Her Forbidden Millionaire

Chapter 2

The morning was bright, yet Phoebe was dreading the day ahead. She never wanted Lincoln Gold as a client but told herself the challenge would be good for her career. But first things first, she had to land him as a client.

The brunch was a great idea in itself because it would give the potential client the ability to interact with advisers in a not so serious setting. And dropping the proposals off with simply a number to contact the company at the end was brilliant. There was very little room for biased decisions. Still, Phoebe didn’t want to do it. She had her mind made up that Lincoln Gold was going to be a pain in the ass and she was only doing this because her boss told her she had to.

With a heavy sigh, Phoebe sorted through her closet and chose one of her more seductive business pieces. The cream colored suit with its long pants, seemed to add a few inches to her 5’5” height, making her feel 6 feet tall. She smiled at herself as she pulled her hair into a bun, put on a little makeup, and slipped into a pair of high heels. She was ready whether she wanted to go or not. It was always in her best interest to put her personal feelings aside in order to do what was best for the company. Another quick glance in the mirror, and she was out the door.

Phoebe arrived to a restaurant where they had cleared out a back room for this brunch meeting. It was an Asian fusion restaurant that she always wanted to try but never made time to. She wished Pam was here with her so they could try it together, but instead she looked into the room to see four men laughing and goofing around with each other. Shaking her head, she stepped inside and dropped her portfolio into the envelope by the doors.

“Well, if it isn’t my mentor to be,” Clayton called out with a smile. “You ready for our session yet?”

Phoebe rolled her eyes as she adjusted her jacket and took a seat at the table. She chose the one closest to the head of the table but far enough that Lincoln would be able to make eye contact with her. “You know, Clay, if you actually took the time to be real with someone, you may just find something better than a one night stand.”

The other men oooh’ed, as Clay started to grow frustrated. “And who says I would want anything more than a one night stand with you, Miss Prissy? You’re probably so uptight, you can’t even…”

“So uptight that I can’t even take you seriously,” Phoebe interrupted, standing up. She wanted to do so much in that moment to shut him up. Thoughts crossed her mind to do a few splits and backbends to prove how flexible she was, but this was neither the time nor the place to do such things. Lincoln and his team would be showing up any minute now. “Let it go, Clay, just admit that you’re mad I don’t want you. I don’t throw myself on the mercy of your co*k like most of the women in this city and it drives you nuts!”

“Such language from a finely dressed woman is very unbecoming and unladylike!” a stern voice barreled into the room with force and femininity wrapped in one. Sheryll Pinkett’s complexion was a few shades lighter than Phoebe’s as she entered wearing a pale blush colored suit. The noticeably older woman had a no nonsense demeanor emanating from her body making everyone feel inferior to her. She walked with her shoulders squared, her head held high, and with purpose as she took the seat at the head of the table.

The advisers quieted down and took their seats before she began, “Good morning, lady and gentlemen.” She made some sort of snort when she said lady, directly narrowing her eyes toward Phoebe. Phoebe didn’t like that or her one bit. She could see this wasn’t going to end well at all. Sheryll continued, “Thank you all for coming. I’m sure that your companies have sent their best representatives… well, at least I’d like to think so.” She narrowed her gaze to Phoebe again.

What the fu*k?!, Phoebe thought to herself as she listened to Sheryll introduce herself and the problem at hand. She must really think she know me to be throwin’ shots like that! Phoebe wanted to snap but held herself together as she continued to sit quietly.

“Now, Mr. Gold will not be coming to this particular meeting. I’m sure that will come as a shock to some of you.” Sheryll raised an eyebrow toward Phoebe. “But he will be going over the proposals you submitted.”

Phoebe had had enough. She stood from her chair and walked over to Sheryll, bending down to whisper in her ear, “I’m sure that as unprofessional as you thought I was, what you’re doing now supersedes that in more ways than one. If my words that I used to defend myself against the misogynistic advances of a male colleague offended you, then I apologize. This appearance wasn’t for Mr. Gold… It was to distract these clowns. I thought I was going to be dealing with men and showed up appropriately to get my job done. I’m not going to pretend like being a woman, a black woman, will get me a fair shot. I’m the best at what I do and can prove it, but that doesn’t guarantee me anything if the man, or woman, I’m presenting my proposal to is only listening to the di*ks in the room. Now I’m done with your nasty looks and your nasty attitude. Take care and have a good day.”

Phoebe stood straight up with a smile. “Thank you all for your time but I have to go. Please give Mr. Gold by best and I wish you gentlemen the best of luck.”

They all looked at one another confused as to what was happening, but Clayton just sat back with a smug grin on his face believing that he had this competition in the bag since Phoebe was leaving.

The early afternoon sun was warm against Phoebe’s face as she stepped outside onto the busy street. She dreaded going back to the office so early knowing that she had screwed everything up with the Gold account. There was no way his lawyer was even going to let him look at her proposal, not to mention what nonsense she would tell him about her. Phoebe put the thoughts out of her head, making up her mind to get a cup of coffee before heading back to work.

The cafe she stopped at wasn’t too far from the restaurant where the brunch was held. The line wasn’t too long either. After placing her order she stood by the window watching people walk by outside. It was such a beautiful day, she wished that she didn’t have to go back to work.