Page 110 of Saved By the CEO

Then someone from Legal asks for his opinion, and the warmth leaves his face so quickly that I almost wonder if I imagined it.

“If we approve this as written, we’ll create a process no department has the staff to maintain,” he says, glancing down at the papers in front of him. “There are redundancies on every page, and several of the reporting requirements expose us to unnecessary liability. I’m not approving something that will either be ignored or implemented badly, so revise it and send me a new version by Thursday.”

Silence settles around the table.

The woman giving the presentation clears her throat and nods. “Of course.”

I used to think Andrew was harsh simply because that was who he was. Cold, exacting, and permanently disappointed in everyone around him. Now I understand him a little better.

That doesn’t mean I suddenly think he’s delightful to work for. I still wouldn’t wish three years as Andrew Bennett’s assistant on my worst enemy. But I know there is more behind it than cruelty for cruelty’s sake. People count on him to catch mistakes before they become expensive—for the company, and for the families who will one day call his buildings home.

The meeting finally ends ten minutes later. Chairs scrape across the floor as people begin packing up their laptops and gathering their papers. I close my notes and slide my computer into my bag, deliberately avoiding Andrew’s gaze this time.

I’m almost at the elevators when he catches up with me.

The doors open, and we step inside alone. I press the button for the executive floor, then move to one side as the doors slideshut. Andrew stands close enough that the sleeve of his jacket brushes against my arm.

Neither of us says anything.

For the first few seconds, we both face forward, watching the numbers above the doors. Then his hand closes around my waist.

I barely have time to turn before he kisses me.

There is nothing hesitant about it. No careful pause, no question in his eyes. His mouth is warm and demanding, and when he pulls me closer, my body reacts as though we haven’t touched in weeks instead of a few hours.

My back meets the mirrored wall. I grab the front of his jacket, kissing him back before common sense has a chance to intervene.

This is an extremely bad idea.

We are at work. I am still technically his assistant. Someone could call the elevator at any moment, and the doors could open with his hand on my waist and my lipstick all over his mouth.

None of that feels particularly important until I open my eyes and notice the black dome in the corner of the ceiling.

I pull back. “There’s a camera.”

Andrew goes completely still.

He follows my gaze upward, and the expression on his face changes from desire to quiet horror.

“Fuck.”

I start laughing.

“This isn’t funny,” he says, releasing my waist and immediately straightening his tie.

“It is, though.”

“I’m the CEO.”

“Do you think security got a good angle of your hand on my ass?”

His eyes close briefly, as though he’s trying to summon patience from somewhere deep inside himself.

“Fuck,” he says again.

I laugh even harder.

The elevator slows, and we separate properly before the doors open onto the executive floor. I smooth my skirt while Andrew adjusts his cuffs, both of us trying to look as though we haven’t spent the last minute making out like teenagers.