Page 51 of Takeover

After kissing the breath out of me for the second time today, he helps me with my coat and is handing me a bottled water as Hunter returns with our lunch. As soon as he leaves, Ethan pulls a chair out for me at the dining room table he has in his office.

“It went well,” I say, several minutes later over grilled sea bass and roasted potatoes. “The VP is a Columbia grad. He assured me I’ll be hearing from him soon. And if I end up working there, their office is only a few blocks away. I expect you to be at my beck and call, Mr. CEO. That means lunch and sex whenever I want, and you know I have a big appetite.” I wiggle my eyebrows at him, but I don’t get the witty response I’ve come to expect from him. What I get instead, is a smile and a sly look. We eat in silence for several minutes. He slides a hand under the table and squeezes my thigh, and even though we continue to eat, the side glances don’t stop.

I look up and try to catch his eye, but he looks away.

“What?” I ask him.

“What do you mean what?” he asks.

“You keep looking at me like you’re plotting my death.”

He puts his knife and fork down, sips his water, and looks at me again. When I do the same, he puts both of his hands over mine.

“I think the job interview probably went great. I believe they will want to hire you, but then will google your name and do a social media search…” He leaves the sentence unfinished.

“So? I don’t have anything to hide.”

He throws his hands up and scoffs.

“You mean, you and me?” I gesture between us. “How on earth would they know about that? And even if they find out, I’ll sign a non-disclosure agreement.”

He leaves the table, grabs his iPad, and hands it to me. “Google yourself.”

“Google myself?” I run a hand through my hair, smile, and shake my boobs. “I only do that in the privacy of my bedroom.” I wiggle my eyebrows at him, and he laughs. Then he points at the iPad, and I type my name in the search engine.

When I’ve done this in the past, Taylor Toys was always the first thing to come up, followed by my LinkedIn profile detailing my educational and professional background, but that’s not the case today. There’s an article about my night out with Ethan and Vickie. Several pictures are taken of us inside the club, including a few of us getting in the back of his Bentley. Ethan has a hand on the small of my back, and there’s one final picture of him kissing me before I slide inside the car.

I scan the article quickly, and whoever wrote it did their research and even speculated that we met when BradCo bought out Taylor Toys. Having seen enough, I hand Ethan back his iPad and shrug. “Like I said, I’ll sign an NDA if they need me to. I’m allowed to have a personal life, right?’

“You are, but I just want you to be prepared in case this job falls through, okay?”

I swallow the lump in my throat and nod, unsure how to feel. I grew up wealthy, but nowhere close to the kind of wealth that Ethan comes from. My dad never had a driver or personal security. We lived ordinary lives and never worried about our privacy.

“Okay. I have some other things in the pipeline, so if things don’t work out with Bullseye, that’s okay.” I finish my water, wipe my mouth and throw my napkin on the plate. Ethan continues to watch me, and to get away from his stare, I push away from the table and walk to his wall of windows.

The view from the thirtieth floor makes everything below look small. The yellow cabs look more like toy cars than real ones. I run a hand through my hair and think of my next move as far as my job search. There’s an opening with a hotel chain that would be a good fit, but before I can think it through further, I feel him approach from across the room.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Possibly taking my skills to the hospitality segment.” He puts both hands on my shoulders and I lean into him. “And how men like you better prepare yourself for when I take over the world.”

“Hmm,” he says. He moves my hair out of the way and kisses the side of my neck. “I’ll warn the others, but what canIdo to stay on your good side?” His hand slowly travels down my back and lands on my ass.

He leaves slow, opened mouth kisses on my neck, awakening all my senses. I lean into him fully. If he moves away, I’ll fall, but when I reach behind me and slide my hand into his hair, his moan tells me the last thing he wants is to leave my side.

“Boss,” someone says as they walk inside the office, “we need to leave in five minutes to make it to your meeting on time. I’ve emailed you the agenda.” The footsteps stop, and I hear a loud throat clearing. “Really, boss, this is sexual harassment.”

“Hunter, I got it. Have I ever been late for a damn meeting? Get out before I fire your ass.”

“Again?”

“Before I have security escort you out of the building, arrange to have a car and driver for Ms. Taylor’s exclusive use.” I’m struck speechless, and by the time he barks some more orders at Hunter, all I can do is stand there with my mouth hanging open.

He kisses my neck one last time before he leaves me standing in front of the window.

“Earl will drop me and Hunter off, and he’ll take you back to my place.” He walks to the back of his office and returns with my coat. By the time he hands it to me, I’ve regained my ability to speak.

“First, I don’t need a car or driver. Second, I have a spin class in two hours. And third, don’t make decisions for me.” I stomp to the couch and shove my arms in my coat. By the time I tie my scarf, I’m already sweating. I can feel heat flushing my entire body. Without giving him another look, I grab my purse and say, “I’ll find my own way home.”

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