I shake my head and take a seat. My leg is bouncing with energy. I need to see Lana. I haven’t felt right since she left me alone this morning. After a few minutes, I feel her before I even see her. I turn in time to see Lana step into view, her smile sending waves of pleasure coursing through me.
“Mr. Ellis. So nice to see you again.” I stand, and she extends her hand to me, keeping it professional between us. When I grasp her hand, her face reddens a little, and she looks to the ground. She’s probably remembering where my fingers were this morning.I want to be there again.
“Nice to see you again as well.”
“Please, follow me. Eloise Quill is already in the meeting room waiting for us.”
We walk down the hall, and she checks to see if anyone is looking before giving me an unexpected peck on the lips. It’s nothing more than a tease, and I want to pull her to me and demand more. But she’s at work, and I don’t want to get her in trouble, so she will have to make it up to me tonight.
I smirk and ask quietly, “What was that for?”
“I’ve missed you, and you look incredibly sexy in that button-down shirt,” she whispers just loud enough for me to hear.
She doesn’t give me time to say anything back before she knocks on the meeting room door and pushes it open. The space is large and bright with the curtains pulled back, showing off some of the Boston skyline.
Eloise stands and walks over to me, extending her hand for me to take. “Mr. Ellis, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
We shake, and I extend the same greeting. I take a seat opposite of Lana, and we get started. She goes over the sample of the cabins and reviews the blueprints with me. I ask a few questions, and she answers them with ease. Eloise tosses in her two cents here and there, but mainly, she lets Lana control the meeting. It’s amazing to watch her. She’s definitely in her element here.
We wrap up about an hour later, and Lana walks me to the door. “Meet me downstairs. We’ll go for lunch,” she requests quietly.
I nod and fight the urge to kiss her on the cheek, instead giving her a firm handshake and adding a little extra squeeze for good measure. “See you in a few.”
Chapter 13
Lana
That meeting went better than I expected. Eloise was smitten with Tristan, and who wouldn’t be? He knows how to lay it on thick when he needs to. I reach my office and grab my purse, ready to get something to eat.
“He seems nice,” Eloise says, standing in my doorway.
I look at her and smile. “Yes, he is. It was a pleasure getting to work with him.”
She smirks. “He wouldn’t be the history that was atBlack Stallion Ranch, would he?”
I blush and try to dodge the question. “I’m glad you got to meet him. He seems happy with the work we’ve done.”
“Lana, sit for a minute.” She closes my door, takes a seat opposite my desk, and crosses her shapely legs. I smooth my skirt under my butt and sit at the edge, nervous energy pooling in my stomach. “He didn’t fly all the way over here for a meeting. I’m glad I had the opportunity to meet him, he seems like a nice man, but I want to make sure things are okay with you. A few days ago, you wanted to give this account to someone else. Now, if I heard you in the meeting correct, you want to go back out to spearhead the construction?”
I furrow my brows, confused as to what she’s getting at. “Yes. Normally, we send someone out during the initial construction for a few weeks, and then again toward the end to make sure everything is running smoothly. I did the work, so I feel I should go out and supervise. Is there a problem?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t want to see you get hurt. You know I think very highly of you. You are an extremely hard worker. You have done a lot for this company, and I appreciate that. He’s a nice boy and seems to have a good head on his shoulders, just be careful.”
My expression softens. I did share a fair amount when I told her I shouldn’t be working the account, and I can see where she’s coming from. “Thank you, Eloise. I’ll be fine.”
“Good. Also, I got a call this morning from a Simone Carrington from London, England.” I tense at the mention of her name. “She told me you two met in Wyoming, and she wants to hire you to do some redesign work. Seems you have a lot of fans there.”
I smile weakly. “Yeah, I know her family. We met the first time I went to the ranch. She mentioned wanting to hire someone for design work, and I gave her the information forQuill and Smith Designs.” I take a deep breath, hoping to ease the thrumming of my heartbeat in my ears. “I can’t take that account. You have to send someone else.”
She shakes her head as her smile fades. “She specifically said she wanted you to do the designs.” I lean back in my seat and push out a breath. “Go to lunch with Tristan, and we will figure it out when you get back.”
I bite back a smile as she leaves my office, then I scurry down to meet the man who makes my heart beat a little faster.
* * *
I’ve been trying to figure out how I’m going to tell Tristan about my upcoming trip without him flying off the deep end. I know his thoughts on Russ, and if I’m being honest, I share some of those opinions. This isn’t about Russ, though; this is about Simone. She did mention wanting me to do some designs when I saw her last week, but I didn’t think she was serious.
I stand outside my front door, trying to find the courage to face him and tell him, but I’m chicken shit. I think it might be best for me to not mention who I am going to be helping. Client confidentiality and all that, right?Is that even a thing in my line of work?