5. Do-Over

Elijah

Shaking my head as the minx walks out of the door, and I sit back down with an amused smile on my face. So Cameron Westwood is a female CEO with her own company, not a male who squandered his own business to the ground. I must admit that I was being a tad bit harsh with her, but I treated her as I would any business owner. Last night’s wine in my face didn’t bruise my ego, and I am sure she would assume this is the reason for my comments. But as I went over her resume and proposal, I saw something terribly amiss with her company.

She should have had enough money to survive the pandemic, even with the billions worth of products bought. Her Asian contracts were willing to put things on hold until after 2021 then continue at a slow pace, but they cancelled for some reason. I need to find out the cause.

The ugly truth is that someone is skimming from her reserve, and she is none the wiser.

I let out a sigh and lean back in my chair; if there is one thing I hate, it is an untrustworthy business partner or employee. Yes, Cameron intrigued me, her fire and confidence have me wanting to know the person underneath, but this is something different. I want to help her because I have seen how much she has sacrificed to make a success out of her company.

With my mind made up, I walk out of the boardroom, inhaling the trace of her flowery perfume with a plan in place.

“Leo,” I say as I enter my office area and walk towards his desk. “I’ll be out for about an hour. Please book a table for two at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester tomorrow evening at 7 pm. Lumiere.” I say, walking towards the lift. “Wait, what?” Leo asks, causing me to stop in my tracks. Turning around, I give him a smirk. “Remember that little minx who was polite enough to throw a glass of wine in my face last night?’ I ask, and he slowly nods while walking over to me. “Well, that same lady is Cameron Westwood, the CEO who needs my help.”

Leo’s eyes widen, and his mouth goes slack. “WHAT?” he exclaims, causing me to chuckle. He seems to put two and two together, and his eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline. “Is she the one…?” I nod without him finishing the question, and he shakes his head. “Christ, Elijah. You’re a sucker for punishment, do you know that?” He says.

I shrug. “She’s got me excited for the first time since Irina, and now that I have her scent memorised, there is no way I am letting go,” I say, remembering her smart mouth and how she spoke her mind; sort of like a little heiress I know. “So what, you’re going to woo her and sweep her off her feet?” He asks, and I shake my head. “Cameron isn’t the type of woman who can be wooed; I know that now. She’s a lioness and not my usual flavour of woman; this is precisely the reason why I want her.”

Leo breathes out a sigh and walks back to his desk. “Just don’t expect her to be malleable; Cameron Westwood isn’t one to fold to anyone’s needs.” He comments.

“Oh, I am well aware of that and that’s what makes it such a fun endeavour. But besides the chase, what I am interested in is her company and the reason it all went pear-shaped. I have an inkling that someone she trusts implicitly has been doing underhanded dealings on her behalf. I just have to find out who and for what reason before I can fully invest in it.” I say, then make my way towards the lift again.

Cameron has no idea the world of trouble she is in and how those close to her might be the ones sabotaging everything as she takes the fall.

Her building isn’t that far from mine, and I get to her in under ten minutes. I already called ahead and asked her receptionist if she was in without giving my name away. I know that I have wholly bruised her ego, and she probably thinks the absolute worst of me right now, but I only did what any business owner would do. She cracked under my pressure, and I do think I am partially to blame, especially after last night.

The receptionist tells me her floor and office number, and when I reach the top, I realise how drab everything looks here. Not only did her company fail, but it seems that she’s lost her confidence in her ability as well. Ouch. Pinching the bridge of my nose as I step in front of her office door, I knock three times only to hear a small ‘come in’ from the other side. When I open the door, my eyes fall on her sitting behind her large oak desk. Her eyes flicker towards me and widen - then she frowns. “Mr Somersett?”

“Please, call me Elijah. May I come in?” I ask, standing at her door until I see her nod and stand up. “Yes, of course. But why are you here?” She asks, curiosity shining in those blue eyes as I close the door behind me before walking over to her. “I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot, and it is mostly because of my behaviour. For that, I apologise. However, you left my boardroom before I could make an offer, and that is quite unprofessional on your part,” I say.

She looks at me, clearly angry, but I hold up my palms in surrender. “I left because you were attacking my character,” I shake my head at her assumption. “I wasn’t doing that at all; I was merely thinking out loud. That leads me to the reason I am here.” I say, gesturing around her office with a smile on my face. She looks at me with obvious distrust and crosses her arms. “I am willing to help you, but I would like a do-over with you and for both of us to forget our first meeting,” I say.

Little Cameron shakes her head. “There are no do-overs after seeing someone’s true character, Mr Somersett.”

“Elijah, please. That night, the man you saw was a drunken idiot who couldn’t control his emotions at being rejected by a beautiful woman.” I say, offering a smile, but she still had a passive expression on her face. “Join me for dinner tomorrow night, and we can discuss the details of this merger in full.”

This seems to get her attention because her eyes widen, and she takes a step back from me. “Excuse me?” she asks incredulously, but I take a step towards her and narrow the distance between us by taking her hands in mine. “Join me for dinner tomorrow night. I am quite intrigued with your company and have already mulled a few solutions over in my head. This merger could work for the both of us, if you’re still interested, that is.” I say, placing the ball in her court now. I can see the wheels spinning in her head as she wrestles for an answer but see a way in when she slowly nods.

“Very well, I will join you, but don’t take this as me forgiving you for your despicable comments last night.” She says. I couldn’t help but smile at her answer. I lift her hand to my lips and place a kiss on the back of it. “Text me your address and be ready before 7 PM. I am looking forward to getting to know you better, Ms Westwood.” I say, stepping away from her and walking towards the door. Cameron still has a dumbfounded expression on her face when I close the door, and I grin at the fact that I would be spending an evening with a woman who made me feel excited again.