Catering to Three (4 page)

His gaze was so intense that once again she found herself tongue tied. She saw his full lips turn into a grin. He knows, she thought suddenly, how to captivate a woman into getting exactly what he wants. He’s not above using his blatant sex appeal either. This was, she knew without a doubt, a powerful and dangerous man. She wondered what he would be like if he were ever crossed, or more than that, what it would be like to be in his bed. Not that she ever intended to find out on either count. She felt herself shiver. She knew she had to steel herself against his raw sexuality and focus entirely on the business at hand. She had a feeling she better do right by this man or instead of taking her business to a new level, he could very well destroy it.

Trying to be the professional he expected, she took a breath. “Mr. Jamison, you are in good hands. My company is exactly what you need to ensure your event is a success. Trust me.”

“I like that you said that, Julie. Trust is very important to me.”

All the way back to Kelly’s, Julie replayed their meeting in her head. She had been so full of herself back there, and now that she was back in the real world, she wasn’t quite so sure of anything. This was going to be the biggest business challenge she had ever taken on, not because of the amount of food or the fact that he expected over three hundred people, but because of the diversity of the food and the amount of staff she was going to need to pull it off. To say nothing of the fact that he wanted her to handle all the lighting, decorating, and entertainment along with gifts that his guests could take away with them. She would also be responsible for selecting the wine and alcohol. He had emphasized his desire for her to create specialized mini bars to cater to his guests’ sophisticated tastes with a variety of fun beverages that would add to the party atmosphere.

It was a daunting task but even more so when she thought about the fact that it was being held in only six weeks. Why, she wondered, had he waited so long to hire her? It didn’t make sense for a man who must have been planning this event well in advance of their meeting. Maybe she was being hired at the last minute because someone had been fired. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. If that were the case, the pressure was even more intense. It was imperative that she make sure everything happened just the way he expected.

Kelly might be a little scared at the magnitude of the event. However, Julie knew once they had discussed it, she would see it was a risk worth taking. The thought of working closely with Noah Jamison just heightened her need to prove herself as someone who could be counted on to bring every aspect of an event together. It was an opportunity that could bring them the kind of business they had thought was still a couple years down the road.

It was also, if she were honest, an opportunity for her to get to know Noah Jamison. She knew better than to mix business with pleasure, but she couldn’t help that she was excited by the prospect of seeing more of him. She would just have to take special care not to let her professional guard down. Something she normally wouldn’t have considered a problem with a client. However, both Noah Jamison and his friend Keith Barnes had piqued her personal interest, and that wasn’t something she could afford to pursue with either man if she wanted to keep her reputation and the businesses intact.

* * * *

Noah Jamison sat back in his chair and took a few moments to think about the woman that had just left his office. He liked that she was eager and seemed willing to do whatever was needed to make the conference a success regardless of his demanding nature or the amount of hours that might be required. Keith was right. She was perfect for the job and for them.

He reached for the telephone and dialed Keith’s number. Keith answered on the first ring.

“Hi, Noah. I was hoping to hear from you. So, what did you think of her?”

“I think you have an excellent eye for the ladies. But then, you always have.”

“Come on, Noah. You know what I mean. She’s more than just beautiful. She’s submissive by nature. I can feel it.”

“I agree. She certainly gave me the impression she wants to please, and it didn’t appear to be an act just because she wanted the job. I’m a pretty good judge of character, and I could see the truth in her eyes. She wanted me to know that she would give everything she had and more to make the event a success. She made me believe her, but more importantly”—Noah hesitated a second—“she made me want her.”

“Now the question is how do we convince her to that she wants something she has probably never had before?”

“We need to bring Mark onboard and I have a feeling once he meets her, he won’t be hard to convince. And then,” Noah said, his voice husky with anticipation, “we’ll figure out the best way to bring Julie Larson into our world.”

Kelly’s rosy complexion had turned red, livid with anger. She could barely speak. Julie watched her slap the papers in her hand against the counter. She had expected Kelly to question items in the proposal, but she had never expected this kind of reaction to the Jamison proposal.

Knowing Kelly would have reservations, Julie had worked almost all night going over the details and writing the proposal with as much forethought as she could, trying to anticipate any problems they might encounter. She felt it was an excellent outline of what was needed and also proof that she could handle all aspects of what would be required to make the event a success. However, Kelly’s outburst was over the top and had taken her by surprise.

“Are you fucking crazy? Tell me this is a joke and you didn’t already commit us to something that we have no way of delivering.”

“It’s no joke. I can do this, Kelly. We can do this.” Julie was glad none of their employees had arrived yet. This was not a conversation she wanted overheard. She leaned against the large double-door refrigerator, using it for support as Kelly charged at her from across the room.

“Like hell we can. This event is way out of our league, and if we fail, we’ll never get another chance at something like this. We’ve talked about taking on larger projects. However, I thought we both agreed it was a couple years down the road. You know the new store has pretty much depleted our reserves. We can’t afford to put up the money for this and get paid who knows when along with the fact that we don’t have the staff or experience. It’s not possible.”

“I know it seems like a lot, but I’ve thought it out and even though there are a lot of up-front expenses, I think it’s important that we do whatever it takes to make it happen. We need to take our business to the next level, and an opportunity like this just doesn’t happen all the time. Admit it, you’ve never been asked to do something like this before. And I have experience with large events, and it’s not like we don’t have any money coming in.”

“The new store is costing more than we anticipated, and our cash flow is just keeping us afloat. We would have to max out whatever credit we have left, and for God’s sake, Julie, it’s only six weeks away. You haven’t really thought this through. This could sink us.”

“I know it’s a risk.”

“It’s more than a risk. It’s just plain stupid. I didn’t bring you into the business so that you could take an unnecessary risk like this. What Jamison needs is an event planner, not a caterer, and he needed her a couple months ago. We could handle the catering, but not the entire event. What you’re proposing is more along the lines of a society wedding, and those people hire wedding planners. They don’t ask the caterer to do everything.”

“I never thought you’d run away from a challenge, and I never thought you brought me in to your business to be a
silent
partner.”

“And I never thought you’d put us in a position where we could lose everything, including our reputation,” Julie countered in anger.

“We’re doing this, Kelly.” Julie heard her voice rise. She wasn’t going to let Kelly ruin this because she was scared and obviously didn’t have the foresight needed to know that some risks were worth taking. Kelly didn’t believe in her, and that was what hurt most. “You have to trust me on this. We’ll pull it off even if I have to use some of my savings. That’s how strongly I believe in us and our business.”

Kelly just stared at her in disbelief before she put her head in her hands. “You’re not making sense. Using your own money. That’s not the way I thought either of us wanted this business to be run. It’s not professional. We’re supposed to work with what we have and build our business.”

Julie watched Kelly reach for a cigarette. A horrible habit that she had never been able to break even though she had cut down considerably since they had been in college together. Julie had never seen Kelly so angry. She knew she needed to choose her next words carefully.

Before she could put her thoughts into words, Kelly lifted her head and looked directly into her eyes. They still reflected some anger, but her voice was much calmer when she spoke.

“Why are you so set on doing this when you know if it fails, it could be the end of us?”

“Because I believe in us. It’s an opportunity that may not come around again for a long time, and I know it sounds a little crazy, but I need to do this. I promise you, it will not ruin our business or our friendship. I wouldn’t let that happen.”

“I’ve never seen you fight for something like this.”

“I believe in us. I think this will take our business to where you told me you wanted to go when you first approached me to invest.”

“I should have gone with you to meet Noah Jamison. I could have injected some common sense into the conversation. But it’s too late for that now. He thinks we’re doing this, and if we don’t, he’ll think we’re not up to par, and once people get that in their heads, they don’t let it go. I guess I really don’t have a choice at this point.” Kelly’s voice wavered.

“There’s always a choice, Kelly.”

“If we do this, it’s our success or it’s our failure. We’re in this together. And we’re not using your savings. It’s our money or no money. Promise?”

“We won’t fail. I won’t let that happen. Together we can do anything. I believe in us. I wish you did, too.”

Kelly shook her head as if she couldn’t believe what she was about to say. “I hope you know what you’re doing and that my first instincts are wrong. And for the record, I do you believe in you. It’s just that this business is all I have right now and I can’t lose it.”

“You won’t. I promise.”

Kelly took a drag from her cigarette, blowing the smoke in Julie’s direction, knowing how much Julie hated the smell of cigarettes. She nodded her head. “Okay, I guess we’re going to this thing.”

Ignoring the defiant and immature gesture, Julie said, “I’m prepared to work round the clock if necessary. I won’t allow this to get away from me. I’ve done big events before when I worked for Maurice. I know what it means to stay within a budget.”

Later that afternoon, after she had e-mailed the proposal to Noah Jamison, she decided to go the gym. She needed to work out some of her left over aggression toward Kelly. Although she had come around, Julie was surprised and hurt by Kelly’s reaction. It wasn’t like her to blow up like that, and for the first time Julie had doubts that they were on the same page where their partnership was concerned.

When she arrived at the gym, she went directly to the treadmill, where she worked up a good sweat. The next machine she attacked was the rower. She closed her eyes and envisioned herself rowing for her college crew team. They were neck in neck with the boat next them. She could almost smell the damp morning air as it rose off the river. She was so engrossed in her fantasy that she didn’t realize someone was standing beside her until she heard a cough.

“Sorry, Julie. I didn’t want to interrupt such an intense workout,” Keith Barnes said, smiling down at her. “But everyone’s dying to know…are you winning?”

Julie stopped, catching her breath. Droplets of perspiration dripped down the side of her face. “I always win when it’s my daydream.”

He nodded and smiled. The smile sent little tremors up her spine. He was just too good looking to be real. Not unlike his friend Noah Jamison. Both men were undeniably handsome. He was still smiling at her, when his gaze went lower. She subconsciously followed his gaze to the front of her T-shirt. The heat of embarrassment crept up her neck to her already flushed face that went a shade redder.

The outlines of her large breasts and her protruding nipples were more than visible beneath the sweat-soaked white T-shirt. How could she have forgotten to wear a sports bra? She knew her mind had been on business and her quarrel with Kelly while she was changing into her gym clothes, but to have put herself in a position like this was more than just embarrassing. Would Keith Barnes think her nipples were hard because she had been fantasizing about him and not some boat race?

“Mr. Barnes,” Julie said, not able to look at him, bringing her arms up to cover herself. “I can’t believe I forgot an essential piece of clothing. I’m sorry if I’ve offended any of your clients.”

* * * *

Keith enjoyed watching the array of emotions play across Julie’s face. Her initial surprise had changed quickly to embarrassment and then to shame that had ended in apology. Although she had tried to cover herself, he could still see the outline of breasts. It was taking every ounce of his willpower to not reach down to caress those beautiful mounds and tweak those nipples that made his mouth water.