The CEO Buys In
Page 61
“Right. I’ll do that.”
Judith said good-bye, and Chloe slumped in her chair, letting the cell phone drop into her lap. She didn’t want to work on her resumé tonight; she wanted to sit in front of the television set, letting Grandmillie comment on how bad the shows were while Chloe daydreamed about Nathan.
Nathan! Did he know she wasn’t going to be at Trainor Electronics tomorrow? No, he would have called her if he did. HR wouldn’t bother the CEO on a Sunday with personnel issues; they would make sure he had whatever he needed without him ever having to think about it.
She stared down at her cell phone. She was afraid to call him, afraid her absence from outside his office wouldn’t matter to him. Even more afraid that his interest would fade when she wasn’t right there in front of him, working through his e-mails.
No, there was still the wedding next weekend. She would have at least six more days of his attention.
She picked up the phone and hit his speed dial.
He answered on the first ring. “Chloe, I’m on the terrace, staring across the Hudson River, wondering where in that glow of lights you are.”
The tension drained from her body. He’d care that she wasn’t going to be there tomorrow. “Slightly south and three counties in.”
“How’s Grandmillie?”
She sucked in a breath as his words touched that fresh bruise on her heart. “She’s doing fine.”
“You don’t sound fine.”
Even though he couldn’t see her, Chloe shook her head. “She had a little health issue last week that she just shared with me, but it’s nothing to worry about.”
“I’ll have Ben take a look at her. It will give him someone else to badger, so he’ll leave me alone.”
The temptation to have the highly qualified Cavill give Grandmillie a thorough checkup nearly overwhelmed her, but it was a favor she couldn’t accept. Nor would her grandmother want her to. “Thank you, but it’s not necessary. She saw her own doctor.”
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
He was using his strategy of retreating to fight another day, but she was too weary to tell him she wouldn’t change her mind. “That’s why I called. I won’t be there tomorrow. Everyone at Trainor Electronics is healthy again.”
He swore, making Chloe’s sore heart flip with delight. “Where will you be working?”
“Tallman and Hicks Accounting in Midtown.”
“We’ll meet for lunch. At my apartment. I’ll send Oskar for you.”
She laughed. “You’d have to come in the car with Oskar. Remember, I only get half an hour for lunch.”
He muttered another curse. She loved his frustration. “Isn’t that against some labor law?” he asked.
“Not for a temp. We’re just hired guns.”
“I’ll be there in the Rolls when you get off work. We’ll drive to New Jersey together.”
She knew she should say no. She needed to keep him separate from her real world. But the thought of not seeing him tomorrow made all her good sense evaporate like dew under an August sun. “Okay. I’ll send you Tallman’s address.”
His voice came through the phone in a low, sexy rumble. “I hope the rush-hour traffic is horrific.”
CHAPTER 18
Nathan usually enjoyed the quiet of early morning on the executive floor when he was the only one in. Today it felt empty.
He paced over to the wall of windows and stared outward without seeing the skyscrapers spiking up into the sky. He wanted Chloe here.
He’d checked and there were currently four open positions—with generous salaries—listed on the internal job roster that she could fill perfectly. In one stroke, he could ease her financial problems and satisfy his own need.
He was well aware that it would be more appropriate to find her a job at another corporation, something he could do easily, but he had to know she was in this building somewhere.
They would have to be discreet. That might be the most difficult part for him, since he had an almost constant desire to see her. But he would not tarnish her reputation.
He looked at his watch for the third time since he’d started work. Another hour before Roberta got into the HR office.
Chloe had never been so grateful for a mindless temporary assignment. As she copied and collated sheet after sheet of numbers and legal jargon, she veered among worrying about how to keep Grandmillie from signing herself into Crestmont Village, redrawing her image of her father, and having her knees go weak in anticipation of what she and Nathan might do in the back of the Rolls. It was an exhausting roil of emotions.
Her cell phone vibrated in her trousers pocket, indicating a text message had come in. She finished putting together a packet of papers before she pulled her phone out. It was from Nathan.
Call me when you break for lunch.
She glanced at the clock on the wall of the conference room where she was working, the papers spread across the vast mahogany tabletop in neat piles. The executive assistant she was working for had told her to take lunch whenever she wanted, so she could start it right now.
She plunked down in one of the huge leather chairs and shoved it away from the table, swiveling toward the windows as she called Nathan.
He answered halfway through the ring. “I needed to hear your voice.”
“That’s the best hello I’ve ever gotten.” Chloe felt her worries lighten.
Judith said good-bye, and Chloe slumped in her chair, letting the cell phone drop into her lap. She didn’t want to work on her resumé tonight; she wanted to sit in front of the television set, letting Grandmillie comment on how bad the shows were while Chloe daydreamed about Nathan.
Nathan! Did he know she wasn’t going to be at Trainor Electronics tomorrow? No, he would have called her if he did. HR wouldn’t bother the CEO on a Sunday with personnel issues; they would make sure he had whatever he needed without him ever having to think about it.
She stared down at her cell phone. She was afraid to call him, afraid her absence from outside his office wouldn’t matter to him. Even more afraid that his interest would fade when she wasn’t right there in front of him, working through his e-mails.
No, there was still the wedding next weekend. She would have at least six more days of his attention.
She picked up the phone and hit his speed dial.
He answered on the first ring. “Chloe, I’m on the terrace, staring across the Hudson River, wondering where in that glow of lights you are.”
The tension drained from her body. He’d care that she wasn’t going to be there tomorrow. “Slightly south and three counties in.”
“How’s Grandmillie?”
She sucked in a breath as his words touched that fresh bruise on her heart. “She’s doing fine.”
“You don’t sound fine.”
Even though he couldn’t see her, Chloe shook her head. “She had a little health issue last week that she just shared with me, but it’s nothing to worry about.”
“I’ll have Ben take a look at her. It will give him someone else to badger, so he’ll leave me alone.”
The temptation to have the highly qualified Cavill give Grandmillie a thorough checkup nearly overwhelmed her, but it was a favor she couldn’t accept. Nor would her grandmother want her to. “Thank you, but it’s not necessary. She saw her own doctor.”
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
He was using his strategy of retreating to fight another day, but she was too weary to tell him she wouldn’t change her mind. “That’s why I called. I won’t be there tomorrow. Everyone at Trainor Electronics is healthy again.”
He swore, making Chloe’s sore heart flip with delight. “Where will you be working?”
“Tallman and Hicks Accounting in Midtown.”
“We’ll meet for lunch. At my apartment. I’ll send Oskar for you.”
She laughed. “You’d have to come in the car with Oskar. Remember, I only get half an hour for lunch.”
He muttered another curse. She loved his frustration. “Isn’t that against some labor law?” he asked.
“Not for a temp. We’re just hired guns.”
“I’ll be there in the Rolls when you get off work. We’ll drive to New Jersey together.”
She knew she should say no. She needed to keep him separate from her real world. But the thought of not seeing him tomorrow made all her good sense evaporate like dew under an August sun. “Okay. I’ll send you Tallman’s address.”
His voice came through the phone in a low, sexy rumble. “I hope the rush-hour traffic is horrific.”
CHAPTER 18
Nathan usually enjoyed the quiet of early morning on the executive floor when he was the only one in. Today it felt empty.
He paced over to the wall of windows and stared outward without seeing the skyscrapers spiking up into the sky. He wanted Chloe here.
He’d checked and there were currently four open positions—with generous salaries—listed on the internal job roster that she could fill perfectly. In one stroke, he could ease her financial problems and satisfy his own need.
He was well aware that it would be more appropriate to find her a job at another corporation, something he could do easily, but he had to know she was in this building somewhere.
They would have to be discreet. That might be the most difficult part for him, since he had an almost constant desire to see her. But he would not tarnish her reputation.
He looked at his watch for the third time since he’d started work. Another hour before Roberta got into the HR office.
Chloe had never been so grateful for a mindless temporary assignment. As she copied and collated sheet after sheet of numbers and legal jargon, she veered among worrying about how to keep Grandmillie from signing herself into Crestmont Village, redrawing her image of her father, and having her knees go weak in anticipation of what she and Nathan might do in the back of the Rolls. It was an exhausting roil of emotions.
Her cell phone vibrated in her trousers pocket, indicating a text message had come in. She finished putting together a packet of papers before she pulled her phone out. It was from Nathan.
Call me when you break for lunch.
She glanced at the clock on the wall of the conference room where she was working, the papers spread across the vast mahogany tabletop in neat piles. The executive assistant she was working for had told her to take lunch whenever she wanted, so she could start it right now.
She plunked down in one of the huge leather chairs and shoved it away from the table, swiveling toward the windows as she called Nathan.
He answered halfway through the ring. “I needed to hear your voice.”
“That’s the best hello I’ve ever gotten.” Chloe felt her worries lighten.
