“That’s usually how it works,” Cullen said. “When someone asks your name, they usually mean you.” He arched an eyebrow as the group of temps tittered nervously at his joke.
“I’m Lucas,” the younger man managed. He shifted in his seat, sitting up straighter.
“Lucas, I noticed you grinning at something I said a moment ago,” Cullen told him. “Please share with all of us what was so humorous. It’s always nice to have a person with a good sense of humor around the office.”
Lucas stumbled nervously over his words. “I didn’t—I mean…uh, nothing was funny.”
“Some people have a bad habit of smiling when they’re nervous,” Cullen said, waiting for him to respond to the assertion.
“I think that’s what happened,” Lucas said, seemingly relieved to have the excuse to fall back on. “Just a little nervous is all.”
Cullen glared at him. “Nervousness is fine, but disrespect is not something I tolerate. Ever.” He continued to stare the younger man down, and Lucas looked at the floor, clearly defeated before the first shot had been fired.
“I’m sorry,” Lucas mumbled.
Ivy realized she’d been wrong about Lucas’s grin. It turned out the younger man was just as intimidated by the situation as she was.
And Cullen Sharpe had proven very quickly and efficiently that he wasn’t there to play nice or be liked by the people who came to work for him.
He was standing so close to her now that the strong smell of masculinity and cologne drifted to Ivy’s nostrils—she was in awe of how much power he exuded.
The awkward moment was soon over with, as there was a knock on the door and a tall, elegant, yet severe blond woman entered the room. When she came inside, Cullen nodded to her and then turned to the group. “Everyone, I’m pleased to introduce your manager, Emma Marks. She’ll be taking over from here, and you’re to go to her with any questions or concerns you might have.”
“Thank you, Mister Sharpe,” she said, smiling and batting her eyelashes at him.
Ivy disliked her on sight. Was it because the blond woman seemed almost too familiar with the CEO?
I hate women like her. She’s just sucking up to the boss and it’s annoying.
But Ivy thought perhaps the reason for her instant dislike of the new manager had more to do with jealousy than anything else. She was jealous that the blond woman knew Cullen Sharpe and was comfortable with him.
“And now, I’m afraid I do have to remove myself from the meeting,” Cullen announced. Ivy felt her heart sink. As frightened as she was of the man, something about him was so utterly compelling that she didn’t want him to leave.
“I can take it from here,” Emma Marks replied.
He moved toward the door and then stopped, as if he’d forgotten some last detail. “Emma, there’s a board meeting at ten o’clock. Please make sure you have my coffee to me at a quarter past the hour.”
The blond woman nodded again. “Of course,” she said.
And then the most surprising and shocking thing of all happened. The CEO turned and found Ivy once more, his eyes locking on her without any uncertainty.
Cullen pointed directly at Ivy as he spoke to Emma Marks. “And I want that girl to deliver the coffee this morning,” he said. “Have her bring it to me.”
Ivy sat there, stunned, still reeling even after Cullen Sharpe left the room.
His words echoed in her mind over and over again, and she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
And the way he’d seemed to remember her, out of everyone else in the room. She couldn’t get over the sensation that Cullen Sharpe was planning something for her.
When Ivy went to the bathroom during the brief ten-minute break, she found three other temps in there, quietly whispering and giggling about something.
But the moment she entered the restroom, the three young women went deathly quiet and their smiles disappeared.
I’ve been marked, Ivy thought. Like I have a disease, something catching.
The girls hurriedly left the bathroom and then she was alone.
I should just quit, she thought as she quickly used the facilities and then washed her hands, smelling the strong scent of bleach and cleaning products in her nostrils.
The bathroom was so clean that she would’ve been comfortable eating off the floor. Everything at Biometrix Pharma was like that—probably because of him.
He made sure everything was spotless, probably walked around the place with a white glove on his hand, checking for dust and dirt on every surface.
Cullen Sharpe.
Just thinking his name was like reciting a magical incantation—dangerous. Why had Cullen Sharpe picked Ivy, of all people, to bring him his coffee?
She didn’t want that job.
And she was already deathly afraid of him. Sure, he was handsome—actually he was devastatingly sexy and powerful—which was entirely the problem. Ivy wasn’t comfortable around people like Cullen Sharpe…confident, self-assured, successful and smart and rich.
She was introverted, preferring the company of books to most people.