“You’re the one who said we needed new directions,” Hunter said with a dark look at Chuck. “I agreed because you’ve had good ideas in the past, but I’m the CEO here, and if I think something pisses all over the good work this company has done, then that’s the final word.”
Chuck looked like he wanted to argue, but Hunter didn’t give him a chance, turning to me instead. “What about you?” he asked, a slight smile quirking his lips, bringing a touch of playfulness to his stern face. “I’m guessing you have plenty of opinions.”
Oh, he definitely remembered every word I’d said. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
Still, it didn’t seem like he resented it or anything. Maybe…
I stood, trying to project a confidence I didn’t feel.
“You don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” I said. “And you don’t throw away a proud history just because today’s market has become disconnected from it.” I clicked the remote, pulling up graphics and statistics. “And today’s market wants to connect with history, any history. Hipsters and millennials, they’re disenfranchised and dying to feel like they’re a part of something bigger. And when these corporations—” I gestured behind me—“played that angle, they saw a thirty-five to fifty-five percent rise in sales to the 21-34 demographic.”
Both Chuck and Hunter sat up visibly higher in their seats, intrigued, but Harry just sneered. “So your big idea is just to copy what other people have done? Guess this is what you get when you ask a woman for something original.”
Next to him, the other Douchebros shifted, clearly uncomfortable. It was one thing to insult me when I was on my own, with no way for me to back up any allegations I might want to make. It was apparently another thing entirely to do it in front of a potential client, who might decide not to go with our company at all if Harry kept this up. Poor Douchebros—they wanted to back up their alpha male, but they also wanted to keep their jobs. It must be so difficult being an as**shole.
Meanwhile, Hunter’s glare could have frozen lava. “You’ve had your turn.” He directed his gaze back to me, dismissing Harry completely. “How would you suggest we implement your plan, Miss Bartlett?”
I smiled sweetly, forcing myself not to dwell on my nemeses. “Well, obviously we’d need to do in-depth research of your company, get a look at all the first-hand documentation we can find,” I explained. “This won’t work with just the info we can pull off Wikipedia. Of course, we will need to use the internet—basically, I’m thinking we begin to establish an online presence, reaching out to fans with fun messages while also creating a historical archive that we’ll be updating. Are you familiar with George Takei’s online presence? A good sense of humor mixed with some real feeling, plus a talented PR team that took him from ‘obscure original Star Trek actor’ to ‘Internet celebrity’ overnight. I really think we could take a page from his book.”
“I’m sorry,” Chuck interrupted, “but a historical archive? That’s just not sexy. That’s not going to sell.” The Douchebros murmured in agreement, but I refused to back down.
“With all due respect,” I said, setting my jaw. “If you go with the sex angle, you’ll only be drowning yourself in a sea of identical alcohol ads. You need something that stands out from the pack, something that’s at once both culturally relevant and timeless, something classic, something that says…” I paused, grasping for exactly the right word, every set of eyes in the room glued to me. And then, what Hunter mentioned earlier about Knox being a ‘family business’ came rushing back. “That says legacy,” I finished. The room went silent.
“Legacy. You’re absolutely right,” Hunter said, standing abruptly and holding out his hand. A warm smile spread itself across his face. “I love it. You’ve got the job.”
For a second I could only stare at his hand in shock, as if I expected it to disappear. I had put together the strongest case I could, and I’d hoped I could succeed, but this was so sudden—my heart was suddenly going a million miles a minute, a buzzing filled my ears—
I had the job.
I had the job.
I had the job!
I realized his hand was still hanging there, and I grabbed it. A tingle of electricity shot through me at his firm grasp, and the warmth of his skin. His honey eyes were so warm, so inviting…his thumb brushed lightly over my palm…Oh God, was I blushing?
I pumped his hand heartily to try to distract from my rapidly reddening cheeks. “Thank you, Mr. Knox! I won’t let you down!”
? Also By Lila Monroe
· Billionaire With a Twist · The Billionaire Bargain 3 · The Billionaire Bargain · The Billionaire Bargain 2 · The Billionaire Game 2 · The Billionaire Game · The Billionaire Bargain 3 · The Billionaire Bargain 2 · The Billionaire Bargain ? Last Updated