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“Then, yes. Thank you so much, Jay, that’s beyond kind.”
He shook his head. “It’s not kindness, it’s business. Companies should be banging down your door. Their loss will be our gain. It’s a win-win.”
She had to admit it was tempting…beyond tempting. Plus you’d get to see Jay every day…shut up. She grinned at him.
“I admit, I’m excited at the opportunity.”
“Good,” he said, edging closer, “But there is just one thing…”
He was doing that intense thing again with his gaze. She felt her limbs liquefy.
“What’s that?” Her voice was scratchy. Jay’s face was close, she breathed in his cologne, fresh linen and wood. He smiled, his eyes crinkling.
“I’m not your boss yet,”
And then he kissed her.
***
“What graduate program?” Sloan Farmer looked at him, her pale gray eyes glittering with annoyance. “Jesus, Jay, what now? Another one of your pet projects that ends up costing me money?”
Jay looked at her coolly. “Technically, it’s still your dad’s money, Sloan, but no. We’ve been talking about doing something like this for years — why are you surprised?”
Sloan sighed and sat back in her chair. She and Jay had grown up, running around in the corridors of this magnificent office building, getting under the feet of their fathers. They’d come to love the workplace as much as their homes but somewhere along the way, Sloan had lost the joy in her life. When Jay’s father had died so suddenly, Jay had taken over his position, still only a few years out of college himself and Sloan had lost her playmate. When her own father had taken a step back from the business, early on-set Alzheimer’s taking its toll, Sloan had felt like she’d had to run to catch up. Now, though, she’d finally gotten the Board’s respect and she and Jay had taken their company to successes their fathers could have only dreamed of. They were about to launch their own television company, the workload was insane and now this. Sloan rubbed her eyes.
‘Jay…why now? We have so much on, we’re working every hour.” But she could see his mind was made up. What was the point of arguing? She sighed. “Okay then, I’ll ask Marnie to seek out some candidates for interview.”
Jay smiled. “No need. We have the ideal candidate already. Harvard graduate…”
“Jay, for the love of God, we need to…”
“Summa Cum Laude, business major”
“Still, there’s a proper way to…”
“Poached from Marshall Harrington.”
Damn it. He knew how to shut her up. Sloan loathed Marshall Harrington more than anyone; he was an overrated hack as far as she was concerned. She knew she was beaten. Her shoulders slumped and she threw up her hands.
“Fine, fine.”
Jay grinned that face-splitting, devastating smile of his. “Good. Because she’ll be here in an hour.”
***
Norah fiddled with the hem of her blouse, wishing she had the money to buy a new one. She had very few clothes to begin with and finding something appropriate for an interview was made worse by the fact her only suit had come off the worse in the accident with Jay. Now, though, she was more concerned by seeing him again and not wanting to finish that amazing, limb-shattering kiss.
She closed her eyes, reliving it now; the way his mouth moved against hers, firm, his soft lips shaping themselves around hers, his fingers sliding into her hair, holding her so tenderly yet she was never more aware of his strength, the feral man underneath. The kiss had gone on too long, until, oxygen deprived, she’d broken away, gasping.
“We shouldn’t have done that.”
Jay had smiled and she could help but touch his handsome face, smoothing her thumbs over the big cheekbones, the strong jaw. His green eyes were locked onto hers and she knew if he kissed again, now, in this moment, the night would end in his bed.
And she couldn’t risk it. Her body was yelling, screaming at her to let it happen but there was too much at stake. He’d offered her a lifeline with the job and a one-night stand — however tempting — couldn’t compare.
“Norah?” God, that voice. She opened her eyes and her body reacted without thinking, sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. Damn it, he was even better the second — or was it third? — time around. Jay smiled down at her. “Hey, you. Ready to get started?”
In a daze, she walked beside him to his office. It was a huge glass cube with stunning views over the city.
