Stoned: A Billionaire Stepbrother With Benefits Romance (My Brother's Keeper Book 1) by Cynthia Sharon Page B

he
got the market. All the guys who come in here for that cheap crap?
They’re the popped collar types with backwards visors and polo
ponies on their shirts. They don’t care about vacation fantasies,
they just want what’s cheap and fast.”
    She snorted and finished her shot. “That sums
up everything that hack Stone has ever done.”
    “He must be doing something right. Apple,
Facebook, and Budweiser all go to him. My point is, I still
wouldn’t beat yourself up about it. You have principles and that’s
what matters, and, besides, that’s the worst selling beer at the
bar.”
    “You are not making me feel any better.”
    Cassidy chuckled and continued to wipe off
the taps. “It was always our worst selling beer. That stuff tastes
like sewer water. It doesn’t matter how good a campaign Stone works
up for them, it’s never going to sell well.”
    Allison set the glass down with a thunk and
pushed it back to her friend. “Another.”
    “Nope, you’ll thank me when you go home and
snuggle up with your cuddle bear.”
    “Yes, being engaged is just like that.”
    “I’m serious. You really shouldn’t beat
yourself up over it. You make commercials, but you can’t make the
product taste any good. You’ll regroup, get your boss’s confidence
back and then kick ass on a campaign that doesn’t involve
animatronic hedgehogs.”
    “Weasels,” she countered gathering up her
purse.
    “Exactly.”
    Allison pushed a strand of honey-blonde hair
back over her ear. “McDonough said something that I’ve never heard
before. I didn’t think we’d lost that many clients over the years,
but he mentioned there might be restructuring coming.”
    “Like out of the job?”
    “I don’t know. Sometimes McDonough blows
smoke, but it made everyone nervous. What if I sunk the whole
company?”
    Cassidy chuckled and squeezed her hand from
across the bar. “You always think you’re more powerful than you
are. It’s not your fault. You did a real campaign and not just the
lowest common denominator.”
    “And I if I had, Schmidt’s wouldn’t be in bed
with Stone Marketing.”
    “True, but if you have to hate someone, save
it for the person who earned it, that lousy billionaire pitch man,
Robert Stone. He’s the one stealing clients, wiggling people out of
contracts, and making advertising all about the biggest bust line.
Now, like I said, go home and chill with Thomas for a while. It’ll
be better tomorrow.”
    “Ugh, not likely.”
    Cassidy frowned. “Are you guys having issues?
I know he hesitated for like a year to set the date…”
    Her friend’s features were schooled to
neutral but Allison knew that Cassidy was angling to say more.
She’d never understood why Thomas would propose to her but not
settle on a date until eighteen months later. Allison tried to
explain a million times about how hard making tenure track was and
the papers he’d been churning out to impress his colleagues. There
just hadn’t been time right away for wedding planning.
    And maybe, just a bit, part of her hadn’t
been in a rush either.
    “We’re not, but I have to represent our firm
at an industry convention in Vegas and fly out at dawn tomorrow. I
have been so busy with the Schmidt’s disaster that I don’t even
know my full itinerary yet.”
    “Then you definitely need some snuggling,”
Cassidy said, even if her tone was a bit short. “I’ll see you soon,
and feel free to bring me back something tacky from Sin City.”
    “Deal.”

CHAPTER THREE
     
     
    “You look drained,” Thomas said, slipping his
glasses off of his nose and eying her as she walked into their
bedroom. “Did the big meeting did go that badly?”
    “I’m back on my least favorite account.”
    Her fiancé flinched at that. “More pizza
weasels?”
    “Basically. I had heard the rumors but
Schmidt’s definitely got poached by freaking Robert Stone. Anyway,
it’s been a long, horrible day, and I think having a couple shots
of Jack on an empty