Tough Sell (Tough Love Book 1) Read online

  Dorothy glanced at him, a small furrow of concern between her pretty eyebrows. “Are you OK?” she mouthed. He gave a small smile and shook his head as if to say “no worries.” What a liar he was.

  They dropped hands to applaud. Several speakers followed and the last of them was quite interesting, espousing an optimistic outlook that mirrored Edward’s. That presenter was followed by Peter Brookings.

  Edward watched as Peter crossed to the podium, not bothering to acknowledge the prior presenter as they passed each other.

  “What an ass,” Edward mumbled to Dorothy.

  “Why?”

  Edward just shook his head.

  “Good afternoon, everyone,” Peter began. “I want to thank you for giving up your Sunday to come and listen to the most recent thoughts on the environment and global warming. Just seeing how many of you are here, does give me hope. But we have to be careful with hope …”

  “Here it comes,” Edward whispered to Dorothy. She shot him a puzzled glance before turning back to watch Peter.

  “When we think there is a quick fix, a bright future or a sure thing, it’s human nature to grow complacent.” Peter paused for effect. “And that is something we simply can’t afford. It’s far too early for us to be thinking small, to be offering our technological assistance, because we are not going to be able to build ourselves out of this. The situation is dire and we must call on governments to mandate reduction of greenhouse gasses.”

  Dorothy’s eyes were wide, her mouth pinched. She leaned close to him, her head tilted close. “Is he saying what I think he is? He doesn’t think your products should be on the market, does he?”

  He hadn’t even realized he was holding his breath until he felt the exhalation, the tension leave his body. She was smart, his lovely, lovely woman. She was smart.

  “If it were up to guys like Peter, our products would be illegal.”

  “But why?”

  From the stage, a video presentation began to play behind Peter. Images of natural disasters appeared. Superimposed on the images of hurricane ravaged islands, burning forests and blizzard stricken towns, were clips from interviews with experts. The clips discussed the impacts not usually acknowledged, like the impact on insurance, and other things that enabled a thriving economy. Different speakers pronounced loss of property and lives, amid governments struggling to keep their economies afloat. The show ended with pictures of desolate dry lands and floods.

  Peter began to speak again. “If we let people think there is an easy way out of this, they will fail to act. They will rely on carbon cleaners or, Lord help us, little mirrors being shot into the sky, or just flatulence relief for cows.” Some people in the audience laughed at that. “They will refuse to mandate the sacrifices that the citizens of the world must make and make soon. People like the speaker before me and companies like Walker and Birkeland …” Edward sat forward in shock. The man had just named their company directly. He couldn’t believe Peter could just keep talking, and yet he did.

  “… are not just misguided, they are a threat, because they offer partial cures and impracticalities. So, as we meet here to learn about the latest advances, let’s not get complacent. Let’s remember, it’s up to us to keep the pressure on and the best way to do that is not to embrace hope. The best way to do that is to unify around the call to action and not let these technologies out until the world’s governments agree to act. Thank you.”

  “That son of a bitch,” Ed said. He was furious. “I’m going to sue him for libel. Or Slander … whichever.”

  “Oh. My. God.” Dorothy’s soft voice drew Edward back. He’d practically forgotten her. Dorothy was staring after Peter. “I had no idea,” she said. Edward could almost hear the gears turning in her head. “They were never going to take your account, were they?” She turned to him fully. “I don’t have a prayer.”

  Chapter 14

  As she watched Peter leave the stage, panic welled up in Dorothy’s chest. Peter was obviously rabidly against any of the companies like Birkeland and Walker, but none of that came out at work. Other than Kathy’s statements the other day, nobody at CDP had mentioned it. Did that mean that Adam and Peter didn’t see eye to eye? Still, after their little talk, she doubted Adam would chose her campaign over his partner’s sensibilities.

  As she watched Peter glad-handing in the aisle, she also became aware for the first time just how much influence the man held. Throngs of people were trying to shake his hand.

  “They were never going to take your account, were they?” She turned to Edward. “I don’t have a prayer.”

  “Oh, somebody doesn’t have a prayer but it’s that asshole, not you.” Edward rose abruptly from his chair and stepped right over her lap in his haste to get to Peter Brookings.

  Alarm spread through her. She leapt up and hurried after Edward, calling his name and trying to get him to slow down. The look on his face was murderous. Dressed as he was, in the dark, impeccable suit, he was attracting a lot of attention as he strode rapidly across the auditorium, making a beeline for Peter.

  “Brookings,” Edward called out. Peter looked up and Dorothy saw a wary determination in Peter’s expression.

  “Idiot,” Dorothy muttered as she hurried around a couple of gawking, long haired college guys. They looked like they were green peace activist wannabes. One of the men had his cell phone out and was videoing Edward, probably in the hope of seeing Ed and Peter start to fight.

  “Put that away,” she hissed at the guy and kept moving.

  “Brookings. You owe me an apology.” Edward was standing right in front of Peter now, getting in the man’s face.

  “I don’t owe you anything, Walker. I’m entitled to my opinion and I’m entitled to express it anywhere I want.” Peter held Edward’s gaze.

  Dorothy came up beside Edward and put her hand on his arm. “Peter, that was uncalled for and not well thought out,” she said. His eyes widened. Dorothy guessed he hadn’t expected an associate marketing assistant to call him out. “Especially since you know that Cogent Digital Partners is taking Birkeland and Walker on as a client. Why would you not act in support of your own client?”

  Anger flashed across Peter’s face. “CDP is NOT taking the Birkeland and Walker account.”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Brookings, but I’m giving a presentation on the account tomorrow at the main office,” Dorothy said. She glanced around, acutely aware that they were being filmed by several cell phones. Peter glanced to the side, obviously aware of the same thing. He looked apoplectic. Good on him. In moments, social media would have video showing Peter Brookings sabotaging his own client and that would not look good for CDP. He would have to do something to correct it and fast. She could tell by his expression that he knew what she’d just done.

  She kept her best, no wrinkles, calm-face on. If she could get someone to recognize her as Baby Dot, that would make the video that much more damaging. She couldn’t just say it herself. She glanced at Ed. There would be no help from him, he never called her Dot.

  Edward hadn’t seemed to catch on to the significance of her words. “Dorothy, you don’t have to defend me. I’m perfectly capable of taking Brookings to court, or just belting him right here. Either one would suit me just fine.” It was all she could do not to roll her eyes. She tried to step on his foot but he moved even closer to Brookings. “Tell me, besides bad mouthing the companies that are actually doing something about global warming, and bullying your assistants, what have you done to solve anything? Huh? Tell me that?” Edward reached up and grabbed the front of Peter’s shirt and pulled the man right to his chest. So much for her strategy. She could have belted Edward herself.

  “Edward, let him go!”

  “Walker, you idiot, let go of me!” Brookings and Dorothy spoke at the same time.

  This was a nightmare. Now all the cell phones around them had Edward on video, assaulting Peter. “You have to let him go, Edward,” she said softly, hoping he would hear her. “You are being
videoed right now.”

  Edward froze. He glanced down at her and she nodded. “Let him go.”

  Edward released the man’s shirt and looked slowly around. His gaze flitted from one cell phone to another. He stepped back. “I’m leaving,” he said to her. Before she could gather her thoughts, he was striding out the doors and heading down the hall. Dorothy trotted after him; damn he was fast in those loafers. She needed to invent dress pumps women could tear-ass in. Outside the building, she finally caught up.

  “Edward!”

  He stopped but he didn’t turn around.

  “Ed, what the hell? You made me chase you. In heels! What’s going on?” She grabbed him by his bicep, noticing the firmness of it under her finger tips as she moved in front of him. “Will you please tell me why you are so afraid of being on video?” His forehead was creased, as if he was in pain, his nostrils flared and his jaw was rigid. “I understand you’re mad about what he said, and I understand that he’s an idiot. I even understand that you and I have been working on a campaign that has been destined to fail since before we started working on it.” She stopped to catch her breath. Edward looked positively ill and he wouldn’t look her in the eyes. “But I don’t understand,” she said, “I don’t understand how that links to video.” She reached up to touch his cheek but he avoided her touch and raised his hand to flag down a taxi.

  “I’m not going to discuss this right now.” He opened the taxi’s door, and stepped back so she could climb in.

  Dorothy climbed in and slid over. He gave the driver her address.

  “I thought we were going back to your place to relax. You were going to lend me some sweat pants. I was going to maybe make us some dinner?” She tried to catch his eye.

  “I think today it might be better if you went home.”

  “What? Why, Ed?” He kept looking out the window. “Edward?”

  “I’m not going to discuss this in a cab, Dorothy.”

  She couldn’t believe this. What the heck was up with this man? “Are you upset with me?”

  He looked over at her quickly, surprise on his face. “No. No, Dorothy. I’m not upset with you. I lost my cool back there and a bunch of idiots decided to video it. But none of that is because of you.” He rolled his shoulders. “And I’m a little tense about coming into CDP tomorrow for the presentation.”

  “All the more reason for us to go back to your place. We can go over what you’re going to need to say tomorrow.” She hesitated and then slid a little closer. “We are, um, going to go through with this tomorrow, right?” She reached out and slid her fingers over his forearm.

  He glanced over at her again. His eyes moved rapidly as he studied her face. “Yeah. We’re going to do this because at the very least, they don’t get to treat you badly and then not have to see how mistaken they are.”

  She smiled at him. “Well, I don’t know if they’re wrong about me, but I know that not taking your account is a mistake. If they don’t take it, they’re definitely wrong about you.” She wrapped herself around his arm and put her head on his shoulder. “Do you want to come up to my place, meet Allie, maybe have a little supper?”

  Edward looked down at her and kissed the top of her head. When he leaned back his face was sad and a little pained looking. “I don’t think so, Dorothy.”

  It made no sense to her, to Edward, something had changed dramatically. She tried to think what it might be but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure it out.

  Why would being caught on video upset him so? Did he think that it would hurt his company’s reputation? With everything that had gone on in the world lately, it seemed that nobody worried about being caught on tape doing anything. Politicians were brawling with voters and still being elected to office. What would grabbing a man by the shirt front really do to Edward?

  “Are you worried Peter will sue you?”

  He turned his head and brought his mouth near her ear and hissed, “I told you that I would not discuss this in the cab.”

  Her face warmed. The cab pulled to the curb and Edward got out, leaned in and extended his hand. Dorothy resented it, even as she let him help her out of the cab. He didn’t let go of her, instead he slid his hands into her hair and kissed her slowly, while she stupidly followed his lead.

  Good girl, Dorothy, bad girl, Dorothy. Now they were back to good girl again? Screw that. She grabbed his tie and pulled him into her. She put all her frustration into her response, sliding her other hand to his neck and jaw, trying to hold him there, keep him with her. Tipping her head to the side, she pressed up and concentrated on the feeling of his wide, firm lower lip beneath her tongue. Insistent and distressed, she trailed her mouth across the soft smoothness of his clean, shaved jaw, the smell of soap still on him here, as she moved to his neck. She dragged her teeth across the space between his jaw and his crisp collar, shivering at the feel of his mouth slipping down her arched neck, answering her like for like. He groaned and bit her, hard. She pulled back, lust dazed, and released his tie. She took a good look at him, expecting him to look aggravated, but instead, she saw sorrow, or regret, behind the rich brown of his eyes. Something in her let go. She reached up and touched his face. “Feel better, OK? I’ll see you tomorrow at ten?”

  “Whatever happens, these last few days have been the best days of my life, Dorothy.” She tried to smooth the patterned silk as she tucked his tie back in. His words sound so final, she closed her eyes against the traitorous wetness gathering. He kissed her quickly. “I’ll see you at ten. You are going to do great.”

  He turned and got back into the cab and she watched him drive away. There was nothing left to do after that. She walked slowly up to her apartment, part of her looking for something to kick. Stair-kicking, man-chasing, comfortable all-day-long heels were what she should invent.

  As soon as she opened the door, she could hear the sound of the TV, so she figured Derrick and Allie were in the living room. No catering tonight. She took off her shoes and wandered down the hall, giving a wry smile at the sight of the two of them trying to lie on the couch together. Derrick in the back, and Allie with one leg just sort of flopping out in front of her. The woman had about six inches of couch space. Derrick’s arms held her securely in place though and she looked soft, sort of easygoing and relaxed. In short, the opposite of how she looked every time Dorothy saw her friend without him.

  “Hey, Dot,” Allie said mildly.

  “Hey, you two.” Dorothy plopped into the oversized chair and put her feet up on the footstool.

  “Fancy clothes,” said Derrick. For him, it was a long sentence.

  “Yeah, I went to a symposium with Ed.” She shut her eyes and leaned her head back.

  “That doesn’t look like the normal ‘post Superman’ Dot face,” said Allie. “What’s up?”

  “I don’t know. I think I’ve done it again.”

  Allie’s face toughened up at that. Dorothy watched through her lashes as Derrick started to stroke Allie’s shoulder a little where his hand was resting. Her friend seemed to have found someone who suited her well, which Dorothy was glad about, but at the same time, she wondered if she would ever find that herself: a person who understood her and was so in tune with her.

  “What did the asshole do to you?” So much for stroking.

  “I don’t think he did anything. He just sort of, shut me out. I mean, I was being myself, which is really more like being a stalker I guess,” said Dorothy. Derrick snorted a little and Allie gave him a sharp nudge with her heel.

  Derrick grunted but he just tightened his hold on her.

  “You are not a stalker,” Allie said. “You’re just a little anxious. Which you have no reason to be. Any man should be glad to have you interested in him.”

  Derrick raised his eyebrows. “That’s actually true.”

  “Well, you could fool me,” Dorothy sighed. “What kind of guy wants a crazy, clingy chick?”

  “Good point,” he said.

  “Stay out of this, bu
ddy. Now tell me,” said Allie, “what did you do that was so wacky?”

  “Well, we had a great day yesterday. He dropped me off after meeting my parents at dinner and this morning I was happy. I was working on the campaign and then I texted him around eleven and he didn’t answer. For like a long time.” She groaned. “And so, I changed into these clothes to make myself feel, well, more … confident I guess and I went over there.”

  “He didn’t answer one text and you went over to his place?” Allie’s face had a pinched, concerned expression. “And then what?”

  “Well I buzzed him and then I chickened out and tried to run away.”

  “You rang his bell and ran?” Allie looked bemused now and Derrick didn’t bother to hide his laugh. “Even for you, that’s a little bit crazy town.”

  “Yeah, well for some reason, he just knew it was me. I could hear him saying my name and then about a half block from his door he caught up to me. He was really dressed up, like a really nice suit and well, he brought me up to his place, invited me to go to the symposium and told me that he thought I was brave.”

  “No! He didn’t.”

  “Yes, he told me I was brave and we went there together.”

  “Well, I don’t really like the guy, but that, there, is amazing.” Allie mulled it over. “I mean, he’s right. You are brave in a really insecure, crazy-stalker way. You keep risking getting hurt and you keep trying.” She shrugged. “Maybe this is the guy for you after all. You’re not going to find many guys who will put up with that stuff.”