The CEO's Dilemma ; Undeniable Passion

by Lindsay Evans

  “Leave her alone. Can’t you see she’s in love?” Her mother reached over to smooth Aisha’s hair. “It’s a surprise, but it’s very sweet. You deserve this, honey.”

  Aisha ducked her head to escape her mother’s all too probing look. Last night, as she’d gone over the final details of the Sykes design, she realized that this thing with Roman was more than she’d ever thought it could be. Yes, she’d set her sights on him, and her heart had quickly followed.

  Aisha was in love with him.

  For better or worse.

  She looked up and caught Dev’s eye, noticing her sister’s look of sympathy and empathy. Dev had gone through something similar a few months ago with her now husband. Aisha had been there for most of it and had been amazed by her sister’s constant state of discombobulation. It felt very different now that it was her turn.

  “Mom, don’t think I haven’t seen that hot young boy who keeps driving up and down the road to your house,” Dev said, making Aisha forever grateful that her sister had her back.

  “Mom, really!” How could Aisha have missed this? “Who is he?”

  “Mind your own business, both of you,” their mother said, reaching for the carafe of water sitting in an ice bucket. Now she was the one blushing.

  “I’ve seen that guy,” Ahmed said. “He’s definitely a young one. Maybe even younger than you, Aisha.”

  “No!” Aisha and Dev laughed.

  “That’s enough, you three! Who’s the parent here?”

  Aisha and her siblings just laughed harder.

  They had a great time at the park, catching up with what they’d missed in each other’s lives during the week. Elle was off at some romance-related business conference. Dev’s husband was down in Miami on business, and their mother was working on a project aimed at helping the homeless in town. But she didn’t mention a thing about her new boy toy, whoever that was.

  When the picnic wrapped up hours later, Ahmed and their mother took the same car home while Dev and Aisha stayed behind to sunbathe and chat. They stripped down to their bikinis and laid themselves out on the blanket.

  “I know how obnoxious we can be all at once,” Dev said, adjusting the sunglasses over her eyes. “Hopefully, you didn’t feel like we ganged up on you.”

  “I did, but that’s normal for us.” Aisha shrugged. It was her family and she loved them. They weren’t strangers. She knew how they could be. Everything was done in love, but sometimes the love was rough. “And it’s okay, anyway. I know you guys care.”

  “We do.”

  It was silent between them for a few more minutes.

  “Things are good with you and this Roman guy for real, then?”

  “Yes, very good. My Hot Yoga Daddy is all that and more.”

  Dev nearly choked on her laughter. “I’m not sure I’m ready to hear all that, but it’s good. You deserve to be happy in every part of your life, little sister.”

  Aisha joked with her sister but it was so true. She was happy with Roman. They’d talked on the phone while she’d driven to the picnic and not once had he referred to her age. Between the amazing sex and the very adult conversations they’d had, he’d begun to see her as more his equal and she loved it. She was relieved that he was allowing himself to be happy with her, free of the baggage he’d heaped on their relationship because of her imagined youth.

  Yes, she was younger than him, but so what?

  “Something is bothering you, though.” Dev rolled over on the blanket and faced her. The sun haloed her face, making it hard for Aisha to see her expression.

  Dammit. She’d half hoped to avoid this part of the conversation. Or maybe she needed to talk it over with her sister. She pressed her lips together and thought about what had been bothering her on and off through the night.

  “It’s about the prize,” she finally said.

  “I thought you guys worked it out. That’s why you were able to finish it and send it off, right?”

  “It’s more than just getting the chance to impress the prize committee.” She nibbled on her lip. “The Sykes Prize is a huge deal and, when I won, it felt like the achievement of a lifetime. Now, though, even though Roman is going ahead with the award, it adds too much complication to our...thing. I’m not sure it’s worth it.”

  Dev sat up and her face came back into sharp focus. “What do you mean? Do you want to give the prize back?” She looked horrified, as if Aisha had said she was giving up the career and city she loved to have babies and live in a hut someplace.

  “Hell no.” She laughed at the look on her sister’s face. “No. I just... I just want to think this whole thing through, maybe even think of some options. This prize could come between us and the thought of that is scaring the crap out of me.”

  “Your worries are pretty valid,” Dev said after a few careful moments.

  “Exactly.” Aisha sighed.

  “Okay, then. This is a problem. But you don’t want it to be. What are you going to do?”

  Aisha bit her lip again. “I wish I knew.”

  Chapter 18

  Roman’s office was thankfully quiet at eight fifteen on a Tuesday morning.

  After a long day of work that had ended at a reasonable hour, last night he’d gone home to dinner and a glass of mineral water at his dining table, with Aisha on speakerphone. Separated by the miles, they still managed to eat dinner together and talk, sharing stories about their pasts and about their families that had him smiling long after they hung up.

  They’d had over a week and a half of incredible sex, mind-blowing emotional connection and unexpected bursts of laughter that left his stomach aching. He wanted to see her every single day, but with their schedules it wasn’t possible.

  Two days ago.

  That was the last time he’d had her in his home, in his bed. And today, he would get to have her there again.

  For the morning, though, he had a long list of meetings plus an unpleasant discussion with one of the company’s lawyers. But being CEO wasn’t all high-powered luncheons and limitless expense accounts. Or women who threw themselves at him, hoping he’d be the next Christian Grey.

  Chuckling at the thought of him being into anything resembling BDSM, he turned on his computer. His in-box was an insurmountable Everest most days, which was why he preferred to get started early. He clicked the first message and started to work his way through them.

  He’d dealt with most of them that had come in overnight when a subject heading caught his eye.

  Re: Cancellation of the Sylvia Sykes Architectural Prize

  Frowning, he quickly scanned the message, which was apparently just an FYI. There was an attached press release that had gone off early that morning to notify media outlets that the winning entry no longer mattered since the prize itself had been nullified.

  What the hell was this? Anger set off a pounding rhythm in his gut. Roman scanned the press release again to make sure he wasn’t seeing things and tapped a button on his desk phone.

  “Carolyn, would you come here a moment, please?”

  “Of course, Mr. Sykes.”

  She appeared in the open doorway of his office a few moments later.

  “The press release about the Sykes Prize. Who authorized it and when?” He spoke carefully, trying his best to calm his anger.

  “It was your brother, sir. At the end of last week.”

  Lance? Why would his brother...?

  “And you didn’t think it was something I needed to be apprised of?”

  Her eyes widened but she crossed her arms and firmed her features. “You were busy with other things, sir. More important things. I didn’t think the prize committee matters merited your attention.”

  “Everything with my name on it deserves and gets my full attention.” He grated the words out, the muscle in his jaw pulsing in his anger.

 
Despite how furious he was, he couldn’t do anything about the press release. It had been sent out. The company would look disorganized and indecisive if he pulled the news now and said it was all a mistake. No, it was too late. If it hadn’t already, it would soon be picked up by all the papers, including everyone with a blog or Twitter account.

  Aisha.

  A cold fist clenched his belly at the thought of what would go through her mind if—no, when—she saw the news.

  “My apologies, sir.” But Carolyn didn’t sound like she was apologizing. She didn’t sound sorry in the least.

  This was ridiculous. And he had no one to blame for this but himself. “Apology accepted,” he told her. But then he added coolly, “If you would, please clean out your desk.” He was done with her. “Security will escort you down.”

  He dismissed her with a look and pressed a button on his phone, calling for security. Keeping her on had done nothing but shoot him in the foot. Even if firing her right now was doing more of the same, he couldn’t stand to deal with her for another second. She may have been a good assistant for his father, but she wasn’t for him. Not when it seemed like she was following the orders of a dead man. Or at the very least, not following the orders of his very live son. The damn CEO.

  While Carolyn stood there, her mouth working open and shut, he connected with security.

  “Security. Banks speaking.”

  “Mr. Banks, Roman Sykes here. Please send someone up to my floor to escort a former employee off the premises.”

  The man on the other end of the line didn’t hesitate. “At once, sir.”

  Roman hung up. “I’d suggest you use your remaining time to pack up your desk. Security is on the way to escort you out.” He looked away from her and back to the email that had started all this. “You may go now.”

  “But...but I didn’t do anything wrong. I was following orders and doing everything you told me.”

  “I do believe you’re wasting your valuable time, Carolyn. Whoever Mr. Banks sends up will not wait around for you to pack up your things.”

  “This isn’t fair!” she said, her hands clenched at her sides.

  “I gave you every opportunity to acclimate yourself to the changes here. You’ve squandered them all and done us both a disservice. Now...” He took a deep breath. “I have work to do.”

  Then, while she went out to her desk in a flurry of waving hands and muttered comments, Roman called HR to let them know he was looking for a new assistant. Within minutes he was promised a temporary one to arrive in less than half an hour. Candidates for the permanent position would be ready for him to interview by Friday. He thanked the woman in HR and hung up the phone.

  He did not need this today.

  While Roman spoke with his staff regarding other hot issues, he managed to keep his temper under control. In check. Once he was sure he had done everything he could to calm down, he called his brother. The phone rang a few times before going to voice mail. Only on the fourth try did Roman remember that it was barely nine o’clock and his brother was probably still asleep. The fifth time he got Lance’s voice mail, he left a message.

  “Call me at the office or come in. I have something to discuss with you.” His fingers rapped on the desktop, unable to stay still.

  His cell phone lay on his desk, face up, occasionally vibrating with an incoming text message. It vibrated again and this time it was a message from Aisha. A photo of her holding a half-empty coffee cup with all her teeth showing in a look of exaggerated mania. Ready to rumble with the office jackals, the text caption read.

  She was adorable and wonderful. And she was going to be devastated by what Lance had done.

  Roman cursed.

  Barely an hour later, with his temporary assistant sitting at the desk that Carolyn had scraped clean under the watchful eye of the security guard, Lance blew into Roman’s outer office.

  His brother stopped and looked over the young woman at the desk who was professionally turned out with hipster glasses and her straight hair in a tight topknot. Definitely younger than someone Roman would have preferred but, given his recent change of mind where Aisha was concerned, he had to acknowledge that younger didn’t also mean inexperienced.

  “What do we have here?” Slowly taking off his sunglasses, Lance looked the new woman up and down. “Whatever happened to the other one?”

  Roman stood and pushed away from his desk, buttoning his suit jacket. “Never mind that, Lance. Come in, would you, and shut the door.”

  “Uh-oh, you have your serious face on.” His brother pulled a comic expression, looking at Roman’s new assistant who didn’t as much as look up. Already, Roman approved of her.

  Lance closed the door behind him, looking casual and relaxed in slacks and a designer T-shirt, both wrinkled. Roman wondered if that was the style or if the clothes had spent the night on some woman’s floor.

  “Sit down, please.” Roman gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

  “No thanks, I’d rather stand for whatever you’re about to drop on me.”

  Sighing, he leaned back against his desk chair and swallowed, trying to control his temper. After getting Aisha’s text, he’d scanned the websites of different news outlets as well as social media to see exactly how far the news had traveled. It had gone far. Twitter. Facebook. Even the New York Times had a small item about it.

  By the time he’d finished assessing the damage and called Aisha, she was no longer available. Probably in a meeting at work. He left her a text just letting her know they needed to talk. He wasn’t a fan of giving or getting bad news via text message.

  Roman steepled his fingers. “I saw the press release this morning about the official cancellation of the Sykes Prize.”

  “Oh, that.” A smile twitched across Lance’s face.

  “Yes, that.” A muscle ticked in Roman’s jaw. “I didn’t tell you to do anything with the prize or the committee.”

  “Well, that’s one of the few things regarding this company that I do have some say-so about,” Lance said. “And it didn’t seem right that you were handing such a prestigious award to a girl you’re sleeping with. It would reflect badly on the company. I’m just looking out for Sykes and its interest since you can’t because you’re so far up this woman’s—”

  “Don’t say it!” Roman angrily cut him off. Was his brother really doing this? “Aisha won the prize before she and I ever met. What you’ve done is a supreme over-reach, and an unnecessary one.”

  “Someone has to stop you from making bad decisions,” Lance said smugly. “Think of this as a system of checks and balances. That woman may have been a stranger to you before, but she isn’t now. I can’t allow you to drag the company down in scandal because you can’t keep it in your pants.”

  After he’d seen the press releases and confirmed that nothing could be done, Roman had done some investigating to see what exactly his brother had done. Using his influence at the Sylvia Sykes Foundation where he had the same amount of authority Roman did, Lance had cut the funding to the Sykes Prize. Without the allocated funding, the memorial library couldn’t be built.

  “You weren’t thinking of the company. If you were, you’d realize this petty move of yours would do more harm than good. The project would’ve provided jobs. It would’ve injected money into the community.”

  It wasn’t just that. Because the project had already been announced in the local papers, cutting funding and officially canceling the prize made the company, and Roman, seem heartless and indecisive.

  “You’ve damaged this company’s reputation, Lance. I just don’t see why.”

  “Why? Have you always been this blind, Roman?” His brother shoved away from the door. “Right now you have everything I want, and the messed-up thing is that you don’t even want to keep it. With the money Mom left you and what you’re making from your stupid yoga shops
or whatever the hell they are, you have everything that you want. While I have nothing.”

  Roman felt his heart plunge to his stomach. This was what his brother thought of as “nothing”? Lance had never had to worry about money. He’d had every chance to start his own company from even just the contacts being a Sykes afforded him.

  Instead he’d bet his entire future on controlling Sykes Global even though Roman had been the one sitting, sometimes reluctantly, at their father’s knee, learning everything about the company. In the meantime Lance had chosen to only dream about power, all while sleeping with the wives of influential men he should’ve known better than to cross.

  Since they were kids, Roman had been protecting his brother. Shielding him from their father’s disappointment, from the men who wanted to skin him alive for sleeping with their wives, from everything that could possibly hurt him. Roman had done everything to keep his brother safe. Now he realized he hadn’t been protecting Lance, he’d been enabling him.

  Before, even knowing his brother’s weaknesses, Roman had still planned on passing the company over to Lance. To move him from being just a board member with limited power to full CEO by whatever means he had in his control. But now that Lance was petty enough to harm the company over something he thought Roman had done to him, there was no way in hell he was going to hand over Sykes Global.

  Roman wasn’t going anywhere.

  “I’m sorry, Lance.”

  A look of surprise took over his brother’s face. “What are you talking about?”

  Roman shook his head, feeling like he was emerging from a fog. “Thanks for stopping by on such short notice. You can get back to what you were doing now. I’ll deal with the backlash from the press release.”

  A look of growing realization, of fury, transformed Lance’s face into something ugly. “Wait! You’re not—You’re taking the CEO position away from me, aren’t you?”

  “You never had it, Lance. And because of what you did today, you never will.”