Instead he frowns and I hope he doesn’t guess just from looking at me how crazy in love I am with his best friend.
It’s best if he doesn’t. It’s not something he has to worry about since it’s becoming clearer and clearer every day that any fantasy I have of me and Dante is never going to happen.
Chapter Two
Dante
“I think when you look at their budget you’ll see that we can make it stretch to accommodate what they want,” I state, pushing my shoulders back. “Activate wants us to focus on brand awareness and sales. That is all we’ll be looking at when we create our campaign.”
I steal my spine and carry on the pretense that I’m focused on what I’m doing and haven’t seen this fucking prick sitting in front of me checking out Rachel’s tits. I’ll also pretend I didn’t just see the idiot lick over his lips.
Allen is sitting next to her, and all he’s been doing since the meeting began is alternating between checking her out and calling me old man when he can spare the minute or two to give a shit about my presentation.
I’m not sure what kind of fool he is. The kind that doesn’t have any respect for the vice president of the company he works for, or the kind that’s oblivious to the fact that Rachel’s father is my best friend. The owner of the company he works for, the same guy who gave him a job he’s not currently doing.
Maybe he thinks I’ll understand.
Maybe I should.
Look at her… I’ve watched her grow up into this gorgeous woman with a body made for sin.
She permanently looks like she could grace the screens of Hollywood. With those curves in all the right places— I shouldn’t be looking at, and a pair of tits— I shouldn’t be looking at either, she could get a man in trouble.
Allen… or, me.
I’ve certainly been a victim of that lately.
She’s focusing on the chart I’ve just pulled up on the overhead projector and now both me and Allen are gawking at her.
“They’re budget is fifty grand right?” Rachel asks looking to me uneasily.
I almost forget what I was talking about. “Yes. What are you thinking?” I ask resuming professional mode.
She tilts her head to the side and pushes out her bottom lip. I wish she wouldn’t draw attention to her lips like that. They’re full and pouty. The kind a man imagines around his cock.
She shakes her head at me, and panic races through me. For a second I foolishly wonder if she could hear my damn thoughts, then I realize she’s shaking her head at the budget.
“No,” she says.
“No to what Rachel?”
“The whole thing. They’re Activate, an up and coming sports brand. Mid-listers and they want us to do this on the cheap? They’re trying to push and make us jump through hoops to make miracles happen. The campaign I’m thinking of in line with their brand and their goals will at least cost seventy five to eighty grand.”
I can’t help the little smile that pulls at the corners of my mouth. Rachel has always been smart and when you combine it with confidence it’s one hell of a mixture.
I’m her boss for this project and I’ve been up here telling her and Allen what I want for this campaign but she just shot me down with seriously valid points I already contemplated.
“You can’t just say that though baby,” Allen says to her drawing my attention to him.
Baby…
What the fuck?
She gives him a stiff smile. “Why not? If we do things their way something will be missing somewhere. Either we won’t be able to do the campaign for the length of time they want, or we won’t be able to bring quality to the table.”
Allen gives her his smug smile. A smile I’m certain he’s used to charm women out of their dignity many times. I know guys like him, can smell them before I see them.
“With all due respect, I think it can be done,?