Daring, Charming , Real

Ch. 9

The business had resumed as usual and Finn was tucked safely in our guest room being nursed back to health by several home health nurses Tommy and I hired. It seemed Finn had grown tired of the same four white walls and sterile hospital air, so to keep him from busting a stitch as he tried to repel out his window (that he was caught attempting more than once) we decided it was best if he just came home with us. Not to mention the constant complaining about Polly's cooking seemed to justify our decision and I'd be lying if I said guilt didn't linger from not making the decision prior to the accident. Nonetheless, we carried on this time as a full family. The boys would play cards and on the weekends Finn and I would bake. He enjoyed decorating cookies and cakes just as much as eating them. Thomas didn't seem to complain as much either. Multiple times  I had taken Finn with me to meet Niccoli in the park and they hit it off immediately. Niccoli showed him different color palettes and canvases that gave rise to Finn wanting his very own drawing room. It would be arranged later, for now, he had to settle with some blank leather-bound journals from Niccoli. You would have thought he was handed pure gold by the reaction he gave to the gift.

Thomas never fully warmed up to Niccoli, but he stopped glaring at him every time they encountered one another. It wasn't much but it was all I could ask for at the moment considering the latter would be a gun pulled at each corner in the Shelby office. 

Today, however, was not just a mundane day for our company. Important guests would be arriving soon to make Thomas a deal he had been working on for months. It was so important to him that he refused to sleep at home, using his sofa chair and desk as a makeshift bed for over a week. It gave me an uneasy feeling to leave him alone up here in the middle of a city that preyed on his very existence. But, he assured me all was well. He kept saying I would be better off at the house anyways to keep an eye on Finn and the workers. It gave me a small feeling of seniority to take over the house but I knew deep down it wouldn't last long.

The meeting room was soon filled to the very end with men in suits adorned with briefcases. Each took a seat at the table before them and the chatter died down to barely a whisper. I stood towards the back, notepad in hand to take notes of any important details that may come up in the discussion. I noticed a few of the men stealing glances in my direction, some bringing unwanted looks at my bare legs below me and others giving nasty glares that I was even here in the first place. This wasn't the first meeting I had been in where I seemed singled out, but it was the first that I was the only secretary taking notes or aiding in the process. In fact, I was the only woman here. 

Once the discussion started it was grimy business deals and bargaining over and over for hours. One man in particular that seemed to have a large company deal that Thomas desperately wanted. I could tell by his remarks and the way his lips parted each time a new offer was brought to the plate. It was almost as if Thomas was feasting amongst these men on a meal entirely made of money and he hadn't eaten in days. He was fiending for each word that was spat to him even if it was rough around the edges. He seemed to soak in it, all of it until the very end, when the paperwork was distributed and pens were uncapped. It took ages before the real signing even started. Almost every time a pen touched paper a new argument was given and the air was ripped from Tommy's lungs every single time. He was growing impatient.  I could feel his tension from here, I couldn't imagine how the men in front of him felt. Maybe like lambs brought to slaughter only to see the beast was smarter than to swallow them whole.  He took his time with each until they gave him a reason to lash out. 

He reached to the table, laying one palm against the cold grain and the other against a pen. I watched quietly as he wrote his signature at the bottom of each page before looking up to meet my gaze.

"Emilia, please join me."

A few of the men grunted in protest only eliciting small gasps under their breath. One even tried to muffle his under a cough but it was no use. Thomas had already gauged their reactions and taken mental notes. 

When I moved forward, walking across the room, the man closest to Thomas spoke up. Funny enough it was almost a whisper like I was the one he was scared to hear him. 

"Mr. Shelby, I believe all the seats are taken. I don't think your secretary should insert herself in this agreement." He barely choked out before Thomas was staring deep into his head from beside him. The blue tint surrounding his pupil seemed to grow dark, almost encasing itself in the abyss of black. 

Slowly Thomas rose to his feet before ushering me down into the chair he had just stood from. His hand grazed the small of my back as I sat. Every eye watched closely as Thomas reached down and placed the pen carefully into my palm without offering another look to the man who spoke.

"My wife may sit where she pleases." He spoke leaning closer to my body and I felt every word like a ripple against the air beside me, "On the dotted line if you don't care, Mrs. Shelby. I'm tired of the constant distractions."

"Are you mad!?" Another man busted from his chair and nearly leapt clear onto the table. Sweat dripped from his forehead and pooled around his cheeks as he stared in disbelief. It was as if he had seen a ghost. Or better yet, a woman with an opinion. 

"You are signing a deal with the Shelby Company are you not?" Thomas questioned, "Or were you expecting a private deal with just me? Emilia is an extension of myself so unless she also signs your paper, there is no deal." 

"I didn't think Thomas Shelby would succumb to a woman much less his own damn hired help." 

I looked up from my lashes freezing in my spot before the ink even touched the paper. That same smirk that usually twists its way onto my husband's lips was now painted across my own and I was quite sure it held the same effect. Not only from the horror that dawned on each still figure around me but the sinister chuckle sounding from behind. As I placed the pen back onto the table and sat back into the chair I looked at each eye as it drifted back and forth between Thomas and me. It was almost like they were attempting to pressure a response that would never come. Not here, not ever. 

"Very well." Thomas sighed, "I'm afraid this meeting is over. Maybe another time would be better when you can actually listen to the words coming out of my mouth instead of your own fucking voice" 

"You would give up this offer over the opinion of your wife? Thomas, we are talking millions of dollars. An outrageous leap in each of our companies."

"And I'm growing a bit tired of listening to you ramble on about bullshit." I finally decided to speak and it was as if the entire room shifted in my direction. Once more they all now stood wide-eyed and silent like I had a knife to their throats. It wasn't the same response that I got from Jon but it was enough to hint at my victory.

"I have better things to do than stand around making deals we will or won't keep. Now, do you want the contract or not Simon?" Thomas spat.

"Fine. But I expect our business will be handled through you directly."

"Shouldn't be a problem." Thomas smiled wickedly at the group which now stood before him.

Carefully I took the pen and signed my name directly beside Thomas's in black ink. It seemed so professional.  I couldn't help but smile as I looked down and registered the full name.

Emilia Shelby

I had heard it at least a million times coming from Thomas, it was almost as if it was his two favorite words in the entire world. But seeing it here was different. It was official and it meant something. 

"Thank you all for your participation. I'm sure we will be in touch very soon." Thomas told them as he passed the paper along with some other documents to Simon. I watched as the gruff man shoved each one into his bag letting out a huff of air indicating his agitation. But it didn't make a difference, Thomas was always going to get his way in the end. "Now if you'll excuse us, I would like to speak to my partner. Alone please." 

The way his words slipped from his lips sent a small shiver down my shoulder blades and danced across the skin of my back. Every nerve seemed to fire under his soft touch when he settled a hand on each of my shoulders, digging into the muscles gently with his thumbs. My breathing seemed to hitch as I watched every man clear out shortly after saying their goodbyes. 

It seemed like ages of silence before Thomas finally spun the chair around to face him as the wooden legs scrapped against the carpet. 

"You did beautifully, Mrs. Shelby." He purred.