The CEO Buys In
Page 74
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Surprise made him yield to the pressure of her small hand. He leaned back as she shifted onto the facing seat and looked him in the eye. Her stern expression was undercut by the wild fall of her hair, and he couldn’t stop a smile from curling the corners of his lips.
“Stop smirking.”
Her annoyance made his smile go wider.
She looked out the window. “Judith called me about the position at Trainor Electronics.”
That killed the smile. His e-mail to Roberta had gotten action faster than he’d expected. He waited.
She turned back to him, her back ramrod straight. “Did you pull strings for me?”
He shrugged. “I mentioned you were looking for a permanent position.”
“When the CEO says something like that, it’s pulling strings.” She didn’t look happy.
“Look, Phil Riviere knows how Rich Sinclair writes. He read the report you edited and was impressed. He wanted you in his department.”
Her gaze on his face felt like a laser beam. She was weighing his words for their honesty. And they were true, as far as they went. She frowned. “Do you spend a lot of time in the marketing department?”
He tried to reroute the conversation by letting his voice drop to a rasp. “Are you afraid I’ll distract you?”
“I’m very focused when I’m working,” she said without reacting to his tone. “And that’s not what worries me.”
“What is it then?”
She shook her head and stared down at her hands. They were twisted into a knot on her lap. She straightened them out and flexed her fingers wide. “It’s a very generous offer and a great position.” She gave him an unreadable look. “I have a rule about not dating my boss.”
“No one will know we’re involved,” he promised. Her job should bring her nowhere near the executive office, so they’d never have any reason to interact at work. Unless he needed to see her. He had a momentary fantasy of calling her up to his office and bending her over his desk. His erection throbbed again.
“You obviously know nothing about office gossip,” she said before she looked away.
“Chloe, there are three levels of management between your job and mine. Why would anyone care?”
“I care,” she said in a low voice.
“Phil wouldn’t have hired you if he didn’t believe you could do a great job. You’ll be an asset to his department.”
She huffed out a breath that sounded more unhappy than relieved. “All right.” She scooted back to the seat beside him.
He tried to read her expression, but she was in profile to him. “So you’ll take the job.”
She turned her head, an imp of mischief dancing in her brown eyes. “I told Judith I’d let her know tomorrow.”
“You are what’s known as a tease,” he said, sliding his hand around her neck to twine his fingers into her hair and tilt her head back. He nipped at the soft skin on the side of her neck before dragging his mouth down to lick the shadow of cleavage that just showed in the neckline of her blouse.
The intake of her breath made him harder, but he had a new plan. He slipped his hand up under her skirt, finding satisfaction in the fact that she let her thighs open. When he found the lace of her panties, it was warm and damp. He hooked it aside with his thumb and slid first one and then two fingers into the moist heat of her, stroking and flexing so she bucked up off the seat. He could feel her movements become more frantic, and he slowed his.
“Who’s teasing now?” she gasped, her hands scrabbling at the leather seat as she rode his hand.
“I’m getting you ready.” He leaned over and took her open mouth, using his tongue to echo the deliberate rhythm of his fingers. She whimpered and tried to push herself against his hand, but he shifted to ease the pressure.
She pulled her mouth away from him. “Ready for what?”
“The fitting room.” He rubbed his thumb against her, loving the satiny slide of her private skin, trying to ignore the way her moan shot straight to his cock. “I want you desperate.”
“I’m trying to be angry with you, but it’s really difficult.”
He pressed his thumb a little harder, gauging how far he could wind her up before she went over the edge.
“Especially when you do that.”
He pulled his hand out from under her skirt, bringing his fingers up to inhale the fragrance of Chloe’s arousal. Then he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and regretfully wiped the delicious moisture off his fingers.
She’d slumped back on the seat and was watching him through slitted eyes.
“If I tasted you, I wouldn’t be able to walk into Saks,” he said.
That made her smile, a triumphant curve of her full lips.
“Now you’re smirking,” he said.
“No, that’s a grimace of sexual frustration,” she said, smoothing her skirt down as she pressed her knees together.
The car came to a stop.
Nathan threaded his fingers through Chloe’s and lifted her hand to kiss the smooth skin on its back. “I hope the fitting room has lots of mirrors.”
CHAPTER 21
Chloe felt like a bundle of lit-up nerve endings. As Nathan helped her out of the car and escorted her to an unmarked bronze door on the side of the venerable retailer’s Fifth Avenue store, she could feel every brush of her clothing, every whisper of air over her skin, every point of contact between Nathan’s body and hers. It all fed the tightly wound knot of desire deep in her belly that was aching for release.
“Stop smirking.”
Her annoyance made his smile go wider.
She looked out the window. “Judith called me about the position at Trainor Electronics.”
That killed the smile. His e-mail to Roberta had gotten action faster than he’d expected. He waited.
She turned back to him, her back ramrod straight. “Did you pull strings for me?”
He shrugged. “I mentioned you were looking for a permanent position.”
“When the CEO says something like that, it’s pulling strings.” She didn’t look happy.
“Look, Phil Riviere knows how Rich Sinclair writes. He read the report you edited and was impressed. He wanted you in his department.”
Her gaze on his face felt like a laser beam. She was weighing his words for their honesty. And they were true, as far as they went. She frowned. “Do you spend a lot of time in the marketing department?”
He tried to reroute the conversation by letting his voice drop to a rasp. “Are you afraid I’ll distract you?”
“I’m very focused when I’m working,” she said without reacting to his tone. “And that’s not what worries me.”
“What is it then?”
She shook her head and stared down at her hands. They were twisted into a knot on her lap. She straightened them out and flexed her fingers wide. “It’s a very generous offer and a great position.” She gave him an unreadable look. “I have a rule about not dating my boss.”
“No one will know we’re involved,” he promised. Her job should bring her nowhere near the executive office, so they’d never have any reason to interact at work. Unless he needed to see her. He had a momentary fantasy of calling her up to his office and bending her over his desk. His erection throbbed again.
“You obviously know nothing about office gossip,” she said before she looked away.
“Chloe, there are three levels of management between your job and mine. Why would anyone care?”
“I care,” she said in a low voice.
“Phil wouldn’t have hired you if he didn’t believe you could do a great job. You’ll be an asset to his department.”
She huffed out a breath that sounded more unhappy than relieved. “All right.” She scooted back to the seat beside him.
He tried to read her expression, but she was in profile to him. “So you’ll take the job.”
She turned her head, an imp of mischief dancing in her brown eyes. “I told Judith I’d let her know tomorrow.”
“You are what’s known as a tease,” he said, sliding his hand around her neck to twine his fingers into her hair and tilt her head back. He nipped at the soft skin on the side of her neck before dragging his mouth down to lick the shadow of cleavage that just showed in the neckline of her blouse.
The intake of her breath made him harder, but he had a new plan. He slipped his hand up under her skirt, finding satisfaction in the fact that she let her thighs open. When he found the lace of her panties, it was warm and damp. He hooked it aside with his thumb and slid first one and then two fingers into the moist heat of her, stroking and flexing so she bucked up off the seat. He could feel her movements become more frantic, and he slowed his.
“Who’s teasing now?” she gasped, her hands scrabbling at the leather seat as she rode his hand.
“I’m getting you ready.” He leaned over and took her open mouth, using his tongue to echo the deliberate rhythm of his fingers. She whimpered and tried to push herself against his hand, but he shifted to ease the pressure.
She pulled her mouth away from him. “Ready for what?”
“The fitting room.” He rubbed his thumb against her, loving the satiny slide of her private skin, trying to ignore the way her moan shot straight to his cock. “I want you desperate.”
“I’m trying to be angry with you, but it’s really difficult.”
He pressed his thumb a little harder, gauging how far he could wind her up before she went over the edge.
“Especially when you do that.”
He pulled his hand out from under her skirt, bringing his fingers up to inhale the fragrance of Chloe’s arousal. Then he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and regretfully wiped the delicious moisture off his fingers.
She’d slumped back on the seat and was watching him through slitted eyes.
“If I tasted you, I wouldn’t be able to walk into Saks,” he said.
That made her smile, a triumphant curve of her full lips.
“Now you’re smirking,” he said.
“No, that’s a grimace of sexual frustration,” she said, smoothing her skirt down as she pressed her knees together.
The car came to a stop.
Nathan threaded his fingers through Chloe’s and lifted her hand to kiss the smooth skin on its back. “I hope the fitting room has lots of mirrors.”
CHAPTER 21
Chloe felt like a bundle of lit-up nerve endings. As Nathan helped her out of the car and escorted her to an unmarked bronze door on the side of the venerable retailer’s Fifth Avenue store, she could feel every brush of her clothing, every whisper of air over her skin, every point of contact between Nathan’s body and hers. It all fed the tightly wound knot of desire deep in her belly that was aching for release.
