He stared at it for a minute, unsure whether he even wanted to see what news it might bring. What mess might await him. But in the end, with the Blossom Brew deal so close to completion, he couldn’t afford to bury his head in the sand.
He scrolled through the missed calls, four from Dennis, before settling on the voice mail that Dennis had sent about an hour before.
His hand tightened over the phone at hearing the snide, condescending note in the man’s tone as he berated James for not being in touch during such a critical time, particularly when there were things to be decided about certain employees. The man was clearly pissed off that James had directed Paul not to do a thing regarding Lauralee’s employment, completely shutting out Dennis from the conversation until Monday.
James touched callback and waited, trying to bring his anger down to a manageable level since letting Dennis know he’d pushed James’s buttons would only cause the man glee.
“I’m glad you were able to find the time during this vacation to get back with me,” the man said on answering.
James considered explaining how his plane was still grounded and the sporadic cell and Wi-Fi service were out of his control. But he’d had enough. Dennis didn’t run this show, James did, and now with the Blossom Brew deal all but a done deal, if Dennis didn’t get on board pretty quickly, Cyrus or no Cyrus, he was going to find his ass out in the cold with Neil.
“What seems to be the problem, Dennis? Because I believe I made myself clear that the topic was closed to discussion until after Quinn returns on Monday and can conduct a thorough investigation into the events of last night.”
“Yes, I heard your…mandate, but let me be clear. I’ve been with this company well before you even had your learner’s permit. I don’t need some bleeding-heart gal to tell me whether an employee is a drain on our company or not. I can decide things for myself. After having talked to Paul, who was there that night and witnessed Lauralee’s complete and utter insubordination, I can tell you that there’s no way she will be returning to work. In fact, I got off the phone with her twenty minutes ago and told her she was fired.”
“You did.” James had to give himself credit for the light tone he’d managed. “You just decided to take things in your own hands despite my specific order that nothing was to be done until next week.”
His next decision came easily to him, and James realized that he had no qualms about what he was going to do. Enough was enough.
“Let me just say that I really appreciate the time you’ve put into this company—at least when the company’s needs didn’t usurp your ego. But I don’t think that we’re on the same page as to where I envision this company will be going in the next ten, twenty years. With that said, I’m going to offer you a nice voluntary retirement package. You can walk away now with your stock options and twenty-five percent of your annual salary as a final bonus, or you can wait until Monday, when I fire your ass and you’re left with nothing.”
“You think you have that kind of power, boy? You think you have the votes you need on this issue? You don’t know who you’re messing with. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I beg to differ. I am still the CEO of this company, and until the board sees fit to vote me out of that position, I make the final calls regarding hiring and firing of employees. And with this lucrative deal that I’m bringing to the table and the anticipated profit that each of those board members will see in their pockets in the coming months and years, I think they’re going to give me the benefit of the doubt to steer this company as I see fit. So I’d start dusting off my resume if I were you, Dennis.”
With that, James hung up, feeling a hundred percent lighter with his decision. He dialed Paul next. If Paul didn’t extend the olive branch to Lauralee, then he was welcome to follow Dennis out the door.
In the meantime, he had a party to get ready for and a woman to convince they needed to do a lot more kissing before they made any decision about what they were going to do. Because Monday would come soon enough, and for now, he just wanted it to be about them.
Chapter 20
“I don’t understand why you girls parked two blocks away from the restaurant when I’m certain that we could have found something closer,” Quinn’s mom said as they walked down the sidewalk, nearly to the actual destination of the Elks Club.
“I’m just anticipating that when we leave the restaurant, I’m going to be so stuffed I’ll need the extra steps,” Sabrina said.
Quinn didn’t say anything as the conversation continued around her.
It had been something of a relief when James texted them an hour ago to say he was just wrapping some things up and would meet them at the party directly, knowing she had a reprieve before the inevitable discussion they were going to have to have.
But now as every step brought her closer to seeing that handsome face, those twinkling blue eyes, and a smile that would undoubtedly burn her panties right off, she was growing more nervous.
What on earth had James been thinking when he’d kissed her? And what the heck had she been thinking when she’d kissed him back?
And just like the dozens of times she’d analyzed this in the past few hours, she reached the same conclusion.
It had been a mistake. Plain and simple.
One just didn’t get involved in that way with one’s boss. Ever. Not only was it unprofessional but it would call into question her credibility when she drove home the importance to the managers during her legal training that their employees were not to be used as their personal dating pool. Because when things went south, as they inevitably did, the break-up became five times more complicated than if they didn’t have to work together each and every day.
Knowing James Thornhill as she did, a break-up was just as inevitable, since serial dating was all he was capable of. He’d admitted as much himself just yesterday, which would make an affair with him even more sordid and inappropriate.
Quinn refused to be his flavor of the week, and she would tell him so the very next time she saw him.
That was, if he even remembered the whole thing. For all she knew, the kiss was just a one-off thing anyhow, not having any particular importance. Something that—even if she didn’t want anything more herself—would still have a particular sting.
As they rehearsed, her sister stopped suddenly and read a text from her phone. “Shoot.”
“What’s the matter?” their mom asked.
“It’s from Lindsey. She’s in charge of the family bingo night, and they ran into some trouble with a pipe bursting and flooding. They had to move everything to the Elks Club at the last minute. Only they can’t get the circuit breaker to flip. Do you think you’d mind stopping for a minute, Dad, to see if you can pinpoint the problem?” She pointed ahead. “It’s just half a block up.”
“Of course, but I’ve been telling Marv Gillis for the past six years that that circuit was a hazard and they needed to replace it.”
Quinn and Sabrina smothered their smiles as they followed behind.
The lights were on outside the place, but when Sabrina opened the door, everything inside was thrown in darkness.
“You sure they said the Elks Hall—” her dad started.
The lights flipped on and the chorus of “surprise!” from their guests met them. Her mom was clutching her dad’s arm as she looked around stunned, while her dad appeared just as flummoxed.
Quinn threw her arms around them, as did Sabrina as she said, “It’s a surprise party, guys. We wanted to celebrate your special day with a big party.”
The shock was wearing off as her mom got misty-eyed, turning to give each daughter a long hug. “You girls didn’t have to…” But she got choked up and stopped. Fortunately, the people who’d been waiting for them in the hall no longer were holding back as they surrounded the happy couple with well wishes.
It was hard for Quinn not to jerk her head around, trying to find one familiar face in particular, since something told her that he was already there
, maybe watching her now. A possibility that had her already-racing pulse going almost into overdrive.
“I’m going to go check on the caterers,” she said to her sister. “Make sure everything is okay. Could you see if the DJ is ready to go?”
“I will. But then you need to relax. Have fun. Look around,” Sabrina said and gazed up.
Quinn followed her gaze up to the fairy lights and paper lanterns that were strung across the ceiling, setting everything awash in a soft, romantic glow. The table settings were gorgeous, made more perfect by the floral centerpieces that included both the white hydrangeas and pink peonies—something she’d have to thank Maxine for later.
It was all…perfect.
“You did all this,” Sabrina said, turning back to her. “Now you need to trust that everything is going to work out. Deal?”
Before Quinn could nod her agreement, she finally spotted James standing about ten feet away from them, grinning at her in that confident, sexy way that left her head spinning.
He looked good. Sinfully good, as he well knew.
Even here in the middle of nowhere, he’d managed to get his hands on a light gray suit that seemed to be made for those broad shoulders and a crisp white shirt that opened enough to give her a tantalizing glimpse of his warm, tanned skin. Combined with his loafers, he was the debonair playboy CEO that she’d been trying not to think salacious thoughts about for months.
Except for the beard. Which, for some reason, having just felt it caressing her skin hours before, made James almost feel more like…hers.
James pushed his hands in his pockets and sauntered over.
“I’ll go check on the DJ while you…,” Sabrina trailed off when he approached and she smiled slyly. “Actually, James, I’m trusting you will make sure that my sister chills for a little while? Maybe even has a good time?”
“I’ll do my best.” Only he hadn’t taken his eyes off her, and she was finding that if he didn’t stop staring at her like he was undressing her with his eyes, she was probably going to melt into the floor at his feet.
With a last smile and a pat on the back, Sabrina was off, leaving Quinn trying to remember what it meant to form coherent speech.
“You look beautiful.”
She glanced down, uncomfortable with the direct comment, using the moment to settle the butterflies that had taken flight at his words. “Thanks. You look pretty dapper yourself.”
“Can I take your coat for you?”
That’s right. With the temperatures ranging in the mid-teens, she’d needed it when they left the house, but now it was feeling heavy and stifling—not helped by the fact she was sweltering under his inspection.
She started to shrug it off but his hands were there, helping to slide it off her shoulders. He turned and handed it to the coat check that was just behind her, giving her a moment to collect herself as she glanced down, making sure everything was smooth and the folds of her skirt fell where they should.
It was a daring outfit for her, one that she’d almost pushed back in the closet since it was more feminine and revealing than she usually wore. But some little voice at the back of her mind had told her to go for it. That it was a party and she wanted to look good, and as Anna and Tessa had assured her, it was sexy but not slutty, so there wasn’t any reason to feel paranoid.
But her arms were bare in the tank-style dress that draped down in front revealing a bit of cleavage that she checked now to make sure wasn’t showing a bit more than she’d like. All good. She nervously ran her hand down her belly before smoothing her hair down and sweeping it back over her right shoulder as she’d styled it to fall earlier, giving people a glimpse at the dramatic chandelier earrings that dangled around her jawline.
“You’re…stunning.”
She turned slightly to see that James was staring at her again, only his smile had slipped off his face, and he was staring at her with an almost naked need.
She licked her lips, her throat suddenly dry.
And she tried to remember all the reasons why anything more than a professional relationship with James Thornhill was impossible. When right now, it seemed more than just possible.
It seemed inevitable.
James tried to take in a breath, but for a moment, it was like he’d forgotten how.
Yes, Quinn was beautiful. There was no denying that as she stood before him now in that dead-sexy dress that tantalized him with a glimpse of the tops of her breasts, her hair flowing down her left shoulder, so thick and lustrous, and he wanted to run his fingers through it nearly as much as he wanted to kiss the pout off those full red lips that even now she was licking almost nervously.
However, she’d also appeared no less beautiful to him this morning, without any makeup and covered head-to-toe in jeans and a sweater. But when he’d seen her this morning, he hadn’t heard the small moans she made at the back of her throat when he kissed her…there, just below her jawline. Or known how she shuddered when he licked the delicate skin there, just below her neck, or ran his fingers across the full swelling of her breast.
And it was taking every ounce of his control not to grab her arm and take her far away from here to repeat every single moment and see what other kinds of noises she might make.
He exhaled slowly. The thoughts he’d had put him at risk of arrest if he wasn’t careful.
“So,” she started, still unable to meet his gaze again. “Do you think we surprised them?”
“I think that’s a safe bet.”
“Quinn,” a heavily perfumed woman said, coming from behind her and giving her a tight hug. “You and Sabrina really did a great job here.”
“Thank you, Aunt Chrissy. And thank you for all of the photos you sent. They were perfect for the tabletops.” The woman was studying him, curious. “Sorry, this is James Thornhill. My boss.”
“Nice to meet you, James,” she said, a sentiment he returned. “I’m sorry to just barge in, but your great aunt Trudy and her kids are here and wanted to say hello. It shouldn’t take long, but she wanted to make sure she had a chance to see you before things got too crazy.”
“By all means. We’ll catch up later,” he promised, finally catching her gaze. Whether she liked it or not, he wanted to add.
He smiled and enjoyed the flush of color that once again filled her face.
Only later turned out much longer that he anticipated as every time he spotted Quinn, she was surrounded by some well-meaning friend or family member who seemed to want to catch up on every minute over the past ten years. He’d enjoyed it at first, admittedly, watching her in her element, smiling and relaxed with the people who undoubtedly cared about her and she them. But after an hour of this, he could see that her shoulders were wilting and her smile was withering; she needed rescuing.
James headed over to the buffet table and loaded up a plate with all the delicacies he knew she’d like before grabbing two glasses of wine and setting them at an empty table in the corner and then turning to finding his target.
She was over at the cake table with a tall blonde. He could see as he approached that her smile was a little more forced than usual as she listened to the woman.
“There you are,” he said, noting her relief as she saw him. “You know, your sister gave me one task tonight, and that was to make sure that you took a moment to yourself and tried to eat something and relax.”
“You’re right. I’m afraid if I don’t get a bite, I might pass out pretty soon. Deb, I think you’ve probably heard about James, my boss. And James, this is Deb. You met her daughter, Shelby, last night?”
Ah. The evil former best friend’s mother.
“Shelby said you were a looker and I’d say she was right. Well, I don’t want to keep Quinn since I know she worked so hard to pull this off. You two go eat, and I’ll try and find your mother so I can finally tell her how many times I almost spilled the beans about this whole thing.”
“Shelby’s mom, huh? Was it as torturous as it seemed?” he asked as he gr
abbed her arm and, like a linebacker heading off any potential interference, led her through the room and to their table.
“She’s actually a really nice lady. Always has been, but I can only take so many stories about how precocious and endearing her grandkids are and how lucky she is to have her daughter settled so close without wanting to smash my head into something.”
“You cover it well. Here,” he said and slid the chair out and waited for her to take a seat.
She eyed the chair and then him for a minute before sliding onto it. “You’re being rather gallant tonight.”
“I would have slid your chair out before, you know, if I hadn’t thought you might have chewed me out for being sexist.” He took the seat next to her and pushed the plate of food toward her. “Now, before we start to argue about all my deficiencies, why don’t you try to eat something? You’ll need your strength so you can make the rounds again.”
She appeared a little disgruntled but picked up the fork and tried the macaroni salad. She took another bite and then moved on to a pea salad. Overhead, Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl,” a choice that they’d selected earlier that day, started playing. He smiled, remembering how much fun they’d had.
Even before the kiss.
If Quinn was feeling similarly reminiscent, she hid it well as she finished another bite, her attention on the plate. “Did you hear anything from your pilot? They were supposed to have that part this afternoon so you can leave in the morning. Did it all work out?”
“The plane will be ready in the morning. Why? Are you trying to get rid of me?”
She glanced up at him for a nanosecond. “Frankly? Yes. I think that having you here has left us confused and quick to make bad choices.”
“I’m going to venture a guess that you’re talking about our kiss earlier?”
“Shh.” She glanced around a little wildly. “Keep it down. Do you want someone to hear you?”
Crazy for the Boss (Crazy in Love Book 1) Page 16
