The Executive's Decision
Page 10

“When you find Peterson, tell him I’m looking for him. I need an update on that conference call from yesterday.” He watched her grab her note pad and make notes. “Call John Forrester and make arrangements for us to visit the site sometime this week.”
She nodded as she kept writing as he continued the list. “And I need a suggestion on where to get tiramisu before Saturday to take to my mother’s.” That caused her to smile. “I don’t know where to begin.”
“I’ll take care of that.” She kept her eyes on her pad.
“Thank you. Chinese for lunch?”
Finally, she looked up at him. “Do you have a place you order from, or should I just take care of that?”
“No, just be ready at twelve thirty. We go out for Chinese food. We’ll take your office meeting when we get back.” He closed the door to the office and delighted in the shock that had lit her face. But there was something troubling in her expression. Though it was enjoyable to throw Regan Keller off her game, it worried him that someone had made her so distrusting of men.
Regan didn’t find Peterson. He found her.
Kirk Peterson sat down on the edge of her desk as if it were a bar stool and introduced himself with a handshake that included an unabashed attempt to peek down her blouse. He was a stocky man in his early forties. He’d been married long enough that the wedding band on his finger looked to have grown into place, but by his casual way, it didn’t seem to matter to him that there was a ring on his finger. While she told him what Zach wanted, he touched everything on her desk. It annoyed her but she smiled professionally.
She managed the phone and let Zach know Peterson was there if he was available.
“Can you come in here first?” he asked.
“I’ll be right in.” She picked up the note pad and her pen. “I’ll be right back. He’ll be ready in a moment.”
She hurried from her desk and skimmed through Zach’s door, keeping an eye on Kirk Peterson. Though she was glad to be away from him, it distressed her to think he’d touch everything she owned while she was away. He was probably the kind of man to go through drawers and files.
Zach watched her from behind his desk, leaning back in his chair, with his arms crossed over his chest. When she rolled her eyes the moment the door closed, he laughed.
“Okay, that’s all.”
“What?” She snapped her head up. “Why are you laughing?”
“I really just wanted to see what your impression of him was. Mary Ellen turned green when he came around. You don’t look much different.”
She shook her head and flung open the door. “He’s ready for you,” she said as Peterson winked at her, which made her stomach churn.
Zach understood the reaction Kirk Peterson received from the women in the office. There were times even Zach was uncomfortable with the man. He was a smooth talker and had a tendency to let you know he knew everything. But he was a hell of a project manager.
Peterson’s meeting and the two that followed were quick. Before he left his office to collect Regan for lunch, he gathered his notes to have her type them up and file. She nodded when he handed them to her and told her what he needed her to do. “Perhaps I should get these done now.”
“No, they can wait. My stomach can’t.”
He wasn’t sure if she was even aware that she cringed. He shook it off, waited for her to tuck everything away, and collect her purse. “We’ll take my car,” he said as he turned back to the office and she followed.
He ushered her to the elevator and down to the parking garage, where his car waited a few feet from the door.
Regan let out a chuckle as they neared his car. “You know, it takes me fifteen minutes to get from the parking garage to the office. This took three.”
“Well I’ll have to look into giving you an executive parking space and a key for the private elevator.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said as he opened the car door for her. “Thank you.”
“Fifteen minutes? Really?” he asked, revisiting the subject as he climbed in beside her.
“Today I’m on level four. I paid two dollars, as an employee of the building without a monthly parking pass,” she informed him. “Then I had to walk down four ramps to the front of the building because there was maintenance going on in the elevator shaft. And this was on the day I showed up at seven. I’m thinking it will not be as quick a process tomorrow when I come in later.”
“I’ll make sure you get that key.”
“No, but thank you.” As she buckled her seatbelt, she shook her head. “You said you ride the bus to keep one more car off the roads.”
“Yes, and I only drive if I’m rushing to the hospital, going to my mother’s, or am very, very hungry.” He backed out of the space.
“I could have had your lunch called in.”
“Yes, but then you wouldn’t go with me and wouldn’t be a captive audience.”
She rubbed her temples, and he knew she was only going to lunch with him because he was her boss. And, he knew, she wouldn’t do it often—because he was her boss.
When she dropped her hands back to her lap, she gripped her purse, and he could see the white of her knuckles. What would it take for her to relax around him? Who made it impossible for her to be calm around men?
The restaurant was thirty minutes away, and Regan wondered when the pleasantries of the job would end. He couldn’t get so little done on a regular basis.
Inside the restaurant, ornate Chinese collectibles lined the walls. Lanterns hung over each tall booth. It was secluded, private, and dark.
He was going to be a challenge. She found herself pinching the bridge of her nose. Was each powerful man the same? They had to have certain characteristics in common. Confidence, the ability to dominate people and situations… She wouldn’t fall for it this time. She wouldn’t.
Zach stepped up closer to her as they walked through the restaurant. “Are you okay?”
She dropped her hand. “Sorry, just feel a headache coming on.”
“You’re hungry. See, it was good I got you out of the office.” He had his hand on the small of her back and guided her to a booth. The man behind the bar raised his hand in a welcome gesture.
Zach waited until Regan sat. “I’m going to go say hello to Mr. Lee. He’s the owner.”