Scandalizing the CEO

“No. I just meant that women like sweet things. My mum is crazy for wine gums.”

Ainsley arched an eyebrow at him. “They are pretty yummy.”

“That was my point.”

She shook her head. “Why didn’t you mention you’d be in New York when I said I was coming here?”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“You did. You are not turning out to be what I expected.”

“What did you expect?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink.

“Someone a little colder,” she said.

“Why?”

“I’d just heard that you can be kind of callous in business.”

“That’s business.”

“Are you different in your personal relationships?” she asked.

He looked distinctly uncomfortable and leaned toward her to answer. “I—”

“Ainsley! What are you doing out?” Freddie asked as he approached their table. “I thought you were calling it an early evening.”

Damn, she wanted to know what Steven would have said in response to her query. “I ran into Steven and we decided to have a drink. Steven, this is Frederick VonHauser. He works for me at Fashion Quarterly. Freddie, this is Steven Devonshire.”

Freddie gave her a surprised look. “Mind if I join you? I’m meeting some friends, but I’m a little early.”

Ainsley started to say no, but Steven nodded and gestured to the chair. “Have a seat.”

Freddie sat down between them and Ainsley instantly wished that her friend would leave. She didn’t want Freddie and Steven to talk. Didn’t want to risk Freddie saying something that would remind Steven of the woman she had been.

“How long are you in town?” Freddie asked.

“Just three days. I have recently taken over the Everest Mega Stores and I’m checking out our North American operation.”

“So it’s just coincidence that you are here when Ainsley is?”

“Indeed. A happy one,” Steven said, looking straight at her.

She knew she shouldn’t read too much into that, but she also realized he’d come to New York to see her and that meant a lot to her.

“Sounds like it,” Freddie said. “I see my friends, so I’ll leave you two. Enjoy your evening.”

“We will,” Ainsley said.

“Sorry about that,” Steven said after Freddie left. “You seemed a little uncomfortable.”

“I just wasn’t expecting to see anyone from work.”

“Is that an issue?” he asked.

“It might be. I don’t want to have the journalistic integrity of the article compromised because we’re seeing each other. If we’re going to see each other, I need to talk to my boss.”

“With the focus of the articles on the mothers of the heirs, I would think that would take care of any conflict of interest,” he said.

“Would it matter so much if we didn’t see each other again?” she asked. She needed to know. She wasn’t about to compromise her career for a man who was simply trying to score.

“Yes, it would. I wasn’t playing games with you when I sent that e-mail. I can’t stop thinking about you, Ainsley, and that’s very dangerous for me because I’m used to being focused only on business.”

“Me, too,” she admitted.

“Good. We’ll figure this out.”

She nodded toward him. They finished their drinks and then Steven left for his dinner appointment. She went back to her hotel.

She knew she wanted to see Steven again, and if that was going to happen then she needed to clear it with her boss. She wasn’t about to lose another job because of Steven Devonshire.

The next morning Ainsley woke up to a knock on her door. There was a delivery for her—a huge bouquet of flowers. She carried them to her sitting area and then checked the card. They were from Steven.

In his scrawling handwriting was a simple note that thanked her for the evening and told her he couldn’t wait to see her again.

She held the card in her hand and sat down next to the flowers. She didn’t want to fall for Steven, but when he did things like this it was hard not to.

All her life she’d been a misfit. She hadn’t dated in high school because she’d been a chubby bookworm. And in college she’d just sort of muddled through. She’d had a boyfriend there, but Barry hadn’t been the dream lover she’d longed for, and she’d ended up pouring herself into her classes and eventually her job: working and eating and pretending that her job was enough.

But when she’d lost it because of Steven, her awakening had changed her focus, but it hadn’t changed her dreams for the future. She’d never pictured herself in a long-term relationship.