The CEO Buys In
Page 32
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It must be some residual effect of his illness. He’d never noticed those things about Janice.
Chloe’s chair creaked, drawing his gaze back to her face as she said, “You know, you’re really good at this.”
He felt a wash of pleasure. Another sign of weakness. “A high compliment from Ms. Chloe Russell,” he said, injecting a sardonic edge into his voice so she wouldn’t suspect how much her comment gratified him.
“I shouldn’t have said that.” She fiddled with the mouse. “Of course you’re good at it. You’re the CEO.”
“An elevated title doesn’t guarantee competence. In fact, there’s a law about that.”
She let go of the mouse and lifted her gaze to his with a slight smile. “The Peter Principle. You’re promoted to the level of your incompetence. That doesn’t apply to you.”
“Because I founded the company?”
She nodded. “You didn’t have to rise through the ranks. You got pushed upward as the ranks grew beneath you.”
He wasn’t sure whether that was a compliment or a subtle insult. “You’re not afraid of me at all, are you?”
She waved her hand toward him. “There’s something about seeing my boss in his pajamas that makes me forget I’m a mere temp.”
“There is nothing mere about you.”
She gave him a sideways look of skepticism before raising her hand to massage the back of her neck. He imagined replacing her hand with his. He could almost feel the soft, vulnerable skin at her nape. Sliding sideways on the bed, he said, “You’ve been sitting on that chair staring at a computer screen all day. You deserve to relax and enjoy the view.” He gestured toward the space he’d left open beside him.
She sucked in a quick breath before she gave him a look as sharp as a razor blade. “I’ll just turn my chair around.”
Her first reaction was enough to encourage him, but he decided to back off for the moment. He gave a nonchalant shrug. “The bed is more comfortable.” When he touched the control panel, the lights dimmed so he could see stars glowing against a translucent sky of dark blue above the horizon of New Jersey.
Throwing a dubious glance at the darkened overhead light fixture, she swiveled her seat around to face the wall of glass. “Wow! I didn’t know New Jersey could look so good.”
He watched her as she drank in the landscape of the river and its opposite bank. Her dark eyes picked up little glints of the surrounding illumination, and her sun-streaked hair showed the luster of satin. She wasn’t a knockout. She had the kind of looks that grew on you. Or maybe it was what was beneath the surface that was a knockout. Now that he knew her better, he could see the woman hidden inside, and he wanted her with a surprising intensity.
“Come to my father’s wedding with me,” he said without thinking.
Her gaze swung around to him, and he caught the indecision on her face. She hadn’t said no, so he just needed to find the right leverage. Evidently, money wasn’t enough of an incentive. “It will be a military wedding. Men in uniforms, crossed swords, pomp and circumstance.” Didn’t women love that?
She started to shake her head, so he tried a different tack. “We’ll take my jet to North Carolina. No long drive. No security lines. You can even change clothes on the plane.”
“It wouldn’t—”
He cut her off. “I could use a buffer between my father and me. You’d be doing me a favor.”
“Oh.” She looked away toward the window, then down at her hands clasped in her lap. “There must be another woman who’d go with you, one who would be more at ease in that social situation than I would.”
He couldn’t think of a single woman other than Chloe he’d want by his side. “I’ve seen you handle everything from a jargon-laden technical development meeting to a grown man in the grip of hallucinations. You’ll be perfectly at ease with my father.”
“What about his bride?”
“Angel?” Why would she ask about the interloper? “Her opinions are irrelevant.”
“Sometimes you sound like a typical CEO.”
That clearly wasn’t a compliment. “Maybe you should meet Angel before you judge my attitude toward her.” He saw Chloe’s spine stiffen and knew he’d made a tactical error. Driven to the wall, he switched to flattery. “My father doesn’t approve of my usual dates, but he’ll like you.”
“Because I’m not a supermodel or an actress?”
Somehow he was digging a deeper hole. Exasperated, he spoke the truth. Or some of it. “Look, I don’t want to walk into a tense situation with some high-maintenance type on my arm. I’ll have enough to deal with.”
That had probably blown his chances. He cast a quick look at Chloe. Her expression had gone from pissed off to sympathetic.
He’d found his leverage. He just wasn’t sure it was the kind of leverage he wanted to use.
Chloe was getting whipsawed between insult and gratification. Every time Trainor opened his mouth, he surprised her. But his last statement undercut all her resolve. He probably hadn’t meant it as a compliment, but implying she wasn’t high maintenance pleased her. Ed had said Trainor would need an ally. Now Trainor himself was telling her the same thing in his own way. And they both saw her as the right person for the job.
How could she refuse? “I’ll go on two conditions.”
Chloe’s chair creaked, drawing his gaze back to her face as she said, “You know, you’re really good at this.”
He felt a wash of pleasure. Another sign of weakness. “A high compliment from Ms. Chloe Russell,” he said, injecting a sardonic edge into his voice so she wouldn’t suspect how much her comment gratified him.
“I shouldn’t have said that.” She fiddled with the mouse. “Of course you’re good at it. You’re the CEO.”
“An elevated title doesn’t guarantee competence. In fact, there’s a law about that.”
She let go of the mouse and lifted her gaze to his with a slight smile. “The Peter Principle. You’re promoted to the level of your incompetence. That doesn’t apply to you.”
“Because I founded the company?”
She nodded. “You didn’t have to rise through the ranks. You got pushed upward as the ranks grew beneath you.”
He wasn’t sure whether that was a compliment or a subtle insult. “You’re not afraid of me at all, are you?”
She waved her hand toward him. “There’s something about seeing my boss in his pajamas that makes me forget I’m a mere temp.”
“There is nothing mere about you.”
She gave him a sideways look of skepticism before raising her hand to massage the back of her neck. He imagined replacing her hand with his. He could almost feel the soft, vulnerable skin at her nape. Sliding sideways on the bed, he said, “You’ve been sitting on that chair staring at a computer screen all day. You deserve to relax and enjoy the view.” He gestured toward the space he’d left open beside him.
She sucked in a quick breath before she gave him a look as sharp as a razor blade. “I’ll just turn my chair around.”
Her first reaction was enough to encourage him, but he decided to back off for the moment. He gave a nonchalant shrug. “The bed is more comfortable.” When he touched the control panel, the lights dimmed so he could see stars glowing against a translucent sky of dark blue above the horizon of New Jersey.
Throwing a dubious glance at the darkened overhead light fixture, she swiveled her seat around to face the wall of glass. “Wow! I didn’t know New Jersey could look so good.”
He watched her as she drank in the landscape of the river and its opposite bank. Her dark eyes picked up little glints of the surrounding illumination, and her sun-streaked hair showed the luster of satin. She wasn’t a knockout. She had the kind of looks that grew on you. Or maybe it was what was beneath the surface that was a knockout. Now that he knew her better, he could see the woman hidden inside, and he wanted her with a surprising intensity.
“Come to my father’s wedding with me,” he said without thinking.
Her gaze swung around to him, and he caught the indecision on her face. She hadn’t said no, so he just needed to find the right leverage. Evidently, money wasn’t enough of an incentive. “It will be a military wedding. Men in uniforms, crossed swords, pomp and circumstance.” Didn’t women love that?
She started to shake her head, so he tried a different tack. “We’ll take my jet to North Carolina. No long drive. No security lines. You can even change clothes on the plane.”
“It wouldn’t—”
He cut her off. “I could use a buffer between my father and me. You’d be doing me a favor.”
“Oh.” She looked away toward the window, then down at her hands clasped in her lap. “There must be another woman who’d go with you, one who would be more at ease in that social situation than I would.”
He couldn’t think of a single woman other than Chloe he’d want by his side. “I’ve seen you handle everything from a jargon-laden technical development meeting to a grown man in the grip of hallucinations. You’ll be perfectly at ease with my father.”
“What about his bride?”
“Angel?” Why would she ask about the interloper? “Her opinions are irrelevant.”
“Sometimes you sound like a typical CEO.”
That clearly wasn’t a compliment. “Maybe you should meet Angel before you judge my attitude toward her.” He saw Chloe’s spine stiffen and knew he’d made a tactical error. Driven to the wall, he switched to flattery. “My father doesn’t approve of my usual dates, but he’ll like you.”
“Because I’m not a supermodel or an actress?”
Somehow he was digging a deeper hole. Exasperated, he spoke the truth. Or some of it. “Look, I don’t want to walk into a tense situation with some high-maintenance type on my arm. I’ll have enough to deal with.”
That had probably blown his chances. He cast a quick look at Chloe. Her expression had gone from pissed off to sympathetic.
He’d found his leverage. He just wasn’t sure it was the kind of leverage he wanted to use.
Chloe was getting whipsawed between insult and gratification. Every time Trainor opened his mouth, he surprised her. But his last statement undercut all her resolve. He probably hadn’t meant it as a compliment, but implying she wasn’t high maintenance pleased her. Ed had said Trainor would need an ally. Now Trainor himself was telling her the same thing in his own way. And they both saw her as the right person for the job.
How could she refuse? “I’ll go on two conditions.”
