Electric! (20 page)

He’d give Meg a jingle if he knew her number. He’d never
learned it because he’d always contacted Cassidy directly when he wanted to
speak with her. The fact that she’d suddenly gone silent rattled his cage.

Having spent all of yesterday in Tucson with clients, he
hadn’t been in the office to hear any news on her meet-and-greet with Pryce
Shipley. Chase was anxious to know the outcome.

At first, he’d thought he suffered a hint of jealousy that
she’d landed the appointment so quickly when it’d taken him months. But the
more he thought about it, and the more agitated he became over not being able
to reach her, he came to realize that he honestly just wanted to hear good news
from her.

He wanted to hear that the advice he’d given her had panned
out. He wanted to hear that she’d succeeded in bringing in an enormous account
that rivaled his absolute best. He wanted to hear her laugh and tell him in an
excited tone how happy she was to have taken such a bold chance by going after
a prestigious company.

And that’s when Chase realized that he really could lose
this promotion to her and be okay with it. Because she deserved it as much as
he did. And because it would make her happy. That meant something to Chase.

Because he was in love with her.

Whoa. Huge revelation.

Or maybe not. Maybe he’d known it all along, he’d just been
cautious about admitting it to himself because they’d always been in a tenuous
situation.

He barely had time to process these new thoughts. His iPhone
rang.

Jerking his hand upward, he consulted the screen and
breathed a sigh of relief. He connected the call and said, “Jesus Christ, I was
starting to think your plane went down or something.”

Cassidy groaned. “Hardly the thing to say to a woman on a
junket.”

“Sorry. But what the hell, Cass? You haven’t answered any of
my million or so calls.”

“I know. I didn’t mean to ignore you, it’s just that I have
a lot on my mind and I needed to work some of it out first.”

“So come over and tell me all about it.”

A long pause ensued.

“Cass?”

“I’m not in Scottsdale. I’m in Hartford. Staying with my brother.
I called to tell you I can’t make our date tomorrow. I won’t be back until late
in the evening.”

His brows knitted together. “What are you doing in Harford
again?”

And why did dread suddenly snake through his veins?

“It’s kind of complicated. I just… I needed to spend some
time with my family. Well, my brother, since my dad’s in Hong Kong on
business.”

Chase sank onto the sofa. “Something wrong, babe?”

More silence. Then a deep sigh. “Yes, actually. I, um… I
totally blew the meeting with Pryce Shipley. We won’t be getting E-L back any
time soon. Like… Never.”

“Damn, I’m sorry.” And he knew how devastated she’d be,
because she took her work so seriously. “What happened, babe?”

“I missed the meeting.”

Chase’s head snapped back in surprise. “How? You were in
Pittsburgh the night before.”

“Yeah, well… It doesn’t really matter. I fucked the whole
thing up and I just might be out on my ass come Monday, so I’ve kinda been
taking stock of the whole situation.”

“McClellan is not going to can you, Cass.”

“Chances are good, Chase.”

“So what sort of
stock
are you taking?”

He heard her swallow hard. Why the hell did he have such a
bad feeling about this? He wished they were having this conversation in person,
because he needed to see her expression. He’d suggest they FaceTime, but she
continued on.

“Look, I got in way over my head with all of this.”

His gut clenched. “All of
what
?”

“The competition for the promotion. The attempt at building
new business. Us.”

“
Whoa-ho.
” He jumped to his feet, panic gripping him.
“Hold the phone there, babe. Don’t—”

“Chase, just listen.” Her tone was sharp, full of tension.
“I told you when we were in Flagstaff that I’m not like you. I’m not all about
jet-setting and bip-bopping around. I like being grounded. I like having a
stable itinerary. I like focusing on my work and not getting all caught up in…
Other things.”

“Am I to assume that I’m an
other things
?”

“Yes.”

His fist balled at his side. “Don’t say you want to stop
seeing me, Cass.”

“It’s not necessarily a want. It’s a need. I can’t manage
all of this. I completely lost it in Pittsburgh and I know that wouldn’t have
happened if I would have been thinking of nothing other than landing E-L. If my
sole concentration had been on my job, I wouldn’t be terrified of losing it
right now.” Her voice cracked.

Chase was literally out of his mind with shock and
apprehension. What the hell had gone so horrifically wrong in Pittsburgh that
she’d convinced herself McClellan would fire her?

“Cass,” he said, trying to maintain a calm tone. No easy feat.
“Babe. Just take a few deep breaths. I’m sure it’s not as bad as all that.”

“Chase, I’m considering interviewing with Hamilton.”

“
In Connecticut?
” he demanded. Jesus, she might as
well drive a stake through his heart. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I have to get fired first,” she said in a tentative voice,
“to get out of my no-compete clause.”

“Oh fuck, no.” He paced again, his agitation and stress
ratcheting to an almost unbearable degree. His palms began to sweat. “Tell me
this is some sick joke.”

“No joke. I need a backup plan. I have a mortgage and a car
payment. A future to think about.” Her voice was filled with panic. “Gav will
hire me. It’s a manager’s position, not even a director, but… It’s a job.”

“Cass.” He drew up short. Were those heart palpitations he
felt? Damn, he could barely even pull in a full breath. “You need to come back.
We need to talk. Just…don’t do anything drastic. Don’t freak on me. Okay? Do.
Not. Freak.”

Speak for yourself, dude.

He scowled.

“Gav and I are headed out to dinner. Like I said, I just
wanted to let you know that I won’t make our date tomorrow. I’ll see you in the
office. But, Chase… I can’t do the whole dating thing. It’s just not in my
DNA.”

“The fuck it isn’t,” he ground out. “Don’t give up so damn
soon.
That’s
not in your DNA.”

“I have to go. I… I just… I have to go.” She hung up.

“Goddamn it!” he roared. And channeled every ounce of
willpower into not throwing his phone across the room.

What the hell had just happened?

* * * * *

Cassidy arrived at MII at eight a.m. sharp. Meg followed her
into her office.

“Are you okay?” her assistant asked. “Because Chase has been
here since seven and he keeps poking his head out the door to see if you’ve
come in.”

Her brow crooked. “You were here at seven?”

“Sure. I wanted to be available in case you came in early.”

Cassidy smiled, though the corners of her mouth quivered
with emotion. “Thanks. I appreciate that. I would have been in sooner, except…
I didn’t see the point. McClellan doesn’t get in before eight and I wanted to savor
my position as director a bit longer.”

“Yeah, well, bad news. Word has spread. Seems Terry in
Underwriting heard from someone he knows at Cooper Alliance that
Epperson-Langley is in the market for a new insurer and neither Hamilton nor
MII are in the running.”

“So McClellan knows I didn’t score with Pryce Shipley.”

“And he’ll likely ask why.”

“Indeed.”

Her phone rang. Meg snatched the receiver as Cassidy set her
laptop bag on the desk. She wondered if there was any point to pulling out her
computer.

Meg confirmed
no
with just a look. She replaced the
handset and said, “You’re wanted upstairs.”

“Christ,” she mumbled. “It’s not even two minutes after
eight.”

“Guess he’s chomping at the bit.”

With a nod, Cassidy said, “I’d ask you to wish me luck, but
I suspect it’d be futile.”

“I’m wishing you luck anyway. Fingers and toes crossed.” Meg
smiled and added, “Don’t ask me to cross my legs, because I have a date
tonight.”

Cassidy laughed, despite her melancholy. “Might I inquire
with whom?”

“Jared from the Ocean Club. He’s actually taking me out, not
making his usual house call. Go figure.”

“Hmm, nice.”

“Don’t get too excited. We’re just going to end up in the
same position we always do. Then I’ll send him home.”

Her brows drew together. “Why not let him stay the night?”

“That would imply there’s something between us.”

“And that would be bad?”

“I don’t trust him with my heart, Cass.”

“Has he given you reason not to?”

Meg shrugged. “Not necessarily, no. But come on. You’ve seen
the man. He’s as hot as Chase. And look at all the women who trip over
themselves for
him
. You’re just in a better position than me, because
Chase doesn’t seem to notice them at all.”

“First,” she said, fighting off the wince. “Jared didn’t
give any other woman the time of day when we were at the bar, except to serve
their drinks. Hell, he barely spoke to me and I was sitting right next to you.
Second, Chase and I are… Well. No more.”

Her face fell. “What the hell?”

“I’ll explain later,” Cassidy said, her heart twisting.
“Time to face the music.”

She headed out, but Meg caught her before she made it to the
door. “Cass. McClellan doesn’t know why you missed the meeting. Only I do. And
you know I’d never say a word.”

“Because you’re not only a great assistant but a great
friend. I appreciate that, Meg. But
I
know why I missed that meeting. I
can’t lie about it.”

She left the office and took the walk of shame to the
elevator. On the top floor, she sat in the reception area, wanting desperately
to bit her nails. It was like being summoned to the principal’s office with no
valid excuse for your wrongdoing and expulsion looming on the horizon.

Lord, it’d been difficult enough telling Gav what had
happened in Pittsburgh. She’d eventually have to tell her father, when he
returned from Hong Kong. How thoroughly humiliating. And how disappointed in
her he’d be.

“Mr. McClellan will see you now,” Tilly said.

Cassidy walked to the far end of Mahogany Row, past Tom
Doherty’s office—the one that could have been hers.

McClellan’s EA smiled up at her and stood. She escorted
Cassidy inside the CEO’s vast corner office, done up richly and elegantly.

“Miss Reynolds to see you,” the assistant announced before
backing out of the room.

Cassidy crossed the marble floor and held her hand out.

“Good morning, sir.”

They shook and then McClellan gestured to one of the chairs
in front of his enormous desk.

Cassidy slid into the cushy seat and once again resisted the
urge to fidget. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so stressed-out,
embarrassed, lost. Except maybe that time she’d told Chase about the two lovers
she’d had in college. That had been mortifying.

Getting right to it, the CEO said, “I understand you weren’t
able to entice Pryce Shipley to get a quote from us.”

“No, sir. I was not.”

“Did he indicate why he’d take a meeting with you when he’s
not interested in MII’s services?”

With a slight shake of her head, she said, “No.”

Okay. She couldn’t get past the tight-lipped responses. But
she felt as though the tiniest admission on her part would lead to cement
shoes. Being stuffed into a fifty-gallon drum with no air holes and tossed into
the ocean. Being strung up by her ankles with all the blood rushing to her
head.

Get. A. Grip.

When had melodrama become her forte?

She sat straighter in her chair and took the bull by the
horns. There really was no other way to play this. “I didn’t actually meet with
Pryce Shipley, Mr. McClellan. We had an appointment, yes, but…” She licked her
lips. Surged forward, despite her heart hammering in her chest. “I missed it.”

His head cocked to the side. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking
perplexed. “Were you ill?”

Not even the hint of a hangover. Damn it.

“Not exactly. You see, I’m afraid I was a bit overwhelmed by
all the travel and various time zone changes and I failed to set an alarm and
I…missed the meeting.”

Failed.

That one word resonated in her brain and flooded her senses.
Emotion welled inside her again and she fought to tamp it down.

She’d failed. Miserably.

The woman who swore failure was never an option in a man’s
world.

Fuck.

At least if she was going down, she was doing it with her
integrity intact. Right? She was telling the truth, after all…

McClellan stood and paced behind his big leather chair. He
took a couple of minutes to wrap his mind around what she’d said and collect
his thoughts, she presumed.

Cassidy waited patiently. What more was she to do? She had
no solid defense, after all.

Finally, the CEO halted and turned to face her. The
expression on his face was grim.

“I should have realized this was a bad idea. Pitting you and
Mr. Logan against each other.”

A full-on knife to the heart.

She sucked in a sharp breath.

He said, “I completely misjudged the situation and moved you
in a direction that doesn’t suit you.”

She swallowed hard. She could read between the lines. A
woman in the VP position didn’t suit
him
.

“Well,” she said. “I’m sorry I don’t have better news.”

“Myself as well. I had sincerely hoped that you were the one
who would convince E-L to give us another shot at their business.”

Cassidy felt tears of failure prickle her eyes. She did
everything in her power to hold them back.

He was quiet for a few moments. Cassidy wondered if he was
giving her the opportunity to bow out of her job gracefully. Resign so that he
didn’t have to fire her.