Craving The CEO: An Office Romance Page 8

  So as not to linger, I roll the window back up and the car pulls away.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Blair

  I break down in the taxi.

  I can’t stop the tears from flowing and by the time I arrive home, my eyes are puffy enough to warrant Layne’s concern.

  “What’s going on?” She runs over to me.

  I throw my arms around her for a much needed hug. For the longest time I don’t speak and she just lets me be.

  When I’m finally able to pull away from her, the first thing she notices is my outfit. “You look different. This isn’t what you wore this morning is it?”

  “No…” I sniff and head over to the fridge. In seconds, I have a strawberry in my mouth and a handful of grapes in hand.

  “What happened?”

  “I spilled coffee on my boss and almost burnt him. This is his shirt.”

  Her mouth forms a little ‘O’ as her eyebrows rise. “Is that all?”

  I think of how to explain to her just how that seemingly simple incident was the catalyst to the most tense day that I have had in a very long time. Words don’t seem to be adequate enough to properly convey my frustration, so I just plop the rest of the grapes in my mouth and grab a bottle of water.

  “You didn’t get fired did you?” she asks.

  I shake my head. My gaze goes over to the bubbling pot on the stove. “What are you making?”

  “Chicken soup,” she replies. “I need something brothy to soothe me.”

  “That’s exactly what I need too.”

  She cocks her head at me, her gaze soft and endearing. “You’re not going to give me any details?”

  “It’s basically the coffee spill incident,” I reply. “But trust me, it was more than enough to send me on a self-loathing spiral for the rest of the day. Well, the majority of it.”

  “If working for him is this stressful, then why don’t you just quit? I don’t want you to have to go through all of this.”

  I consider her suggestion as I head over to the sofa, taking my seat in one corner.

  She comes over to perch on the arm of the sofa I’m sitting on.

  “This is all happening because I slept with him, so now everything seems a bit more personal when it shouldn’t be. Don’t worry, I’ll get over it.”

  “If it was just any other generic company, I would have pulled you out of there myself, but you’ve mentioned that they can really help your advancement in your industry, so I'm restraining myself. From nothing to an Inc. five hundred company in five years? And he started right out of college? The information is that he’s worth at least a billion dollars.”

  I am a little bit surprised at her well of information.

  At my expression she explains, “I was a bit idle today, so I did some research.”

  “Did you also see any pictures of him?”

  She releases a whoosh of breath. “I did, and I couldn’t stop staring at him. If it wasn’t too weird to ask, I would have asked you for all the details about your night together.”

  “Don’t ask,” I say. “That’d be creepy.”

  She laughs. “At least, give me some sort of impression.”

  “Anytime he comes within three feet of me it’s all I can think about. It doesn’t help that his scent is all over this damn shirt!” I look down at the expensive fabric with disdain and then begin to pull it off.

  “That bad?” she asks. “How can you work?”

  “I barely can,” I reply.

  “You need a drink,” she says. “I’ll make you something.”

  “No need. I’m going out with Jodie soon. I’ll get my fix then.”

  “In that case, I’ll get you some soup to cheer you up. Things will get better. Also remember not to drink too much tonight. Tomorrow’s dad’s memorial and we need to bring him some flowers in the afternoon.”

  “I know,” I reply, my heart feeling just a tad bit heavier. “Maybe that even contributed to my unusually sour mood today. I probably didn’t even realize it.”

  “It happens,” she says and with a soft brush of her fingers down my hair, rises to her feet. “I’m glad you’re sticking it out, but don’t force things beyond what you are able to bear. This company is not the only company there is. I’m proud of you and Dad most definitely is too, so just take things easy.”

  This makes me smile sadly. “Well, I doubt he’s proud that I slept with my boss.”

  “Don’t worry, he knows the daughter he has. Remember when you took a nail to his Cherokee when you were about four and refused to admit it because you were too afraid to disappoint him?”

  I laugh at the memory. “You remember that?”

  “Of course, I do. I despised you for getting away with everything. You, with your hair in pigtails and you could do that stupid squeaky laugh with him, he would have torn down the moon and hung you in the sky. I couldn’t stand either of you and neither could Mom.”

  “Aww…” Tears misted my eyes. “He really did let me get away with way too much. And then he would call me—“

  She chorused it with me. “My winkle star.”

  I laugh again.

  She places her hand on her waist. “Then Mom would say, it’s twinkle star Byron! Ugh, she was so irritated.”

  “I know,” I squeal, tears in my eyes. “But then he would ignore everyone and say to me, ‘winkles get over here, recite that poem for me again,’ and then I would do a whole performance.”

  “Damn. I hated you both,” however she quickly corrects herself and lifts her gaze to the ceiling. “I mean I love you Daddy. She was the problem. Still is.” She says pointing at me.

  “Hey!” I exclaim.

  She blows me a kiss and returns to the kitchen.

  Our reminiscing however continues to bring a ton of memories to mind. “Remember when you called me Bla instead of Blair for a whole year?”

  She chuckles as she stirs the soup on the stove, and so did I.

  “You were so mean.” I wipe the tears from my eyes.

  “You were like thirteen then right?” she asks.

  “Yes, and you were twenty-one. You were too mean.”

  “You deserved it. You were too bratty.”

  “True,” I agree, and pull her blanket over my frame to dream of my dad that literally had stars in his eyes every single time he laid eyes on me.

  My sigh is heavy as my eyes sting with tears one again.

  I truly miss him.

  And what a truly bittersweet day it has been.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Grady

  I’m reviewing our security culture framework when I hear the voices beyond my door. The sounds are muffled so I can’t hear a single word until the door is slightly pushed open.

  “You failed the test? A mere baseline test?”

  I lift my gaze from my screen as silence fills both rooms. Allen still has my door slightly ajar, his intention to come in completely halted by the news he has just received. I hear her soft voice mumble some form of a response, and a low laugh rumbles from his throat.

  My door is left ajar as he goes back out to the reception to speak to her, but I don’t miss her haste in coming over to close it shut. I’m not sure though if it’s because she doesn’t want me to be disturbed, or if it’s because she feels shame at the progressing conversation.

  More muffled laughter follows from beyond the door, before it is eventually pulled open once again. Allen walks in with eyes sparkling with amusement, and shuts it behind him. “Do you know about this?” he asks in a lowered tone.

  My brows furrow with partial disinterest, especially since I can already guess what the jesting is all about. “About what?”

  “That Blair failed the simulated phishing test? The fact that she works in one of the biggest Cybersecurity companies in the country and she’s your secretary makes it a hundred times funnier and tragic.”

  “You hired her,” I respond, although I feel a slight prick at my conscience for the indirect jab at he
r abilities.

  “Are you saying that I erred in choosing her?”

  “Erred? Really?”

  He takes his seat. “What can I say? I am ah, sophisti-cat.”

  Despite the difficulty, I’m somehow able to hold back my smile at his rendition of Theodore Bagwell. I return my gaze to my screen, but I do however consider the question.

  Before I can reply, he slams a folder on my desk. “Four hundred and thirty two new corporate accounts and more than eighty percent of these are from the conference you two attended last week.”

  I meet his gaze. “And?”

  “She had a hand in that by suggesting the email spyware demo. Previously your headlined speeches have only had at most, a sixty-five percent conversion rate but this time around, it shattered our five year history, because of her suggestion.”

  I take my hands off my keyboard and lean back into my chair. “So the point you’re making is that I’m not a good salesman?”

  “Oh, you are.” He smiles, enjoying himself a bit too much in my opinion. “But you have to acknowledge that even though she failed the phishing test, her value to the company is already gaining traction and she’s only been here like what? Two weeks?” His grin is wide and his bearing pompous.

  I don’t want to talk about her, especially with Allen because things are sure to be dragged into murky waters. I can’t help but shake my head. “Where did you get these numbers from?”

  He scoffs. “Of course, David handed them to me to process. I know you’re aware of the math, so how can all of this be brought in without my involvement?”

  He is right but I don’t foster his already untamable ego.

  “All in all, you have to admit that she is a great hire and this brings me to the main reason why I’m here. Vasiliev just called.”

  At the mention of the CEO of the biggest digital solutions provider in the country, my attention is completely seized. “What does she have to do with Vasiliev?”

  “Well first of all, the Vasiliev that called is not Harold Vasiliev, but the chairman himself, Sasha. Apparently, their VP was at the Breckenridge event last week and after your keynote address, he returned to them bearing good tidings. They want to sign with us, but his father still has a stick up his ass, so he wants to meet with you first.”

  I take a few moments of silence to process all the information. “Who did he call? And why wasn’t it immediately forwarded to my office?”

  “I have no clue. Your secretary should know the answer to this.”

  The inefficiency bothers me immensely, so I immediately pick up the intercom phone. “Blair, why didn’t the call from Cognizant come directly to my office?”

  The line goes completely silent, so it’s clear to me then that she is probably not even aware of whom Cognizant is. “Fix this,” I say and end the call.

  “Could you be a bit more polite when you speak to her?”

  This commentary completely takes me by surprise. At first, I feel concern that my curtness to her borderlines on rude but when I realize just how much anxiety this concern stirs inside of me, I immediately check myself. My irritation is then directed at Allen. “Are you kidding me? Is this kindergarten?”

  “No, sir,” Allen replies with a smile, completely unfazed.

  I wonder how he almost always remains so carefree. I have only ever seen him gloomy once, and that was when his father passed away. At the time, it had immensely worried me that his loss would keep him in that state permanently but thankfully he had bounced back. Thus, I have learned to appreciate his cheer as a part of who he is, where once I used to be somewhat irritated.

  I’m about to return to work when I realize that he still has not answered my question so I repeat it, “What does Vasiliev have to do with her?”

  “Oh, that. I just thought to bring up the idea that perhaps you should allow her to play a major role in this one. Sasha is notorious for being especially difficult when he’s dealing with men, but I hear that when women are involved, he folds like a cheap chair.

  “That can’t be right,” I say. “A man who is that easily affected cannot have built Cognizant.”

  “Exactly. But Cognizant didn't rise to its current status until a few years ago when Harold took over as CEO. I've heard though that regardless, he still gives Sasha a hard time, hence the infamous moniker of him having a stick up his ass.”

  I go silent again to think.

  Allen watches me for a little while. Then with a tap on the desk, he rises to his feet. “I hope you’ll consider her, but of course, no pressure.”

  “No pressure? Didn’t you come in here ready to hold a gun to my head till I agreed to let her participate? But now that you heard she failed her test, your confidence in her is shaky?”

  He turns to face me. “You know you instantly lose fifty percent of your coolness when you make things up, right?”

  I harden my gaze on him, but still can’t help but ask, “Why do you like her so much? You’ve been her advocate from day one. Is there something that I don’t know about?”

  “She's hot,” he says.

  My response is simple, “Say that again and I’ll fire you.”

  He laughs loudly.

  For his sake, I hope that his ‘hot’ comment is a joke.

  “I’m playing with you. I just like her because she’s a goofball, just like I am while everyone else around here is walking around with a stiff neck and a frozen face.” He holds out his hand to point at me. “Case in point, she’s a breath of fresh air that I appreciate.”

  “She’s a goofball?” My mind goes back to the serious faced and somewhat awkward woman that I have reached the extent of physical intimacy with, but I just can’t picture the image of cheer and playfulness that he is conjuring. This can only mean then that she is either excessively tolerant with him, or she is especially cold towards me. I’m not sure though which of those scenarios makes my stomach churn more.

  “Yes she is, but I figure that you’ll soon chase that warmth out of her with your chill. Just a note of warning though, if I see that start to happen… I’ll immediately transfer her to a different department.”

  “You figure? And why not just make her your secretary then? Right now? Why wait?”

  “You can’t get rid of her that easily and Meredith would murder me. We made a pact a long time ago that I can only have unattractive male secretaries.”

  “Why do the male secretaries have to be unattractive too?” I ask.

  He raises his brows in a suggestive expression. He then proceeds to explain what I can’t even fathom, “In a past life, I may have been bi, until I met Meredith of course.”

  I’m sure he’s joking but the shock on my face is as set as concrete.

  “If I hear a word of this from any other soul,” he threatens. “I will hurt you, and then resign.”

  I finally get over some of my shock and I can’t help teasing him, “You’re joking? Is that why you’re always hanging around me? I used to wonder what your constant pull towards me was all about but now I think things are beginning to make sense. For the record, I'm flattered.”

  Allen rolls his eyes at me as he takes his leave. “With all due respect sir, shut up.” He exits the office.

  I can barely suppress my amusement.

  Chapter Twenty

  Blair

  I have nearly wrung all the blood from my hands by the time Allen comes out of Grady’s office. The moment he appears, I immediately jump to my feet but still try my best to compose myself. “Did he ask? About the test?”

  Once again, he mocks me with a smile.

  “I swear, I still don’t know how I failed the test. I didn't even realize what it was until it was over.”

  “Forget about the test,” he says. “There’s a new account that might be coming in and it’s a big one. I just suggested to your boss to have you on it, but I don’t know if that’ll do anything. You were able to get yourself on the last one, so perhaps you have some tricks up your sleeve?”

/>   “Oh,” is my response, at the sudden information. “This is about Cognizant right?”

  “It is.”

  There’s a knock on the door, we both look up to see who has come into the reception.

  I immediately recognize her as one of the receptionists from the ground floor. She is incredibly tall, hoisted up almost to Allen’s height of 6 ft 2 on six inch heels that I can’t understand why she’s wearing at work. She does appear comfortable in them though so I immediately check my jealousy. Her hair is a shiny wavy brown, and the nude wrap dress she has on is clinging to her body like a second skin. She looks naked.

  Staring at the dress, for a moment both myself and Allen are speechless.

  “I have a message for Mr. Abbott,” she says in a silky, breathless voice.

  Even her smile seems too bright for me to take in.

  Mr. Allen recovers before I do, “Shoot your shot,” he says as he takes his leave.

  I can’t help but think that perhaps this is exactly what this woman is trying to do. My query immediately begins after the brief introductions, “I’m sorry that you come all the way here, next time please just give me a call.”

  “Sure,” she says but her gaze is no longer on me. It is on the door leading to Grady’s office. Her gaze is twinkling with excitement.

  I honestly can’t blame her. But there is no way in hell that I'm allowing her to shoot her shot at the man. It is of course not personal, but during work hours, it is my job to man his territory. She can do whatever she wants afterwards.

  True to form, she takes a few steps towards me and whispers excitedly, “Do you mind if I hand this over to him personally? I can say that you stepped out for a bit and that this is kind of an urgent delivery. I heard that Cognizant would be a very big client for us.”

  My eyes widen in amazement. “So you want me to come off as incompetent, so that you can hit on the boss?” It is not my intention to be this crude but I honestly can’t believe she hasn’t thought this through and has only considered her interest in this intended ploy.