The CEO Buys in (Wager of Hearts #1)

After a fast scrub, she wrapped herself in an enormous, fluffy white towel and gave her hair a quick blast with the blow-dryer before she braided it. A bun was impossible because all the hairpins were scattered in Nathan’s bed and carpet, and she wasn’t going to go looking for them.

 

Tucking her blouse into her black skirt, she looked at her bare face and decided she needed to go to the guest room to redo her makeup. Otherwise, only her slightly swollen lips revealed what she’d been doing half the afternoon.

 

Self-respect was overrated.

 

 

 

 

 

Nathan plucked another hairpin from the tangled linens and added it to the collection in his hand. The blow-dryer had gone silent a few minutes ago, so he padded over to the bathroom door and knocked.

 

A neat and tidy Chloe greeted him, fully clothed, a tight braid falling over her shoulder.

 

“Ah, I see you don’t need these.” He held out the pins on his palm.

 

She looked at them as though they were emeralds and diamonds. “Thank you for finding them all.” Her fingertips brushed his palm as she took them, and he felt himself start to get hard again.

 

“I’m going to use the makeup in the guest room,” she said. “Then I’ll meet you in the office.”

 

So she was going to avoid him. He leaned forward and kissed her, savoring the softness of her lips. “And here I was looking forward to the elevator ride.”

 

Her breath hissed in and she threw him a look that was half reproof, half arousal. It made him want to toss her back on the bed.

 

“We’ll ride together on your way out, then,” he said.

 

She just shook her head and walked past him.

 

He turned to watch the sway of her hips. Memories of sinking his fingers into the delightful roundness of her behind while he drove into her had his erection lifting his unzipped khakis. A cold shower was in order.

 

As the water cascaded over him, he acknowledged he should have waited until Chloe was no longer working for him before he slept with her. However, his brain had not been the functioning body part in this encounter. Furthermore, he might not have succeeded if she was no longer in close proximity to him. One of the reasons he found her so intriguing was that she did her best to resist him, so he needed face time to break down her barriers.

 

He frowned as he considered whether Chloe had felt pressured in some way because she worked for him. He just didn’t see it. She was a strong woman who didn’t hesitate to speak her mind.

 

The one chink in her armor was the need for money. He would say it was an inconsistency in her, but she didn’t expect it to be given to her. She simply wanted to be paid well for her work. That showed no lack of integrity.

 

But what made her negotiate so fiercely for those pay increases? Ben knew something about that. He made a mental note to call the doctor later.

 

In the meantime, he found himself looking forward to getting back to his office with an eagerness he hadn’t felt in years.

 

 

 

 

 

They’d spent two hours within five feet of each other, and Chloe thought she would go up in flames. He was back to his old tricks of finding ways to touch her in the guise of working. Except now she was onto him. And she needed to get home.

 

“I’m sending you the marketing plan for the Delta Plug,” she said, sweeping it across her screen and onto his cloud drive. “I’ve distributed the financials to your executive VPs, and your e-mail is current. It’s quitting time.”

 

He swiveled his chair to face her, his eyes blazing with anticipation. “Have dinner with me.”

 

Only the thought of Grandmillie gave her the strength to say, “I have to go home.”

 

“Why?”

 

Hadn’t they had this conversation before? “I have responsibilities.”

 

“Tell me about them.”

 

Right. She was going to tell her hot new lover that her grandmother lived with her. “It’s personal.”

 

He gripped the arms of her chair and pulled it close so her knees were sandwiched between his. Stroking the back of his hand down her cheek, he asked, “Have we not gotten very personal?”

 

“Not in that way.” Unable to resist, she leaned forward to kiss him. “I’m going now.”

 

He still held her chair so she had no room to stand. “You’ll meet me here tomorrow.”

 

“Temps don’t work on Saturdays without authorization. It requires overtime pay.”

 

He gave a ghost of a laugh. “We are far beyond overtime pay.”

 

She had to admit the truth of that. “I need to be home tomorrow.” She had spent so little time with Grandmillie this week because of Nathan.

 

“Then dinner on Sunday. Surely, your responsibilities can spare you then.”

 

The temptation was nearly impossible to withstand. All she could force out was, “I’m sorry.”

 

Instead of looking insulted, Nathan’s face sharpened with the thrill of a challenge. “At least let Oskar drive you home. It will ease my conscience for keeping you late again.”

 

She knew she shouldn’t give in, but she was exhausted from the whirlwind of the day, and she’d have to wait nearly an hour for the next train home. “I won’t say no.”

 

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