The CEO Buys In
Page 27

“I’m sorry if I startled you,” he said. “Even this high up, the street noise can cover the sound of footsteps.”
“I was lost in my own world,” Chloe admitted. “Lunch out here would be amazing, but I need to go see my boss at Flexitemps. Could you call a car for me?”
“Mr. Trainor has put his car and driver at your disposal.”
Chloe nearly rolled her eyes. Trainor just had to keep his hands on the reins.
Even without the eye roll, her exasperation must have shown on her face, because Ed said, “Mr. Trainor understands how unusual it is to ask you to work in his home, so he wishes to lessen the imposition in any way he can.”
Chloe stifled a snort. Mr. Trainor wanted to make sure she was at his beck and call. “I appreciate his thoughtfulness,” she said, an edge of sarcasm in her voice.
“I’ll have Oskar, the driver, take you down in the elevator to the garage,” Ed said.
Chloe shifted in the chrome-and-white-leather chair in front of Judith’s glass-topped desk as she finished describing her experience with Trainor’s lifestyle. “So the chauffeur—because he’s wearing a black suit and a hat so that makes him a chauffeur, not a driver—ushers me into this elevator all trimmed in fancy wood and we go down into a garage that only Trainor’s elevator has access to. It’s a separate area from the rest of the parking under the building with a gate that you have to swipe a card to open. It’s unbelievable. Then Oskar asks me which car I would like to use.”
Chloe twisted the cap off the bottle of water Judith had handed her and took a gulp. Her friend lounged in her executive chair behind the desk, her red hair pulled back into a businesslike ponytail, her signature pantsuit a dark-green wool over a tailored white blouse. Chloe didn’t think she’d ever seen Judith in anything other than trousers.
“Isn’t it interesting to see how the other half lives?” Judith asked.
“Trainor is not the other half. He must be in the top one-thousandth of one percent,” Chloe said. “There were six cars to choose from, including a Maserati and a Rolls-Royce.”
“Which one did you choose?”
Chloe grinned. “The Rolls-Royce.”
“So you’ve ridden in a helicopter, been driven by a chauffeur in a Rolls, and worked in an apartment bigger than most people’s houses,” Judith said. “What’s the problem?”
Chloe fiddled with the bottle cap. “It’s weird to work in his home.” She shook her head at herself. “No, it’s weird working in his bedroom. I mean, the man is lying in bed wearing pajamas while I’m reading him his e-mails.” The picture of Trainor’s shoulder muscles under his gray shirt flashed through her mind.
Judith sat forward. “Has he done anything that qualifies as sexual harassment?”
“No, no, nothing like that!” Chloe was appalled that Judith would think that’s what she meant about Trainor. For all her mixed feelings about his position and power, Chloe didn’t want to imply that he was sleazy. “I don’t think he even likes me much. I’m just convenient.”
Judith looked skeptical but let it pass. “So what is it that makes you uncomfortable?”
Chloe frowned, trying to put her finger on why she struggled with the situation. She should have been grateful to take the extra pay as long as it lasted. Instead, she found herself fighting against the sense that she was sliding down a dangerously slippery slope with every additional hour she spent with Trainor. “It’s supposed to be a professional relationship, but I’ve also sort of gotten involved with his physical well-being. When he was feverish, I could calm him. It was flattering.”
“Sweetie, you’re not falling for Nathan Trainor, are you? Not that anyone could blame you, but he’s out of your league.”
Chloe gave a rueful shrug while she mentally shook herself. “There’s something about seeing a man barefoot that makes you look past the suit and the giant desk. He becomes human.” And capable of feeling pain. She remembered his face after he received his father’s wedding invitation. There had been shock and anger, but there had also been hurt. She felt a flutter of concern. This was treacherous territory she was venturing into. First she jumped to Trainor’s defense, and now she was feeling sorry for him.
Judith stared at the ceiling for a moment before she brought her gaze back to Chloe, saying, “Here’s some advice. Whenever you start to think he’s just another man, remember the size of his penthouse and the fact that he has a doctor on call twenty-four/seven and the choice of six cars with a driver. The very rich are different because they are insulated from all the normal wear and tear of life. People like Nathan Trainor don’t consider other people’s needs because their own are met without any effort on their part. He’ll just assume yours are too, so he’ll run right over you without a qualm.”
Chloe thought about Trainor saying he’d find a way to persuade her to stay overnight, proving that Judith was right. Chloe wanted to be adamant in her refusal, yet she found herself longing to share the strange intimacy with him a little longer. Once he and his regular executive assistant recovered, her presence wouldn’t be necessary and she’d never see him again. The thought left her with a hollow feeling. Not good. She needed to shore up her resistance to this unhealthy attraction.
“I’d offer to send someone else in your place, but it’s been made clear that you are the only person Trainor wants,” Judith said. “And you would not believe what you’re making an hour now.” Judith quoted a number that made Chloe’s eyes go wide. “You’re getting triple the usual rate, and I expected only double, so I’m giving you all the extra.”