My One And Only (Very Irresistible Bachelors #5) - Layla Hagen Page 0,3

and arms were toned. He was wearing a black shirt that fit him so well it was easy to see his physique, which made me think his clothes had to be custom-made. His dark-blond hair gave him a bad-boy vibe that didn’t fit the rest of him but was insanely attractive.

I juggled my belongings, taking a deep breath as we stepped inside. The auditorium was very intimidating. It was huge, with ten long rows. All the windows were covered with shutters so the presentations could be projected on the wall. The table with the projector was in the front.

Harrington stood right next to the entrance while two others who were sitting in the first row rose from their chairs as we entered. I recognized Rebecca Johnson and David Delgado because I studied their pictures and bios on their website too. I didn’t know who the six people in the second row were. I assumed it would only be the three fund managers. Were they students, possibly interns?

Harrington led my sister and me to the table in the center. When he pointed to the cable where I was supposed to connect my laptop, I couldn’t help but notice that his initials were sewn at the hem of his sleeve. I’d been right: his shirt was custom-made.

“Skye, Tess, you can start whenever you’re ready. Our interns are watching this too, but if they make you uncomfortable, we can ask them to step out.”

Skye and I exchanged a glance, and my sister nodded.

“That’s fine. We don’t mind if they stay,” she said.

I turned on my laptop and plugged in the projector cable. Skye would begin the presentation, and then I would take over halfway through just as we practiced.

Liam sat next to Rebecca, and for the first time, I didn’t avert my gaze. I looked straight at him. My breath caught. Damn, those blue eyes could melt hearts...and panties. I felt my cheeks heat up. Was he still thinking about the bathroom incident?

His gaze dropped to my chest—only for a split second, but I caught it—right before he flashed me a knowing smile.

Oh boy.

Two things were clear.

One: he was still thinking about me half naked.

Two: I really had to stop blushing if I wanted them to take us seriously.

Chapter Two

Tess

I sat in the first row of the auditorium, a few seats away from Liam and the rest of his staff. Skye was standing right next to the desk where we propped the laptop. The screen was projected on the wall behind her. She started by presenting the financial growth we had over the last three years. Pride swelled inside me as she moved from one slide to the next. We built this business from the ground up, and last year we introduced customization options, which were a complete game changer.

Skye’s final slides were about what we planned to do if we partnered with Harrington & Co., focusing on the fact that we wanted to open a second brick-and-mortar location. We also wanted money for a more robust online shop. The one we were using now was barely keeping up.

“By doing this, we’d be able to reach more clients faster. Tess will go into more detail about the type of products we’d develop with additional funding as well as show you the products that contributed to most of our growth,” Skye concluded.

She sat next to me, and I squeezed her hand, whispering, “Good job, Sis,” before walking to the front. Midway there, my heel caught in the gap between two pieces of hardwood, and I stumbled a bit.

Please, God, no. One embarrassing incident a day is more than enough! I was already worrying that Liam Harrington wasn’t going to take me seriously. I didn’t want Rebecca and David to think I was a ditz.

Thankfully, I didn’t fall on my ass. I regained my balance and walked to the desk, standing next to it.

I rolled my shoulders, smiling as I spoke. “Soho Lingerie’s unique selling proposition is that we have something for everyone. Ever since we introduced our customization options, it’s become easier to deliver that. Customers can play with designs in our online shop. We also give them the opportunity to come to the physical store for fittings. Since we incorporated this program, the rate of returns dropped by 90 percent. We literally have something for everyone, from adult women knowing exactly what they want to young girls looking for guidance when they enter the store. They’re at a fragile age, first-time lingerie buyers,