“What is going on?”
“Every other person we’ve sent.Male, female, young, experienced… they never get face time with him.Sometimes he lets them do admin work here, but he never lets them near him.I’ve had staff on the doorstep, knocking for hours with no response.”
“He’s usually downstairs, working out or, you know, just working.”
“He doesn’t typically let people downstairs either,” he said, his brow furrowing.“Has he been inappropriate with you?”
“No!We… get along.”
He lunged across the desk slapping his hand on her side, startling her.“Cultivate it.I don’t care what you have to do, capitalize as much as you can.A Collier is money in the bank.Gold bullion in the bank.”
“I won’t take advantage of him.It’s professional.”In the most unprofessional sense.Her boss did not need to know it was possible she had the tiniest crush.“I’ll ask if he wants me to plan anything.”
“Good because we can supply music, caterers, dancers, whatever he needs.Grab the company rolodex, honey, and get as many gigs as you can.”
Still sounded like he wanted her to take advantage of a man she actually respected.Allan could think that and issue all the orders he liked.As for Cam, she’d ask the question but wouldn’t pressure him.Acceptance was what they gave each other and that wasn’t about to change.
SEVEN
LATER THAT DAY, sitting on the floor between the couch and the coffee table in Cam’s living room, she was updating her schedule when he came up from downstairs.
“Hey,” he said, pausing at the top of the stairs.“I thought you left hours ago.”
“I meant to,” she said, squeezing her bare foot.“I got a call and—”
“You know you only have to answer during office hours.”
“I know,” she said.“I don’t mind.”
“No date tonight?”he asked, crossing to the kitchen.“You haven’t been as excited about your wild phase this week.”
No, she hadn’t been on a date since the previous Friday.Her experience with Nathaniel had soured the process a little… a lot.
“I made a slight change to the criteria.”
“Oh yeah?”he asked, holding a bottle of red wine.“You want a drink?”
“Yes, but I have to get home later.”
“It’s the weekend, relax.”
“It’s Thursday, which isn’t the weekend.I have to be back here tomorrow.”
“You know there are rooms upstairs,” he said, opening the wine.Casting her suspicious eyes his way, she levered herself up onto the couch.“My room’s in the loft.”
“The revered third floor.Could be where you keep your crazy, secret wife.”
“I’m not inviting you to my bed.”
“Yeah, ‘cause being in your bed would be so much fun.I would never cometoyour bed because I’ll never comeinyour bed.”
“Who says?”he asked.“You can have fun without going all the way.”
“Fun?What like stimulating conversation?”Stretching her legs along the couch, she took the clasp from her hair and dropped it onto the end table behind her.“Have you had a woman in your bed since your decision to abstain?”
“Maybe,” he said, coming over with two wineglasses.
She lifted her legs to let him sit and shimmied back to rest her shoulder blades against the arm of the couch.
