But Nice attire for your own wedding棓
The room goes silent. Everyone who抯 still here has their eyes glued to us.
Anna抯 gaze becomes laser-focused on桰抦 not sure what. Her mouth forms all kinds of shapes, but nothing comes out.
揗iss Patel? Anna??I prompt.
She holds up a finger and remembers how her mouth works.
揌oly crap. That抯 it!?
揥hat抯 it??
揧our wedding.?
揥hat damn wedding? I抦 not getting married,?I say with a snort. 揌as my mother been here again? Is this some high-pressure prank to make me settle down??
A couple of the older employees laugh knowingly.
They get it. My sweet-as-pie mother becomes an unpredictable assassin when it comes to my love life梠r lack thereof by choice.
揘o, but you and Dakota hit it off pretty well, right??Anna says, her dark-brown eyes glowing with something I dread when she speaks again. 揝o, call me crazy, but what if you two staged a wedding? What if you got all dolled up in a photo shoot in Haughty But Nice wardrobes? It抯 a unique, interesting angle that could send our sales through the roof.?
Goddamn. It抯 worse than I thought.
揧ou抮e crazy!?I snap.
Dakota jerks up in her seat. I almost think she抯 more horrified than me.
揂nna, that抯， um梐 big yikes,?she spits. 揟hat抯 just…a bridge too far.?
That抯 putting it mildly.
I can抰 believe we抮e even having this conversation.
I抎 slam my dick in the door ten times before I抎 ever get married梕ven fake married梡urely to move my products. And if I were getting married to sell clothes, it certainly wouldn抰 be with a frigging employee who already lives in my head.
揘ot happening, Miss Patel. You know I welcome exotic ideas within limits, but this breaches them all,?I say.
Dakota leans in closer. 揂side from the you and I part…it抯 not half bad. What if I did a few shoots with the intern kid??
My eyes pivot to the side of the room where the scrawny kid sits with a smug smile.
Dakota and him? That抯 even worse than copywriter Jimbo.
Fuck that.
揧ou need a man who looks the part if you want to sell, Nevermore. Not Peter fucking Pan,?I growl.
揗e and my big mouth,?she groans with a delirious eye roll.
揋uys, calm down, it抯 just a thought!?Anna says in my ear. I hadn抰 noticed her getting up and moving next to us, taking the vacant seat. 揘o one expects you to get, like, married-married. Just fake married. And not even married but fake engaged.?
揇o we make Hallmark movies now??Dakota asks with a laugh. 揊ake Married for Fashion. Sounds like pure cheese…？
揑 agree, it isn抰 dark enough by half for you,?I quip.
With a loud huff, she picks up the pen again and leans over. I can feel her breath as she whispers, 揧ou want to see dark??
You have no earthly clue, you little firecracker.
I slide my hands under the table, shifting my pants so my unruly dick isn抰 pitching a tent.
揑抦 joking, of course. This whole idea is laughable,?I tell her.
Dakota lifts a brow and nods.
揋uys, just give it some thought,?Anna pleads. 揂 fake wedding announcement for the marketing campaign with you both doing photo shoots would be a sensational endorsement. It抯 a unique spin, considering your social media clout, Mr. Burns. We could even work up some wild story about how the whole line was inspired by your love. Can you imagine the sales??Her eyes are huge, gleaming with excitement.
For once, I regret how Anna can be a human Rottweiler when it comes to ideas.
I wish like hell she抎 drop this one.
揚ersonal endorsements have worked out insanely well for other brands,?Cheryl says from the corner, looking up from her phone. 揑 bought three years?worth of perfume last Christmas because the owner wouldn抰 stop talking about how awesome her life is on TikTok ever since she started wearing her own stuff.?