“I'll get rid of these,” Mandy said helpfully. With a dark cloud hanging over her head, Scarlett went to the conference room, and collapsed into a seat near the end of the table, folding her arms and blowing a frustrated breath out of her mouth to clear away her hair from her forehead. Then she saw him sitting at the head of the table and her insides went queasy. Jack looked at her and a playful smile tugged at the corners of his lips, meant only for her.
Chapter 6
Scarlett crossed her legs and tried not to look at him, but it was impossible. Her stomach swam with nerves and she tried her hardest to keep from flushing crimson with embarrassment, but she knew she failed. She heard faint whispers and her mind was rampant with paranoia. Surely they were talking about her. And now she was stuck there. Sam was sitting beside Jack and it felt like she was in a nest of vipers, just waiting to feel the effects of the venom.
Jack looked relaxed throughout the meeting. He leaned back in his seat wearing a black suit and shirt, which was open at the collar, providing her with a teasing glimpse at the thick bed of chest hair that sprouted from his skin, more evidence of the sheer masculinity that oozed out of every pore. His long arm was stretched forward and his fingers lightly tapped the table. Sam began talking, and others joined in, but Jack never took his eyes off Scarlett and although they were in a room filled with people it felt incredibly intimate, like they were the only two people that mattered.
Scarlett couldn't concentrate because of him. Everything inside was screaming at her to run across the table and fling herself into his arms, but she managed to restrain herself. She averted her gaze, hoping that this would lessen the impact of his presence, but her mind was alive with wild thoughts and fantasies, and she could still taste him on her lips. The connection between them was intense and electric, and she wondered if anyone else could sense it.
The others all engaged with Sam and presented their ideas. The meeting went the same way as all the others had gone and Scarlett wasn't surprised. It seemed like Jack was the only one that was actually paying attention to her. When it came to the end of the meeting, Sam wrapped things up, and everyone else started to gather their things—when Jack spoke. His voice was soft like velvet, but it carried a tone of authority that commanded everyone, and they sat back down.
“I'd like to hear what Scarlett thinks. You neglected to ask her, Sam. I thought this was a committee and we listened to everyone's ideas,” he said. Scarlett didn't know whether to be thankful for his interference or not, because now the pressure was on her. Every eye turned to her and gazed at her expectantly.
“I... um... actually I had a few ideas,” she said, and flicked open the file that was in front of her. At first her voice was shaking and tentative, but as she looked up and saw that everyone was actually listening to her, she felt a swell of confidence and the work began to speak for itself. She also felt Jack's gaze upon her, and from this she gained strength. A few, including Sam, seemed put out by Jack's request, but they had to begrudgingly accept that Scarlett's ideas were worthwhile.
“Right. Well, I think there are some good things to work with there, Scarlett. I'm sure that leaves you with some things to consider, Sam, and I hope that you'll incorporate some of the ideas. After all, we did hire her because she's a rising star and I don't like to think of talent going to waste. I'm not paying her to sit at a desk,” he said, and left.
Scarlett heard a few grumblings as she left, but she wore a beaming smile. She felt like she had actually accomplished something at work and she didn't care what Sam or any of the others thought because she had the backing of Jack, and that meant a lot to her. She strode through the office with newfound confidence and didn't pay any attention to the looks that other people were giving her. For the first time, she felt like she belonged in the office. Now that they had seen what she could do, she hoped that they would give her ideas the attention she deserved. And she was excited about Jack as well. It definitely felt like there was something between them, and the fact that he had been impressed with her ideas thrilled her. It was a wonder she had been able to talk at all, because just being in his presence gave her the feeling of being speechless, and it was only a shame that he had retreated to his office, because she wanted to see him again. The possibilities of what may happen both excited and scared her, but now that she had seen him again, the kiss was at the forefront of her mind. And she wanted a repeat.
For the following hour or so, she didn't get much work done as her mind was occupied with fantasies. She was glad that she had her own office so that she could drift away into the land of make-believe without suffering any consequence. She was sure that the kiss had been merely a product of the moment in the break room and didn't hold any significance. After all, Jack was a billionaire and could have any woman in the world. He didn't have to settle for some wreck of a woman he met at a party that cried on his shoulder before she even knew his name. But it was a fun thought to entertain, and there was no harm to it. Then she glanced at her computer as it beeped, telling her that she had a new e-mail.
It was from Jack.
I want to see you in my office.
Chapter 7
It was a simple, short message and yet it held within it so much possibility. Scarlett's eyes danced over it a number of times and she smiled with glee. She adjusted her appearance and ran her hands through her hair to make herself look as good as possible. Before she left the room she toyed with the idea of undoing her top button as well and give him a peek at her plunging cleavage, and after first deciding against it, she thought 'what the hell' and popped it open.
As she walked over the floor in the direction of Jack's office she smiled wryly to herself because she knew what everyone must have been thinking, and enjoyed knowing that they all looked upon her with envy.
Scarlett rapped her knuckles on the door and waited for him to call out before she entered. She closed the door behind her and knew that the office was going to be alive with gossip at this latest turn of events. The office was much like hers, although bigger and more organized. From the way everything was placed she could tell that Jack was a man who liked things in a certain order and was very particular about where things were placed. He stared at his computer, typed out a few things, and gestured for her to take a seat. The room was filled with the scent of his aftershave and Scarlett felt intoxicated again. She couldn't take her eyes off him, but was aware that she was staring too much and tried her best to avert her gaze. Now that it was just the two of them alone, she felt vulnerable and worried about the way she had acted at the party.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I'm fine.”
“It's just that at the party... I wanted to make sure that you were okay about things.”
“Yeah... about that. I was a little worse for wear at the party. I didn't mean to go off like that and, well, I didn't know that you were... you.”
Jack chuckled. “I want my employees to be happy and I'm sorry that you found your start here so difficult, but after the meeting today, I hope that things will be better.”
“Yes, thank you for that. It meant a lot to me.”
“You do good work, Scarlett. That's why I recommended we give you a promotion.”
“You recommended me?”
“Of course, Scarlett. I may not always be here, but I always take an interest in my company.” Hearing her name on his tongue made her melt and knowing that he'd been keeping an eye on her performance made her feel special. She blushed.
“Your ideas today were quite astute,” he said, and she thought it fortunate that she had notes prepared in that meeting, because she found it difficult to think straight when she was in his presence.
“Listen, I don't want this to be awkward, but I thought we should talk about what happened at the party. I have a strict rule when it comes to my employees and what happened between us was a lapse in judgment. I didn't intend for it to happen and I'm sorry it did, because you were in no fit state and I feel like I took advantage of you. That's why I left so quickly. Although I felt bad for it, because it seemed like you could have used someone to talk to.”
“It's fine, Mr. Keyes…”
“Call me Jack.”
“It's fine... Jack. A lot of men wouldn't have stopped. And I think, like you said, it was just a moment we shared. I was as much to blame as you, so I don't feel like you took advantage of me at all. I'm just glad it's not because you got a better look at me and thought I was ugly,” she joked, trying to lighten the mood and alleviate the tension.
“I could never think that,” he said, and again looked at her with those piercing eyes. Scarlett felt her heart flutter and knew that the attraction between them was a dangerous one.
“Well, I'm glad we got that sorted. And yes, let's just put it down to one of those things that happened.”
“It just wouldn't look very good as a CEO if I was found entangled with an employee,” he said, and as he spoke about it her mind whirled with desire. The room was alive with tension and there was nothing she could do to diminish the levels of attraction that she was feeling for him. Although she knew that she should leave she couldn't. They continued to talk about idle matters for a while, but there was a strong undercurrent of tension simmering, waiting to boil over.