No Kissing Allowed (No Kissing Allowed #1)(15)

The man shrugged. “I don’t have time for complicated. I always walk in, order a black coffee, and walk out.”

“Give him a grande. It’s just enough.” Then I grabbed my coffee and turned toward the elevators with trepidation. Sure enough, the slowest elevator known to the world opened up, and I didn’t have time to wait on my favorite. Damn, slow turtle of an excuse for an elevator. I was just considering taking the stairs when I heard someone walk up behind me.

“I’m a visitor here. Think you could give me directions?”

I pointed to the directory beside the elevator without looking at him. I didn’t need this distraction. Not today. “Sorry, I’m new, but that should help.” I stepped inside the turtle elevator and turned to see Coffee Dude shaking his head, a crooked grin on his face as the doors closed.

It took ten rounds of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” to get me to the fifth floor, and by the time I made it to my desk, my hands were shaking, my breathing uneven. Inhale…exhale…Inhale…exhale. After a solid minute of this, my breathing relaxed, and I clicked my email, eager for a distraction, but before I could dive in, Gayle appeared at my desk. “Have a minute? The Blast guys are here early.”

Crap.

“Um, yeah, sure.” We started toward the conference room. “But I don’t think creative has had time to fix the mock-ups,” I whispered.

“Don’t worry. Aidan’s going to lead the meeting. His middle name should be bullshit. He’ll wow them. Then he’ll tell us he’s disappointed in our efforts and order an all-nighter until we solidify our idea.”

“Great.”

She opened the glass door to the conference room and motioned for me to follow her, but my eyes had stopped on the two men already seated at the table. One was older, maybe sixty, and the other was Coffee Dude from downstairs. He smiled knowingly, and I felt my cheeks flush as the guy held out his hand for me to shake. “Trevor Blast.”

“Cameron Lawson. So you must be…?”

His father held out his hand for me to shake. He had an air about him that I instantly liked. He reminded me of my stepdad, Eric. He was real, not at all the typical executive. “William.”

I glanced between the two men. “Very nice to meet you both. We’re so excited to handle your campaign.”

They both smiled, and I knew instantly where Trevor inherited his telltale grin. Gayle shook their hands as well and we sat in front of them, me fighting to keep my cheeks from burning and Trevor clearly fighting to keep from laughing. How the hell did I get myself into these situations?

Aidan and Brody came through the door a moment later, saving me from an awkward apology.

“Gentlemen,” Aidan said, holding out his hand. He didn’t sit. Instead, he let his eyes land on each of us, an act intended simply to show us respect. I loved that about him. He really was amazing at his job.

I glanced up to find Trevor watching me. He flashed me a smile and mouthed something I couldn’t make out, and suddenly, Aidan stopped talking and peered down at me. “Cameron, is there something you want to add?”

“What? Me? No. Not at all.” I folded my hands in my lap, praying Trevor would behave, or else I could be off this campaign before it officially began.

Aidan didn’t look at me again for the remainder of the meeting, and for once, I was grateful. He launched into three ideas, and then when he started the fourth, my gaze darted up to his to find him watching me, waiting for my reaction. It was one of mine. Creative had used one of mine.

He smiled knowingly and then turned to the screen behind him. It was a flashy commercial with boys playing football as kids and then quickly transforming into men as the video continued. Then the slogan, “Blast Water, turning kids into athletes since 1995.” William nodded along during the idea, and at the end, he and Trevor picked two they wanted us to explore. One was clearly an idea Aidan had pulled on a whim, and the other was mine. It was all I could do to keep from screaming in excitement.

William and Trevor stood at the end of the meeting and passed around business cards with the other higher-ups in the room. Just as they were about to leave, Trevor turned back. “Very nice to meet you, Cameron.”

I smiled. “Likewise.”

As soon as they left, I started around the table, picking up leftover water bottles. Alexa could do it, but I was here, so why not help? My skin began to prickle, and I peered up to find Aidan still in the room, watching me, his hands tucked in his pockets.

“Oh, hey, I thought everyone had left.”

He didn’t move, and I realized then that he wanted to say something. “Did you know him?”

“Who?”

“Trevor Blast.”

“I met him downstairs. Why?” The whole exchange felt off, like he was a jealous boyfriend instead of my boss.

His mouth opened, then closed, then he motioned to the table, like he wasn’t sure what else to do. “You don’t have to clean up.”

“I know. But just because I don’t have to doesn’t mean I shouldn’t help, you know?”

He shook his head. “No one thinks like that.”

I stood across from him now, staring over the table, the distance both impossibly long and impossibly short. Were others out in the office, watching us right now? “I do.”

He started to speak again, and I paused, waiting to hear what he wanted to say, but he only watched me, then as though he realized what he was doing, he took a step back and ran a hand through his hair, blinking like he’d been in a trance. “They liked your idea. Good work.”