~ Earned It ~

Professional ; Chapter 9.

I straightened out my skirt after standing up with my tablet in hand. Alec stood in the doorway with his pad of paper.

"What meeting room Alec?"
"5, down the hall."
"Are Charlie and George joining us?"
"No. Actually, I'm not even joining you. It's just you, Mr. Hough and Mr. Morgan. This meeting is to set limits, and a way of communication that is easiest for both companies. Also, you're gonna talk about the amount of new employees we're going to hire."
"Alright. Thank you Alec."
"You're welcome."

I turned the corner and opened the door to the meeting room where both Mr. Morgan and Derek were sitting. Derek smiled at me as I walked in, and James just smirked.

"Ms. Mota, welcome." Derek said.
"Thank you both for coming."
"I do believe we should thank you. Without your approval, this meeting would not be happening." Morgan said, his eyes following mine.
"Of course. Shall we get started?"
"Yes."

I sat down across from the two of them and pulled out my tablet.

"James, Sam and I have been talking about certain numbers including how many new employees we should hire. Since we do not have joint offices, I believe it should be anywhere from 10-20 in each building." Derek stated.
I nodded. "Okay, and what exactly would they be doing?"
"They would be working with George and Sam individually, creating a bridge for communication. They would be the connecting point for our companies. When George makes a decision to approach a blueprint, these employees would contact Sam so that he can create a document to present to the company." James said.
"Alright. Makes sense. Now, we know the money based on how much we will both receive. But what about costs? How much is this going to cost us?"
"Based on the money that we both make, it's not even going to dent our accounts."
"Alright. Now what about limits? Like what is Whiel to do and what is Morgan to do?"
"Sam has already reached out to George and they are currently working on who does what. Marketing and Architecture are the perfect programs to combine. They work hand in hand in most projects, just unknowingly." James said, turning the page in his notes.
I nodded again, this time rubbing my hands together. "This seems almost too easy."
"That's because we aren't doing any of the real work. We're just the organizers." Derek smirked.
I sighed, closing my tablet. "I would like to include George, Sam and Charlie in our upcoming meetings. I believe that we can get more done as well as have more to talk about."
"I can agree, Ms. Mota." Derek said, tilting his head.
"Alright."
"Well that seems to be all we have to talk about."
"Yeah, we definitely need to include them."

They both laughed and I stood up,
straightening out my skirt again.

"Thank you guys."
"Thank you, Ms. Mota."

I grabbed my tablet and walked out, turning the corner back towards my office. Alec was sitting there with a coffee in his hand.

"Alec, I have a favor to ask."
"Shoot."
"Could you possibly run to Starbucks for me? I know I promised that this job would not be any of that kinda stuff, but I just need some real coffee today. Instead of the office stuff."
"Of course. Anything else?"
"Uhm, no. I'll text you my order."
"Alright."
"Thank you." I smiled.
"Of course, Ms. Mota."

He grabbed his phone off the desk and headed towards the elevator. I turned on my heel and walked into my office, closing the door only a little. Before I could sit down, I heard it reopen. Looking up, Derek smiled at me.

"Hello, Ms. Mota."
"Mr. Hough."
"You know, these weekly meetings aren't proving to be such a bad thing." He stated, tilting his head.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, nothing better than seeing you dressed like.... that."

His lips raised into a smirk as my cheeks heated up.

"What exactly am I dressed like?"
"Just sophisticated, hot."
"Last week I was beautiful. This week I'm hot?" I winked at him before turning to my desk.
"Not what I meant."
"I know. Where's James?"
"I told him I was taking a separate car out to lunch."
"So you lied?"
"No. I came to ask you if you wanted to go with me."

His hands fastened themselves inside of his pockets, his eyes roaming up and down my body.

"I just sent Alec to get me some coffee so if he comes back and I'm not here, it's gonna look suspicious."
"Why are you so nervous about people finding out about this?"
"Because we are CEO's of two major companies. It looks unprofessional to have a romance."
"Bethany, do you even hear yourself?"
"Yes, I do."

He rolled his eyes, turning towards the door.

"I can't come over tonight, I have to meet my sister." I said, annoyance rolling off of my tongue.
"You do whatever makes you professional."
"Derek...."
"Have a nice evening, Ms. Mota."

He opened my office door and closed it, leaving me to a silent office.
~~~~
Opening the cafe door, I smiled a little when I saw Becca sitting at the table. She looked up and waved a little. I made my way over and sat down in front of her.

"Hey."
"Hi." She stated.
"Becca, I'm sorry."
"Honestly Beth, it was one dinner. And I didn't even ask you. You promised."
"I know, and I'm sorry."
"Where were you? I mean you clearly weren't sitting on your couch."

I looked down, stirring my water. She raised her eyebrows and smiled at me.

"You met someone."
"I did not."
She gasped. "It's that guy from the bar isn't it?"
"Becca-"
"Oh my god it is. He is sooooo hot. I have to meet him."
"Bec I don't even know what's going on with us right now."
"Well, as soon as you figure it out, I want to meet him."

I smiled at her before standing up to hug her.

"I'm sorry Bec."
"It's okay. I love you."
"I love you to the moon and back."
~~~~~
Just another chapter to move the story along. Hope you all enjoyed!!! Feedback is appreciated :)