“I’m leaving,” I announce, wondering if I should take Dale up on his offer or not.
“It seems we both have plans for one last drink before we call it a night.” He glances over my shoulder. “I’ll see you at the office in the morning.”
“I’ll set up a meeting for you with the owners of Rusten’s Reads for ten o’clock sharp.”
He studies my face. “What for? I’m still considering the acquisition.”
“It’s not your decision.” I point out with a tilt of my head. “Mr. Garent was clear about what he wants. It doesn’t matter if he’s in New York, Boston or London. His word is the last word.”
I don’t catch the curse that falls from his lips, but I do see the clench of his jaw. “I expect you to be at your desk at eight, Isabella. Goodnight.”
He brushes past me. Against my better judgment, I turn to watch him walk away. I get more than a clear view of his back. A blonde-haired woman wearing faded boyfriend jeans and a black blouse rushes toward him before he takes her in his arms.
Chapter 16
Barrett
Isabella has perfect timing down to a science. It’s ten seconds before eight when I look up and finally see her settling behind her desk.
I know that she put in a fair amount of overtime when she worked for Duke. She stayed past five most nights and even showed up in the office on the occasional Saturday or Sunday.
I can’t question her dedication to the company. Duke sent a string of memos to Human Resources commending his executive assistant. She doesn’t have one unfavorable mark on her record.
She’ll keep on track with that winning streak as long as she understands that certain things have changed since I took over as CEO.
“Isabella,” I call out to her.
Her head pops up, her dark hair floating around her shoulders. She straightened it since I saw her last night at the restaurant. I was tempted to ask her to stay when Ivan announced he was leaving, but I followed them both out the door of Axel NY.
She’s my assistant, and on top of that, she’s a decade younger than I am. I’ve always been drawn to women my age or older. I’ve never contemplated dating or fucking someone more than a year or two younger than me.
“What is it?” she questions with a perk of her dark brows.
Her makeup isn’t as dramatic this morning as it was last night. Today she looks fresh and young. She’s wearing a lavender wrap dress. Ivan would silently disapprove since his idea of business attire is a suit or skirt in black or dark blue paired with a shirt in a neutral color.
I much prefer Isabella’s idea of what’s office appropriate. My cock has no complaints either.
I adjust myself in my chair, hoping my dick will lose its enthusiasm before she walks into my office. I’m a gentleman. I was taught to rise to my feet when I greet a woman. I can’t do that now, or my executive assistant will see that what I want from her is more than a brief chat.
She strolls toward me, stopping at my office door. She leans a hip against the wooden doorjamb. If there were a master class in effortless seduction, Isabella Calvetti would be the professor.
Her hand falls to the front of her dress. Adjusting the neckline, she keeps her eyes trained on mine.
“I want to be clear about your hours,” I say, breaking her gaze. “You report to work at eight each day. You stay until I tell you that you can leave.”
A nod is the only response I get from her.
“If I need you here at seven or even six a.m., I’ll let you know the night before.”
I doubt like hell I’ll ever need that since I’ll never have my ass in this chair before seven-thirty, but I’m going for the reaction.
I don’t get anything, but a blink of her eyes.
I’d push on the coffee issue, but I need to put the brakes on the amount of caffeine I consume. I didn’t fall asleep until three this morning. I can’t blame a woman for that. I was home alone an hour after I said goodnight to Isabella.
I spent the next few hours pacing the floor while I picked my life apart.
“Is there anything else?” she asks with a sigh. “I have a busy day.”