The Pitch: City Love 2 by Belinda Williams Read Free Book Online Page A

elevator doors opened at our floor and I stepped out into the darkened landing, not bothering to look behind me. I used my security card again to unlock Grounded Marketing and switched on a few of the fluorescent lights. The molded tree trunk desks spread out before us like an eerie forest.
    I didn’t so much hear, but felt Paul’s presence, as he followed behind me. “I’ve insulted you.”
    It wasn’t particularly mature of me, but I ignored him. I continued to my office and switched on the light. My eyes roamed the space which I spent more time in than my own home. I identified an unfamiliar looking folder underneath a small pile of magazines on the coffee table. No wonder I hadn’t noticed it before.
    I reached down and picked it up, then turned to give it to Paul. I held it at arm’s length.
    He stood in the doorway observing me. The amusement on his face only pissed me off further.
    “Here it is,” I said impatiently.
    After a painfully long moment, he pushed away from the door frame and took his folder from me. Instead of easing back, he stepped in closer and I forced myself not to move. We stared at each other eye to eye.
    “I wasn’t suggesting you’re an ice queen.” His lips quirked.
    “Oh?” I may not be an ice queen, but I was doing an exceptionally good job of being haughty.
    “You’re imposing, Madeleine.” His eyes held mine as he let this sink in. “You may be young, but even to experienced men in their forties and beyond, your combination of drive, intelligence and looks means they’d find it hard to approach you.”
    My breath left me in a whoosh. I hadn’t expected the honest character assessment and I was feeling slightly wounded, but tried not to show it.
    “I’m not for a moment suggesting you should change any of those qualities. They’re what got you here. All I’m saying is that by opening up and revealing a bit of that humor, you’ll connect better.”
    “And relationships is what this is all about,” I stated numbly.
    “Exactly.” Paul’s eyes clouded. “I’m not very good at this.”
    “Sorry?”
    “Mentoring.”
    I gave him a quizzical look.
    “I’ve attacked you personally, haven’t I? I was trying to give you useful advice.”
    “No, I wouldn’t say – ”
    Paul turned away and collapsed into one of my armchairs. “This is why I leave the staff to Greg,” he muttered.
    I stared at him in open mouthed shock. One moment he was delivering a brutal assessment of my personality failings with alarming precision and the next he was berating himself. I sat down opposite him, my ego still wounded.
    He looked at me reluctantly. “Pitching and sales is my thing, Madeleine, but I completely fail at managing people. Greg Mathers, my business partner, is the expert when it comes to employees. Without him, I’d be sitting in a pub somewhere playing bad covers to people who don’t care to listen.”
    My ego gave way to genuine curiosity. “Alright, back up. I have a few questions. Isn’t pitching all about relationships?”
    Paul’s lips quirked again and I decided his half smiles were inexplicably attractive.
    “Pitching is about the sell. You need to get to the heart of what turns a client on, but it’s different to staff. They come to you for advice and …” he gave me a distasteful look, “ personal problems.”
    I laughed, I couldn’t help myself. I knew exactly what he was saying. While I was always professional with my staff, having a good team meant getting to know them personally. Occasionally that meant recognizing how their personal crises affected their work. “You’re such a man.”
    “And not a lot of men are good at that side of business. Greg is brilliant at it because he’s got a good-natured fatherly approach. He’s also far more patient when it comes to staff driveling on about their shit. You’ll probably shoot me for saying this, but as a woman, you’re naturally better equipped to deal with it.”
    Ice queen or not, I wasn’t