Page 20

I studied Alexander Stone as he paced the far end of the conference room. He had on black suit pants and a white shirt. He wore no jacket today, but one was draped over the back of one of the conference room chairs. His silver tie was loosened at the neck, and his top button was undone. He looked comfortable and self-assured, carrying himself with an air of sophistication and poise. He appeared larger than life, as if he were holding the world in the palm of his hand.

“Would you like something to drink? Coffee, tea, water? Mr. Stone is just finishing up his call,” Laura offered, her voice low so as not to disrupt her boss. I looked up at her mannerly smile. I had almost forgotten she was there.

“Yes, please. Water would be great,” I whispered, mirroring her hushed tone. Holding a glass of water would give me something to do with my hands, which fidgeted once again in my lap. Any sort of caffeine would just wreak havoc on my already tremulous nerves.

As Laura placed the glass of water on a coaster in front of me, Alexander ended his call and turned around to face us.

“Thank you, Laura. That will be all for now.”

“Yes, Mr. Stone.”

Laura quietly exited the room with a slight nod, leaving me alone with the formidable Alexander Stone.

He turned his attention to me and flashed a dazzling smile, revealing perfect white teeth.

God, this man is undeniably gorgeous.

“Good morning, Miss Cole. I apologize for the wait. I hadn’t anticipated my call to run so long.”

That’s okay—I was enjoying the view of your scrumptious behind.

“It was no trouble at all,” I murmured rather than voice my actual thoughts.

He made his way toward me, his swagger ever so prominent, and sat in a chair next to mine. He leaned back, crossed an ankle over one knee, and casually folded his hands together. For some insane reason, I felt myself blushing. I had to remind myself to breathe.

“Miss Cole, are you okay? You look flushed.”

My hands immediately went to my face as I scrambled to find my voice.

“I’m fine. It’s the high elevation. Sometimes it makes me light-headed,” I lied as I reached for my glass of water. I swallowed a huge gulp.

“High elevation?” he questioned.

I took another drink of water.

“Yes, this happens to me whenever I’m in tall buildings,” I said, continuing the fib in a rush.

Tall building is an understatement. Stone owns a skyscraper.

“I see”

If I wasn’t mistaken, he looked amused.

He probably is. Women must fall all over him every day.

However, I didn’t have the luxury to be amongst those women. I had to put the brakes on and get my wits about me. This was a professional interview for a real job. I could not allow myself to blow this because my stalled-out libido had decided to kick into overdrive.

“Did you know I was the one you were interviewing? Because I don’t believe in coincidences,” I blurted out.

Smooth, real smooth.

“Of course,” he answered without prevarication.

“I figured as much. But I have to ask, how did you get my résumé?” I asked with honest curiosity, finding myself relaxing a bit.

I can do this.

“It was only a matter of making the correct inquiries, Miss Cole. I was intrigued after our meeting at Wally’s and wanted to find out more about you. I asked a few simple questions, and I learned you were a marketing major. An informal background inquiry filled in the blanks. Since I happen to have a position available in marketing, I arranged an interview with you.”