Page 11 of Say You Remember Me
Maybe it was the fresh Norwegian air that had done it, or maybe he’d gotten a new haircut for the wedding he’d attended there. Either way, he looked better than ever this morning.
I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts away.Who cares if he looks like he stepped off the cover shoot for the Sexiest-Man-Alive magazine issue?I had work to do.
I couldn’t afford to get distracted by the very man I needed to stay focused around. But even as I tried to convince myself with my new mantras that included things like “focus on the paycheck, not the playboy” and “salary over smoldering looks,” I couldn’t help but steal one last glance in his direction.
Yep, just because I’d told Sloan I wasn’t interested in dating anyone right now didn’t mean I couldn’t still appreciate my beautiful view.
After finishing Ian’s emails, I glanced at his schedule for the day. He had a few meetings lined up, one of which was a board meeting in just a few minutes. Since I was still new and he’d only been in the office three of the five days I’d worked here so far, I decided it was better to ask what he needed from me, rather than assume. So I stood, smoothed out my skirt, and walked over to his office.
Knocking lightly on the glass door, I watched as he glanced up from his computer and waved me in.
“Do you need me to attend any of your meetings today?” I asked, keeping my tone professional, even though just being around him still sent my pulse racing.
“Actually, yes.” Ian leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes lingering on mine for a moment before seeming to take in my appearance. He licked his lips, then cleared his throat. “I-I’d likeyou to sit in on the board meeting that’s starting shortly. It’ll give you a better understanding of the company and everything we have coming up.”
“Okay, great.” I nodded. “I’ll grab my laptop and notebook.”
I turned and headed back to my desk, feeling a small sense of relief.
So far, so good, I told myself. One interaction down for the week, and as long as I kept things professional, maybe I’d manage to keep up my streak of not throwing myself at my boss.
But when Ian stepped out of his office, and I fell in step behind him, my eyes couldn’t help but drift up his tall frame and admire it as we walked down the hall together.
How tall was he, anyway? I was five foot five, and he had to be at least ten inches taller.
So...six two? Six three?
I’d never been great at guessing heights, but either way, his towering height just added to his overall appeal.
Which you don’t care about,I reminded myself.Since he’s your BOSS.
When we reached the conference room, Ian held the door open, gesturing for me to step inside. I took a deep breath and walked in, immediately noticing the polished, professional atmosphere. Several executives were already seated around the large rectangular table, all impeccably dressed and exuding the kind of confidence you’d expect from people who ran a multi-billion-dollar corporation.
At the far end of the table sat Ian’s dad, Mr. Joel Hastings, a distinguished fifty-something man with an air of authority that could easily be intimidating—yet somehow wasn’t. Beside him sat his wife, Dawn, a poised woman with warm brown eyes and rich brown hair. Her graceful demeanor matched her husband’s presence, though there was a certain softness in her gaze.
Beside Ian’s mother sat his younger brother, Carter, who was apparently a wiz with numbers. And even though he was only a year out of college, he was well on his way to becoming the company’s chief financial officer.
And though this powerful family could have easily come off as the intimidating billionaires that they were, there was a warmth that emanated from them, making you feel oddly at ease in their presence. It was a rare mix of power and approachability—one that was as impressive as it was disarming.
Which probably helped them in negotiations with the companies they acquired.
I’d been curious about my new company’s founding family last week, and not wanting to have any more mix-ups with who I should and should not recognize, I found Ian’s social media accounts. It turned out that in addition to having Carter for a younger brother, he also had two other siblings who—you guessed it—were also extremely talented and good-looking.
Nash and Cambrielle didn’t work at the company, though. Nash was an up-and-coming actor who recently had a small role in a movie alongside one of my all-time favorite actors, Justin Banks. And Cambrielle, who was the youngest in the family, had just graduated from Juilliard and landed a job as a professional dancer for the New York City Ballet.
With such an accomplished family, it was hard not to feel like an imposter in their midst.
I hesitated for a moment at the conference room’s entrance, waiting for Ian to step farther inside. Then I followed him down the small aisle to the seats near the other Hastings family members.
As the meeting began, I did my best to stay focused, taking notes while the board members discussed quarterly progress. Much of it went over my head, but I tried to keep up. A few executives expressed concern about the numbers falling short ofprojections, but when the conversation shifted to the upcoming business summit in Boston, the mood lightened again.
I quickly scribbled "Summer Business Summit: Boston?" in my notebook, adding a question mark to reflect my uncertainty. Before I could fully process it, I felt Ian lean closer, his breath warm against my ear.
“I’ll tell you more about the summit after the meeting,” he whispered, his voice low and intimate. “I’d like you to attend with me.”
My heart skipped a beat as the nearness of him, combined with the intoxicating scent of his cologne, sent my mind spinning for a moment.
Did he just say he wanted me to go with him?
