She quoted him the amount.
His brow hitched in surprise. Her bid was within a few thousand dollars of the budget the board had approved for him. Only one other company had bid today, and their offer had so far exceeded the budget, Marco already knew he wouldn’t be calling them back. By his own honest assessment, if Citadel could deliver all the benefits that Joi had promised, Royal would be getting them for a steal.
“How does that sound to you, Mr. Alvarez?”
He was thrilled, but he knew better than to reveal that in a business negotiation. Tempering his reaction, he offered a slow, noncommittal nod. “I think it’s a reasonable offer.” Since she was still standing, and he planned to draw the encounter out a bit more, he gestured to the guest chair near her. “Please, have a seat.”
With a curt shake of her head, she replied, “I prefer to stand.”
He had to assume she was making a show of dedication, or of stamina. Something told him that even with the specter of their past history hanging between them, she was too serious about her business to let anything petty interfere with their interactions.
Deciding he’d test that, he asked her, “What have you been up to these past few years, Ms. Lewis?”
Her lovely brown face crinkled a bit. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what that has to do with my proposal.”
He shrugged. “I’m simply curious as to what path you took after we parted, and how it brought you into my presence again.”
She blinked a few times, her soft brown eyes darting around the interior of his office. “I took a few continuing education classes and opened an office for my security firm. Basically, I’ve been working on my dream since the last time I saw you.”
He thought back on those days, when he’d known a totally different Joi Lewis than the one standing before him now. But she’d always been tough, and that hadn’t changed. “I see.”
As if she sensed where the conversation was headed, she squared her shoulders. “Let me level with you, Mr. Alvarez. I know you may have a negative opinion of me, due to what happened in the past. But I stand behind my decision, and I hope you’ll respect me enough as a professional that you won’t let that incident affect your decision.”
He watched her, noting that she’d only referred to her abandonment of Ernesto at the altar as an “incident.” It came across a little crass, but she was right. They were both professionals, and it would be unethical and ill-advised for him to flatly deny Citadel’s bid because of something that had happened years ago.
A few silent moments passed with each of them assessing the other.
Finally, he spoke. “Ms. Lewis, I’m not going to allow anything to shape the decisions I make for Royal, except for my best judgment of what is most beneficial to the company.”
She nodded, keeping her expression flat.
“I noticed in your material that Citadel has an all-female staff. Why is that?”
“My guards are all accomplished women, decorated military veterans or experienced former law enforcement officers. Despite their credentials, it’s difficult for them to find work. I aim to remedy that.”
“Out of altruism?” He watched her, anticipating her answer.
She held his gaze. “Out of good business sense.”
He offered a smile, impressed by her savvy. “That’s why I’m going to offer Citadel the contract right now. But be aware, your company will need to complete a thirty-day trial period, and if for any reason I or my branch manager are dissatisfied, we’ll have to rescind our offer.”
For the first time since she’d stepped into his office, she gave him a full, genuine smile. The wide spread of her ruby lips showed off two rows of pearly-white teeth. “I understand completely. Thank you, Mr. Alvarez. Citadel will go above and beyond your expectations, I promise.”
He stood, moved around the side of his desk, with his hand extended toward her.
She approached him, shook his hand.
He knew that this was an everyday gesture in business, merely a sign of good faith to seal their professional agreement. Logic told him their handshake would be just like any other he shared with an associate during the course of his day at work.
But the moment his hand closed around hers, he felt something. It was subtle, but undeniable, like a charge of static electricity running up his arm. He looked down at their joined hands. The softness of her skin, along with her feminine fragrance wafting toward his nostrils, made him feel like an awkward teen who’d just scored a date with the head cheerleader.
The moment lengthened. They’d already shaken hands, but for some reason, he hesitated to release his grip.
When he let his gaze rise to her face, he could see the flush of heat making its way up from the column of her throat and into her nut-brown cheeks. She was, in one word, stunning.
She cleared her throat, breaking the spell of the moment.
He released her hand, and took a step back to give her some personal space.
“If there’s nothing else, I really need to get back to the office and prepare my employees.” She’d already moved back to where she’d been standing.
“There’s nothing more at the moment.” He uttered the words while he watched her stoop to pick up her purse from the floor. The soft fabric of her slacks stretched around her full hips, and his pleasure at the sight caught him so off guard. He turned away.
“I’ll return with my guards bright and early Monday morning.” She moved toward the door, but stopped there to await his direction.
He shook his head. “Tuesday. Monday is Veterans Day, and the bank will be closed.”
“Got it. I’ll see you then. And thank you again, Mr. Alvarez.” She blessed him with another slight smile before disappearing through the open office door.
Returning to his seat behind the desk, he looked at the open folder she’d left him. He promised himself he would go over the documents again later, when he wasn’t so distracted and out of sorts.
After today’s interaction with Joi, he wondered if “distracted” was about to become his default state.
That evening, Joi and Karen took all eight of their employees out to celebrate winning the security contract for Royal Bank and Trust. The women were now seated around a large table in the rear of Mimosa Grill, enjoying their meals and each other’s company.
Joi looked around at the faces of the women. Their workplace sisterhood was something she cherished, because it made doing what she loved that much better.
With that in mind, she stood and tapped her water glass with the tines of a fork. “I’d like to make a toast.”
The women around the table halted their conversations, and looked her way.
Lifting her glass high, Joi continued. “To the women of Citadel. Protecting the business assets of this city isn’t easy, but we’re just the right women for the job.”
“Here, here.” An assortment of goblets and glasses were raised in salute.
Sitting back down, Joi felt Karen jab her in the ribs with her elbow.
“Why didn’t you give my toast?” Karen’s mock pout was pronounced.
“No, Karen. If you want to give it go ahead, but I’m the boss and I’m not about to say that.”