“Then I guess I like the taste of soap.”
I bite the inside of my cheek, suppressing a smile. “You know… you’re not what I expected a CEO to be like. I thought you would be different at work, but you’re still the same.”
He lifts a brow. “Is that why you’re sucking up to me?”
“Sucking up?” My mouth opens and closes, and then it opens again. “I’m doing my job, sir.”
He groans. “You’renotgoing to start calling me sir.”
I giggle. “Sorry. I was trying it on for size.”
And it suits him, but not in the way it’s supposed to—more in a way that makes me press my thighs together.
“I already told you this isn’t part of your job.” He opens his laptop and turns it to face me, showing me his schedule for the day. The bright light of the screen shines in my face. “But if you’re trying to get on my good side, you’re doing it.”
“I’m not!”
“If you say so.” He waves a hand, dismissing the topic. “I need the flight and hotels booked by the end of the day for these dates. Got it?”
I nod. “Understood. Do you have any requirements?”
“No. Pick anything you see fit. It doesn’t need to be too extravagant.”
“Then, should I be economical in my choices?”
“Somewhere in the middle is fine by me. We want to put you up somewhere safe, right?”
He’s making it about me, even though this is all about him. It’s his company and trip; I’m just tagging along to keep his schedule intact.
“Sure,” I say. “I got this.”
It would be easier to do the task if he gave me more to work with, but he’s open-minded, making it much more challenging. I’ll have to do my best.
“We have an all-hands-on-deck meeting in three hours,” he says. “I emailed you a list of calls and appointments to make. That should give you enough to work on until the meeting.”
“It’s more than enough.” I stand to leave. I know how busy his schedule is, after all.
This is my second day, and I need more training, but there’s no time for it. He needs someone to do the job, even though I only half know what I’m doing. I’ll figure it out. It’s like a chaotic day at the bakery. Sometimes, we have to improvise.
“Knock if you need anything,” he says. “Don’t be a stranger, even if you see me on a call.”
“I won’t!”
What kind of bosswantsme to interrupt his work? Theo Roche is so strange.
Even though I’mon my own for the first part of the morning, I think I do… all right. Booking the plane tickets is easy. We’ll be flying business class, which takes away a few of my questions. Finding our lodging is harder. Where do I start?
The town we’re visiting is small, so there aren’t as many options as I would like. Theo seems like the person who would be comfortable in a five-star hotel, which isn’t even an option in Kianuu.
There are some decent four-star hotels, and they even have a lovely view. There’s a giant birdhouse hotel, which could be interesting if we were going as tourists, but we’re not. We don’t exactly need a ski resort either, do we?
“No,” I mutter, chewing on my pink pen. “None of these will do.”
My office is still sparse, but I’ve added a few personal touches. A pink pen holder, a set of my favorite pens, and a new notebook I bought for the job.
I tap my iPad screen and scroll down, navigating away from yet another ski resort.
We’ll have to rent a cabin. That option makes more sense, with us wanting to be close to the woods, and there are plenty of cabins to choose from. I click on one with a bright green wall and minimal decor—not quite the rustic cabin I was expecting, but the location is perfect.
