Mr. CEO (7 page)

I
lean back
on the bench. It’s nearly six thirty and I need to leave. I’m anxious to leave, in fact. I haven’t been this damn excited for work in years.

The crisp morning air whips across my freshly shaven face. It feels refreshing as I take a deep inhale and listen to the wind. The soft, relaxing sounds are interrupted by my father’s low, gruff voice. Bringing me back to the present.

“How was the conference?” he asks me. His voice is a bit muffled. It’s not the strong tone I grew up with. His stroke left him paralyzed down his entire left side.

I lean forward with my elbows on my knees and look up at him. He’s on the opposite bench. I’m facing the the stone wall of the back of the nursing home and he’s overlooking the woods behind me. “Productive. I knew it would be.”

He nods his head and looks behind me. The daylight is just rising through the trees behind the nursing home. It’s private and the gardens are comforting for my father. Or so he says.

“So you settled on which of the two?” he asks. Although the stroke left him physically impaired, he’s mentally the same man he's always been, and I do my best to include him. Although I don’t have to. But it gives him something to do that’s useful. His life used to revolve around work. It was all he had. Growing up, I barely ever saw him and when I did, he made sure I knew I was being groomed to take over the business.

We didn’t have father-son time. We had business training. At times I resented him. I hated watching my mother lose interest in the two of us. She looked at me as though it was my fault that he spent every waking moment in his office. I don’t remember a time that she looked at me with love. She hated that I was just like him. Even though I had no choice, that didn’t matter to her.

“Armcorp.”

His brow furrows and he pats his right hand against his leg. I can tell he’s not happy with the decision.

“Fairmont would have been better,” he says simply. He hasn’t been happy with many of my decisions over the last seven years. Each year I’ve branched further and further away from his counsel.

“I wanted this one.” I tell him the truth, which is more than I gave Trent. I won’t admit to anyone that I made a business decision because of a woman.

His eyes flash to mine. “Wanted?”

“Yes,” I say simply. I wanted it, so I took it. I wanted
her
. There’s no discussion on this matter. I’m the CEO, this was my decision, and as selfish as it was, it’s done. I’m not turning back on my word.

My father must sense that I’ve come to terms with this choice. He doesn’t push me for more. As I stare back at him and his eyes move to the forest behind me, I see him for who he is in this moment. Once a strong man of power, now weak and reliant on others. I grit my teeth, hating that this is the way it works. I’ll be him one day. In many ways, I already am.

“How are the treatments going?” he asks after a long quiet moment.

“Everything’s fine.” I look him in the eyes as I answer.

He breaks eye contact and the corners of his lips turn down into a scornful frown. “That’s what your mother used to say.”

I don’t hide my scowl. I hate it when he brings her up. I hate thinking about her in general. My father may have raised me to be a cold ruthless fuck incapable of real attachments and emotion, but at least he tried to be there for me.

My mother is a money hungry bitch. She took my father for everything he had and moved on to the next rich man she could spread her legs for. I was a hindrance for her. I haven’t spoken to her in at least three years, maybe more. I don’t need this today.

I give my father a tight smile. “I need to get going.”

He eyes me, but nods slightly.

“Come back tomorrow,” he says without looking at me.

I don’t know why I even come here anymore. Some false sense of obligation to a man who never knew me, I guess. He gave me this life. He raised me to be the man I am. I should be grateful. Men would kill to be in my position, but I want something more. I don’t want to end up like him.

I nod, unsure of whether or not he sees and walk quickly through the path at the front of the nursing home. My Aston Martin’s out front, waiting for me. I usually have Andrew drive me so I can get work done in the limo during the drive. But not today. Today is different.

I try to remember the easy feeling I had this morning. The excitement of seeing her reaction as I settle into my seat and look at the phone sitting on top of my suit jacket. I’ll be in the office in twenty minutes, but I want to know now if she’s already there.

Charlotte. I did this for her. She could quit though. I imagine the thought has crossed her mind more than once since she found out.

As I go through the list of signatures, I spot her feminine writing.

I lean back easily as I start my car. It rumbles with a soft purr of satisfaction that mirrors what I’m feeling.

At least I have my Rose waiting for me.

“
C
an
you believe how amazing this is?” I ask Eva, staring up at the tall Parker-Moore skyscraper. We’re both preparing to go inside for our first day of work, starting with the board meeting, but have to stop to admire the workmanship of Parker-Moore. This building has to be the tallest and finest corporate building in all of downtown.

Eva shades her eyes, squinting up into the sky. “It sure beats Armcorp’s, that’s for sure. Makes it look like a hut.”

“I guess we
are
about to get a pay raise,” I predict, stifling a yawn that creeps up regardless of the fact I’m an emotional wreck. Last night I was unable to sleep because my thoughts were consumed by Logan and what this all meant. I feel awful that I’m this exhausted on my first day at my new job, and I’m almost convinced I’m going to mess something major up and end up out on the street. At least Eva’s company during our carpool kept my mind off of Logan. And the fact that he’s now my boss. Thinking about it causes anxiety to wash through me, but I shove it down, gripping my purse as if it can save me. “There’s no way we won’t,” I say with as much confidence as I can manage.

Eva tears her eyes away from the tall building and growls, “You’re damn right we will.”

Our heels click across the polished marble floors as we enter the lobby, and my jaw nearly drops. It’s even more beautiful on the inside than it is the outside. The walls are painted a muted shade of taupe, and they’re adorned with gorgeous antique paintings that must’ve cost a fucking ton. Complementing everything is upscale, contemporary furniture. Seriously, some of this stuff I wish I could steal and take home to put in my living room.

On top of that, in the middle of the room sits a beautiful marble fountain with a naked Greek statue at its center, filling the giant lobby with the soothing sounds of running water. Meanwhile, classical music plays softly over a speaker system giving the atmospheric vibe a very relaxing feel.

It feels so high class in here.

“I feel like a high-class whore now,” Eva whispers to me as we watch employees making their way to whatever departments they're headed to.

“I know, right?” I say, swallowing back another yawn.

We share a nervous smile and then continue on to the hallway and enter an elevator. Thankfully, no one else gets on, and it’s just the two of us. Eva presses the button for the top floor, and the door slides close.

As we rise to the top floor, I start feeling even sicker with anxiety. This is a big day for me, and I don’t want to fuck it up somehow. I keep feeling like something bad is going to happen and I’m going to end up without a job, even though I should be confident in my abilities. It’s because of Logan. I have no clue what he’s going to say or do when I see him.

By the time we reach the top floor, I feel like I’m going to hurl.

Seeing my worry, Eva gives me a pat on the back before we leave the elevator. “It’s gonna be okay,” she assures me. She has no fucking clue.

I’m a ball of nerves as we enter the new boardroom. I literally feel like I’m trembling all over. For a moment, I want to run away and flee the building.

You have to stop this
, I tell myself, steeling my resolve.
You are in control. There is nothing you can’t do.

As we make our way to two empty seats around the large mahogany meeting table, my heart skips a beat.

Logan’s sitting at the head of the table, looking sharp as a tack in his grey, crisp business suit, his hair gelled and slicked to the side. God, he’s so fucking handsome. He looks like he owns the entire room, like corporate royalty. I can feel his eyes on me, boring into me with an intensity that causes my skin to prickle.

I’m forced to look away, my cheeks burning, my mind filled with images of our night of hot sex.

I don’t know how I’m going to get through this,
I think as I lower myself in my seat and place my briefcase on the floor next to my chair, doing my best to avoid his gaze. Honestly, I feel like Logan can make me cum by just looking at me. Lord knows how fucking horny I am, having thought about his hot body and massive cock all night. I couldn’t help it. I almost didn’t come. But I need this job. If I didn’t, I would have quit the second I found out he was my new boss.

Unconsciously I bring my thighs close together and my pussy clenches with need. Shit, my panties are wet. I’m annoyed by this, but I can’t help it. I’m practically burning up with a desire that’s almost painful.

In fact, if I were a guy, I’d have a case of blue balls right about now. The funny thought does nothing to ease the tension running through my body.

Noticing my obvious discomfort, Eva glances over at me. “You alright?” she asks softly.

“Yeah,” I say, my voice strained. “Just a little nervous.”

She smirks and nods toward Logan while leaning in and whispering, “He’s absolutely gorgeous, isn’t he?”

You have no fucking idea.

“Fucking fabulous,” I mutter, keeping my eyes carefully in the safe zone.

Luckily for me, the meeting officially begins and several speakers get up to talk about the merger, going over the finer details of the contract. A lot of it was already told to us by Hastings and is outlined in the pamphlets we received the day prior.

I concentrate on keeping my eyes on the speakers, until the last one sits.

Logan rises to his feet and speaks for the first time. His rough baritone voice sends shivers through my body. He stands tall and commanding. It’s obvious that he’s the one in charge, and he should be.

I try to ignore the effect he has on me and when that doesn’t work, I try to ignore him entirely, concentrating on the table, the blank projection screen behind him. The beautiful wallpaper in the room. Anything and everything except for him.

He begins announcing job positions of his new employees. I listen intently, half marveling at how sexy and deep his voice sounds, and half wanting to get up and run from the room. I don’t expect Logan’s going to call my name for anything important, and if he does, I’m convinced he’s going to regulate me to an intern position just to put me in my place for slighting him. The thought makes my stomach twist with anxiety. I fucking hope not. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle myself if he does. Thoughts of trying not to call him out and making a fool of myself run rampant in my mind.

When he says my name, however, I almost need to be picked up off the floor.

“Miss Harrison is the new head of the sales department,” Logan announces, turning to look at me with a mischievous smile, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

Almost immediately, Eva gives me a congratulatory pat on the back followed by a thumb up, her eyes sparkling with pride. “Congrats, girl!” she whispers fiercely. “You deserve it.” I feel all eyes in the room on me and several of my coworkers start whispering amongst themselves. And I can't blame them, I had only just stared at Armcorp's a few weeks ago.

Meanwhile, I’m unable to react, frozen with disbelief. Seriously, I’m fucking floored and feel absolutely sick to my stomach. I mean, what is Logan thinking? After the night we shared, this has to be a huge fucking conflict of interest.

And it’s the reason why he did it
, I say to myself, noticing the way Logan is getting a kick out of this. He did this on purpose. I wonder how long he’ll play up this charade. I’ve never had a position like this before. Head of Sales. I don’t know if I can handle it.

Maybe that’s why he assigned it to me. I don’t know what to think. I don’t know how I should feel either. I don’t know if I should be angry, but I damn sure am shocked.

Looking like he’s firm and confident in his decision, Logan outlines my role and duties in great detail. I’m to be in charge of twelve new clients, all of whom are from his company and have no marketing strategy, and we launch in four weeks.

“You can create your own team,” Logan says when he’s finished outlining what I need to do, “but you will be solely responsible for each of the launches.”

I sit there, simmering with disbelief and worry. Being new, I have practically no resources at my disposal to make things happen so quickly.

“Mr. Parker,” Hastings politely interrupts. He’s sitting near the head of the table, next to Logan’s seat. “I think you’re asking a bit much of Charlotte. She’s new here.” Nausea threatens to humiliate me. Even my boss who had all the praise in the world for me doesn’t think I can handle it.

Logan turns to survey Hastings with a grim expression. “There’s a reason Armcorp hired her and then made her the keynote speaker. I was there for the presentation. And I plan to take full advantage of Miss Harrison.”

“
M
iss Harrison
?” I raise my voice so Rose can hear me as everyone starts filing out of the room. She was the first to stand when the meeting was concluded, and it’s obvious she’s making a run for it. She wants to get away from me, but I’m not done with her yet.

She turns slowly to face me, pulling at the sleeve of her blouse as she says, “Yes, Mr. Parker?” Hearing her soft, sweet voice makes me want her even more. It was difficult enough to restrain myself throughout the hour-long meeting. Now that it’s over, I’m ready to face my Rose. I’m anxious to see her reaction. She’s obviously affected, but the lack of an outward reaction has me on edge.

“Stay for a moment, please. I’d like to have a word.”

Trent speaks in a low voice as he stands to leave, “Let’s meet at three to go over these last two files.”

I nod although I’m not quite paying attention. It can wait.

A woman next to Charlotte, obviously a friend, asks quietly if she wants her to stay behind. I narrow my eyes and wait for her to respond. I can barely hear her over the sounds of everyone else leaving and quietly talking to one another. I don’t hear what Charlotte says, but I see her shake her head no. It soothes the beast inside of me pacing with the need to be alone with Rose. Good girl. She may have conflicting feelings, but she’s playing along for now.

I can feel Hastings looking back at me as he exits, waiting to catch my eye, but I ignore him and gesture to the chair in front of me while making eye contact with Rose instead. I wait a moment, watching her hesitantly stand at her chair while the rest of the company files out around her.

“I’d like to talk to you afterward, Charlotte,” Hastings says to her loud enough for me to hear. I resist the urge to smirk at him. He can feel however he wants about her being head of sales. They picked her to do that presentation for a reason. She’s damn good at what she does. We need to impress clients, and she knows how to do that. I don’t give a fuck if it’s a lot of pressure on her, she’ll learn to adjust.

It’s a new department, and I can appoint whoever the hell I want to that position. And I’m choosing her. Whether he likes it or not.

Charlotte makes her way over to me and takes a seat, putting her hands in her lap and looking everywhere but at me. She’s nervous. I fucking love it. I love that I’m getting to her.

Everyone files out and as Trent exits, I call out to him, “Please close the door behind you, Trent.” He's the last one to leave.

His eyes dart from me to Charlotte with a slight unspoken question, but he doesn’t object.

The door closes with a loud click, leaving us alone.

I’m sure the only thing on her mind is our night together and the way she left me.

I imagine she’s rethinking that decision to sneak out and leave me with only a sticky note. If she thought she could get away that easily, she knows better now.

I shift forward in my seat so I can take off my suit jacket and ask her, “I need to know when you’ll have a sales pitch ready.”

She blinks a few times with her lips parted in shock.

I resist the urge to show her how much I’m enjoying this and instead set my jacket gently on the table. I rest my elbow on the table and place my head in my hand, looking at her beautiful blue eyes and waiting for a response.

After a moment she clears her throat. “I’ll need a few days to go through all of the products and the ideal placements.” Her voice is strained, and she shifts uncomfortably in her seat.

She hesitantly parts those lush lips and I know she wants to ask about that night, but she doesn’t. Her cheeks burn a bright red as I stare at her with a blank face waiting for more. Her breathing picks up a bit and she refuses to look me in the eyes. A sadness crosses her face that has me questioning this game I’m playing. Maybe she thinks I don’t remember.

There’s no way that I could ever forget that night. But she doesn’t know that.

“Sorry,” she says and pulls at the hem of her skirt, not looking at me, “I’m just a little…”

She breathes in deep.

I sit upright and lean forward, close enough to touch her, but I don’t. “A little what, Rose?” A knowing look flashes in her eyes at my pet name for her. I arch a brow and wait, but she just stares at me like a deer in headlights.

“I asked you a question; when will you have the sales pitch?”

She clears her throat and squares her shoulders, seeming to right herself. All trace of emotion gone, now that she knows what I’m doing.

“I’ll need at least this workweek. I can have something to you by Monday for the first one, but nothing will be finalized until I can arrange meetings with our business partners.” For the first time today, a smile grows on my face.

“Your presentation skills are excellent.” I look past her, remembering her presentation at the conference. She’s amazing at what she does. And she’s youthful, and a beautiful woman at that. It’s going to be hard for them to tell her no. “You were meant to lead the sales department. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

A small, sweet smile plays at her lips although it doesn’t get rid of the apprehension in her expression. “Thank you, Mr. Parker,” she answers respectfully and looks to the door.

“Thank you, Miss Harrison, that’s all.”

She looks flushed and parts her lips, but doesn’t say anything.

“Are you alright?” I ask her.

She gives me a smile and nods, holding the folders she came in with close to her chest.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Her response is short and expected.

“I’ll see you on Friday at the next meeting.” She purses her lips and looks at the door and then back at me. My heart pounds in my chest. I can tell she’s debating on saying something. She doesn’t though. She opens her mouth once, but slams it shut and stands up, smoothing her skirt quickly and then takes a single step to move around me.

I make my move then. My hand reaches out and brushes against her thigh, skimming up her skirt slightly.

She gasps slightly and wavers on her heels.

“One more thing,” I say as I turn her to face me, putting my other hand on the back of her knee.

“The note you left… I’m choosing to ignore it.” Her breath hitches, and her sweet lips part for a moment before she moves out of my grasp and takes a step back.

“I don’t think we should do this,” she says slowly, her eyes staying trained on mine. She sounds unsure, because she is.

“I think we should,” I say as I stand in front of her.

Her breathing comes in heavy pants. I stand and take a step toward her as she takes a small step back. “I still want you.”

I splay my hand on her back and walk her to the door, but I don’t open it. She moves to leave, but I put my hand on the door and stand behind her.

“I thought it was over in Vegas,” she says softly. She looks at the door and then at me. “I can’t-”

“You can.” I cut her off. “This is just me and you.”

Her eyes search my face as I speak. “There’s work, and then there’s this.” I lean in and plant a soft kiss on her lips. Hers are hard at first, but they quickly mold to mine. Yes! My hardened dick strains against my zipper. I should take her against the wall right now. But I can’t. Not yet. She’s hesitant, and I can’t push just yet.

I kiss her deeply and with a passion that echoes what we had that night together. Her back arches slowly and her hands slowly slip up my shirt, letting her fingers trail along my hard chest.

I pull her hips toward me so she can feel how hard I am for her. I want her, and I need her to know that. She lets out a small moan. I lean forward, breaking our kiss and whisper in the crook of her neck, “My sweet Rose, it’s not over until I say it’s over.”