An Executive Decision (28 page)

Dee gave a little gasp of surprise and grabbed on to the podium for support, and the crowd erupted in chaos. Once again, cameras flashed like lightning. Ellis moved closer to Dee, gave her arm a reassuring squeeze, then raised a hand, and the room fell silent. ‘I’ve slept with her more than once, and I hope to do it again soon.’ He leaned forward over the podium. The crowd was deathly silent. ‘First of all, if you’ve done your homework –’ his gaze came to rest on the pale face of Mr Pittman ‘– you’ll already know Ms Henning’s credentials are impeccable. Her talents, her enthusiasm for the company’s unique philosophy, mean that Pneuma Inc. was damn lucky to get her before someone else snapped her up. In the short time she’s been here she’s already become indispensable. She’s making this a richer, more well-rounded company. Just so you know. Secondly, as far as I know there’s no law against a man sleeping with the woman he loves.’

Dee gave a little sob of surprise, and clutched at the podium with both hands. Cautiously, he slipped an arm around her waist for support and, blessedly, she didn’t push him away. He addressed the press again. ‘Most of you know I believe private lives should be private, and I’ve always attempted to keep mine that way.’ He gave them a hard stare. ‘Yes, I’m aware of all the speculation; everything from me being gay to me being a closet dom who runs a secret dungeon. So now I’m going to tell you the truth. And the truth is that some things weren’t meant to be kept secret. I handled the situation poorly.’

He shot Dee a sideways glance. He could see her pulse hammering wildly in the tender spot of her neck, the part he loved to kiss, the part he loved to feel flutter against his lips, against his tongue. ‘Though it seems I may have been the last one to figure it out, I did finally figure it out, and now that I have, the fact I love Dee Henning is not a secret. Nor do I want it to be.’

With a hand he was sure the ill-mannered Mr Pittman would note was none too steady, he reach out to cup Dee’s cheek. Her eyes fluttered. Her breath hitched, and his heart pounded like it was desperate to get closer to her. The cameras went crazy, but still Dee Henning didn’t pull away from him. Feeling giddy with the nearness of her, with the fact that she had stood up for him, he took a risk, leaned in and brushed a kiss across her lips. And still she didn’t pull away.

‘Now,’ he said, still holding her gaze, ‘if there are no further questions …’ He turned to look out over the sea of faces daring any of them to question him further when all he wanted to do was have Dee to himself. Even the tenacious Mr Pittman was silent. ‘If you’ll excuse us, we have a business to run.’

*              *               *

The silence was stunning as the press parted like the Red Sea to let Ellis and Dee through.

She didn’t protest, his arm around her waist gently guiding her. She wasn’t sure she could have walked without it, and certainly she would have never made a scene. But he did. She was reeling at the scene he’d just made. Ellison Thorne,
the
Ellison Thorne, had just told a roomful of reporters, equipped with cameras and hungry for a scandal, that not only had he slept with her but he loved her. It was a dream. Surely it had to be a dream. When they reached the bank of elevators, even her friends and Garrett and Stacie moved aside for them.

They rode the elevator in silence to the tenth floor and the Executive Suites, which they had completely to themselves with the secretaries downstairs, no doubt still dealing with the reporters.

Inside his office, Ellis closed and locked the door behind them and guided her to the sofa in the lounge. Dee could never remember the coffee table in front not being buried in a constantly changing array of books, none of which had anything to do with business. She suspected Ellis had spent more than a few nights on that sofa.

When he reached for her, she stepped back. ‘Did you mean what you said out there?’

He blinked hard, as though he couldn’t believe she’d just asked that. The hurt on his face almost made her wish she hadn’t. ‘Of course I meant it.’ He held her gaze over the top of his glasses. ‘Every word.’

Before she could respond, he pulled her to him and kissed her hard. When he released her, reeling from the feel of him, the feel she thought she’d never have again, she dropped onto the sofa, weak-kneed and unable to stand. He sat down next to her, gripping her hand between his as though he were afraid she might bolt. ‘I didn’t betray you, Dee. I would never ever do that to the woman I love. Tally Barnes, I fired. Garrett and Stacie – well, they’ve both got big mouths, and they try way too hard. I can’t do anything about that. But they were right. I shouldn’t be keeping a secret of how I feel about you.’ He cupped her face. ‘I was keeping it a secret from myself too, but not any more. I can’t lose you, Dee. I can’t.’

She stopped trying to blink back the tears and viewed him through a shimmering mist. ‘But what about the Sex Clause?’

‘I don’t want the Sex Clause, Dee. I never wanted the Sex Clause. What I want is something a hell of a lot more comprehensive than that, something legally binding.’ His eyes were feverish, pupils dilated in the sunlight now bronzing with the approach of evening. ‘It was only when I thought I was losing you that I realised the sex was good because I love you, Dee, and not because there were no strings attached. I’ve loved you almost from the start, from the very first time we made love on the floor here by the sofa. You had my heart, even then. I just didn’t understand. But I do understand now, and I don’t want to be without you, Dee, not ever. I want to come home with you in the evenings and wake up with you in the morning.’ Laughing softly, he kissed her knuckles. ‘And still have sex in the elevator and in the Jeep. Married people can do that, can’t they?’

The beat of her heart suddenly felt like the pounding of a huge drum. She was almost certain now that she was dreaming. These were not the kind of negotiations she was used to, and her calm neutrality had gone out the window when Ellis dropped the bomb at the press conference. She spoke around a hiccup of a sob. ‘This is a proposal, then?’

‘Of course it’s a proposal. It’s what I’ve wanted all along. I hope desperately that it’s what you want too.’

She snuffled back tears, and tried to laugh, but it came out more like the sound of a startled bird. ‘Let’s hope you still feel that way after 50 or 60 years.’

He did his own imitation of a startled bird. His voice was tight against his throat, laced with emotion he no longer made any attempt to hide. ‘Does that mean you’re accepting my proposal?’

‘Oh, I’m accepting it, all right. I’m a businesswoman, remember? I know a good deal when I see one.’

His gaze moved over her, suddenly warm and hungry, making her feel heat that didn’t come from the sun filtering through the huge windows. Then he pushed her back on the sofa, wriggling and manoeuvring until the two lay nestled tightly in the small space, and he pulled her still closer, knocking his glasses askew in the process.

She removed them for him and shoved them onto the coffee table, surprised and touched to find his eyes were misty too; not that he gave her much time to think about it. Not that he gave her much time to think at all as his mouth found hers and his embrace tightened. For her part, she was definitely ready to move forward with this win-win deal. And after experiencing life full-on with Pneuma Inc. and its amazing CEO for the last few months, she was very much looking forward to enjoying a level of intimacy that went way beyond the Executive Sex Clause.

Please review me – many thanks!