In the Eye of the Storm / Catering to the CEO

by Samantha Chase

  “Well,” he began, “Judy seems to have things under control, and she was a real trooper with all that I threw at her this past week or so. Would it really be fair to send her on her way? I mean, how do I know that you won’t run off again when things get rough?” His tone was light, and deep down, Holly figured he was playing with her, but she was willing to go along for the time being.

  Walking over to the bed and sitting beside him, she gave the impression of thinking over his concerns. “I suppose it wouldn’t be right. After all, she jumped into a sticky situation and seemed to thrive.” She ran a hand through her hair and faced him. “I guess it wouldn’t be fair. I’ll have to call Will and see if he has any positions available for me. You know he’s been trying to steal me away from Ballinger’s for a while now.”

  Holly had no idea Stephen could move that fast. She squealed with delight as they rolled around on the bed until he was on top of her, looking down into her face, his eyes piercing hers. “You will not be going to work for anyone,” he growled and gave her a heated kiss. “Judy will be more than happy not to have to deal with me anymore. If you want to come back to work, I would love that. However…” He stopped and kissed her again. “I was kind of hoping you’d want to take on another position.”

  Holly pulled back as far as space would allow and looked at him quizzically. “Another position? Doing what?”

  “For starters, I’d like for you to come on this trip with me. I know you’ve done that in the past, and I’m sure Judy won’t mind staying on, as long as I’m out of the building.” He chuckled at the thought. “I think between the two clients, with the two of us working on them, we can get done a lot quicker. And then…” He kissed her again. “Maybe we can take a couple of days for ourselves.”

  “Well, that definitely sounds like a plan, but it still doesn’t explain what position in the company you had in mind for me.”

  “Company?” he asked. “I never said that the position was with the company.”

  Holly rolled her eyes. “Stephen Ballinger, if that whole ‘position’ thing was a sexual innuendo, then I don’t find you funny!” She lightly slapped at his chest and laughed but noticed that he didn’t join her. “Stephen?”

  “Holly,” he began seriously, “I think it’s past time that we had this discussion.” He rolled off her and climbed off the bed, extending a hand to help her up. He paced back and forth twice before facing her fully again. “I don’t want you as my assistant, not anymore. I love you, and I want… I mean, I need…damn.” Stephen had thought of this moment several times since their relationship began, and now that it was here, he couldn’t find the right words.

  “Will you marry me, Holly?” She collapsed onto the bed, and Stephen knelt before her, taking her hands in his. “We make a great team, you and I, and I think we can make this work. I need you in my life, not as my assistant or someone to help with the business, but in my life for me. So will you? Will you marry me?”

  Her eyes filled with tears. In her wildest dreams, she never could have imagined a more beautiful moment. This was what she had been hoping for before Thanksgiving, only now it seemed to mean so much more.

  “Don’t cry, sweetheart,” Stephen said as he wiped away the first tears that trailed down her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  Holly leaned down, placed her hands on his face, and kissed him. “I was hoping you wanted me for something other than my organizational skills,” she said lightly. “Yes, Stephen. Yes, I will marry you.”

  He pulled her close and kissed her again.

  Later, much later, Stephen called the office, offered Judy the position as his assistant, and happily explained how she was coming about the position. When she didn’t seem all that surprised, Stephen asked, “You were in on it yesterday, weren’t you? Did Will talk to you?”

  “No,” she said cheerily, giddy with the thought of a happily ever after. “Holly called and told me what was going on. I was hoping this would be the outcome. I’m so happy for the both of you.”

  “Thank you, Judy,” he said. “Oh, and Judy?”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Thanks for putting up with me during all this. I really am sorry for my behavior.”

  “It all makes sense now,” she said. “All is forgiven.”

  Stephen hung up the phone and turned to face his fiancée as she lay curled up in the bed. “Everything okay?” she asked.

  He leaned down and kissed her before stretching out beside her and pulling her close. “Everything’s perfect.”

  Epilogue

  The sun was shining bright and hot as Stephen walked through the glass doors of the Gideon Corporation. He held the door for Holly and saw that their car was waiting.

  The driver held the door open for Holly, and Stephen climbed in behind her. They settled in, and as they pulled away, Stephen spoke. “I was thinking…”

  “Could be dangerous,” Holly joked, and he rewarded her with a smile.

  “Anyway, I was thinking that maybe we could hit Vegas instead of staying here in California.”

  “Vegas, huh? Any particular reason? I never knew you to want to gamble.”

  He grabbed her hand in his and kissed it, pleased to see his ring on her finger. “No, I’m not much of a gambler, but I was thinking that maybe…I mean, it is Vegas, and people go there to do other things…you know, other than gamble.”

  He was adorable when he stammered, she thought. “What kind of things?”

  Stephen knew she was baiting him but was willing to play along. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that he had done the same to her. “Well, there are fabulous shows, I’m told, and great restaurants…”

  “Hmm…”

  “There are chapels and such that we might find interesting…”

  “Stephen Ballinger, are you trying to get out of the big church wedding I’ve been planning since I was nine?” She was trying to go for haughty but found herself laughing.

  Luckily Stephen was quick on the uptake and knew she was joking. “I’m not trying to get out of anything,” he said as he pulled her so close that she was almost in his lap. “I was thinking that I want you to be my wife now, not six months from now.” When she made to protest, he stopped her with a searing kiss.

  Sighing, she pulled on his jacket and went nose to nose with him. “My parents would kill me if I eloped to Vegas, you realize that, don’t you?” It was an argument, but she didn’t put much behind it, and Stephen knew that if he really wanted to push the subject, they’d be married by midnight.

  “I don’t want to do anything to upset my future in-laws. If you want to wait, then we’ll wait.”

  “How did I get so lucky?” she asked, truly amazed at the changes in him. A month ago, Stephen was a workaholic with no interest in marriage or relationships, and now, he was asking her to move up their wedding date and elope to a Vegas chapel.

  “I’m the lucky one, Holly,” he said solemnly. “I can’t believe that a brawl in a bar gave me everything I wanted and needed. I love you.”

  She sighed. Life was good. “I still think we need to make him sweat a little bit longer, but eventually we are going to have to thank Derek for his role in all this.”

  “Thank him? Why should we thank him? If you remember correctly, he’s the reason why you left me!”

  Holly stroked his cheek and nodded. “I know that, but if he had never pushed you in that bar that night, I never would have come out in the rain to get you. I never would have been stranded in that storm with you, and we might never have looked beyond our working relationship. So yes, we’ll thank him.”

  Her kindness and her willingness to forgive never ceased to amaze him. Hugging her to him, he relaxed and said, “Someday…maybe…”

  Catering to the CEO

  Chapter 1

  “Consider this our final meeting. I’m done.” As the words
hung in the air, Cassie Jacobs watched Adam Lawrence’s face turn to stone. She was used to his demands, his tirades, his cold and brutal treatment of people around him, but today she’d had enough.

  Adam stood and walked around the antique mahogany desk that overpowered his dark and masculine office. “We will be done when I say we are done, Cassandra.” Irritation cracked the facade as she turned to pack her briefcase.

  Her heart was racing and her hands were shaking, and Cassie was determined to compose herself before turning around. Luckily she had plenty of paperwork to keep her busy, but she could feel Adam’s presence behind her, tension rolling off his Armani-clad body.

  It wasn’t as if today’s meeting was any different from the dozen or so before; as LSS International’s preferred caterer and event planner, Cassie had dealt with Adam—and his attitude—on multiple occasions. After all, this was his company. But as she sat opposite him today, listening to his condescending tone as he changed the menu for the eighth time—and after she had already begun placing orders with her distributors—she’d snapped. If Adam wanted to fire her, he was welcome to. Sure, she needed this account, but not at the expense of her sanity.

  Slowly, Cassie collected her briefcase and turned to face Adam. She smoothed her long chestnut hair and kept her expression cool. “I’d say we are done, Mr. Lawrence.” She was proud of the fact that her voice sounded steady and that she had her temper under control. “CJ’s has enjoyed providing our service for all your events for the past two years, but this is one time that I simply cannot meet your request. It’s unreasonable to ask that we change the entire menu on such short notice. If you’d like to find another event planner and caterer, that is your prerogative.”

  Adam stared into Cassie’s face. It wasn’t hard to do; he towered over most people.

  “I don’t want another event planner, Cassandra. We have a contract, one that states that changes can be made—”

  “Up to two weeks before,” she cut in with frustration.

  “The LSS fall retreat is two weeks away,” he replied mildly, clearly believing he had the upper hand. His confidence tipped a bit when he noticed Cassie had her own triumphant smile as she reached into her leather briefcase.

  Pulling out her planner, Cassie opened to September’s calendar and turned it to face Adam. “Today is the twelfth; your retreat is on the twenty-third. That is eleven days, not two weeks.” For emphasis, she snapped the planner closed and placed it in her case before facing Adam with her shoulders squared, ready for the consequences of going up against him.

  Losing this account would put a big dent in her five-year plan of paying off the loans she took to start the business. Cassie would have no choice but to start cold calling on other companies in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area for business, which she hadn’t had to do yet. She could only hope that the man wasn’t going to be spiteful and try to ruin her reputation and kill her business.

  One eyebrow arched as Adam continued to stare at her as if he could read her mind. That thought unsettled her for a bit. She needed to be confident. She needed not to appear needy or desperate. She needed him to say something!

  With more bravado than she actually felt, Cassie stepped around Adam. “I believe that settles it, then. If you have any other questions or concerns, your assistant can call me at my office. Otherwise, I will see you on the twenty-third.”

  She almost made it to the door.

  “If you leave this office, Cassandra, consider your contract with LSS finished.” Adam let his words hang there for a moment, and Cassie knew he was confident that she would fall in line and do what he wanted. But Cassie didn’t turn; she simply stopped. For a second, she considered acquiescing to his latest demand.

  But she didn’t. Before Adam knew it, Cassie had walked out the door and closed it quietly behind her. She had to stop herself from looking over her shoulder as she walked away from his office to make sure that Adam hadn’t called security to chase after her like an angry mob, banishing her for all eternity. The thought made her chuckle but did nothing to put her mind at ease. What had she done? She could not afford to throw away her biggest client. Maybe a couple of years down the road she could have that privilege, but not right now.

  Riding down in the elevator, Cassie had to talk herself out of a panic attack; all was not lost yet. Maybe Adam would calm down. Maybe he would have his assistant call, and they would pretend the whole nasty encounter had never happened.

  Maybe she would sprout wings and fly home.

  Not knowing what else to do, she pulled her phone from her case and dialed her office. “Hey, Kate, it’s me,” she said when her sister answered.

  “How’s it going, Boss? Are all the plans finalized for Satan’s retreat?”

  Her first instinct was to laugh at her sister’s nickname for Adam, but Cassie couldn’t sum up the energy to do so. With a sigh of regret, she related the details of her meeting. The good thing about having your younger sister as an assistant was that she was attuned to your needs, Cassie thought.

  “Just come to the office, Cass. We’ll work it all out, okay?”

  Hanging up the phone, she wished she had the first clue how to turn this mess around. Sure, she could cave in to Adam’s unreasonable demands and eat the profits on this job to make him happy, but it wasn’t right. It was high time somebody stood up to the mighty Adam Lawrence. Not that he’d care; he probably had another caterer on the phone right now drooling over the opportunity to do this job for him on such short notice and swoop in to save the day. Dammit.

  Climbing into her sporty Honda Accord, she tried her best to wipe all ugly thoughts of replacement caterers aside and focus on getting home and finding something to eat. She had been so nervous this morning before meeting with Adam that she’d skipped breakfast; now all she wanted to do was draw the shades and curl up on her sofa with a large pizza and some ice cream and forget the rest of the world for a while.

  The music chiming in from her cell phone broke into her pizza-pity-party fantasy. “Hello?”

  “Hey, pumpkin! How’s my favorite chef today?”

  “Hey, Dad,” she said, feeling a sense of comfort from hearing Stephen Jacobs’s voice.

  Knowing his daughter well, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “I just came from the worst meeting with my biggest client, and I think, I think, I might have quit.” She waited for the reprimand or the unwanted parental advice but instead got an invitation to dinner. “Tonight? What’s the occasion?”

  “Does a dad need an occasion to see his daughter?”

  “No,” she said, feeling lighter than she had in hours. “What time and what am I making?” She knew her dad well, and even though he was inviting her to his house, the man couldn’t cook to save his life.

  “You know I’m not partial to any one thing, sweetheart. You decide, but…make enough for, say…seven people.”

  “Seven people? Who’s coming?”

  “Well, your sisters will be there and your brother, of course. Oh, and I’ve invited some friends I’d like you to meet. Will six o’clock work for you, Cass?”

  Honestly, she hated to say no to her dad for anything. The man had been a rock for his family after Cassie’s mom had died of ovarian cancer ten years before, and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for his kids. Unfortunately, after the morning she’d had, the last thing she felt like was a family dinner with the added perk of entertaining strangers.

  “Sure,” she lied. “Six will work. Maybe I’ll do some of that Greek chicken that you like so much. How does that sound?”

  “Like a treat,” he said. “I’ll see you later, sweetheart.” And then he was gone, and Cassie was alone to agonize over something other than Adam and her soon-to-be-doomed business.

  Within minutes, she pulled up in front of the building that housed the CJ’s Delights office, kitchen, and showroom. She gave herself a
glance in the vanity mirror to make sure that she didn’t look like a fright after her hellish morning. Luckily, her hair was still in place, and since she’d refused to give in to tears, she did not have raccoon eyes. Locking the car with the remote, she walked in through the front door and smiled at what her sister had done.

  Dressed in her best server’s attire, Katie stood next to one of their mock-up tables set with some of their best china and crystal. Candles were lit, and there was a beautiful bouquet of silk wildflowers in the middle in shades of pinks and purples. In the background came the strains of classical music. Cassie took a seat where her sister instructed, and in front of her was a large silver-covered plate. With great fanfare, Katie placed a cloth napkin in Cassie’s lap and reached for the lid.

  And revealed a tuna sandwich.

  “It’s all in the presentation,” Katie deadpanned and then pulled up a chair for herself after grabbing her own sandwich from a nearby table. “So,” she began, “family dinner tonight. Won’t that be fun?”

  Cassie finished chewing and nodded. “Oh, sure. Nothing says relaxing after a really bad day than cooking for seven people and getting grilled on why I did what I did wrong and how I am going to fix it. And who are these friends Dad invited?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Dad said that we were going to be seven for dinner—all of us and two friends.”

  “I have no idea. He hasn’t mentioned anyone to me.”

  “I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Cassie sighed. “I told him we’d do Greek tonight. Do we have everything here, or do I need to take a trip to the supermarket?” Once dinner plans were discussed and lists were made, Katie ran to the store while Cassie sat in her office trying to figure out how she was going to make her world right again.

  The phone ringing was a wonderful distraction some minutes later. “CJ’s Delights, this is Cassie, how can I help you?”