In the Eye of the Storm / Catering to the CEO

by Samantha Chase

  With a low growl of frustration, both with himself and, on some level, with Cassie, Adam didn’t relax until his home came into view—a large home that, in this frame of mind, seemed ridiculously large for one man.

  He thought about the Jacobs family home and realized that he could fit at least four of it in this house with room to spare; at one time, they had had six people living there. Slamming the car door, Adam strode toward the house, calling himself every kind of idiot because no matter what he seemed to do lately, it had him thinking about his soon-to-be family.

  Family had never meant much to him; his father had seen to that. Deep down, Adam knew that he would never be able to forgive his mother for being weak with his father. The man had been nothing but a loser looking for an easy ride at Adam’s expense. Couldn’t Bev see that love and relationships were not to be trusted? No one truly loved anyone. It was all an illusion. If only his mother could learn to be satisfied with being…alone? No, that term did not sit well. Independent? Yes, that sounded better. Why did she need to tie herself down with someone when everyone knew it was going to end—and end badly?

  The frustration wasn’t ebbing; if anything, Adam felt ready to explode. Tossing his keys down on the nearest surface, he sprinted up the curved staircase to his suite on the second floor, changed into a pair of swim trunks, and then dashed downstairs to the indoor pool. With any luck, he could burn off some of this tension and energy and be able to sleep tonight.

  And not dream about the woman he’d kissed earlier or about how it would be to hold her again all night long.

  Chapter 7

  Adam had arrived at the office before dawn on Friday in hopes of getting things done without his mind wandering to how Cassie was doing. By the time Grace arrived at eight, Adam knew that the day was going nowhere. He was caught up on every project that he had going, and the only thing that needed his attention was the retreat he had spoken to Cassie about. Within an hour, Adam had concluded that the idea would work; he packed up his briefcase and strode to the outer office where Grace sat.

  “Going somewhere?” she asked.

  “I’ll be gone for the weekend. Call the cleaning service we use on the Outer Banks. I need someone to open up the house immediately.”

  Grace could not hide the look of stupefaction on her face. “Immediately? As in right now?”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “No, no, of course not. I didn’t realize that you…um…it wasn’t on your schedule.” She fumbled through her Rolodex as she spoke, feeling as if she were all thumbs.

  Adam had to stifle a chuckle. It took a lot to unnerve Grace, and clearly the thought of him taking an unscheduled trip to the beach did it. “Ask them to purchase some basic supplies for me as well. Milk, eggs, that sort of thing.”

  Grace merely nodded as she began to dial the number. “Will you be in on Monday?”

  “I believe so, but that could change. I’m thinking of holding a retreat there in a couple of weeks.”

  The phone slid from her shoulder, and she fumbled to catch it and put it right. Holding up a finger for him to wait, Grace spoke to the agency and made the arrangements Adam had requested. When she hung up, she faced him full-on and asked what was going on.

  “This deal is very important to the company, Grace, and I thought I’d try something new. Something that will include the spouses. Why? Do you think it’s a bad idea?”

  “No, actually, it’s a brilliant idea. I can call around and find you an agency to handle the cooking and cleaning and that sort of thing if you’d like. I’m sure the team on their way could help and—”

  “That won’t be necessary,” he interrupted. “I’ve already made arrangements. Have a good weekend, Grace.” The look on her face was nearly comical as he walked away.

  Adam threw his briefcase into the car and sped toward his house to pack, and within an hour he was on his way. Pulling into the parking lot of Cassie’s shop, he hopped out and knocked on the door.

  “Adam?” she said as she pulled open the door. Wearing yoga pants and a T-shirt, Cassie fidgeted with her ponytail as she stood there ogling Adam in his faded blue jeans and sweater. He looked completely relaxed and excited about something. “Wow, twice in one week,” she said with a smile. “Come in.”

  Adam walked through the door and into the kitchen and waited for her to close the door. “How are you feeling?”

  “Much better, thanks. I’m getting a little antsy to return to work, but Katie has our event for this weekend covered, so I promised I’d behave and stay out of the way.” She fidgeted some more with her shirt before adding, “It’s about killing me.”

  “I can relate to that.” He smiled and felt it broaden as Cassie smiled back. “Actually, I think I can help.”

  “Really?”

  “I’m taking your advice, and I’m going to host that retreat at my place on the Outer Banks. I’m on my way there now for the weekend and thought you might want to come along with me.”

  “Um…”

  Adam walked toward Cassie and fought the urge to take her hands in his. He could tell that her mind was racing with all kinds of questions—he was good at reading people—and knew that he should explain himself.

  “This was your brainchild, so I thought maybe you could come with me and help me plan it all out. Plus, the beach is a great place to recuperate, and you’ll be able to relax and not be tempted by your kitchen. What do you say?”

  “Oh…I don’t know, Adam. I mean—”

  “There’s nothing to know,” he said smoothly, ready to cut down all her objections. “This was your creative idea, and I would appreciate your help.”

  He was being vague, Cassie thought. Was he going to pick her brain for the weekend and then hire somebody else? She wanted to stamp her foot and demand to know but decided to be casual and act as if it didn’t matter. “Well,” she began, “I guess it would be nice to get out of here for a few days.”

  “Good girl.”

  “I’ll need about fifteen minutes to pack and get ready.” Cassie turned and headed for the stairs to her apartment, not waiting to see if Adam would follow. She knew he would. Once upstairs, she made a beeline for her bedroom, pulled a small suitcase from her closet, and began filling it with clothes. In minutes she was done. Pulling up the handle, she rolled the suitcase to the door and then turned to grab a sweatshirt to wear for the ride. “I’m all ready,” she said as she walked around and made sure that windows were locked and lights were turned off. “I’ll call Kate from the road and let her know where I’ll be.”

  With disbelief, Adam looked at his watch. Only ten minutes had passed. “Are you sure you have everything?” He stared at her lone piece of luggage and then looked at Cassie, one dark eyebrow arched.

  “Sure. It’s only a weekend. I’m guessing we’ll be home sometime on Sunday, right?” Adam nodded. “Then I’ve got all I need.”

  They each reached for her suitcase at the same time, their hands grazing. Cassie pulled back, but not before she felt the heat of his touch, looked up, and met his dark gaze. “I’ll get that,” he said, his tone deep and rich, like velvet brushing her skin. Their faces were mere inches apart, and Cassie almost gave in to the need to lean into him and kiss him again.

  Instead, reason returned, and she stepped aside for him to precede her down the stairs and joined him in the car.

  The conversation flowed effortlessly during the three-hour drive, with Adam asking how she envisioned the retreat. She was an intelligent businesswoman, he already knew that, but it was the way she passionately spoke about her work and her vision that intrigued him.

  While Cassie was definitely career-oriented and seemed to have big plans for the expansion of her business, she came off as warm and engaging. Her ideas sparked his own imagination, and she had a way of talking that wrapped around him and made it easy to visualize whatever she was saying.
Her only flaw was that one brief meeting in his office.

  He shrugged that thought aside, enjoying himself too much to let it get him down. Maybe she’d had a bad day. Hell, he had them occasionally. For this weekend, however, that lone meeting, the only blemish on her impeccable record, was going to be forgotten. Adam had big plans for this weekend, and only some of them were business-related.

  “So I’m thinking that, weather permitting, you can make the deck a fabulous dining venue. We can add twinkly lights and rent some extra tables and chairs, use some real linen table coverings…you know, move what’s inside to the outside so your guests can enjoy the sounds and smells of the ocean. What do you think?”

  In that moment, Adam realized she had been talking the whole time he’d been thinking. Cassie had not even seen his house, and yet she was already making plans as if she’d been there, and what she had planned, from the little he’d heard, sounded lovely.

  “I don’t think we’ll have to rent too much—after all, there’ll only be eight of us.”

  Cassie did the math in her head, and she knew it was three couples and Adam. She was wondering who that eighth person was going to be. “Okay, that makes things a little easier and more intimate. You can do a large table for eight so that everyone is not crammed together and it can still be covered in linen. We’ll do seat covers so the guests won’t feel like they’re sitting on folding chairs. We can decorate the table with tea lights and larger candles and pull together a centerpiece themed with seashells and sand… Oh, it’s going to look lovely.”

  Adam’s head snapped toward hers at the use of the word lovely, a word he’d used in his mind earlier. Cassie was describing everything that he’d had in his mind for this weekend without him prompting her in any way. Grace was the only other person who thought like him, and even that had taken time. She had worked for Adam for more than a year before she finally stopped asking him how he liked things and simply presented what he liked.

  “What about the menu? What are your plans for that?”

  Cassie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and with a wicked grin on her face. “I thought you’d never ask.” She rubbed her hands together.

  “Okay, you said that they would arrive on Friday for lunch, right?” He nodded. “So you’ll want to greet them with something light to eat, some cocktails. We can do some salads and sandwiches, and perhaps some fresh fruit.

  “For dinner, we’ll keep it casual. After all, they’ll have been on the road for several hours after traveling the previous days, so we don’t want to command a formal environment that will have everyone fussing about getting ready. We can grill some steaks, get some fresh lobster… I do a fabulous seafood bar.”

  She stopped and thought some more. “We’ll have grilled vegetables, a field greens salad, and lots of wine, fresh-baked bread…” Cassie turned and looked at Adam, whose face looked grim. “Uh-oh,” she mumbled. “You don’t like any of that, do you?”

  On the contrary, she’d nailed it again.

  “No, no, what you’ve outlined sounds wonderful.”

  “Are you sure? Because you look pretty intense. Did you have something else in mind?”

  Yes, telling you that you got it all wrong! he thought to himself. “Actually, you described the perfect meal.” Adam stopped and inhaled, releasing it slowly. “What about dessert?”

  “Well, in staying with a more casual mode, I think a variety of desserts would be preferable. Something light and fun…finger foods, that sort of thing.”

  He frowned. “Such as?”

  “Oh, assorted cookies, gourmet chocolates, and fresh fruit again, maybe some chocolate-covered strawberries, and cupcakes.”

  “Cupcakes? Seriously?”

  “Cupcakes are all the rage right now.”

  That disbelieving look returned, and Cassie was beginning to find it endearing. “It’s true. Cupcakes are a big thing. They are taking the place of wedding cakes. You can decorate them any way you like, and they are easier to serve.”

  “But you still have to eat it with your hands,” he said with disgust.

  “So? You’ll be eating the fruit and cookies with your hands—”

  “It’s a…looking professional thing. You cannot possibly look like an intelligent or articulate person while eating a cupcake.”

  Cassie refused to argue further. She knew when to drop a cause. “Okay, fine, no cupcakes. How about the rest of it? Does it sound okay?”

  Adam nodded, and when Cassie turned forward in her seat, she saw that they were pulling into a long winding driveway. She sat up a little straighter, not wanting to miss a thing. Adam had forgotten how long it had been since he’d been here. Now, pulling into the drive, knowing that he had Cassie to himself all weekend had Adam feeling none of the tension from moments before but pure anticipation.

  Cassie gasped when the sprawling house came into view, overlooking a cliff. “Is that the ocean, like, right there?” She cringed at her own words. What else would it be?

  “Yes, that’s the Atlantic, and the sunrise on it is spectacular.” Adam drove the car around to the front of the house, pulled down his visor, and hit a remote button that opened one of the garage doors. There were multiple levels to the house, and between Cassie being in recovery mode and their luggage, it would be easier to use the elevator.

  When Adam told Cassie as much, she merely gaped at him. “An elevator? You have an elevator?”

  “Of course.” He found her naïveté to be adorable and watched her like she was a kid in a candy store as they waited for the elevator to open.

  * * *

  Cassie was practically bouncing on her toes in excitement to get up and into the house. From the outside, it was magnificent; she was sure her opinion would not change once she saw the inside.

  As the elevator doors slid open on the main floor, her jaw dropped. They walked out into the living area, and Cassie stopped and turned in a full circle to take it all in. Whoever Adam had hired to decorate was a genius. There were light-oak hardwood floors polished to a high-gloss finish. In the different seating areas, plush area rugs were used to define the spaces. The walls were painted in tones of golds and yellows, and everything was so open.

  Forcing herself to move, Cassie was immediately drawn to the large kitchen area. She lovingly ran her hands along the granite countertops, marveled at the stainless-steel appliances, and had to hold in a near-orgasmic groan. This kitchen was her dream. It had two refrigerators and an eight-burner stove, and she knew that cooking here for Adam’s clients would not be a hardship of any kind.

  She was pulling open cabinets and inspecting the restaurant-quality cookware when she finally took notice of the ceramic tile under her feet. Cleanup would be a breeze, too, she thought.

  * * *

  All the while Cassie was lost in her own world, Adam observed her. The grin that was slowly creeping across his face couldn’t be contained.

  It took a moment for Adam to realize that Cassie was talking to herself. “I can fit appetizer platters in here and use the one over there for the steaks to marinate in before grilling… I’ll keep all the fresh vegetables and salad ingredients in this one…” She cut herself off and went to a cabinet that contained several pots and pans. “I won’t have to bring my skillet… I wonder what’s in the pantry…”

  With a soft chuckle, Adam left her to her explorations, grabbed their luggage, and climbed the stairs that let up to the second floor, where he considered which bedroom to give Cassie. Most of the bedrooms had incredible views of the ocean as well as their own bathrooms and French doors that led out to the deck, but if he were honest with himself, Adam wanted to have Cassie up on the top floor with him in the master suite.

  He was a bastard to consider that for this weekend, as Cassie was still technically recovering from surgery. Still, a man could hope. Choosing a corner bedroom—one of the largest—
Adam placed Cassie’s suitcase on the bed and opened the doors to the deck to air the room out. Glancing around, he noted that the room would suit her with its cream walls and ivory bedding. The furniture in this house was masterfully crafted, and the mahogany four-poster king bed fit here perfectly.

  Adam allowed himself a brief moment to think of Cassie alone in the giant bed before turning on his heel and walking out of the room and up the last flight of stairs to his suite. Taking up the entire top floor, the room was magnificent. The deck was private, there were windows spanning the entire back wall, and the bathroom was a spa dream. A vision of Cassie in the marble tub came to mind, but Adam quickly swept it away.

  This weekend was about seduction, no doubt, but not one he was going to act on quite yet. Anticipation was only part of the whole scenario. By the time they were in Raleigh Sunday night, he would know for sure if Cassie were willing to be with him, on his terms, and then maybe, maybe, he’d be on his way to having her out of his system.

  Placing his own suitcase in the closet, Adam strode from the room and headed to the kitchen. At the bottom of the stairs, he noticed that Cassie was no longer in the kitchen but found her on the multilevel deck. She was still talking to herself, and Adam wondered if she was aware of the habit.

  “If we use these two tables together with the right linens, no one will notice that it’s not one table…add some torches and twinkly lights…floating candles in the pool…” She turned and noticed Adam standing in the doorway to the kitchen and smiling.

  She liked to see him smile. He didn’t do it often enough.

  “This is spectacular, Adam.” She briefly outlined her plans and hoped that he would be pleased. “What do you think?” Cassie looked at him anxiously. He’d been silent the whole time, and while Adam was known for many things, keeping quiet wasn’t one of them. She nervously chewed her bottom lip and waited.

  He knew that she was waiting for high praise and that she wanted him to be as excited about the plans as she was. “I think it sounds wonderful, Cassandra. You’ve truly outdone yourself.” She positively beamed. “I do have one suggestion…”