Beloved

Chapter Six

The alarm blares at six the next morning. I roll over, hit the off button, and shuffle into the kitchen to start my Keurig. It’s amazing how much better I feel after having a night of restful sleep. Grabbing my cup of coffee, I head to my desk to prepare for my phone call with the people from Raven.

With coffee in hand, I fire up my laptop and get to work. The new email alert sounds off so long that it almost seems as if I’ve held my finger down on a keyboard for a minute or so. Great. I’m out of the office half a day and I have over one hundred new emails. I skim through and see a few new possible client assignments that look promising and one that I’d love to grab if Raven Cosmetics doesn’t work out. I open the email from Taylor, which goes over the details for today’s call, and see that she’s attached a few files with updated sales figures for the company. They show a small decline from last month’s figures but nothing too drastic.

After going through the remainder of my emails and taking care of some mundane things around the house, the conference call reminder pops up on my phone. Dialing in, I mentally prepare myself to hear Piper’s and Neil’s voices so I won’t be blindsided by them. I hear the beep and announce my name and company.

“Hello, Ms. Pope. This is Danielle.”

“Good morning, Danielle. I hope your morning is good so far.”

“Yes, thank you. We appreciate you fitting us in last-minute,” she replies.

“As I promised in our meeting, I haven’t taken on any other accounts in hopes that you’ll select CJJ to represent you,” I say, projecting my strength through the phone.

“I’m glad to hear that. After we conclude our call, we have a call scheduled with Boyce PR. Mr. Cole should be on in about two minutes. We were advised by Piper of her opinion, and we want to be one hundred percent sure we choose the right person.”

“I understand completely. Do you have anything you’d like me to clear up prior to Mr. Cole joining us?” I ask earnestly.

“Our questions this morning will focus on you and your company. I think either company would provide a similar approach, but we would like to know more about you since you would be the person primarily responsible for ensuring clear and consistent branding. Also, I wanted to let you know that I’m not an assistant—I’m actually the director of product development. I’m sorry I wasn’t honest, but I wanted to get a feel for both you and Neil without either of you being influenced by my title.”

“Honestly, Danielle, I never believed you were an assistant, but thank you for being frank.” I let out a short laugh. “I assure you—”

A tone cuts me off, alerting us that someone has joined the call.

“Good morning.” A deep, hoarse voice fills my ears. My body tenses and something stirs deep inside. “Danielle?” he asks.

“Yes, Mr. Cole, good morning. I have Catherine Pope on the call, sir. She’s with CJJ Public Relations,” Danielle informs him.

I shake my head, trying to release the tension triggered by his voice, and prepare to impress him. “Good morning, Mr. Cole. It’s a pleasure.”

“Ms. Pope, thank you for joining us. Danielle was impressed by your presentation. I asked to have a call with you since I was out of the area and couldn’t make it to the meeting yesterday. I wanted to speak with you and the other candidate before I make my final decision.” The strong, sexy timbre of his voice exudes confidence.

“I’m more than happy to go over any questions you may have.”

The call continues for about thirty minutes as we discuss my professional background and the company’s growth expectations. The sound of his voice pulls at me, though I can’t quite place it. With each question he asks, I field and answer appropriately, reaffirming that I’m the right choice.

Mr. Cole breaks in right before we’re about to wrap things up. “I’d like to know one more thing.”

“Ask away.” I smile, hoping it shines through the phone.

“Why should we hire you?” he asks point-blank.

I anticipated this question. It’s pretty typical and I honestly love to answer it. There’s no real reason other than what I always answer. “Because I’m the best. I work hard, and I don’t fail. Ever,” I say confidently.

His deep voice vibrates through the phone. “We’ll be in touch by the end of the day with our final answer. Thank you, Catherine.”

When he says my first name, a familiar feeling washes over me. Though I’d love to take the time to analyze why that is, my professionalism prevents me from dwelling. “I look forward to hearing from you. Have a wonderful day.”

“Thank you, Ms. Pope,” Danielle replies.

Then the line goes dead.

And I wait.

Again.

After taking a long shower, I stand in front of my closet debating what to wear. The warm water helped ease my residual anxiety from the phone call, but I need something that will make me feel sexy and strong. It’s still warm out, so I opt for my navy blue empire dress and pair it with my dark crimson heals. I smile at my reflection in the mirror—I look good. I decide to take some extra time on my makeup and hair. Large barrel curls soften the ends of my dark brown hair, and I leave them hanging loosely down by back. For my makeup, I choose a really soft smoky eye, which gives me that coveted mysterious look. Not bad. This is the Catherine Pope I know and remember.

Once I arrive at the office, I settle into my desk and … feel useless. I don’t know if I won the account yet and my last two clients finished last week. I cleared out most of my emails at home, so I have nothing to work on. My ambition and work ethic won’t allow for me to sit around, so I decide to look at the open bids board and start mock-ups for a pitch. I have no idea if I’ll get the Raven account and I don’t want to waste any time getting to work on the next possible account coming in. Plus, my coworker Elle is the only other person competing with me for the upcoming promotion. I can’t let her get ahead, so I need to focus and act as though I’ve lost this one.

I head over to the board to see what’s there, and Elle looks up, grinning broadly at me. “Already looking for a new account, Cat?” Her high-pitched voice pierces through the room.

I give her a fake smile. “No, just looking to see what came in. What about you?”

“Oh, you know, I’ve got some new models coming in for a shoot. Atelier Clothing wants to do a tour with hot guys. You should stop by and see the eye candy I have coming in!” She’s practically bouncing. I have no desire to see the “hot” guys she has lined up. She has the worst taste, especially when it comes to the way she does ads and press releases. I can only imagine what the guys will look like. I’ll never understand her choices. They always seem overdone to me.

“Oh, I wish I could.” I feign disappointment and stifle the comments rolling around in my mind. “I have a few things that need my attention, but I’m sure they’re drool worthy.” I can’t stop myself. “You sure know how to pick ’em.”

She smiles, thinking I’m complimenting her. “I know! I love the one I found today. His name is Colin, and he’s just … wow!”

I smile and look back to the board. “Good luck, Elle. I gotta get back to work.”

I add my name to the next best account on the board and head back to my office. When I get there, I send Taylor an email to be in my office in fifteen minutes to start research.

I hear a knock on the door and look up.

“Hey. You want to do research for a new company looking for representation?” Taylor is standing against the doorframe looking baffled.

“Yes, we can’t have all our eggs in one basket,” I reply and gesture for her to sit in the chair.

“Okay, but doesn’t that seem hasty?” she asks tentatively. “You should hear back by the end of the day, right?”

“I don’t think so. It’s been over three hours since the call ended, and I haven’t heard anything. For all I know they’ve offered Boyce the account and are waiting until they settle the deal before they call me. I can’t sit here and do nothing. You know me.” I shrug with a smile. “Anyway, the promotion is still up for grabs and I refuse to let Elle get a leg up. Are you ready to get to work?”

“Of course. Let’s dig in.” Taylor smiles and we get to work on researching the new company.

We’re immersed in our iPads and computers and have completely lost track of time when I look at the clock, realizing it’s almost five. I start to stretch but jump midway as the phone rings, startling me.

Taylor runs to her desk, grabs the receiver, and pokes her head around. “Cat, it’s Raven. Want me to shut the door?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

This is it. I grab the phone and take a deep breath before pushing the blinking button that will finally end the waiting.

“Hello, this is Catherine Pope.”

“Hi, Catherine. It’s Danielle. I wanted to let you know we’ve made our decision.” Her voice is steady, giving nothing away.

“Wonderful, I hope you’re calling with good news.”

“Yes, we’d like CJJ to be our new PR firm. Congratulations.”

I let out a huge breath and stop myself from dancing around the room. “Oh! Thank you, I’m glad you chose us. I look forward to working with you.”

“Us too. We’re very excited about your vision. I know this is last-minute but Mr. Cole arrived back in the city today. He would like you to meet him tonight at the office if possible,” she responds hesitantly.

I’ve already stated I would be available for this project, and even though I want to celebrate, I can’t wait to get started. There’s a new feeling of determination and excitement coursing through my veins. I could probably run the forty blocks to Raven Cosmetics with all the energy I have right now, but not in these heels. I want to hit the ground running, impress him and everyone else, and then land the promotion.

“Yes, that would be fine. What time would he like to meet?”

“Can you be here around six? I have to leave the office to head to our production facility tomorrow, so I’ll be heading home to pack, but I’ll leave your information with security.”

“Perfect. I’ll be there.” We say our good-byes and I can’t help the smile stretched across my face. I message Taylor to come into my office.

She enters with a tentative smile, as if she wasn’t listening at the door. Inside I’m doing cartwheels—I needed this. I feel strong, confident, and again—I beat Neil. Even though I don’t want to think of him, I enjoy this victory and relish the fact that despite his efforts to sabotage me, I still won.

My smile widens, if that’s even possible. “We got it! Oh my God, Tay! We got the account!”

“Ahhh! I knew it!” she squeals with as much excitement as I’m feeling and rushes over, giving me a huge hug. She pulls back, keeping her arms on my shoulders. “I never doubted you! So what happens next?”

“I have to meet Mr. Cole at six. Can you call and have a cab or a car waiting? I want to make sure I’m on time.” She nods and zooms back out of my office. I only have thirty minutes to get there, and it’s at least a twenty-minute cab ride with the traffic at this hour.

I start to pace. The adrenaline and excitement is starting to ebb—I’m anxious because now that I have the account, I have to implement all my ideas and gain the trust of the CEO. Nervous energy fills my body and I grab my iPad to start taking notes on all the things I want to lobby for.

Taylor buzzes the intercom. “I have a cab downstairs. Good luck and congrats again. Now go kick some ass.” She giggles and disconnects.

I grab my purse and rush out of the office, throwing a quick good-bye over my shoulder. Throughout the ride to Raven Cosmetics I go over my key notes, examine some of my earlier sales figures, and plan to spend the next few days really honing in on the company’s core values. When I get there, I hop out of the cab, prepared to make one hell of an impression.

Entering the building, I make my way over to security. The guard hands me the badge that Danielle left for me and calls Mr. Cole, letting him know I’ve arrived. I’m told to head straight to the office, where he’ll be waiting for me.

Luckily the elevator is empty, so I have a minute to mentally prepare. Taking a few deep breaths, I start to form some ideas on how to best sell him on my plan. I also wonder about the man himself. I’ve met a lot of executives, but there’s something about his voice. The deep, raspy sound has me curious as to what triggered the familiarity. I haven’t really had time to think about it until now. Surely I would remember if we’d met or spent any significant amount of time together. I’m pretty good at remembering people and small details; it’s part of why I excel at my job. As the elevator ascends, so does my anxiety.

Before I have another second to think about it, the door opens. My eyes immediately lock on familiar blue-green ones and the breathtaking face of the man who I’ve dreamed of for the last week.