Saving the CEO(65)

“I’m not an idiot, you know,” he said. “I know my father wants me to take over the company. And I know that I’d be a disaster at it.”

“You’d have a lot to learn, but you could do it.” Yeah, nice—try to talk the guy into blocking the sale. Still, a sliver of sympathy for him worked itself under her skin. Looking at Brian Wexler and his life crystallized the adage that money can’t buy happiness.

“Nah. Old dog, new tricks.” He picked up a stick and started drawing a swirl pattern in the snow on the floor. They were silent a moment, and then he looked up at her. “How much?”

She hesitated only a moment. “Seventy-eight million.”

He nodded.

“I’m being honest when I say I think it’s a fair price,” said Cassie.

“It’s a lot of money.”

Cassie was a little surprised to hear that coming from him. What was a lot of money to these people? What was pocket change? It was hard to tell. “You could do a lot of things with that much money,” she said lamely. She meant that he could found a company he was interested in, could help people. But he was probably thinking more about trips and cars and other luxuries.

“I want you to ask me nicely. That’s all I want. Someone to ask me nicely.”

“Excuse me?”

He looked up at her, and if she’d seen any vulnerability in his eyes before, it was gone. “I want you to ask me nicely not to block the sale.”

Cassie wasn’t sure if she should follow her natural instinct, which was to throw up on his shoes, or do what he asked. Being bossed around by such an immature creep made her stomach churn. But if “asking nicely” was all it took to facilitate the deal, what did it really matter?

She schooled her face into what she hoped was a neutral expression. “Will you please not block the sale of your father’s company to Winter Enterprises?”

“Ask me again, but say my name.”

Gross. This was worse, in a way, than all his lurching come-ons. He was lording his power over her, probably because he knew he couldn’t have her. It was humiliating. She was tempted to just turn and climb down the tree, but, then, she was in a tree! It was all so absurd anyway, and there was a lot at stake. For Jack, but also for her. She wanted this deal to go through as much as he did, and not just because of the money. Even though she could never publicly take credit, it would be something to hold on to, in her heart, once Jack was gone.

“Brian, will you please not block the sale of your father’s company to Winter Enterprises?” she said, speaking slowly and clearly, ignoring the adrenaline rush that accompanied the task.

More silence as the scratch of his stick on the snow resumed. After a full minute he said, once again, “I’m really more of a city person.” Turning serious, his face changed for an instant so he looked nothing like the usual freewheeling skater-dude she’d come to know. Her heart sped up. If he was saying what she thought he was saying, they’d won.

But then he grinned at her, and the frat boy was back. “You sure you don’t want a tour of the sleeping platform?”

“No thanks,” she said softly, once again feeling inexplicably sorry for him.

He just nodded. “That Jack is a lucky bastard.”

She didn’t bother correcting him.





Chapter Seventeen


“I think Junior is going to agree,” Cassie whispered in Jack’s ear as she came into the great room for cocktails. Relief washed over him. Not at what she said, but at her presence. He’d spent the balance of the afternoon after she departed wracked with worry. He’d invented a million reasons to be roaming the halls of the house, hoping to see or hear her, to find evidence that she’d returned from her time with Brian unscathed. But since he could hardly set up camp outside her bedroom, she must have slipped in without him noticing.

The thought of Brian Wexler with Cassie, even just walking with her, made him crazy. It made him want to get this deal done not just because he wanted to buy Wexler’s company, but because he didn’t want Brian to have it. He was fully aware that this made him no better than a kid who doesn’t want a toy for himself but also won’t share it, but he didn’t give a fuck. Cassie was too good to spend another minute in that jackass’s presence.

“What do you mean?” he asked, forcing his mind back to what she’d actually said.

“Junior may not be as bad as he seems,” she whispered, but was interrupted by the arrival of both Wexlers and Tania.

“I have a crazy idea!” boomed David.

“You’re going to love it!” said Tania.