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arrives.”
    “Please, call me Madden, all of you. When both Easton and I are in the same room, ‘Mr. Decker’ gets a little confusing,” he responds with a lighthearted grin. “Now, I’ll turn the floor over to you all. I can’t wait to hear what you propose to do with this mess of a company my brother purchased.”
    Jae runs through the presentation flawlessly, covering each of the topics we’ve discussed in our research in a manner that is both professional and entertaining. Nervous to make eye contact with anyone—especially the man who left me unsettled with one handshake—I keep my focus on either the monitor or the table. Both Madden and Emerson make comments throughout the proposal, all of which are positive and encouraging, and when Jae wraps it up, they both clap in appreciation.
    “Well done, well done,” he exclaims approvingly. “I’ll have to give it to you; you may have convinced me this project can be profitable yet. I’ve spent the last week running numbers on it, and to be quite honest, I didn’t think there was a shot in hell for this to work. Your opinion, Em?”
    “I think you’re right,” the faceless female to his right responds. “Maybe Easton did know what he was doing with this one.”
    “What do you think, Blake? Do you think my brother knew what he was doing when he bought this company?”
    At the sound of my name, my eyes shoot up from where they’ve been fixated on the table, to where the two of them are seated. I’m not sure if the smirk on his face suggests he thinks he’s caught me unaware, or if he simply senses my wish to not participate in the conversation. Thankfully, I’ve been paying attention to the discussion, so I know exactly what he’s just asked me, but I have no idea of the correct way to answer the question. If I answer truthfully, I’ll be suggesting the brother is a dumbass, but if I lie, I may get caught with another question.
    “I think your brother knew what he was doing when he hired JDT Graphics to come up with the solutions for fixing this company,” I answer softly, my gaze once again locking with his.
    Throwing his head back with a hearty laugh, I take a few moments to soak him in. Earlier, I hadn’t made it past the piercing stare and intense handshake to notice much else. His hair is a dirty blonde that’s cut short in the back, but a little longer and tousled on top, and his strong jawbone is cleanly shaven. Only visible from the waist up, he’s wearing a light gray business shirt underneath a charcoal sports coat; however, his broad chest and shoulders are undeniable despite the layers of clothing on top.
    Bringing his stare back to mine, his expression grows serious and his eyes penetrate me, traveling down to my chest and back up to my face. “I agree wholeheartedly with that assessment,” he says in a tone that makes me think he’s no longer talking about the video game company. A surge of heat spreads throughout my body, causing my cheeks to undoubtedly blush and a warmth to settle between my thighs.
    “I was the one who actually suggested we go with JDT,” Emerson pipes up, interrupting the moment—a moment that’s most likely being experienced only by me, and hopefully not noticed by anyone else in the room.
    I turn my attention to her and smile graciously. “Thank you for the opportunity to show you what we can do.”
    In return, I receive a half-snarl, half-smile from the face of a truly beautiful woman, framed with picture-perfect strawberry-blonde ringlets. Immediately, I sense she’s not a fan of mine, despite the fact I’ve said two sentences the entire time I’ve been here.
    Mr. Thompson and Jae also offer their gratitude, which Madden quickly acknowledges and states isn’t necessary. The meeting wraps up with the four of them deciding on the next step in the process and a formal acceptance of our proposal without Easton Decker ever appearing. I stay silent, afraid I’ve already said the wrong things.
    All