For Her Protection(62)
The uptight she-cat he’d met that first day wouldn’t do this. Something had changed. Something that told him he wasn’t done with her yet. Charlize glanced up and the words she’d been speaking died on her lips. Her beautiful eyes flared, moved over his face, took in his grin. Her cheeks flushed, her tongue darted out to wet her lips. His smile evened in response to her. They held each other’s gaze. A thousand things passed between them in that one look—he felt each one like a shotgun firing into his soul. The pain, the desire, the yearning and something more. Something he couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge. Not now, not like this.
Lia straightened then patted Charlize’s shoulder and left her side. Connor nodded to Lia and stepped out of her way. Charlize hadn’t moved, hadn’t twitched a muscle, just stared at him as if maybe she might leap up and remove his marrow with a her lips. Those lips. Those fucking sexy lips. His heart sped up as if he was a nervous schoolboy. She had that effect on him. Unmanned him. Cut through the confidence he’d built over a lifetime. Cut his thirty years right in half.
I’m so screwed.
“Connor?” She blinked, found her tongue again, flushed brighter.
He stepped into the room, leaving the door open—the only way he’d control himself—and approached her desk. “I wanted to tell you personally that Jason will not be available to escort you to the awards ceremony tonight. I’ll be taking you myself.”
Charlize glanced at her desk. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, although her face gave away nothing. “There’s not anyone else?”
Disappointment hit him between the ribs. “No. It’s going to be me.”
“Because you’re the only one available or because you want to?” Her gaze flicked back to his.
He swallowed. “How has everything been? Was the information I gave you helpful?”
She leaned back in her chair, only the hesitant twitch of her mouth acknowledging his unsubtle attempt at changing the subject. “Yes it was. I’ve hired the forensic accountant you recommended. As far as anyone knows it’s a standard external audit looking at staffing.”
“Good…as long as no one knows you’re digging.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line and she linked her fingers together. “They don’t.”
“What?” he said, narrowing his gaze at her.
“I need you to hang around this afternoon if you’re free. I might need the extra protection.”
“What are you up to, Charlize?”
She sighed and glanced at the open door then leaned forward. “I’ve made a kind of big decision, one that’s going to ruffle some serious feathers.”
He pulled out the chair opposite her and sank into it. “Well you might as well tell me so I know what I’m up against.”
“Well I’ve always thought the problem with this place is there are so many levels of management, finding out what’s happening on the front line is like playing a game of “Telephone” in a nursing home. No one knows what’s really going on.” She rubbed an invisible mark on the glass desk with her thumb. “And I’ve had lunch with the girls every day this week. Women from all departments… And what they’ve had to say—on top of all my other investigations—has confirmed what I need to do…” Charlize glanced up, her lips stretched over her teeth in a grimace. “I’m going to flatten the structure. Take out most of the middle managers, people who hold positions like Gregory did. It’ll open up communication through the organization and I’ll be able to afford to keep the frontline workers, the call-center staff and our factory workers.”
He ran his gaze over her, saw her hesitation, that flicker of doubt. She wanted his approval. Something he was sure she didn’t realize but the idea warmed him all the same. He may still be a caveman to her but she valued his opinion. “That’s very brave but then I always knew you were.”
She shrugged, her cheeks a deep pink. “It makes sense. About thirty jobs will go in order to save two hundred. Two hundred positions that will directly impact the quality of our service and products. It’s common sense. The only reason it hasn’t happened until now is because the people in charge enjoyed their cozy situation too much. The executives will actually have to work for their six-figure salaries now. No more allowing their supervising-senior-management managers to compile reports for them. It will be on them to know everything about their department.”
“Well I’ll be there when you give the news.”
She gave him a small, sad smile and smoothed back an invisible strand of hair. “I’ll feel better knowing you are.” Her gaze flickered over his shoulder and a line appeared between her brows.