chapter three
1620 Words
Friday arrived faster than Amara wanted.
By eight in the morning, she was already on her second cup of coffee and halfway through reviewing the final version of Bennett & Co.’s proposal.
She had barely slept the night before.
Not because she was nervous.
Amara Bennett did not get nervous before meetings.
She prepared.
There was a difference.
She sat in the back seat of her car, one leg crossed over the other as she scanned the final pages on her tablet.
“Are we still on schedule?” she asked.
Her driver glanced at the clock.
“Ten minutes early.”
“Good.”
She returned her attention to the document.
The contract was too important to leave anything to chance.
She had spent the better part of a year watching this project develop from a possibility into a serious opportunity. It wasn’t simply about the money. Winning would put Bennett & Co. in a position to secure several international partnerships that had previously been out of reach.
It would also silence a few people.
That thought made the corner of her mouth lift.
Her phone buzzed.
Naomi: Don’t forget to breathe.
Amara stared at the message.
She typed:
I’m breathing.
Three dots appeared.
Naomi: Emotionally?
Amara rolled her eyes.
Amara: Don’t start.
She put her phone away.
The car pulled to a stop outside the client’s headquarters.
Amara stepped out.
She adjusted the sleeve of her black blazer, straightened her posture, and walked inside.
The receptionist greeted her immediately.
“Ms. Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“The conference room is on the thirty-second floor. They’re expecting you.”
Amara nodded.
“Thank you.”
She walked toward the elevators.
The doors opened.
She stepped inside alone.
As the elevator began climbing, she looked at her reflection in the mirrored wall.
Dark hair neatly styled.
Minimal makeup.
Gold earrings.
Black suit.
Expression unreadable.
Exactly how she liked it.
The elevator reached the thirty-second floor.
When the doors opened, Amara stepped out—
—and stopped.
A man stood near the conference room windows with his back to her.
Tall.
Dark suit.
One hand in his pocket.
The other holding a phone.
He turned at the sound of her footsteps.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Amara recognized him immediately.
She had seen the photograph.
Adrian Hayes.
He looked different in person.
Better, unfortunately.
The photograph hadn’t captured the ease in his posture or the confidence in his expression. There was something almost irritatingly calm about him.
His eyes settled on her.
Recognition flickered.
“Amara Bennett.”
It wasn’t a question.
She stopped a few feet away.
“Adrian Hayes.”
His mouth curved slightly.
“I was beginning to think we’d have to introduce ourselves.”
“I prefer knowing who I’m competing against.”
His smile grew.
“Competing?”
Amara glanced toward the conference room.
“Isn’t that what we’re doing?”
“Technically, yes.”
“Then we’re clear.”
Adrian studied her for a moment.
Amara couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
She didn’t like that.
Most people were easy to read.
Adrian wasn’t.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” he said.
“Is it?”
He laughed quietly.
“I suppose that depends on how the next few hours go.”
Amara walked past him.
“Then let’s hope they go badly for you.”
She heard him laugh behind her.
And, against her better judgment, she almost smiled.
Almost.
The conference room was already filling.
Representatives from the client organization greeted both of them before taking their seats.
Amara sat on one side of the table.
Adrian sat opposite her.
Of course.
She opened her folder.
Across from her, Adrian did the same.
Neither looked at the other again for several minutes.
Then the chairman of the procurement committee cleared his throat.
“Thank you both for being here.”
Amara nodded.
“We’re pleased to be here.”
Adrian leaned back.
“We’re looking forward to the discussion.”
The presentation began.
Bennett & Co. went first.
Amara listened as her operations director presented the proposal.
The numbers were strong.
The timeline was realistic.
The projected returns were better than Hayes Group’s.
She glanced across the table.
Adrian was paying attention.
Not pretending.
Actually listening.
That annoyed her more than it should have.
When the presentation ended, the chairman turned toward Adrian.
“Mr. Hayes?”
Adrian stood.
And suddenly, Amara understood why people talked about him.
He didn’t need notes.
He didn’t stumble.
He didn’t overwhelm the room with unnecessary words.
He simply spoke.
Clearly.
Confidently.
He dismantled the concerns the committee had raised about Hayes Group’s timeline before they could even ask about them.
He addressed their sustainability strategy.
Explained their financial structure.
And then he presented a revised projection.
Amara’s eyes narrowed.
They had changed something.
She hadn’t seen it in the proposal.
Neither had her team.
Adrian finished.
The room went quiet.
The chairman nodded slowly.
“Very impressive.”
Amara hated that sentence.
Adrian sat down.
His eyes briefly met hers.
There was the faintest hint of amusement in them.
She leaned toward her operations director.
“Get me the revised figures.”
He nodded.
The chairman turned toward Amara.
“Ms. Bennett, would you like to respond?”
Amara stood.
“Certainly.”
She walked toward the screen.
“Mr. Hayes has presented an impressive proposal.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
She continued.
“Unfortunately, impressive doesn’t always mean practical.”
A few people shifted in their seats.
Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
Amara clicked to the next slide.
“The revised timeline proposed by Hayes Group requires three separate phases to overlap.”
She turned toward him.
“Which means your projected completion date assumes there will be no delays.”
Adrian folded his arms.
“That’s correct.”
“And you’re confident there won’t be any?”
“Yes.”
“That’s optimistic.”
“That’s preparation.”
Amara smiled faintly.
“There’s a difference.”
“I’m aware.”
“Then you should also be aware that the suppliers you’ve listed have had delays on two of their current projects.”
A silence fell across the room.
Adrian’s expression changed.
Only slightly.
But she noticed.
Interesting.
Amara continued.
“Your timeline isn’t impossible.”
She clicked to the next slide.
“It’s simply dependent on factors outside your control.”
Adrian leaned forward.
“And your proposal isn’t?”
“No.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Nothing outside your control?”
“Our contingency plan accounts for supplier delays.”
“Assuming your alternative suppliers have the required capacity.”
“They do.”
“You’ve confirmed that?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting.”
Amara met his gaze.
“Very.”
For a moment, the rest of the room seemed to disappear.
There was something strange about arguing with him.
She should have been irritated.
She was.
But beneath that irritation was something else.
Respect.
He was good.
Really good.
And that was going to be a problem.
The discussion continued for another hour.
By the time they reached negotiations, both companies had been challenged on their budgets, timelines and projected outcomes.
Neither side backed down.
Eventually, the chairman leaned back.
“Both proposals are exceptionally strong.”
Amara remained silent.
“We’ll make our final decision after reviewing today’s discussion.”
He looked between them.
“You’ll hear from us next week.”
The meeting ended.
Chairs moved.
Folders closed.
People began shaking hands.
Amara stood and gathered her documents.
She was almost at the door when Adrian spoke.
“Ms. Bennett.”
She turned.
He was standing a few feet away.
“Adrian.”
“You came prepared.”
“So did you.”
“I did.”
She waited.
He smiled.
“You’re more difficult than I expected.”
Amara stared at him.
“That sounds like a compliment.”
“It was.”
She considered him for a moment.
“Then thank you.”
He nodded.
“You’re welcome.”
She turned to leave.
“Amara.”
She looked back.
He hesitated for barely a second.
“Good luck.”
She smiled.
“Don’t need it.”
His lips curved.
“I figured you’d say that.”
She walked away.
The elevator doors closed between them.
Amara stared at the numbers above the doors as they began descending.
She should have been thinking about the contract.
The committee.
The numbers.
Instead, one thought kept returning.
Adrian Hayes was going to be a problem.
And somehow, she had a feeling this wasn’t the last time she’d have to deal with him.
Adrian remained in the hallway long after the elevator disappeared.
Marcus approached him.
“You’re smiling.”
Adrian looked at him.
“No, I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
Marcus laughed.
“You liked her.”
Adrian glanced toward the elevator.
“She’s competent.”
“That wasn’t what I said.”
Adrian shook his head.
“Don’t start.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were about to.”
Marcus smiled.
“Fine.”
They walked toward the exit.
After a few steps, Marcus spoke again.
“You know she’s probably going to spend the entire weekend figuring out how to beat us.”
Adrian smiled.
“Good.”
“Why?”
He looked ahead.
“Because I’ll be doing the same.”
Neither of them knew it yet, but Friday’s meeting had changed something.
Not much.
Not enough to call it attraction.
Not even close.
For now, they were simply two ambitious people who had finally met their match.
And neither had any intention of looking away.
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