Counting the Kisses (Counting the Billions 3)

Daniel grinned at me, though. “Remember when I asked you what your favorite position is?”

I stared blankly at him for a moment. My favorite position? Was he planning on rewarding me for sticking with him by giving me mind-blowing sex? The very thought of that made me feel cheap, somehow. But I also couldn’t remember ever having a conversation like that with him. We were still new to exploring each other’s bodies and preferences, but we hadn’t really had to sit down and talk about them. We seemed to innately understand one another better than that, even from the first time.

Daniel was still grinning at me, though. “You said CEO,” he said, and I realized he had been joking.

I snorted out a laugh and shook my head. “You’re terrible,” I told him.

“I know,” Daniel said, looking pleased at having lightened the conversation a little. But his eyes were still serious. “When I first interviewed you for the advisory job, you said that you wanted to be a CEO one day.”

I nodded. I remembered. But for the life of me I couldn’t figure out where he was going with this.

“Like I said before, I’m probably going to have to step away from work for a little bit, until all of this blows over. I just don’t have the time to devote to the business right now, and on top of that, I’ve worked hard to build up my business. I don’t want that strong foundation jeopardized now because clients don’t want to do business with someone who’s in court fighting assault charges.” He looked pained as he said that, and I wished there was something that I could say to reassure him that his business partners weren’t the ty

pe of guys to care about idle gossip.

But this wasn’t just gossip. Daniel really had punched Gerrard, and the assault charges were legitimate.

Daniel didn’t dwell on it, either way. Instead, he dropped a bombshell: “I’d like you to stand in for me as Interim CEO of McGregor Enterprises while I deal with Gerrard.”

I gaped at him. “What?” I asked in shock. “You want me to run your company?” My mind was whirling as I thought of the possibility of it all. McGregor Enterprises was no small company. I knew a lot about its day-to-day operations already, and I had joined Daniel in a ton of meetings with various business associates. But that didn’t mean I was ready to run the company in his absence. Even if I was able to ask him questions as needed, the risk was too high. I could make a decision that would undo years of work he had put into things.

Not only that, but I was just so new to the company. I was still trying to learn from Daniel. I was still trying to grasp some of the decisions he made. There had to be someone who was more qualified than me.

“You’re the best choice,” Daniel told me.

“That can’t be true,” I said, shaking my head. “Some of the other guys have been with the company since your father was running it. I’m sure they know ten times what I know about things.”

“They know the business, sure,” Daniel said, nodding gravely. “But you’re the only one I trust to head the company in my stead. You do business like I do. And you see things the way that I do. The other employees will all be there to answer any questions that you have. Actually, I was talking with Erin this afternoon about putting together some files with all the information about our shareholders and such so that you have some solid reference material for any decisions you need to make.” He paused. “But you’re good at reading people, and you make smart business choices.”

I was flattered by his words, I had to admit, but I still found myself shaking my head. “Daniel, you know the shareholders aren’t going to support something like that. Plus, the media would be all over it.”

“I know.” Daniel sighed, looking away from me. I could see the unhappy pinch at the corners of his lips. “However, you’re the only person I can trust to run the company in my stead. But if you don’t want to do it, I understand. And please, don’t feel like there’s any pressure from me. I know this would affect your career just as much as my company. I just want you to think about it, that’s all. The trial starts in two days, on Thursday, so there’s not that much time to sort things out, but this isn’t your mess. I’m the one who has to deal with it.”

I could see how worried he was, and I knew exactly who his worry was for. He wasn’t thinking about himself at that moment; he was thinking about the company. He was thinking about the employees that had been with him for years, and the employees that had been with the company even before he had taken it over upon his father’s death. I knew he cared about each and every one of them.

I wished I could tell him that yes; I would take over the reins while he fought this legal battle with Gerrard. But I knew I needed to think things through first. If nothing else, a hasty decision like this wasn’t a good first move to make as interim CEO of the company. “I need to sleep on it at least,” I told Daniel, and he nodded his understanding.

“Definitely take some time and think about it,” he agreed. “I totally understand that you need to do that.” He paused and then added, “But I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t confident you could do it. Just let that be part of your thinking about it: there’s not a doubt in my mind that you could handle it.”

I shook my head, but I couldn’t help the small smile that formed on my face. I sank down into his lap, wrapping my arms around him in a quick hug. “That makes one of us,” I told him. “I just wish I could be so certain.”

“I didn’t say that it wouldn’t be difficult,” Daniel cautioned. “But hey, didn’t someone say that relationships were never without their difficulties? Life and business are kind of like that as well, isn’t it?”

I laughed and shook my head. “All right, smart-ass,” I said, but I couldn’t keep the fondness out of my voice. I reached out and brushed my fingers through his hair. “You still want me to stay over tonight, or should I head home and let you get started on preparing your defense?”

Daniel’s arms tightened around me. “Stay. Please,” he said. He made a face. “You’re right that the mature thing to do would probably be to get started on my case right away, but I’d rather not think about this anymore tonight. Things were going so well between us, and now, well.”

I gave him a light, chaste kiss. “Things are still going well between us,” I promised him. It was another thing I wished I could be a hundred percent sure on. But I knew I didn’t want to break up with him over this. I wanted to try to work through things if we could. Maybe it would prove to be too much for this fledgling relationship of ours, but if he was willing to give it a shot, if he was willing to trust me even as far as letting me take over as CEO of his company temporarily, then I was willing to trust him and to take a shot as well.

We’d get through this. I really wanted to believe that.

Again, I thought about those three words, I love you. I wanted to say them now, to reassure him that I was going to be there for him no matter what, for as long as I could help it. But at the same time, I didn’t want to taint the first time I said those words with the specter of a court case looming over us. The timing now just wasn’t what I would have hoped for. So I continued to hold them in reserve. Another time; I would tell him some other time.

Daniel, heedless of my inner turmoil, no doubt caught up in thoughts of his own, scooped me up into his arms and carried me up to his bedroom. We were both silent the entire way, and neither of us spoke as we stripped off our clothing and slipped into bed side by side.

I couldn’t seem to even close my eyes, though. My mind was spinning, thoughts going a mile a minute. I really did want to be a CEO one day. But I had never even imagined that day might come so soon. Sure, it was just a temporary position until this whole thing with Gerrard was over and done with. But it was still a pretty big deal.

I didn’t think I was ready for things to change so much. And what’s more, I didn’t want things to change so much, not so soon. Things were already so different now from how they’d been before I had gone to work for McGregor Enterprises. I wasn’t ready for more change already.