Page 65 of Getting Down to Business

“You mean this puddle on my shirt by your mouth? Yes. I believe that is drool.”

“And that is your favorite picture?” Her voice couldn’t be any flatter as she looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was paying attention.

“Show me yours.”

She focused on the task and sighed, not liking her choices.

“There’s this one.” She held it up and he squinted.

“That’s the back of your television.”

“I needed to remember how the cables hooked up.”

“Try again.”

“Fine.” She gave up and showed him her favorite picture. It always made her laugh.

“That’s my—” He didn’t say the word ass, but it was—in a pair of boxers that had a duck on the back and the words Butt Quack.

“I can’t help it. I laugh every time.” She tried to stop, but laughed again as his face went serious.

“I wish we weren’t in the conference room so I could kiss you right now,” he said so quietly she barely heard him. Laughter abandoned, they stared at each other for a long moment. She may have even leaned in slightly.

Fortunately, Randy called everyone’s attention and they both snapped out of whatever spell had bound them.

“So did you learn anything about the other person? How much of it was non-verbal? Reading body language is an important skill and you can improve on it. It’s a vital way to communicate with our clients. Learn how to spot unease. We don’t ever want our clients to feel uneasy with us. If your client isn’t confident, then you need to stop and explain things differently. Even if it’s bad news, we have to make sure our client understands and feels confident in us.” He paused to let that sink in and then clapped once. “Go out and make us money.”

Those were always his closing words. Alyssa breathed a sigh of relief and went back to her office as quickly as possible.

* * * *

Grayson wasn’t sure what had happened at the meeting, but it wasn’t entirely bad. Although from the way Alyssa had run off, she was clearly spooked. He didn’t need a lesson in body language to see that. She had shared personal information with him. She’d told him about her mother. That was a huge step for her. And it meant she trusted him enough to let him in. A little bit at least.

He called her a little before noon.

“Alyssa Sinclair,” she said.

“Is it wrong that I’m aroused by your professional voice?” He used humor to make her feel comfortable when things got too serious between them.

“Thanks. What can I do for you?”

“Go to lunch with me.”

“Do you mean food or a quickie at our place?”

“Whichever. I’ll leave the details up to you.”

“I can’t do either. I’m skipping lunch so I can impress my new boss by finishing this project early.”

“Come on. You gotta eat.”

“I will eat. I’ll eat at my desk while I work.”

“That’s sad.”

“It will pay off in the end.”

“So what are we doing tonight?” He moved on.