“What is this?” I asked Ben.
“Miss Radia wants to help me with my ad, but despite you telling me to find another agency –”
“Something we’ll be discussing later, Jack, and possibly set up a psych evaluation for,” Liz said in a dry tone. I couldn’t really blame her – I’d be furious if she pulled that sort of a stunt.
“As I was saying,” Ben continued. “It turns out that Miss Radia won’t work with me unless I’m usingthisagency. So, I thought we might all be able to figure this out around a conference table likeadultsso that I can get my goddamn advert made.”
“Er . . . right,” I said, pulling out my chair and sitting down opposite Urvi. I was still a little confused but a small spark of hope had started to burn in my chest.
“We could start by looking at this bloody contractyourlawyers drafted up for Miss Radia. Why it’s any of your business I’ve no idea.” He gave me a long-suffering look then his gaze went back to the papers in front of him. “No unknown has ever been given this much –”
My eyes flashed to Ben and the small smile that had started to form on my lips flattened into a frown. “That song willmakethe advert and you know it, you cheap git. The contract stays or we’re out.”
“Stop trying to lose us the most important contract of the last decade, Jack!” cried Liz. “God, do youwantthis company to fade into oblivion?”
“Don’t worry, Liz,” Ben sighed. “Love makes dickheads out of us all in the end. Okay, I’ll uphold the contract, for the moment. Now can we get back to discussing logistics without anyone else sacrificing their hopes and dreams in an overly dramatic way to impress the love of their life?”
“Maybe Urvi and Jack should actuallytalkto each other,” Liz suggested. Her expression had softened as she looked between Urvi and me.
“Great idea. Off you go kids and let us have some adult time,” Ben’s expression was more exasperated amusement than softness.
I rolled my eyes at Ben but pushed back my chair to stand. To my relief Urvi did the same. I caught Stella’s shocked face as I made my way out and shook my head once. The time when I’d defend her to Liz was over. I already hated her for lying to try and keep Urvi and me apart, but now that I knew she was a thief as well I wanted nothing more to do with her.
*****
Urvi
“Do you believe me now?” Jack’s voice was strained as his eyes searched mine. We were standing two feet apart in his office and the atmosphere was heavy with tension. I could tell he was holding himself back from coming to me – his entire body was strung tight, his hands balled into fists at his sides, and that muscle was ticking in his jaw.
“Yes,” I said, not breaking eye contact. “Yes, I believe you. And if you’re still . . . I mean if what yousaidis still true, then - I do too.”
Some of the tension eased from his shoulders and he let out a long breath. We moved at the same time, closing the distance between us until my hands were on his chest and his arms were around me. He leaned down and rested his forehead on mine, relief flooding his expression as he squeezed me against him.
“Can you say the words?” he breathed. “I need to hear you say them, Urvi. I need to know you forgive me.”
“I love you, Ja-” I was cut off as his mouth closed over mine.
Jack
We didn’t make it back to the meeting for over an hour. But when we did Stella was nowhere to be seen. I made Ben swap chairs with me so that I was sitting next to Urvi and I held her hand for the entire morning under the table.
Ben rolled his eyes more than once, but the bastard was smiling.
Urvi got her ridiculous-for a-newcomer deal.
Liz promised to “nail my balls to the wall” if I ever tried to pull this type of shit again. I might have gone a bit too far with the whole making the company a democracy and not a dictatorship thing so that my staff could express their views. Liz looked quite prepared to express her views with a swift knee to my nuts.
Maybe I did embarrass myself in front of my entire company, our lawyers, our clients - all of whom have big mouths so that I knew this story would be all over the city by the next day. But it was worth it.
Because this woman was coming home with me tonight.
She’d chosen me.
And that’s all I needed.
Epilogue
I’d tell him after . . .
