The CEO Buys In
Page 101
She could see suspicion building in the tightness of his jaw and the tense set of his shoulders. He could read her too well. She dropped her hand. “We can’t continue to see each other now that I’m going to work at Trainor Electronics. It’s not a good idea.”
There was a long silence as he simply looked at her. She watched his face, waiting for hurt or anger, but he held whatever he was feeling in check.
“You’re fired.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Problem solved.”
Tears burned in her eyes as she shook her head. “Don’t you see? Our relationship was going to end anyway. You’re so brilliant and rich, and I’m, well, I’m just a temp.”
“You don’t think much of me if you believe that matters.”
“Out in the real world it matters. I haven’t been living in that since I met you. I’ve been hanging out in penthouses, driving in Rolls-Royces, and flying around in jets and helicopters. It’s not who I am.”
“None of that changes who I am, so it shouldn’t impact who you are.”
Now she could hear the pain in his voice, and it tore at her. She wrapped her arms around her waist. “You’ve earned it.”
“I got lucky. People wanted what I created.”
“My father invented lots of things people wanted. He didn’t have a penthouse or a jet.” Chloe said something she never thought she would. “He didn’t have the drive or the discipline you do. He wouldn’t work hard enough to build what you’ve built. You give thousands of people the ability to pay their mortgages and send their children to college. It’s daunting.”
He closed the distance between them and took hold of her shoulders, his eyes scorching. “You’ve seen me hallucinating. You’ve seen me naked. I’m a man like anyone else.”
Chloe lifted her chin in an attempt to appear strong and certain, even as her heart was being slashed by every word. “No, you’re different. You live in the stratosphere, and that’s where you belong. Without me.”
He held her as they stared at each other. His grip was hard but not punishing. She tried to memorize what this last touch felt like.
He dropped his hands and walked away to stare out the window, combing one hand through his hair. When he turned back to her, anger made his jaw hard and his eyes opaque. “I can’t tar you with the same brush as Teresa. You couldn’t have engineered my bout with the flu. But you are a damned skillful opportunist.”
Chloe had expected this, even deserved it, but she still felt as though he’d drawn back his fist and socked her in the stomach. “When someone you love depends on you, you can’t always make the decisions you want to,” she said evenly. “You offered me the job without any prompting from me.”
“I offered you the job so I could screw you in my office whenever I wanted to.”
Even though she knew he was lashing out because she’d hurt him, his crudeness made her angry. “And you wanted to win your bet, didn’t you?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he said, but she caught the flash of guilt in his eyes.
“I heard you talking to Gavin and Luke about using me to win. That’s why you took me to the charity dinner. Was screwing me in your office part of the wager?”
He gave her a long, level look. “You are so far wrong about that.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“It wasn’t relevant.”
“It involved me, so I think it was relevant.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He looked away, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“How can I, when you won’t tell me?” His refusal to explain made her angry. With jerky movements she unhooked the earrings from her earlobes and removed the bracelet from her wrist, holding them out to him.
He yanked his gaze back to her before he reached out and scooped the jewelry off her palm. The anger that had fueled him seemed to evaporate as he closed his fingers on the sparkling baubles. His voice was hollow as he said, “I hoped you would keep them.”
“You know I can’t.”
When he lifted his eyes to hers, she nearly cried out at the desolation in them. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he’d felt more for her than she believed. But it didn’t matter now. She had made her decision.
Without thinking she reached out to him, but his expression made her pull back her hand as though she’d gotten too near a bonfire. Except this bonfire burned with the cold of a glacier.
“I’ll need my jacket,” he said, nodding toward her.
“Of course.” She’d forgotten she was still wearing it. Shrugging the warm garment off, she held it out. He took it in a way that avoided even brushing her fingertips. When a shiver ran through her, she wasn’t sure if it was from the air-conditioning or from the icy contempt radiating from Nathan.
“Tell Ben and Ed I’ll be in the Rolls,” he said as he settled the jacket over his broad shoulders.
She opened her mouth to say good-bye, but he’d already pivoted toward the door. All she could do was watch him stride away from her.
She wanted to throw herself facedown on the plastic of the sofa and wail, but she had to keep herself together for Grandmillie.
Looking down, she realized she still had Nathan’s tissues clutched in her hand. She opened her fingers and smoothed the crumpled packet back into its neat, rectangular shape. This would be the memento she treasured as the last thing he ever gave her.
There was a long silence as he simply looked at her. She watched his face, waiting for hurt or anger, but he held whatever he was feeling in check.
“You’re fired.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Problem solved.”
Tears burned in her eyes as she shook her head. “Don’t you see? Our relationship was going to end anyway. You’re so brilliant and rich, and I’m, well, I’m just a temp.”
“You don’t think much of me if you believe that matters.”
“Out in the real world it matters. I haven’t been living in that since I met you. I’ve been hanging out in penthouses, driving in Rolls-Royces, and flying around in jets and helicopters. It’s not who I am.”
“None of that changes who I am, so it shouldn’t impact who you are.”
Now she could hear the pain in his voice, and it tore at her. She wrapped her arms around her waist. “You’ve earned it.”
“I got lucky. People wanted what I created.”
“My father invented lots of things people wanted. He didn’t have a penthouse or a jet.” Chloe said something she never thought she would. “He didn’t have the drive or the discipline you do. He wouldn’t work hard enough to build what you’ve built. You give thousands of people the ability to pay their mortgages and send their children to college. It’s daunting.”
He closed the distance between them and took hold of her shoulders, his eyes scorching. “You’ve seen me hallucinating. You’ve seen me naked. I’m a man like anyone else.”
Chloe lifted her chin in an attempt to appear strong and certain, even as her heart was being slashed by every word. “No, you’re different. You live in the stratosphere, and that’s where you belong. Without me.”
He held her as they stared at each other. His grip was hard but not punishing. She tried to memorize what this last touch felt like.
He dropped his hands and walked away to stare out the window, combing one hand through his hair. When he turned back to her, anger made his jaw hard and his eyes opaque. “I can’t tar you with the same brush as Teresa. You couldn’t have engineered my bout with the flu. But you are a damned skillful opportunist.”
Chloe had expected this, even deserved it, but she still felt as though he’d drawn back his fist and socked her in the stomach. “When someone you love depends on you, you can’t always make the decisions you want to,” she said evenly. “You offered me the job without any prompting from me.”
“I offered you the job so I could screw you in my office whenever I wanted to.”
Even though she knew he was lashing out because she’d hurt him, his crudeness made her angry. “And you wanted to win your bet, didn’t you?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he said, but she caught the flash of guilt in his eyes.
“I heard you talking to Gavin and Luke about using me to win. That’s why you took me to the charity dinner. Was screwing me in your office part of the wager?”
He gave her a long, level look. “You are so far wrong about that.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“It wasn’t relevant.”
“It involved me, so I think it was relevant.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He looked away, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“How can I, when you won’t tell me?” His refusal to explain made her angry. With jerky movements she unhooked the earrings from her earlobes and removed the bracelet from her wrist, holding them out to him.
He yanked his gaze back to her before he reached out and scooped the jewelry off her palm. The anger that had fueled him seemed to evaporate as he closed his fingers on the sparkling baubles. His voice was hollow as he said, “I hoped you would keep them.”
“You know I can’t.”
When he lifted his eyes to hers, she nearly cried out at the desolation in them. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he’d felt more for her than she believed. But it didn’t matter now. She had made her decision.
Without thinking she reached out to him, but his expression made her pull back her hand as though she’d gotten too near a bonfire. Except this bonfire burned with the cold of a glacier.
“I’ll need my jacket,” he said, nodding toward her.
“Of course.” She’d forgotten she was still wearing it. Shrugging the warm garment off, she held it out. He took it in a way that avoided even brushing her fingertips. When a shiver ran through her, she wasn’t sure if it was from the air-conditioning or from the icy contempt radiating from Nathan.
“Tell Ben and Ed I’ll be in the Rolls,” he said as he settled the jacket over his broad shoulders.
She opened her mouth to say good-bye, but he’d already pivoted toward the door. All she could do was watch him stride away from her.
She wanted to throw herself facedown on the plastic of the sofa and wail, but she had to keep herself together for Grandmillie.
Looking down, she realized she still had Nathan’s tissues clutched in her hand. She opened her fingers and smoothed the crumpled packet back into its neat, rectangular shape. This would be the memento she treasured as the last thing he ever gave her.
