Read Online Meet Mr. Prince by Patricia Kay - Free Book Online

“When we were younger, we all hated our names. There I was, in class with a million Heathers and Tiffanys and Kims…and me with a name like Georgie. And, of course, being the tallest girl in my class didn’t help.”
    â€œMy sister’s tall, too. She also hated it when she was young, but now she realizes it’s an advantage.”
    Just then the driver asked a question, and after Zach had answered, he said he wanted to give her a brief rundown on the two main contacts she would be working with at Carlyle during her evaluation of the cancer center. “Jonathan Pierce can be hard to deal with,” he began.
    Georgie had familiarized herself with Dr. Pierce’s background that morning. A specialist, Pierce had sixteen years’ experience in pediatric oncology/hematology, had trained at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and was board certified in both specialties.
    â€œWhy is he hard to deal with?”
    â€œHe’s a sought-after doctor who is highly regarded, but he resents the fact that the foundation required the center to meet certain conditions to be eligible for one of our grants.”
    â€œBut that’s standard practice with nonprofits, isn’t it?”
    â€œYes,” Zach said. “Yet I can understand how he feels. Pierce is passionate about what they do at Carlyle. He expected to be approved immediately. Whereas Carolyn Love, the CFO—she’s the other one you’ll meet today—is more tolerant of our position, because she understands budgetary constraints and that we have a board to answer to.”
    Just then, the cab pulled up to the entrance of the center, which was a division of Carlyle Clinic, and a few minutes later they were on their way to the third floor, where the administrative offices were located.
    â€œI think it would be best if you let me do the talking today,” Zach said as they stepped off the elevator.
    Georgie bristled. “Why?”
    â€œBecause, as I said before, Pierce can be a tough nut.”
    â€œSo? I’ll have to deal with him sometime.”
    â€œI know, but it’ll be better if we ease him into the new relationship.”
    â€œYou don’t trust me, do you?”
    â€œIt’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s that I’m used to Pierce. You’re not.”
    â€œSeems to me letting me take charge today would be the best way to get used to him.”
    â€œLook, bottom line? He can be a bit arrogant when it comes to women.”
    Oh, great. Fortunately, most of the men Georgie’d worked with during her time with the Hunt Foundation were the opposite; most didn’t care what your gender was, they were simply grateful for any help they could get. Of course, that didn’t always hold true for some of the bureaucrats she’d had dealings with. She’d often wondered why the least important political hack put on the most airs. The way she’d always dealt with these types was to let them know right off the bat that she wasn’t going to put up with any B.S. from them…or anyone.
    â€œLook,” she said to Zach, “I am not one of those seen-but-not-heard women. And I refuse to pretend to be.”
    Zach sighed. “I can’t stop you from talking. But it would make things a lot easier for everyone if you’d just back off a little. You and I know you’re going to be in charge, and Jonathan Pierce will soon know it, too. I just don’t want to rub his nose in it today, okay?”
    â€œOh, all right,” she finally said. “I’ll keep my mouth shut and let you do the talking.” This time .
    Maybe the expression on her face gave away her thoughts, because he raised his eyebrows. “Why do I get the feeling Jonathan Pierce better watch out?”

Chapter Five
    T he meeting hadn’t been too bad, Georgie thought. Although Zach had done most of the talking, she hadn’t felt like a fifth wheel, because he’d