“My airline is purchasing South Pacific Airway,” he began. “They serve primarily the South Pacific in a way we haven’t been able to do yet. By combining with them, we’ll be able to control twenty percent of all Asian airline traffic.”
“Wow, that sounds like a lot,” I said. He nodded as he pulled through the light. We were immediately stopped again by traffic.
“It’s been a difficult acquisition,” he explained. “We are working through the legal issues and making sure that our corporate cultures are compatible. We want to make sure that our companies combine seamlessly on the employee level.”
I nodded. “When I was first hired as a new grad, the hospital was merging with another corporation. Everyone was trying to figure out how the new billing systems and pay codes all worked. It was a nightmare. There was a lot of ‘but it used to be this way’ being thrown around.”
“Exactly.” He nodded. “We’re trying to minimize that from the top down, which has made the negotiations tedious.”
“I would imagine it would make things smoother in the long run, though.”
“It should,” he agreed. “I intend to learn from my mistakes.”
“Mistakes? You made a mistake?” I asked.
“It does happen from time to time,” he informed me, smiling as he said it.
I grinned back. “So, what are you changing this time? For your company?”
He hesitated. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
“Yes,” I assured him. “It’s actually pretty interesting. I’d love to learn more.”
He glanced over at me, his eyes soft like he’d found a treasure. He grinned.
We spent the rest of the ride home discussing various methods of gaining compliance. He listened and nodded when I put forth my experience and he actually liked some of my ideas. For the first time in my life, I actually really enjoyed the traffic and was sad when we arrived at my apartment.
I found myself wanting the night to keep going.
“Thank you again,” I told him as he pulled into the parking area for my building. “I had a really nice evening.”
“Me too,” he replied. He flashed me that soft smile that made my knees buckle.
I hesitated in getting out of the car. I wasn’t ready for our conversation to end, especially since I wasn’t sure when I’d get to see him again. After this, there was literally no chance of us meeting unless he ended up as a patient, and I didn’t want that.
“Would you like to come up for a drink?” I asked. “Jane bought this bottle of wine that she thought I would like, and I can’t drink it on my own.”
Even in my head, the words sounded lame. It was the best I could do on short notice. I wasn’t used to coming up with excuses to bring men home.
He took a small breath and thought for a moment.
He’s going to say no, I thought to myself. He should say no. I’ve been a total bitch. This was a dumb idea...
“I’d love to,” he replied. I nearly laughed with joy. Excitement and relief filled me, quickly replaced with nerves. I couldn’t remember if I’d made my bed this morning and what the state of my bathroom looked like. I hoped Jane was still at her drawing class.
But mostly, I hoped that we actually still had that random bottle of wine.
Chapter 18
He got out and ran around to open my car door. It made me smile and feel important to be treated like a lady. I was a self-sufficient and strong woman, but it was nice to be taken care of too.
I babbled in the elevator about the weather on our way up. It wasn’t because I thought the weather would interest him, but more because I was afraid I would want to kiss him if I didn’t keep my mouth busy.
Even in the pale neon glow of the elevator, he was the most handsome man I’d ever met in real life. Being in the elevator with him close enough to touch, I could smell his cologne. I remembered the way he made me feel. I could feel myself leaning toward him, wanting to feel that again.
I needed to get a grip on myself and my hormones. I’d hurt him, and I needed to go slow if I wanted to regain any of his trust. I was still surprised that he had agreed to the drink. I didn’t want to push my luck too much and kissing him in the elevator would definitely do that.
Relief washed over me as the elevator doors opened and I hadn’t done anything I would regret or that would embarrass me. I had