Come To Me | Jerrie

Chapter 7

My free hand flies to my mouth in disbelief.

"Jade," I say, barely audible.

Jade stands there looking absolutely glorious—she's everything I remember and more. She's wearing a crisp white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up—the top two buttons undone—and dark gray, perfectly tailored dress pants. Her hair is disheveled, like she's been running her hands through the dark brown locks. She places her hands on the elevator doors so it wouldn't close. Her eyes haven't left mine, and the grin I remember is present as she processes who I am. She shakes her head back and forth in disbelief and gives a small half laugh. I gaze down and shift my weight, unable to speak and move forward.

She clears her throat, making me look up. She finally speaks first. "You're Perrie Edwards?" she asks, sounding amused as she tries to smother her grin.

I nod my head in response.

She extends her hand, gesturing me to exit. I place my hand in hers and she pulls me forward, still unspeaking.

She's extremely sexy and my eyes refuse to look away while she measures her next words. Jade steps back, pulling me toward the office. What are the odds? I never thought I'd see this woman again, and now she's standing in front of me, smiling and shaking her head, almost mirroring my own response. Of all the accounts and all the person she had to be Jade Thirlwall.

Jade clears her throat again, snapping me out of my thoughts. "You're even more beautiful than I remember." She looks down at our hands and I immediately remove my hand from her. She's my client.

"Thank you, Ms. Thirlwall. CJJ is proud that you chose our vision to take your company forward." I smile and mentally congratulate  myself because I said that without stuttering.

She chuckles at my attempt at professionalism. "Oh, I am sure that I will enjoy this project, especially that I'll be working with you."

I smile tentatively. "Shall we get to our meeting?" I ask as my voice shakes.

"We're going to play it that way, are we?" She smirks, obviously amused. "Okay, Ms. Edwards. This way please," she says as she looks directly into my eyes, saying so much more with her body than with her mouth. Her perfectly formed, totally kissable—

My thoughts are everywhere. I want to run back into the elevator and tell her to give the account to Boyce. "Thank you," I mumble. A shiver run down my spine when she places her hand on the small of my back.

"Are you cold?" she asks with humor in her voice, somehow aware her touch is wreaking havoc on me.

I turn and look directly in her eyes, hoping to convey my own message of strength and defiance. "No, I'm fine. Thank you." She opens the door and stood at the doorway. She's left me very little room to get through, though, so I shift to the side, scooting by without touching her. Of course, it's impossible and my arm slides against her, causing goose bumps to form in the wake of our skin-to-skin contact.

Her office is nothing like I would have imagined. She has a glass desk table with a high-back chair. The walls are cream and the couch is a light lilac color. There are no photos, no personal touches throughout the room. I fight the urge to laugh—this is definitely not a CEO's office.

Jade clears her throat again and I wonder if it's a nervous habit of hers. Could she be as nervous as I am? "I just moved into this office," she begins, pausing as if carefully weighing her next words. "Danielle was the acting CEO for the last ten months. I haven't had time to change anything." She closes her eyes, looking almost pained. I have the strangest urge to comfort her, but I resist.

"I understand. But for the record, purple's not your color." I sit in one of the chairs in front of her desk and start to get out my mock boards and planning sheet.