Need You Now (1001 Dark Nights)(14)

I cringe inwardly at my stupidity for bringing this up. Katie could have been anyone to him. “She’s a good employee.”

“Relax. I have much bigger things to worry about than one employee who’s made a bad decision.”

“But if layoffs happen, you’ll choose her.”

“Whoever takes over the properties in Meredith’s place will make that decision.” He leans forward, elbows on his knees, all signs of humor fading away. “But you do need to go on this trip remembering that you aren’t responsible for anyone’s choices but your own. Not Meredith’s. Not this Katie person. Not any other employee who doesn’t have their head on straight.”

I stare into those green eyes of his and it takes me a moment to think clearly, and ask, “You think Meredith doesn’t have her head on straight?”

He straightens, and his withdrawal speaks as easily as do his words. “She’s failing to turn a profit.”

“Then why not just sell out and get out?”

“Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, at least not yet, I can’t sell my stock to anyone but the board members, who will destroy the company.”

“And that matters to you, why?”

“Because Meredith was the only one of my father’s siblings by his side when he died,” he surprises me by sharing. “She mattered to him and therefore she matters to me. The question for me has to be if I can turn around the company if I stay in this mess.”

I’m shocked that he is talking so openly to me, and relieved that he feels real again, not cold and callous. “And so far? What do you think?”

“‘We’ll see,’ is all I can say at this point.”

“Meredith told me a lot of people will get laid off if you don’t help her hold off the board.”

“She’s right, but I have thousands of my own employees to think about as well. Hurting my financial position, which is what the board will do if they destroy the company rather than save this operation, hurts the security of my employees. I either have to turn this around or get out.”

His cell phone rings and he digs it out of his briefcase, grimacing as he punches the “answer” button. “Tell me you got me the numbers,” he says to whoever he’s talking to, and rather than listening in, I grab my iPad from my briefcase.

I power up and log in to my company e-mail, finding my inbox filled with questions about Jensen. Seems everyone is trying to figure out exactly why he’s here and what to think of him. I know I am. And despite my good intentions not to be nosy, I find myself listening in to his conversation about some business decision with his own company, and his knowledge and control over the situation is both sexy and confidence building. He’s sharper than Meredith, hungrier, too. Meredith doesn’t evoke respect but rather demands results, but as I continue to listen to Jensen’s conversation, I am ready to admit he evokes more than passion in me. I respect his skill, but I still fear he’s more the Wolf of Wall Street than Prince Charming.

I glance up at him, and his gaze meets mine, and I swear there’s a hungry look in his eyes that is one part man and one part beast. The effect has me tingling all over and fighting a flashback from last night, remembering his hands, those skilled, wonderful hands, all over my body. I decide right then that a fairy tale prince is boring. At least once in her life, every girl needs a really sexy, deliciously male wolf.





Part Six: Rules



My hope that I could sneak into a bathroom in the airport and call Katie is smashed when the limo pulls up to a private hangar where a jet waits for our exclusive use. I peer out of the window and then glance at Jensen. “That’s expensive.”

“My company is profitable, something this one hasn’t achieved.”

“But your company wasn’t successful when you took it over?” I ask, remembering what Meredith had said in our earlier meeting.

“It was crumbling worse than this one.”

“That’s impressive. I hope the board lets you work your magic again.”

A look of surprise flickers in his gaze and there is a subtle shift in the air. He gives me a nod. “Thank you, Ms.Woods,” he says, acknowledging the compliment, but his dismissal of my comment about the board is unsettling, leaving me certain he’s far from decided to save Meredith or the hotels.

The driver opens the limo door and I reach for my briefcase, but Jensen grabs it first. “I’ve got it.” But he doesn’t exit the car and neither do I. Somehow, we are staring at each other, and that bond we’d had last night charges the air and tingles through me. Unbidden, my nipples tighten and my thighs ache, and I can feel my cheeks flushing. This man affects me too easily, and it’s scary enough to set me in motion, scooting out of the vehicle. I don’t want to be a fool. He is savvy and successful. He could use me and discard me far too quickly, and while my head sees all the problems with that, my body doesn’t seem to care. Once I’m outside, the hot New York air does nothing to soothe my skin and body; it merely makes me sticky, my black silk blouse clinging to me when I am already wet for all the wrong reasons. And this time I don’t have tequila to blame.

Jensen joins me. I’m far from composed, so I quickly distance myself from him, darting several steps forward to stare at the fancy jet. Jensen follows, stepping to my side and sliding my briefcase over my shoulder. “Have you ever flown in a private plane?”