Secret Indiscretions (Carson Cove Scandals 2)

I spent the first few weekends after my divorce wallowing in self-pity—then I threw myself into my work because it was a good way to escape the turmoil in my head. I was the only person at the office, but that didn’t matter. I used to only go to the office on the weekends when it was absolutely necessary—and it was necessary more often than it should have been. Maybe I used it as an escape long before my marriage fell apart. It started cracking before it shattered, and I should have tried to find the glue to keep it from breaking. The opportunities went both ways, and neither of us tried as hard as we should have. We both gave up somewhere along the way. The divorce papers confirmed that—and signing them made it official. It was too late to revisit the past and fix the things that went wrong. I just had to find a way to move forward.

If I’m here, I should find the resume Melanie submitted…

I lied to Melanie at Bryant’s engagement party. It was true that we already moved on to the interview stage of the hiring process—but I was the CEO of the company. I could hire anyone that I damn well wanted. We certainly needed more people, and a second look at Melanie’s resume confirmed that she was the perfect candidate for one of the positions we were trying to fill. I was pretty sure that was the case—and I could have offered her a job on the spot if I wanted to. I held back for another reason—a selfish one. I really liked her.

Melanie was beautiful, intelligent, and her smile could light up a room. She made the darkness that lingered in my heart retreat—so much so that it skipped a couple of beats during our conversation at the bar—so much so that the sight of her took my breath away when she walked outside while I was waiting for the valet to bring me my car. I didn’t need to ask for her number. I knew it would be on her resume. I just wanted to see if she would give to me—and smile one last time before I drove away. Once she took my card and sent me a text message, I had an open line of communication with her—I just had to be brave enough to use it.

I hate to reach out to her under false pretenses, but—that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

Jon: Good morning. I was wondering if you would be free for lunch? I’d like to continue our conversation from last night.

Melanie: I’d love to continue the conversation, but you said it would be a few months before you’re hiring again. I have to be honest with you. I don’t know if I can wait that long.

Jon: We may have something a little more immediate.

Melanie: That would be great! What time would you like to meet?

Jon: Let’s meet at noon. Do you know where Cafe Russe is?

Melanie: Yes! I’ll see you then! Thank you so much!

* * *

A few hours later

When I became CEO of Alcott Inc., I swore that I would never be the type of CEO that levered my position for personal favors—but that was exactly what I was planning to do. I never had to put much thought into dating one of my employees. I was married and fully devoted to the vows I made. But—things were different. Melanie and I both needed something. I was going to give her the job she wanted, even if she didn’t agree to help me, but I hoped there was an opportunity for us to both walk away from the table with what we needed. If she was going to be working at Alcott Inc., then it would have to remain professional—and I would have to stop losing my breath every time I saw her walking my way.

That’s going to be the hardest part of all—or maybe I’m already in over my damn head.

“Mr. Alcott.” She smiled when she got to the table. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Please—I already told you to call me Jon. There are no misters at Alcott Inc. We like to keep things casual unless we’re dealing with clients.” I instinctively stood up and pulled out her chair. “I hope you don’t mind meeting here—the office is pretty boring on the weekend.”

And it’s probably best if I’m not alone with you—because I might give in to temptation and forget all about offering you this job.

“This is perfect.” She nodded as she sat down. “Thank you.”

“Let’s order drinks and an appetizer or two.” I reached for the menu. “Get anything you want—it’s going on the corporate account.”

“Water will be fine…” She picked up the menu.

“Well I’m ordering a beer, so suit yourself.” I shrugged.

Only because this place doesn’t serve anything harder than that.

“It feels strange to drink in front of someone who might be my boss…” Her face twisted into a slight grimace.

“You had a glass of wine in your hand when I met you.” I chuckled under my breath. “Seriously, I’m not going to be offended—I might be more offended if you drink water when I know you want something else.”

“Okay…” she sighed.

We ordered our drinks—an appetizer—and decided which sandwiches we wanted for lunch. Cafe Russe’s sandwiches were legendary, even outside of Carson Cove. You could find the pre-packaged versions all over the country, but there was only place that you could get them made fresh and delivered to your table. I was pretty sure that Chef Russe could have doubled his prices if he wanted and still kept the place packed—not that he really needed to. Alcott Inc. handled his distribution, and I knew just from the volume of orders for his pre-packaged products that he had turned bread, meat, and cheese into a fairly impressive sandwich empire.

I could tell Melanie was nervous. A drink would take the edge off, even if it was just a glass of wine. I was nervous too because there was a good chance, she could decline the job offer and my other offer once she heard it. That would potentially cost me an employee that was a damn good fit at my company—which is why it was inappropriate for me to even consider discussing anything with her except when she could start.

Fuck, I need to stop staring at her…

“Have you ever tried the local beer?” I motioned to the bottle from Carson Cove Brewing once the waiter put it down next to me.