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“Oh, yes, girl, we loved the concept. It might work pretty well.” Peter’s voice is almost exuberant.
“This is great.” I bite my lip to curb my reaction.
“If you need any help with it, shoot my team an email.”
“Will do. Thank you for the chance, guys.”
I leave them to call my family. Even if my au pair is excellent with my twins and I trust her, I want Leif to check on them from time to time. I tried to keep my employment secret as long as possible, but it seems I’ll have to tell him earlier than I wanted to. I shoot him a message, briefly explaining the trip I have to take for work, and hope he’ll call me back when he can.
After speaking with May and asking her to pack my luggage for the trip, I had to sort out my trip details with Denise. It’ll be interesting to see Mark in his element
and learn from him. He’s very shrewd, business-minded as if he’s thinking a few steps ahead than everyone else. I wonder how he’ll handle this situation. Let’s hope he has only one purpose, and I’m not the end goal.
I jerk in my seat when someone knocks on the other side of the door. “Come in.”
Mark strolls into my office and closes the door behind him. He takes a seat and locks his penetrating gaze on me. His musky cologne drifts to my nose as I wait for him to talk.
“How was your beauty sleep?” I ask when he remains silent, nervous about our conduct even if I saw him in the meeting.
He is, after all, my boss, and it wasn’t wise to push his buttons last night. But I wasn’t able to stop. Something about him brings out this passionate side of me I can easily hide from others.
His upper lip curls in a smirk and his eyes sparkle like whiskey ignited from within.
“Invigorating,” he retorts and my breathing stills, waiting for him to explain why he’s here.
“People are talking about us. Is this why you’re here? To make sure our stories match? I won’t tell anyone what really happened,” I snap, annoyed he might think I’m a brainless wit.
“And what really happened, Cassandra?” His tone is a low growl as if I answer wrong, he’ll pounce on me. I dig my hand in my seat to find my balance that his domineering presence is stripping me of so fast.
“You gave me a foot rub and made sure I know my place before sending me on my farewell. Did I miss anything?” I tell him with a bitter bite.
Mark rises from the chair to his full height, locking his intense gaze on me. His tall, muscular frame stretches the material of the baby blue shirt he’s wearing as he towers over me, like a mountain of power ready to erupt. I rise from my seat, meeting his gaze, refusing to be intimidated by him.
“I also warned you, Mrs. Cade.” His husky tone is quiet and controlled. “Have you forgotten already?”
Something hot and exciting burns inside my belly, tempting me to bait the man behind the controlled façade who keeps people at arm’s length. But instead, I curb that instinct, knowing that one wrong move and I’ll lose more than my job.
“Of course I remember. Mark, what happened yesterday won’t happen again. I shouldn’t have asked those questions. It was inappropriate. Your personal life isn’t my business.”
He looks at me for a very long time, and then he slumps in the seat, rubbing his chin and raking his golden hair. He does that when he’s thinking, weighing his options.
“We were both tired. I haven’t handled myself right either. Let’s forget that night and move on.”
I nod, relieved.
“Are you still in pain?” His lip twitches as he sees me blink in surprise.
“Much better. Thanks for asking.” I pause, studying him, asking myself if traveling with him is a wise choice. Or I’m just fooling myself.
“Do me a favor. Pack some comfortable footwear. Denise can advise you what’s best to wear since she traveled there once.” He stands, adjusting his jacket and touching his cufflinks like it’s a habit. And it’s a very sexy habit to have. Dammit, can’t he be less attractive? “I will take a few men with us. We should be safe.”
“You’re expecting trouble?”
“No. I hope our trip will be smooth. But I also want to make sure we’re safe. I’ve been dealing with my clients and partners for almost a decade now. There’s no such thing as being too careful or too prepared.” Probably my expression looks too worried because he adds, “You’ll be safe, Cassandra. I won’t place you in any danger.”
My phone starts to vibrate on my desk, and I grab it, seeing Leif’s name on the screen.
“It's my family,” I tell him and Mark leaves, closing the door.
