The Billionaire's Price (L.A. Players #1) - PREVIEW ONLY

Chapter 8 : Distractions

"Personally, I find their demands somewhat unreasonable, considering ours is supposed to be a partnership," said the brunette to her audience in the conference room. The dim room was lit up on her side by the screen behind her. "Negotiations are taking too long," she added.

It took a few seconds for Sebastian to realize Callie Holmes's last comment was directed at him. "Any suggestions?" he asked smoothly, realizing he'd been distracted.

"I say we quit pussyfooting around," she said, crossing her arms. "I understand you wanted us to take cultural considerations in this, but I believe our friends in China can appreciate straightforwardness."

"You do."

She cocked her head. "I'll be happy to take the lead in this, if only they'd take me as seriously as they do you."

"Because you're not a man?" Elton Lowry said, grinning.

"Because I'm not the CEO," she said.

"Do it then," Sebastian said. He stood up. "I'll be there for tomorrow's conference call, but you can do the talking. Next week, you and I are flying to Beijing."

"Would they not wonder why the EVP for corporate and not the EVP for world services is negotiating for Mattheson?" Elton said, cocking an eyebrow.

"We'll see, won't we? Come along too, Elton. And make sure to pay attention to Callie in action," Sebastian said. He nodded to everyone, and they all stood up. The meeting was over.

"I'll pack a red suit," Callie said, grinning.

Quit pussyfooting around. It was as if Callie had read his mind. Images of Victoria smiling beside him as they drove through the streets of L.A. last night kept him preoccupied through his Executive Vice President's report. How she looked lying on his couch, her hair spread out like spilled wine around her face as she slept. Sebastian wondered if anyone had noticed.

Then he remembered the look Callie gave him when he looked up from his reverie.

"Something wrong?" his assistant, Frank Mallory, asked as Sebastian got to his office. "Sorry, I thought your meeting would be longer," he explained, when his boss looked at him quizzically.

"Everything was fine, Frank." He sat down at his desk. Three new documents had been laid on it since he had left for the meeting an hour ago. He barely looked at them as he scribbled his signature on each of them.

Her laugh was like the rich tones of a church bell. Deep, and a little husky.

He wondered how she would sound as he made love to her. The things he would do to her to make her moan. He imagined her voice as she cried out his name.

"I'm going out in five minutes," he said, signing the last contract. His voice sounded ragged to him, and he cleared his throat. "I'll be back at six."

***

One more day, Victoria thought.

She'd only been half an hour into her shift when she accidentally bumped into Rach who was carrying a tray of burgers and shakes. Thankfully, the younger girl had astounding balance, and the damage was limited to a little splash of chocolate milk on the tray. However, Victoria winced when she recalled the dirty look Rach gave her as she walked away.

Then there was the two instances when she poured too much coffee into a customer's cup, letting the hot liquid spill onto the table.

"What's the matter with you today, Vic?" whispered Mabel, after seeing Victoria berated by her customer, an irate woman with a toddler and an infant in tow.