Page 67 of The Fix Up

“Well,” he said. “That was the best internal business merger I’ve ever been part of.”

* * *

Ben didn’t remember fallingasleep with Holly in his arms, but it must have happened at some point. He woke bleary-eyed and confused about why his pants were hanging from the lamp and why they seemed to be vibrating.

It took him a few seconds to realize his phone was ringing. As gently as he could, he eased Holly off his chest and rolled away from her. He burrowed a hand into his pants pocket and pulled out the phone, peering at the readout. Where the hell were his glasses?

The words came into focus as he squinted, and Ben felt his gut sink.

Dad.

He thought about not answering it. Then he remembered the lecture Lyle had given two days before.

“A good CEO never takes a break,” he’d insisted. “Your mind’s always working, your guard’s always up, and your phone’s always on.”

Ben sighed and hit the button to answer the call. “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”

“I’ve been trying to reach you for an hour. Where the hell have you been?”

“I, uh—was in the middle of a performance evaluation.”

“You’ve gotta shove that off on human resources,” Lyle grumbled. “You’ve got more important things to do.”

Ben looked down at Holly sleeping beside him and couldn’t think of anything in the world more important. As though feeling his gaze on her, she stirred and opened her eyes. Her lashes fluttered and she smiled at him, and Ben felt his heart lurch in his chest.

“Right,” Ben said, already forgetting whatever the hell they were discussing.

“I got a call from Kleinberger.”

That got Ben’s attention. “What did they say?”

“They want to sign the deal. They’re willing to move fast, too.”

“Wow.” Ben raked his fingers through his hair, surprised at the surge of pride rushing through him. He’d had a hand in landing that deal. Not just from the engineering side, either, but as a real, honest-to-God, hobnobbing CEO. He sat up a little straighter on the edge of the bed and smiled at Holly. She smiled back, making his heart stumble against his ribs.

“That’s great, Dad. Congratulations.”

Ben paused to see if his father might congratulate him, but Lyle just grunted. “Yeah, it’s terrific. Look, we need to wine and dine these guys. Really seal the deal, if you know what I mean. Remember that party we threw last year when Jolen Brothers signed on?”

Ben remembered. He’d been dragged out of the engineering dungeon and ordered to make charming conversation with Jolen executives. He’d ended up spending the whole night by the canapés chatting with the server about her husband’s desire to return to college for an advanced degree in economics.

“Yes, I remember,” he said. “Are you wanting to do something similar?”

“No, bigger. I told Molly to get in touch with that event planner we used for that bullshit charity thing last fall. We’re going to pull out all the stops for this one. They’re even flying the company founder out here to nail down the final details in person.”

Holly yawned and stretched, then leaned up to plant a soft kiss on his forehead. He drew back, weirdly uncomfortable having a beautiful, naked woman touch him while his dad yammered on about due diligence and monetized assets. He squeezed her hand, then rolled off the bed and reached for his underwear, pulling them on while she watched.

He shuffled across the room, gripping the phone with one hand while he located his glasses with the other. “That sounds like a good plan,” he said. “Do you want me to prepare a speech?”

Ben couldn’t believe he’d just offered that, nor could he believe Lyle’s response. “Yeah, I think that would be good. The Kleinberger guys like you. Throw something together that’ll dazzle them.”

“Dazzle. I can do that.” He ambled back to the bedside and grabbed his pants. He stepped into them while Holly sat up and pulled the sheet over her breasts. Her hair was tousled and her cheeks were flushed from sleep or beard burn or some combination of both, and he wanted her all over again. He started to reach for her, but his father’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Make sure you bring a date. That hot little number you had the other night should do the trick.”

“Hot little number,” Ben repeated, looking at Holly. “I should be able to pull that off.”

“Good. Look, I’ve gotta run. The party’s next Saturday. Try to have all our ducks in a row by then. And Ben?”

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