Catering to the Billionaire (The Billionaire's Appetites) (BBW Billionaire Erotic Romance) by Daphne Loveling Page B

interviewed you today regarding catering for the Women in Business celebration in September.”
    “Yes, that’s right.  I’m so sorry she’s indisposed.  I hope it’s nothing too serious?” Lissa replied.
    “Serious enough that she can’t be here, and I have to take over her work for her,” Thorne said crossly.  “Look, I haven’t been involved with this end of the project.  Randall usually takes care of these details.  So why don’t you just present to me what you have and leave any materials for her.  She can look over them when she gets back.”  Gregory Thorne leaned back in his chair and looked at her expectantly.
    Realizing that her very presence seemed to be seriously inconveniencing and perturbing the man, Lissa’s first impulse was simply to excuse herself and leave the menu and her contact information with Thorne.  No , she told herself. You’ve worked too hard for this moment.  This is your first possible contract with a big company, and it could turn into a more long-term relationship if you do it right.  This isn’t ideal, but you need to make it happen, anyway.   Smiling at Thorne as though his obvious lack of interest was not at all obvious to her, she reached into her briefcase and pulled out her menu options.  “Certainly, Mr. Thorne.  From what Ms. Randall told me in her emails and over the phone, this event will be formal, with two main events: a reception in a large atrium with a curated exhibit showcasing the achievements of women from the Boston area, and a sit down dinner with a keynote speaker.  Therefore, we need to plan for a smooth transition between the two stages, and food and drink in both cases that will complement one another.  I’ve prepared three options, which can all be tweaked or modified according to your input and needs.  The first option is...”
    As Lissa continued to speak, Thorne’s eyes kept wandering back to his computer screen.  Occasionally, he would tap a key or two on his keyboard. At first, he made superficial overtures pretending to pay attention to what she was saying.  Eventually, though, he dropped all pretense of following her presentation.  When at one point he seemed to completely tune her out and began to type without bothering to conceal it from her, Lissa stopped.  “Excuse me,” she interrupted him.  “Are you answering email?”
    Thorne stopped what he was doing for a moment and looked at her with an impatient frown.  “I’m a busy man, Ms...  I’m sorry, what was your name again?”
    “Lissa Bradford.” So shocked was she at his rude behavior that she set down the menu she was holding and stared at him in disbelief.  He didn’t notice.
    “Ms. Bradford,” he repeated.  Cutting his eyes back to the computer screen, he pressed a button, and then returned to meet her gaze.  “I’m a very busy man, and this meeting has come at a very inconvenient time.  Perhaps you could just leave your menus and any other materials for when Ms. Randall gets back. I’ll see that she gets them.”  His tone was dismissive, the meeting already over in his mind.  Lissa, however, had reached her limit. The stress of preparing for this meeting, combined with the disappointment of having it all come to nothing and the unbelievable arrogance of this man, had pushed her beyond what she could tolerate. 
    “Mr. Thorne,” Lissa began, her tone icy.  “I, too, am a very busy woman.  Perhaps not as important as you, but arguably much busier, because my livelihood depends more immediately on my success.  You see, Mr. Thorne, I am trying to build a successful catering business.  With all of my own capital.  Everything I own is invested in Select Catering.  This contract, if I were to get it, represents a considerable amount of money and exposure for me.  If it went well, that would allow me to hire more employees and eventually be able to operate on a larger scale.” 
    The man behind the desk looked up and frowned at her.  He