“Good morning.” A deep, hoarse voice fills my ears. My body tenses and something stirs deep inside. “Danielle?” he asks.

“Yes, Mr. Cole, good morning. I have Catherine Pope on the call, sir. She’s with CJJ Public Relations,” Danielle informs him.

I shake my head, trying to release the tension triggered by his voice, and prepare to impress him. “Good morning, Mr. Cole. It’s a pleasure.”

“Ms. Pope, thank you for joining us. Danielle was impressed by your presentation. I asked to have a call with you since I was out of the area and couldn’t make it to the meeting yesterday. I wanted to speak with you and the other candidate before I make my final decision.” The strong, sexy timbre of his voice exudes confidence.

“I’m more than happy to go over any questions you may have.”

The call continues for about thirty minutes as we discuss my professional background and the company’s growth expectations. The sound of his voice pulls at me, though I can’t quite place it. With each question he asks, I field and answer appropriately, reaffirming that I’m the right choice.

Mr. Cole breaks in right before we’re about to wrap things up. “I’d like to know one more thing.”

“Ask away.” I smile, hoping it shines through the phone.

“Why should we hire you?” he asks point-blank.

I anticipated this question. It’s pretty typical and I honestly love to answer it. There’s no real reason other than what I always answer. “Because I’m the best. I work hard, and I don’t fail. Ever,” I say confidently.

His deep voice vibrates through the phone. “We’ll be in touch by the end of the day with our final answer. Thank you, Catherine.”

When he says my first name, a familiar feeling washes over me. Though I’d love to take the time to analyze why that is, my professionalism prevents me from dwelling. “I look forward to hearing from you. Have a wonderful day.”

“Thank you, Ms. Pope,” Danielle replies.

Then the line goes dead.

And I wait.

Again.

After taking a long shower, I stand in front of my closet debating what to wear. The warm water helped ease my residual anxiety from the phone call, but I need something that will make me feel sexy and strong. It’s still warm out, so I opt for my navy blue empire dress and pair it with my dark crimson heals. I smile at my reflection in the mirror—I look good. I decide to take some extra time on my makeup and hair. Large barrel curls soften the ends of my dark brown hair, and I leave them hanging loosely down by back. For my makeup, I choose a really soft smoky eye, which gives me that coveted mysterious look. Not bad. This is the Catherine Pope I know and remember.

Once I arrive at the office, I settle into my desk and … feel useless. I don’t know if I won the account yet and my last two clients finished last week. I cleared out most of my emails at home, so I have nothing to work on. My ambition and work ethic won’t allow for me to sit around, so I decide to look at the open bids board and start mock-ups for a pitch. I have no idea if I’ll get the Raven account and I don’t want to waste any time getting to work on the next possible account coming in. Plus, my coworker Elle is the only other person competing with me for the upcoming promotion. I can’t let her get ahead, so I need to focus and act as though I’ve lost this one.

I head over to the board to see what’s there, and Elle looks up, grinning broadly at me. “Already looking for a new account, Cat?” Her high-pitched voice pierces through the room.

I give her a fake smile. “No, just looking to see what came in. What about you?”

“Oh, you know, I’ve got some new models coming in for a shoot. Atelier Clothing wants to do a tour with hot guys. You should stop by and see the eye candy I have coming in!” She’s practically bouncing. I have no desire to see the “hot” guys she has lined up. She has the worst taste, especially when it comes to the way she does ads and press releases. I can only imagine what the guys will look like. I’ll never understand her choices. They always seem overdone to me.

“Oh, I wish I could.” I feign disappointment and stifle the comments rolling around in my mind. “I have a few things that need my attention, but I’m sure they’re drool worthy.” I can’t stop myself. “You sure know how to pick ’em.”

She smiles, thinking I’m complimenting her. “I know! I love the one I found today. His name is Colin, and he’s just … wow!”

I smile and look back to the board. “Good luck, Elle. I gotta get back to work.”

I add my name to the next best account on the board and head back to my office. When I get there, I send Taylor an email to be in my office in fifteen minutes to start research.

I hear a knock on the door and look up.

“Hey. You want to do research for a new company looking for representation?” Taylor is standing against the doorframe looking baffled.

“Yes, we can’t have all our eggs in one basket,” I reply and gesture for her to sit in the chair.

“Okay, but doesn’t that seem hasty?” she asks tentatively. “You should hear back by the end of the day, right?”

“I don’t think so. It’s been over three hours since the call ended, and I haven’t heard anything. For all I know they’ve offered Boyce the account and are waiting until they settle the deal before they call me. I can’t sit here and do nothing. You know me.” I shrug with a smile. “Anyway, the promotion is still up for grabs and I refuse to let Elle get a leg up. Are you ready to get to work?”

“Of course. Let’s dig in.” Taylor smiles and we get to work on researching the new company.

We’re immersed in our iPads and computers and have completely lost track of time when I look at the clock, realizing it’s almost five. I start to stretch but jump midway as the phone rings, startling me.

Taylor runs to her desk, grabs the receiver, and pokes her head around. “Cat, it’s Raven. Want me to shut the door?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

This is it. I grab the phone and take a deep breath before pushing the blinking button that will finally end the waiting.

“Hello, this is Catherine Pope.”

“Hi, Catherine. It’s Danielle. I wanted to let you know we’ve made our decision.” Her voice is steady, giving nothing away.

“Wonderful, I hope you’re calling with good news.”

“Yes, we’d like CJJ to be our new PR firm. Congratulations.”

I let out a huge breath and stop myself from dancing around the room. “Oh! Thank you, I’m glad you chose us. I look forward to working with you.”

“Us too. We’re very excited about your vision. I know this is last-minute but Mr. Cole arrived back in the city today. He would like you to meet him tonight at the office if possible,” she responds hesitantly.

I’ve already stated I would be available for this project, and even though I want to celebrate, I can’t wait to get started. There’s a new feeling of determination and excitement coursing through my veins. I could probably run the forty blocks to Raven Cosmetics with all the energy I have right now, but not in these heels. I want to hit the ground running, impress him and everyone else, and then land the promotion.