Working It (6 page)

He should have realized it sooner, he thought. Jade was not a quiet-in-the-background kind of woman. She was an active, aggressive, get-it-done-at-all-costs type of woman. In other words, she was the last thing he needed to talk to Alejandro, the kindly older man he'd known for years. Alejandro would react poorly to some flashy L.A. public relations expert who thought she knew how to push product. If anything, she'd probably make Alejandro think twice about what Robson was doing…and whether or not Martinez Motors should be a part of it.

Jade might sink this deal.

He was coming up on the exit for Martinez Motors. He'd have to do something about this, and soon.

They pulled up to the factory. There were still cars in the parking lot, and he spotted Alejandro's car in its reserved parking space.

“I don't want you talking at all during this,” he said quickly, then got out of the car.

It didn't look as though she heard him. “Give me a second,” she said instead, reaching over to pop the trunk. She got out, shutting the door. “I need to freshen up a little. I still think we should have at least stopped in the hotel first. I probably look like a mess.”

He made the mistake of inspecting her appearance. She did look a little wrinkled, and her khaki pants and black tank top were a shade too casual for any normal
business meeting. Still, her clothes emphasized her form, without being overtly sexy. In fact, it emphasized her beauty somehow. Nobody could call her flashy in that outfit, and yet anybody with decent eyesight could tell she was a looker no matter what she wore.

He noticed when her green eyes surveyed him in turn. Her full mouth puckered slightly with disapproval. “You're looking pretty scruffy, too, you know.”

He bristled before he could stop himself. He looked down at his own gray Dockers and short-sleeved shirt. “This is your sales advice? I should dress up for people I've known for years?” He shook his head. “I already told you. I know the Martinezes. Dressing in a suit wouldn't make a bit of difference. They aren't going to care what we look like.”

Especially you, he thought. Because I'm going to make sure you're not really a part of the meeting.

She looked dubious. She pulled a hairbrush through her luxurious curls, quick and business-like, then got a compact out of her purse and dabbed at her face with a few quick, artistic smudges. She looked good to him, but watching her smooth lipstick over her lips made his own mouth go dry. She looked at him, her eyes sharp. Then, she winked. She traded her sneakers for a snazzy pair of low boots and pulled out a blazer.

He rolled his eyes, gesturing to his watch. “Any time milady is ready,” he muttered.

“You might not care if you look like you got dressed in the dark,” she said, stowing all her stuff away and smiling at him, “but some of us believe in first impressions.”

“This isn't a first impression for me, remember?”

“It is as president of Robson Steel.”

He threw up his hands, ignoring the way she sashayed past him. He did have to admit, she looked good.

When doesn't she?

They got to the lobby of the building, similar to Drew's own. He smiled at the receptionist. “Hi. Rosa?”

Rosa, a young girl in her twenties, squealed and ran from behind the counter, giving him a big hug. “Drew! We didn't know when you'd be here.”

He caught Jade's look of surprise from over Rosa's shoulder. “You didn't schedule this?” Her tone seemed to hold only curiosity, but he could tell from the widening of those mossy-green eyes of hers that she was shocked—and a little disapproving.

“I told Alejandro I'd be here this week,” he said. “I know Alejandro's schedule. This is Alejandro's niece, by the way.”

“Ah.” Jade smiled at Rosa before shooting another look of surprise at Drew.

Rosa let go of Drew and looked at Jade. “Who's this? Your girlfriend?”

Jade blinked at Rosa.

“Ah, no,” Drew said, thinking fast. This was not going to work well at all. He couldn't talk to Alejandro with Jade sitting there…with the possibility of her piping up and angering the older man.

He watched as Jade's disapproval melted into a warm, wide smile. She held out her hand, and Rosa took it. “I'm Jade Morrow,” she said. “I'm…”

“She's…uh, a student,” Drew interrupted.

Both Rosa and Jade turned to look at him, Rosa with a smirk, Jade with a look of utter shock.

“Yes. She's thinking of going into the steel busi
ness, and she's working with Robson. As an intern.” He felt like he was babbling, so he reined it in. “That's all.”

“An intern?” Rosa looked at Jade. “Really?”

“Apparently,” Jade said, and Drew winced.

“Business or engineering?”

Jade paused for the briefest fraction of a second—and Drew thought the whole thing was shot.

“Business,” she finally replied smoothly. “I'm going for my M.B.A. Mr. Robson here has been kind enough to let me tag along on some of his sales calls.”

“Sales call?” Rosa laughed. “Good grief. I thought this was just a visit.”

“Is Alejandro free?” Drew prayed he could see him right away.

“Sure. He's on the factory floor. I'll go get him.” Rosa went to the phone, and he heard her over the intercom. “Tio? Drew's here in the lobby.” She hung up the phone, then frowned. “I'll go make sure he gets here.”

With that, she left Drew alone in the lobby with his very peeved sales coach.

Jade took a step closer to him, and he could smell her vanilla perfume. “Business student?” Her whisper was a cross between disbelief and anger.

“Alejandro's a friend. If I tell him I hired a P.R. person and a sales coach, he'll think I've lost my mind,” he replied in a low voice. “It won't help, believe me. In fact, I think it'll be better if you don't sit in on this meeting.”

Her eyes snapped with fire. “You might've mentioned this in the car,” she said. Her voice sounded perfectly calm, that smooth, smoky alto that he'd been drawn to since the first time she spoke to him in his
office. “Then you could have left the radio on and cracked a window for me so I got enough air!”

“Listen, Jade, you work for me, remember?”

“I'm supposed to work
with
you,” she retorted. “And I—”

“Drew!” A voice interrupted them. “It's been too long.”

Drew turned with relief to see the Hispanic man walking through the door. Alejandro Martinez might have aged, but he still moved like a young man—energetically. “Alejandro. It's been way too long.” He gave Alejandro the handshake-half-hug that men had perfected since the advent of football.

“We've wondered how you've been,” Alejandro said. “I figured you were too busy, taking over at Robson Steel. How is it going?”

“We're managing,” Drew said. “It's been tough, no question, but we'll get through it. It'll just take some hard work.”

“I'm sorry,” Alejandro said, noticing Jade. “Who's this, Drew? I didn't mean to be rude.”

Jade's smile was like a sunrise. “I'm Jade Morrow. I'm a, uh, business student. Mr. Robson's letting me tag along to learn about the business. Sales calls, especially.”

Alejandro looked at her intently, then looked at Drew. “How altruistic.”

Drew felt himself flush a little, like a little kid caught scaling the refrigerator. “Yes, well, Jade's really incredible. She wants to learn everything there is to learn about the business, you know?”

Suddenly he had a flash of brilliance. “I was wondering…do you think someone could take her on a short tour of the plant?”

Jade's full mouth set in a grim line. “I'm sure that would be fascinating,” Jade countered, “but I thought it'd be more educational to sit in on the sales call…”

“It's hardly a sales call. It will just be two friends catching up,” Alejandro said, and Drew felt a wave of relief. “Rosa? Could you give Ms. Morrow a quick tour?”

Rosa smiled. “Sure, Tio. Ms. Morrow, follow me. Hopefully I'll be able to answer any questions you have.”

Stymied, Jade sent one last caustic look at Drew. “Thanks, Rosa. That's very nice of you.” She looked at Alejandro. “And it was very nice meeting you.”

“Likewise,” he responded. Drew watched as Rosa escorted Jade out of the room. “Wow. That is a whole lot of woman you've hired there, Drew.”

Drew shook his head. “You have no idea.”

Drew followed Alejandro into his office. It was small and an utter mess. Drew grinned. “Nothing's changed since the last time I was here.”

“We're that kind of business,” Alejandro said with a casual shrug.

“We've been doing business together for a long time,” Drew said, sitting down. “I'm glad that Robson Steel's been able to count on Martinez Motors, and I hope you've been able to count on us, too.”

Alejandro sat in his seat with a heavy sigh. “I think I know where you're going with this, Drew.”

“I figured we'd get the sales order out of the way, and then we could catch up, maybe go for a little dinner. The whole family.”

“Drew…I can't.”

“Well,” Drew amended, “we don't have to do dinner…”

“No. I can't put in an order for next year with Robson Steel.”

Drew stopped. “Pardon?”

Alejandro fidgeted with a small piece of machinery that was being used as a paperweight. “Drew, we've been good friends for a long time. I was friends with your father, as well.”

“You're not ordering with another vendor because of Dad, are you?” Drew's voice was harsher than he'd intended.

“It's not that,” Alejandro said. “Well, not personally. But Robson is in trouble. Everyone knows this. As much as I want to help you, there's a good chance you'll go under. If I place an order with you and you…. Well, you know. I'd be stuck until a new vendor could supply me, and they'd put all their regular customers as priority. I can't afford that.”

Drew blanched. “I'm doing everything I can to turn it around, Alejandro. We won't go under. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“That's just it,” the older man said kindly. “You won't have anything to say about it. Not in the end.”

Drew took a deep breath. This wasn't happening. This just wasn't happening. “It would really help the factory. We
need
this order.”

“I can't tell you how sorry I am that I can't promise it to you.” And to his credit, he really did look apologetic. “If you stay in business, if you can get the factory back on its feet, I'd be happy to sign back up with Robson Steel.” He paused. “Just not now.”

Those final three words hit Drew like a hammer. He closed his eyes for a second, then nodded. “I understand.”

 

“J
ADE
? What's this I hear about you being out of the office for three weeks?”

Jade was sitting in her hotel room at the Sleep EZ Motel just outside of Montecito, Nevada. The room was done in shades of mustard yellow and avocado green. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, which felt lumpy as old oatmeal. All of this wasn't helping her mood one bit. Now, her boss calling her on her cell phone was just icing on the cake.

“Betsy, you said I could go after the Robson Steel account. I'm doing sales training instead of a media campaign. That's how we're going to get the hundred thousand.”

Betsy paused. “That's a good one. Nobody else thought of that.”

Jade grinned smugly. “I know.”

“Still, why are you out of the office?”

Jade closed her eyes. “I'm training sort of on the fly. I'm doing a road trip with Drew Robson.”

“Really?” Betsy's voice was inquisitive. “I see. And how's it going?”

Jade let out a breath. “Well…it hasn't been optimal.” Understatement of the year. “But I think once we work out some communication issues, we'll be doing well.”

“In other words, he's being completely irrational and not listening to you,” Betsy paraphrased, a laugh in her voice.

Jade let out a weak chuckle. “Well, at least he's trapped in the car with me for a few hours a day. I figure it's sort of like brainwashing.”

“In the car? You don't mean you're doing a real road trip?” Betsy's voice crackled with static. “Who does that anymore?”

“You wouldn't believe the little towns we're hitting. If we flew, apparently it'd take just as long to drive from an airport,” Jade said. Of course, the fact that she doubted Robson Steel wanted to spend the money on all of that plane fare didn't help, either, but she wasn't about to tell her boss that.

“Jade,” Betsy said, her voice wheedling, “are you
sure
that you want to go through with this? It just seems like you're betting awfully hard that this man and his company will get you what you want. I'd hate to see you throw away your career at Michaels and Associates for a losing proposition.”

Jade had been thinking the same thing, but hearing Betsy say it… “I'm not,” Jade said. “I've just been fine-tuning my approach.”

“If you say so. Like I've said, you remind me of me when I was your age,” Betsy said. “You'll get whatever you put your mind to.”

“Thanks,” Jade said.

“Just keep checking in, okay?”

Jade laughed. “Will do. 'Bye.”

Jade disconnected, then stared at her surroundings. She was in a teeny town, miles away from any kind of metropolis. And just next door was the name to her pain: her client, Drew Robson.

She couldn't believe that he'd pulled that stunt at Martinez Motors, sending her off with Rosa while he cut his deal with Alejandro. She'd been seething, but realized it was partially her fault. She hadn't been clear enough about how she saw their working relationship actually working. But she wouldn't make that mistake twice. When he'd collected her in the lobby, she knew more about motors than she ever thought she'd want to. She also realized that she needed to take her new
client in hand and start setting out a few ground rules. He wasn't the type of man who would take every word that fell out of her mouth as gospel truth of selling. He wasn't the type of man who would trust his future into her hands, either.