Chapter 7: Presenting a United Front

The Sterling Corp boardroom gleamed under the morning sun, its floor-to-ceiling windows offering a commanding view of the city below. Chloe stood at the head of the polished mahogany table, her hands steady on the presentation remote despite the chaos churning in her chest. Across from her, twelve senior partners sat in leather chairs that probably cost more than most people's monthly salaries, their faces expectant and calculating.

She'd barely slept, had spent the early morning hours perfecting slides that were already flawless, anything to avoid thinking about what had happened on her desk less than ten hours ago. But now, with Liam standing beside her in his impeccably tailored charcoal suit, the memory of his hands on her skin felt as vivid as if it were happening again.

"Gentlemen," Richard Sterling announced from his position at the head of the table, "Ms. Vance and Mr. Blackwood will be presenting their Henderson Industries analysis. As you know, this is a significant potential acquisition, and I expect nothing less than excellence from our top analysts."

Chloe felt the weight of their collective gaze, the pressure of careers that could be made or broken by the next thirty minutes. She'd given dozens of presentations, had built her reputation on her ability to distill complex financial data into clear, actionable recommendations. But today, every nerve ending was hyperaware of the man standing eighteen inches to her right.

"Thank you, Richard." Her voice came out steady, professional, betraying none of the turmoil underneath. "Liam and I have conducted a comprehensive analysis of Henderson Industries across multiple strategic dimensions."

She clicked to the first slide, grateful for the familiar rhythm of facts and figures. Numbers didn't lie. Numbers didn't care that she could still taste Liam's kiss on her lips or that her body ached in places that had nothing to do with too many hours hunched over spreadsheets.

"The target company represents a significant opportunity for vertical integration," she continued, falling into the comfortable cadence of corporate speak. "However, our analysis reveals several key risk factors that must be carefully considered."

As she spoke, she was acutely aware of Liam's presence beside her. The subtle scent of his cologne. The way he shifted his weight when she clicked to the market analysis slides they'd fought over for hours. The memory of those same hands that now gestured toward charts and graphs mapping every sensitive spot on her body with devastating precision.

"The supply chain vulnerabilities are particularly concerning," Liam interjected smoothly, stepping forward to take control of the presentation with the easy confidence that had always made her want to challenge him. "However, our modeling suggests these can be mitigated through strategic restructuring."

Their transition was seamless, the kind of professional choreography that came from weeks of intense collaboration. But underneath the polished surface, Chloe felt the electric tension crackling between them. Every time their eyes met across the boardroom, she saw her own hunger reflected in his dark gaze. Every accidental brush of their hands as they passed the remote sent heat spiraling through her chest.

"The conservative projection shows an eighteen-month ROI timeline," she said, clicking to their financial models. "However, if we implement the more aggressive restructuring approach that Liam developed—"

She caught herself, realizing she'd used his first name instead of the formal "Mr. Blackwood" appropriate for the setting. Heat flooded her cheeks, but none of the partners seemed to notice the slip. They were too focused on the numbers, on the elegant way she and Liam had woven together their individual expertise into something more powerful than either could have created alone.

"—the timeline compresses to fourteen months with significantly higher profit margins," she finished, her voice steady despite the internal mortification.

Richard Sterling leaned forward, his sharp eyes moving between them. "Your synergy is impressive. This level of collaboration between our competitive analysts is... unusual."

The comment made Chloe's pulse spike. Could he see through their professional facade? Could he sense the undercurrent of sexual tension that felt as obvious to her as neon signs in the dark?

"Healthy competition breeds excellence," Liam replied smoothly, his tone giving away nothing. "Ms. Vance challenged me to refine my assumptions, and I believe I've done the same for her."

Challenged. Such a carefully neutral word for what they'd done to each other. For the way he'd stripped away every defense she'd built, had made her forget her own name while she came apart under his touch.

"The risk assessment matrices are particularly thorough," another partner observed, studying the slides with approval. "You've clearly anticipated the client's concerns."

"We spent considerable time stress-testing our assumptions," Chloe said, proud of how level her voice remained. "Late nights, extended collaboration sessions, multiple scenario planning exercises."

The euphemisms felt like secrets shared in plain sight. Late nights that had ended with his mouth on hers. Extended collaboration that had involved far more than spreadsheets and financial models. Scenario planning that had nothing to do with corporate acquisitions and everything to do with the way he could make her body sing.

As the presentation continued, Chloe found herself caught in a strange duality. Professionally, she and Liam were flawless—their recommendations were bulletproof, their analysis comprehensive, their presentation style complementary in ways that highlighted both their individual strengths. But personally, she was drowning in awareness of him, in memories of the night before, in the dangerous knowledge that this polished professional facade was built on foundations of desire that threatened to consume them both.

"The Henderson family's emotional attachment to the company presents unique challenges," Liam was saying, his voice carrying the authority that had always made boardrooms fall silent. "However, our approach addresses those concerns while maintaining acquisition objectives."

She watched him command the room with the same intensity he'd brought to commanding her body, and heat pooled low in her belly despite every attempt to maintain professional composure. When he gestured toward the financial projections, she remembered those same hands mapping her skin with devastating precision. When he spoke with quiet authority about market penetration strategies, she remembered the way he'd whispered her name like a prayer against her throat.

"Questions?" Richard Sterling asked as they concluded their presentation.

The partners fired inquiries at them for another twenty minutes—probing questions about risk mitigation, timeline assumptions, integration strategies. Chloe and Liam fielded them with the kind of seamless teamwork that spoke to hours of preparation and an almost telepathic understanding of each other's analytical approaches.

But every shared glance, every moment when they spoke in unison or finished each other's thoughts, felt loaded with dangerous intimacy. They weren't just presenting financial analysis; they were displaying the evidence of their connection, the undeniable chemistry that had been building for weeks and had finally exploded into something that threatened to consume them both.

"Exceptional work," Richard finally announced, and Chloe felt a wave of relief wash over her. "This is exactly the kind of comprehensive analysis Henderson Industries needs to see. I'll be recommending we move forward with the proposal."

The partners began filing out, offering congratulations and discussing next steps. Chloe packed up her materials with hands that only trembled slightly, hyperaware of Liam doing the same beside her. They'd done it—had delivered a presentation that would likely secure one of the biggest deals of the year.

But success felt hollow when weighed against the knowledge that they were now officially, irreversibly partnered. The Henderson deal would take months to close, would require ongoing collaboration, would trap them in continued proximity when every instinct screamed that she should run as far and as fast as possible.

"Ms. Vance, Mr. Blackwood," Richard called as the last of the other partners left the boardroom. "A moment, please."

They turned back, and Chloe's heart hammered against her ribs. Had he noticed something? Seen through their careful professional masks to the chaos underneath?

"I want you both to know," Richard said, his expression serious, "that this presentation represents exactly the kind of collaborative excellence Sterling Corp strives for. Your combined expertise created something neither of you could have achieved alone."

If only you knew, Chloe thought desperately. If only you understood what kind of collaboration we've really been engaged in.

"The Henderson family will want to meet with our team next week," Richard continued. "I'll need you both to continue working together through the due diligence process. Can I count on you to maintain this level of partnership?"

The question hung in the air like a trap. Saying no would require explanations she couldn't give. Saying yes would mean weeks more of the kind of proximity that had already led to her complete surrender of professional boundaries.

"Of course," Liam answered when her silence stretched too long. "We're committed to seeing this through."

Committed. Another loaded word that made her chest tight with competing emotions. They were committed, all right—committed to a dangerous game that could destroy everything they'd worked for.

"Excellent." Richard smiled between them with paternal approval. "I have a feeling this partnership is going to yield remarkable results."

As Sterling Corp's managing partner left them alone in the boardroom, Chloe felt the careful walls she'd built around her composure begin to crack. The presentation was over. The immediate professional crisis had been navigated successfully. But now she was alone with Liam again, surrounded by the scent of his cologne and the memory of what they'd done, trapped in a collaboration that would extend for weeks.

"We need to talk," he said quietly, his voice carrying none of the professional polish he'd maintained throughout the presentation.

She didn't trust herself to look at him. Didn't trust herself to face the heat she knew would be burning in his dark eyes, the possession and hunger and dangerous tenderness that had undone her completely.

"There's nothing to talk about," she whispered, gathering her materials with desperate efficiency. "Last night was—"

"Don't." His voice cut through her protests with quiet authority. "Don't cheapen what happened between us with corporate euphemisms and professional distance."

The raw honesty in his tone made her chest ache. This was the man who had whispered her name like a prayer, who had looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, who had made her feel truly alive for the first time in years.

"It can't happen again," she said, finally meeting his gaze. The intensity there nearly brought her to her knees.

"Can't it?" He stepped closer, and she caught the familiar scent of his cologne, the one that would forever be associated with surrender and desire and the devastating knowledge that some lines, once crossed, could never be uncrossed. "Because standing next to you for the last hour, pretending I don't know exactly how you taste, pretending I can't still hear the way you cried my name—that felt like the real lie."

His words painted vivid pictures that made heat flood her cheeks and desire pool low in her belly. She was supposed to be stronger than this, supposed to be able to compartmentalize and move forward and pretend that what had happened between them was nothing more than a moment of weakness.

But as she looked into his eyes, as she felt the pull that had been building between them for weeks, she realized with devastating clarity that she was kidding herself.

Some forces were too powerful to resist. Some connections too deep to deny.

And some partnerships were destined to destroy everything in their path.