“Mr. St. Clair will see you now.” Bea nods encouragingly, then ushers me toward his office door.

I don’t want to be seen. I want to collect the check and skedaddle. Barrett could have signed the check and carried on without a word. But, that’s not his style. He likes silence, but only as a form of torture. To make the other person squirm. My defense tactic is to talk enough for the both of us.

“Wow, I really like what you’ve done with the place,” I announce, as I take in the entirety of his office. Empty shelves, blank walls. It looks like he’s been here seven minutes, not seven years.

“It’s minimalist,” he says with an edge to his tone as he takes a seat behind his desk. His elbows rest casually on the chair arms, his long fingers intertwine and hang in the space between him and the desk. He looks like he’s in no hurry. Yay for me.

“I actually think you went a step beyond that, this is more like nothingness.”

“I like to keep things tidy. It doesn’t appear that is one of your attributes.” Barrett’s eyes drop to my blouse. For a moment, I think he’s checking out my boobs until I look down to discover there’s a smudge of chocolate on my camisole from the warm, gooey cookie I ate on the way here. I couldn’t not get a cookie for myself. That’s disrespectful to the cookie gods. I pull my pink cardigan farther over to cover the chocolate stain.

I pick up the single pen that is on his desk, the only thing besides his computer and phone, and offer it to him.

He doesn’t take the pen so now I’m awkwardly holding it out and it weighs more than any writing utensil should. It’s got to be encased in gold or lead or something.

“Pitch it to me,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest in a power pose that is both arrogant and sexy at the same time.

“What do you mean?” I say, my eyes narrowing.

“The reason I should donate my hard-earned money to Books 4 Kids.”

A choked laugh escapes me.

“You already pledged the money for the sponsorship.” I can feel myself getting worked up. If Barrett thinks he’s going to mess with me by withdrawing his sponsorship, he’s ridiculous. Books 4 Kids is JoAnna’s pet project. He’ll have to explain to her why he withdrew SCM’s donation. Although, if I come back without a check, I’ll have to explain that, too.

“I want to hear where my money is going. Why I’m donating a million dollars to your cause.”

“That’s a good question. Why are you only donating a million dollars? You’re a gajillionaire. You could afford to donate more.”