The slightest delay for some of these companies could make the whole deal collapse. When she’d sprung this massive partnership agreement on her board today, she realized if she couldn’t pull the whole thing together quickly, they would force her to back out or let one of the bigger companies take over. She’d surprised and totally flummoxed them with the amount of money their company stood to make. The returns would be astronomical for everyone involved, but especially for a relatively smaller firm like theirs—ten to twenty times their usual profit on a marketing deal. Still, what she’d proposed would tie up most of the assets of her company to pull off. But it was worth the risk.

She could probably lose almost any other city, but London was too important to cut out. She had to have them on board and soon.

“Okay. That’s your job. I want pressure on London nonstop. Get as many people as you can on this. Get LA involved if you have to. I want London falling over themselves to make this work for us. Do whatever you can to get them to agree to February.”

“Even if it means a trip over there?”

She grimaced. London in January—yuck. “If I have to, yes. But maybe we can send some of the old men over there instead.” She meant her board. “London might find them more impressive.”

“Than the CEO?”

She sighed. “Okay. If it means sealing the deal, I’ll go. Use the old men first. Set up a meeting in London for them as soon as possible.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He leapt to his feet.

“And Ted?”

“What?”

“Thank you. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

He blushed to the tips of his ears, almost grinning. “Thanks. I won’t let you down.”

As he left, Gloria returned with a clutch of wrinkled message slips.

“Took you long enough,” Ryann said, taking them from her.

Gloria paled. “I’m sorry, Ms. Sands. John from—”

“I don’t need excuses. Be quicker next time.”

She visibly relaxed. However, she continued to stand there, lips working on themselves nervously as she tried to speak.

“Yes? What is it?” Ryann asked.

“Y-you told Jessica to tell you anytime your friend Stuart called. Jessica wanted me to tell you that he did this morning. More than once.”

Ryann’s chest squeezed, and she waved at the door. “Yes, Gloria. Thanks for letting me know. You can leave now.”

She almost ran from the room, and Ryann riffled through the pile of messages she held. Stuart’s name appeared once, twice, three, four times. It was only nine in the morning here, and his calls had started coming almost an hour ago. That meant he’d called at what, six or six thirty his time?