One Mad Night Read Online Free

let’s-help-each-other thing. But if we’re not, would you mind toddling off? I have a lot of work I need to do before tomorrow. I plan to hit the ground running with this account on Monday.”
    She was amazingly and annoyingly confident. Ian was generally a confident guy, but she was making him a teensy bit nervous. “You really think you’re going to get this, don’t you?”
    â€œI don’t think, I know ,” she said, looking up.
    He tilted his head to one side to study her. “Isn’t it obvious to you why they brought me in?”
    â€œI don’t know—I haven’t given it the slightest bit of thought.” She lifted her chin, and Ian realized she lied about as well as she engaged in verbal volleyball. “I’ve been promised that this account is as good as mine. Didn’t they tell you that when they brought you in?”
    A bit more of Ian’s confidence leaked out of him. He’d been in New York advertising long enough to know that the industry was full of snakes. He wouldn’t put it past anyone to feed him a bunch of half-baked promises to get him to commit. “Who told you?”
    She grinned. “None of your beeswax.”
    â€œCome on, tell me—” His phone rang, distracting him momentarily. He fished it out of his pocket and noticed the number was the Grabber-Paulson main number. That was weird. “Listen, I’ll just say this,” he said, clicking off the phone. “Don’t be so sure of things. People say things they don’t mean, especially in this industry.” He started for the door.
    â€œUh-huh, I know. And I would offer you the same advice, Mr. Rafferty,” she said in a singsong voice, and she flashed a dazzling smile, full of straight white teeth.
    â€œCocky too. I like that about you,” he said. “I’ll keep it in mind when I make partner.” He winked at her, smiled as if he was completely unbothered, and went out of the conference room. He paused just outside the door and hit the button to return the phone call. Hadeetha, the receptionist, picked it up. “Hi, Hadeetha,” Ian said. “Did someone call me from this number?”
    â€œHi, Ian,” she said, her voice a little giggly. “Yes, you had a call. Just one moment.” She cut over to another line before Ian could ask her who had called. It rang five times before hitting the message box. “ You’ve reached the voice mail of Brad Paulson… ”
    Brad was the managing partner, and Ian’s pulse ticked up a notch when he heard his voice. He left a message in Brad’s box that he’d returned his call and then went back to his cubicle to ponder why Paulson would be calling him on the eve of the presentations. And in the midst of wondering, Ian was suddenly struck by the vision of Chelsea’s sparkling green eyes. Was she right ? Paulson could be calling about any of his accounts, but Ian quickly thought through them—there was nothing going on in any of them that would rise to the level of partner. Had Chelsea really been promised this account? Had they lured him over here only to give a big car account like Tesla to someone else? Why else would Paulson be calling him? It wasn’t as if they were working together on any particular thing.
    Ian couldn’t concentrate with that hanging over his head, so he detoured and went by Paulson’s office and caught his assistant as she was donning her coat.
    â€œOh hey,” he said. “Is Brad around?”
    â€œHe’s in a meeting.” She glanced over her shoulder, and so did Ian, to the windows. The snow was really coming down.
    â€œCould you please tell him I understand he’s looking for me and that I dropped by?”
    â€œSure, I’ll leave him a message. But I’m getting out of here before it gets too deep.”
    â€œThanks,” Ian said. “I appreciate it.”
    He went back to his