AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Have a seat.” He indicated the huge wingback black chair in front of the desk. He’d done zero with the office when he’d taken over from his father. He’d left everything pretty much exactly the same. His father had made few changes as well when he took over for his grandfather and it was almost like, sitting in that office, he could still feel the lingering presence of those men. The only men he’d ever looked up to.
Lexi sat. She crossed her gorgeous, pale legs at the ankles, and rested her hands in her lap to keep her dress from riding up. She never broke eye contact with him and that blue grey gaze hit him straight in his blue grey balls.
“I have a proposition for you.” He set his hands on the massive desk top, pen still between his fingers. He tapped it on the wood when she didn’t respond. “Marketing has been trying to develop a new product for months now. We’ve done our research and our testing. Before we launch anything, I wanted to get your opinion.”
Lexi’s mouth dropped open. “What? Mine? Why?”
“Don’t you use kitchen implements?”
“Yeah. Of course. Who doesn’t?”
“Good. You’ll be the perfect person to review the choices, features, colors, functions, all of it.”
“What?” Her eyes widened and she back peddled. “No. I mean, you could ask anyone. Don’t ask me. I wouldn’t know. I’d probably pick something that flops and then you’d try and blame me.”
“Nonsense. I just want to get your opinion. So, here’s the proposition. You look at these files with me. Read through everything. There is a couple of hours’ worth of work there. Give me your honest opinion. And to do that, I’ll clear your schedule for a few days, give you a hefty bonus again, and it’ll be like a free vacation with a little bit of work thrown in.”
Her big as saucer eyes narrowed in record time. Probably under a millisecond. “What free vacation?”
“I’m taking you to Canada. Alberta, to be exact.”
Lexi jumped up so fast a person would think that a snake had just been unleashed and tried to crawl up her dress. “No! Absolutely not! I’m not going anywhere with you. Certainly not to Canada.”
“Why not?” He asked dryly. Give me one good reason and I’ll throw your ticket in the trash. Otherwise, you’re coming with me. We leave Friday morning. You’ll be home Monday night.”
“Because it’s not proper! What would people think? People here? You’re my boss. We can’t just fly there together! Be seen together! Stay together!”
“First off, you are my assistant and you can do whatever deemed necessary to make this position a success. If I ask you to travel for business reasons, that should be perfectly logical and acceptable to anyone here. Just because I haven’t asked in the past, doesn’t mean it won’t be a requirement now or in the future. Secondly, we would travel together, but it would be strictly professional. I need a weekend away to clear my head. This is a big decision. One I don’t take lightly. Despite your accusations of me liking to sit on my ass and do nothing at all but swim in mountains of my predecessor’s money, I actually don’t take the running of this company lightly. If we launch a poor product or even a good product without doing our due diligence, it could be a disaster. I won’t dishonor my grandfather’s name and memory by screwing up.”
“Jesus,” Lexi breathed. “No pressure or anything.”
“You wouldn’t have the final say. I just want to know what you think. I do need your help.”
“You said it was only a few hours of work.”
“It is. For you. For me, it will take up most of my time. I need you there to assist me with it. I can’t think here. I need to get out of the city. I know I’ve never asked you before, but will you please consider coming with me?”
“So- uh- to a hotel. With separate rooms?”
“Actually, no. My family has a cabin near a small resort town in the mountains. It’s been in the family for decades. It does have two rooms, running water, power, and cell service.”
“What about a mace?”
Curtis laughed softly under his breath. “Don’t worry. The bears in the area won’t be bothering us.”
“I wasn’t talking about the bears.” Lexi’s throat bobbed hard. She looked like she wanted to turn him down. She was debating with herself.
He knew that she wanted him. It was written all over her face. In the shadows in her eyes and the curl of her lips. In the flare of her nostrils and the scarlet heat burning in her cheeks. In the way she refused to look up at him again, in her incredulously bossy stance. In the kiss she probably savored, in that glass of wine she’d had with him, in her agreement to even end up at his house.
