The CEO Buys In
Page 26
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“No, sir,” she said, feeling as though she should slam her heels together and salute. Evidently, the major general had taught his son something about command.
A crease appeared between his eyebrows as he considered something. “Chloe, you might as well stay in the guest room here tonight. That way we can make up for the time we’re losing now.”
Her burgeoning pleasure at the prospect of a two-hour break withered under a lava flow of exasperation. “I have obligations at home,” she said stiffly. For some reason she didn’t want to tell Trainor about Grandmillie. Maybe because she was having hot fantasies about him, and mentioning she lived with her grandmother would take that sexy edge away.
He looked genuinely surprised. “What kind of obligations? You’re not married.”
“How do you know that?”
“You’re not wearing a ring.”
He hadn’t looked at her left hand before he said it, and she felt a guilty twinge of delight that he’d noticed and drawn his conclusion before this moment. However, that didn’t mean she was going to desert Grandmillie for a second night. “I have other responsibilities.”
He sighed and said in a long-suffering tone, “You stayed here last night, so clearly those responsibilities can be taken care of by someone else.”
“In an emergency,” she said, remembering how worried she’d been. “Dr. Cavill felt my presence was necessary for your well-being, so I made an exception. However, you are clearly on the road to recovery, and dealing with your e-mails does not constitute an emergency.”
“We’ll discuss it later,” he said, sweeping his hand over the intercom control panel at his bedside before dropping his arm in a way that betrayed his exhaustion. “Ed will be here in a minute.”
“I’m not staying.” She started toward the door to waylay Ed in the hallway.
“You underestimate my powers of persuasion,” Trainor said.
Chloe closed the bedroom door behind her with a slight bang, just to show Trainor she wasn’t intimidated. Ed was coming toward her at a fast clip. “Is everything all right, Ms. Russell?” he asked. He spoke calmly, but she could see anxiety in the tight way he held his shoulders.
“It’s fine. Mr. Trainor just wants to give you all sorts of orders about what I’m supposed to do, but I wanted to mention a couple of things to you out of his hearing.”
The butler looked both relieved and guarded. He nodded for her to continue.
“He’s still very weak. He tried to walk across the room and nearly collapsed. Even he admitted that he wasn’t ready to get out of bed. And now he’s decided he needs to sleep for a couple of hours.” She paused. “I get the feeling he doesn’t nap often.”
Ed’s watchfulness ratcheted down a few notches. “That would be accurate.”
Chloe debated a moment but decided a butler was probably privy to his employer’s social calendar. “He received an e-mail wedding invitation too. His father’s getting married next weekend.”
She got a kick out of Ed’s expression of shock. He muttered something under his breath that she thought was a strong expletive. To her he said, “Thank you for letting me know about the invitation.”
Since it was apparent that Ed worried about his boss, Chloe added, “Mr. Trainor was a little perturbed by it.”
“It’s somewhat unexpected,” Ed said in an obvious understatement.
“I didn’t tell you any of this,” Chloe said, fixing him with what she hoped was both a commanding and a pleading look.
His control cracked as he gave her a near smile. “I understand. Would you mind waiting in the guest room while I speak with Mr. Trainor?”
“I wouldn’t mind at all,” Chloe said. “I’ll be out on the terrace.”
She felt the need for some fresh air after spending the morning cooped up with a sick man. She hoped her flu shot and her immune system were proof against all the germs floating around her boss. Sliding open the door, she stepped out onto the tile expanse and lifted her face to the Indian-summer sun. The warmth and light soaked into her skin like one of the luxurious creams in the guest bathroom. “Except this luxury is free,” she murmured.
After basking for a couple of minutes, she pulled her cell phone from her skirt pocket, dialing Judith’s direct number at Flexitemps. Her employer picked up and said, “Chloe, are you still working at Trainor’s apartment?”
Chloe had called Judith from the car in New Jersey to give her a brief explanation of the change in circumstances. “Yes, and I’m out of my depth here. I have two hours free. Can I come to your office?”
The sound of a mouse clicking came through the phone. “Okay, I’ve cleared my schedule for a half hour starting in twenty minutes. Is that enough time?”
Judith’s business was very successful, due mostly to her hands-on approach to customer service, so Chloe appreciated the significance of a cleared half hour. “I’ll make it work.”
Disconnecting, Chloe walked to the wall of the terrace and gazed at the Hudson River, the same view Trainor’s bedroom had. A sleek sailboat glided upriver, the white of its sails almost blinding in the brilliant autumn light.
“May I offer you lunch on the terrace? We won’t have many more days like this one.”
Chloe jumped and turned as Ed’s voice came from behind her. The butler stood a few feet away from her—his somber, tailored clothing looking out of place against the vivid fall flowers in the planters.
A crease appeared between his eyebrows as he considered something. “Chloe, you might as well stay in the guest room here tonight. That way we can make up for the time we’re losing now.”
Her burgeoning pleasure at the prospect of a two-hour break withered under a lava flow of exasperation. “I have obligations at home,” she said stiffly. For some reason she didn’t want to tell Trainor about Grandmillie. Maybe because she was having hot fantasies about him, and mentioning she lived with her grandmother would take that sexy edge away.
He looked genuinely surprised. “What kind of obligations? You’re not married.”
“How do you know that?”
“You’re not wearing a ring.”
He hadn’t looked at her left hand before he said it, and she felt a guilty twinge of delight that he’d noticed and drawn his conclusion before this moment. However, that didn’t mean she was going to desert Grandmillie for a second night. “I have other responsibilities.”
He sighed and said in a long-suffering tone, “You stayed here last night, so clearly those responsibilities can be taken care of by someone else.”
“In an emergency,” she said, remembering how worried she’d been. “Dr. Cavill felt my presence was necessary for your well-being, so I made an exception. However, you are clearly on the road to recovery, and dealing with your e-mails does not constitute an emergency.”
“We’ll discuss it later,” he said, sweeping his hand over the intercom control panel at his bedside before dropping his arm in a way that betrayed his exhaustion. “Ed will be here in a minute.”
“I’m not staying.” She started toward the door to waylay Ed in the hallway.
“You underestimate my powers of persuasion,” Trainor said.
Chloe closed the bedroom door behind her with a slight bang, just to show Trainor she wasn’t intimidated. Ed was coming toward her at a fast clip. “Is everything all right, Ms. Russell?” he asked. He spoke calmly, but she could see anxiety in the tight way he held his shoulders.
“It’s fine. Mr. Trainor just wants to give you all sorts of orders about what I’m supposed to do, but I wanted to mention a couple of things to you out of his hearing.”
The butler looked both relieved and guarded. He nodded for her to continue.
“He’s still very weak. He tried to walk across the room and nearly collapsed. Even he admitted that he wasn’t ready to get out of bed. And now he’s decided he needs to sleep for a couple of hours.” She paused. “I get the feeling he doesn’t nap often.”
Ed’s watchfulness ratcheted down a few notches. “That would be accurate.”
Chloe debated a moment but decided a butler was probably privy to his employer’s social calendar. “He received an e-mail wedding invitation too. His father’s getting married next weekend.”
She got a kick out of Ed’s expression of shock. He muttered something under his breath that she thought was a strong expletive. To her he said, “Thank you for letting me know about the invitation.”
Since it was apparent that Ed worried about his boss, Chloe added, “Mr. Trainor was a little perturbed by it.”
“It’s somewhat unexpected,” Ed said in an obvious understatement.
“I didn’t tell you any of this,” Chloe said, fixing him with what she hoped was both a commanding and a pleading look.
His control cracked as he gave her a near smile. “I understand. Would you mind waiting in the guest room while I speak with Mr. Trainor?”
“I wouldn’t mind at all,” Chloe said. “I’ll be out on the terrace.”
She felt the need for some fresh air after spending the morning cooped up with a sick man. She hoped her flu shot and her immune system were proof against all the germs floating around her boss. Sliding open the door, she stepped out onto the tile expanse and lifted her face to the Indian-summer sun. The warmth and light soaked into her skin like one of the luxurious creams in the guest bathroom. “Except this luxury is free,” she murmured.
After basking for a couple of minutes, she pulled her cell phone from her skirt pocket, dialing Judith’s direct number at Flexitemps. Her employer picked up and said, “Chloe, are you still working at Trainor’s apartment?”
Chloe had called Judith from the car in New Jersey to give her a brief explanation of the change in circumstances. “Yes, and I’m out of my depth here. I have two hours free. Can I come to your office?”
The sound of a mouse clicking came through the phone. “Okay, I’ve cleared my schedule for a half hour starting in twenty minutes. Is that enough time?”
Judith’s business was very successful, due mostly to her hands-on approach to customer service, so Chloe appreciated the significance of a cleared half hour. “I’ll make it work.”
Disconnecting, Chloe walked to the wall of the terrace and gazed at the Hudson River, the same view Trainor’s bedroom had. A sleek sailboat glided upriver, the white of its sails almost blinding in the brilliant autumn light.
“May I offer you lunch on the terrace? We won’t have many more days like this one.”
Chloe jumped and turned as Ed’s voice came from behind her. The butler stood a few feet away from her—his somber, tailored clothing looking out of place against the vivid fall flowers in the planters.
