I swallowed back my nerves and sank into the closer of the two chairs.
Just try to think positively, Della. At least he hasn’t fired you outright...or at least not in front of everyone. Maybe this way, you’ll have a chance to offer an explanation, a chance to make it right.
“Let’s not prolong this any longer. I know you’re here to can me,” I said.
Chapter 14
Robert peered at me, then laughed. “You think I would fire you because you threw a pastry at me? Hey, we all lose our tempers around here every once in a while. Your work is impeccable and I need you on my team. The last thing I would want to do is ‘can’ you. And if I fired you, my competition would snatch you up in less than twenty four hours. You’re the best in the field and come highly recommended.”
It was blunt and to the point but entirely astonishing all at the same time, so much so that my eyes widened incredulously as I stared up at him from the chair and asked, “You’re not?”
He was leaning against his monstrous desk with a small smile on his face. Whether it was intentional or not, he was in the exact same place where I’d attacked him less than an hour before. When he caught me staring at the freshly cleaned wood, he leaned down to catch my eye. “No, I’m not.” Then, without another word, he maneuvered his monitor around so I could see it.
I sat up in surprise when I saw my own face staring back at me from the screen.
“Miss Jones. You’re top of your class for both your Yale undergrad and at Harvard Business School. You’ve had numerous dissents and op-ed pieces published in The Post and The Times, not to mention a personal recommendation from Lester Craven himself. We also cannot dismiss the fact that you, Miss Jones, are, for lack of a better word, hot.”
My eyes snapped up at that last bit. It seemed completely out of character for him, based on how he’d acted at the office, yet there he was, grinning back at me like the Cheshire Cat. When our eyes met, he slid a few inches closer to me, close enough that our knees touch with a scorch I was sure we both felt.
“Della, I have no idea what happened this morning. To be perfectly honest, I don’t wish to know. It’s probably best to just admit we were...not on the same page, not even in the same book, and just leave it at that.”
A delicate wave of pink colored my cheeks, and I bowed my head, but no sooner had I done so than he reached over to lift my chin.
“What I do know, however, is that I want you on my team.”
I blinked, staring up at him in a bit of a daze. The short, one-way conversation had taken so many twists and turns that I’d honestly lost track. My mind was spinning a million different directions, and my body was full of sensations I tried to ignore, because with every syllable, he seemed to be saying exactly the last things in the world I expected to hear.
“You heard what David said,” he continued, a sudden look of worry sharpening the edges of his face. “We’re down four points, and Aegis is up by two. We need all hands on deck if we are to have any hope of turning this thing around. Your profile makes it very clear that you simply must be part of that effort.”
My chest swelled with pride as the silent vow I’d made just moments before echoed again in my mind: That’s right, Della. Focus on work. You made it. You’re here because you’re damn good at what you do, and now you’ve got your chance to prove it. You need to forget about this man and—
The trouble was that Mr. Cross had no intention of being forgotten. Without a word of warning, he leaned down and placed his hands on my knees. My dress ended just a few inches higher, and still with that teasing grin on his face, he slid his fingers up to the hem.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m not open to considering...other projects. You caught me a little off guard this morning, but I’m very open to exploring things. You’re a very beautiful woman. Of course, we’d have to keep this discreet. You know how gossip flies around the office. But what we do on our personal time is our own business. Let’s stay focused and professional at work because the success of this company is very important to me. We must keep professional boundaries in the work office.”
My breath caught in my chest as his hands crept higher and higher, this time without asking permission, without offering me a choice. I could only sit there in stunned silence as his fingers slid slowly up to my thighs.
“Um, you’re contradicting yourself. Because I think you’re crossing the professional boundaries this very second, um with your hands.”
He took his hands off of me. “Sorry. But you’re so damn sexy, I couldn’t help myself.”
I shot him a tiny smile.
“What do you say?” he murmured, leaning closer, with a hungry look in his eyes. “Is there any room for that, any possibility of...a merger?”
Our eyes locked in a heated gaze, yet somehow, a wave of chills ran up my spine. Yes, he’s what I want. Yes, he’s all I’ve been thinking about since our night, I told myself, but something about it was different. Something about him was different. Maybe if we both went out on a real date, I could see if he was that same kind soul I’d connected with on the rooftop.
“I wouldn’t want to jump straight into a merger. But I could be open to a date, to get to know you better,” I said.
A wicked grin flashed across his face, and he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. As a cloud of cologne washed over me, I realized that his lips were cold this time, not at all like the heated pillows that had tantalized me on that rooftop.
“Good,” he said, and then, without another word, he straightened and stood to circle back around to his desk seat. “It’s probably best you head downstairs now,” he said, busying himself at his computer as his face illuminated with the unnatural glow of the monitor. “We have much work to do to stop the bleeding. David has grouped everyone into teams of four to expand our client base and solidify those accounts we still hold. You should get things in order for tomorrow, so you’re ready when you meet all your partners.”
I was simply frozen for a second, clutching the armrests of his expensive furniture and staring down at the borrowed dress that was pushed up to the top of my thighs. It took a moment for me to realized I’d been dismissed, but when I did, I stuttered, “Um...okay. Yeah, I-I’ll go down right now and get started.”
I could hardly convince my legs to carry me fast enough as I bolted to the door, with my hair bouncing in little waves behind me. Unfortunately, just as I reached down to grab the handle, Robert called out for me again.
“Della?”