by Skylar Hill
“I didn’t realize you were on the West Coast,” Carter said blandly. “Come, we’ll talk in my office.”
Zoe had managed to locate a desk and get it set up before he got in this morning—that woman was a wonder, he needed to give her another raise, and a bonus—so his office wasn’t in as much disarray as it had been the past week. He was glad for it as Dillon sat himself down, spending a little too long adjusting the labels of his gray suit after he was seated.
“I’m sure you can guess why I’m here,” Dillon said.
“Well, it can’t be the weather,” Carter said, unwilling to play Dillon’s little game.
“My father’s asked me to come oversee the transition,” Dillon said. “He’s quite concerned.”
Carter barely resisted rolling his eyes. “You’re always welcome,” he said coolly. “But there’s no need for any alarm.”
Dillon raised an eyebrow, looking around the office. “This place is a little emptier than your last office.”
“I’m divesting myself of things that don’t incite joy,” Carter said. “It’s this whole method of streamlining your life. I’ll get you the book on it.”
Dillon’s eyes narrowed, like he couldn’t figure out if Carter was messing with him or not.
“Anyway,” Carter rose to his feet, clapping his hands together. “It’s great to see you. I’ve got work to do, and I’m sure you’ll want to wander around, doing your observing for your dad.” He couldn’t help but notice the way Dillon’s shoulders stiffened at the mention of his father. The guy hated the fact that Daddy was the real one with all the power and money and the source of everything Dillon had. Carter was pretty sure one of the reasons Charles had invested in the company was to give Dillon something to do—and Dillon was the type of dudebro who would think that working at a sex toy company would be a wild and fun time. He’d probably expected sex in the office and one-night-stands with employees.
But he’d had a rude awakening when he’d got a dose of what a regular day at Purely Pleasure was really like. Carter and his employees worked hard—and they were passionate about their work—but not in the sleazy way Dillon had obviously expected, and he’d been taking out his frustration at not having his own personal sex-toy playhouse on Carter ever since.
It would’ve been one thing if any of Dillon’s ideas were remotely good, but they weren’t. They were, in two words: crass and misogynistic. Morally, Carter would never go there because he respected women, and financially, it would be a disaster. PR-wise, it would alienate their customers. Maddy had been right in her interview: their customer base was mainly women. And Dillon seemed to think that women were blow-up dolls without desires or thoughts of their own.
I guess Daddy didn’t go for the porn company idea, Carter thought with disgust as he crossed his office and opened his door, giving Dillon a clear dismissal.
“Oh, by the way, Carter,” Dillon said as he made his way out. “If you keep bleeding employees in this transition, it might be time to go to the board and discuss new leadership. If you screw this up, we’ll have the votes.”
Carter didn’t even flinch. Dillon wanted him cowed and nervous, scrambling, and he wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. “I don’t screw up,” he said, his voice still pleasant, but with a distinct edge that made Dillon shift from foot to foot. “Let Rhea, the office manager, know if you need anything.”
He shut the door in Dillon’s face, closing his eyes and leaning against it. For a moment, he let all the stress pounding down on him flood his body. And then, with a deep breath, he pushed it down and straightened up, adjusting his tie.
He had two hundred warehouse employees, thirty people working in the office, two parents and a six-year-old sister relying on him.
He wasn’t going to let anyone down.
Chapter Five
Maddy
When Maddy walked into the office that morning, Nat was waiting for her, with a giant smile and a steaming cup of espresso.
“Bless you,” she said, taking the cup gratefully. She had gotten caught in traffic and hadn’t had the time to stop for caffeine.
“You look amazing,” Nat told her. “I love that purple on you. I’m so excited for you to be here. We’re going to go right into our morning staff meeting, so you can meet the rest of the team and we’ll outline the weekly agenda.”
“Sounds great,” Maddy said.
“Here’s your tablet,” Nat said, handing her an iPad. “The rest of the computers are still being distributed. And I’ll have Zoe show you your office after the meeting.”
Maddy clutched the tablet to her chest, juggling her purse and her espresso cup so she could give her friend a quick hug. “Thank you for this, Nat,” she whispered. “You’re a lifesaver.”
“I just put you on Carter’s radar,” Nat said. “You got the job all on your own. He was very impressed with you. He said you were refreshingly honest.”
“Well, you know I don’t like bullshit,” Maddy said.
Nat laughed. “This is true. But Carter’s right, you’re going to be a valuable addition to the team.”
“I can’t wait to get started,” Maddy said as they made their way out of the lobby and into the heart of the office. Things were looking less unkempt as the day of her interview. “I’ve already got a ton of ideas.”
“That’s what I like to hear!” said a melodic voice behind her.
Maddy turned, her eyes widening as she took in the woman in front of her. She had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes that smiled like she had a secret. Her long-sleeved black dress fell all the way to the ground, clinging to her slender body, with a deep red fringed silk shawl wrapped around her midsection. There was something vaguely witchy about her, but perhaps that was the calm, serene air that seemed to hang around her.
“Maddy, this is Dr. Renee Kemp. She’s our resident sex expert, if you will.”
Dr. Kemp smiled, holding out her hand to shake Maddy’s. “It’s wonderful to meet you.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, too,” Maddy said.
“Is everyone else in the conference room?” Nat asked.
Renee nodded. “I think we’re just waiting for Carter.”
“As always,” Nat said, with a wry grin. “He gets distracted,” she explained to Maddy as they made their way down the hall. “He starts thinking about an invention, and the next thing he knows, it’s six hours later and he’s got design specs all over his desk, but he’s missed three meetings.”
Renee sighed. “He really does prefer the lab.”
“He’s a good CEO,” Nat said.
“That doesn’t mean the poor guy enjoys it,” Renee pointed out.
“True.” Nat sighed. “But it’s his company. What’s he going to do? Step down?”
It interested Maddy that Carter was more comfortable in a lab inventing things, than on the forefront, being the public face of the company.
She couldn’t blame him. If she was that amazing at something, she’d want to do it all the time, instead of wasting her time running the day-to-day of a business. Plus, the publicity aspect of it all, people prying into his life, writing stories about him and his prowess in bed… that had to get old unless he was a total narcissist.
And the man who’d interviewed her? He’d been warm. Funny. Inviting.
And 110% yummy.
Stop it, she scolded herself. But it was hard. Just like Carter’s abs… and other parts. Or so she assumed.
“This is us,” Nat said, grabbing the door handle and opening the conference room, mercifully distracting Maddy from her own dirty thoughts. A group of people—mostly women—were sitting around the teak conference table. Maddy took a chair next to Nat and Renee, smiling at the woman across from her, a curly-haired redhead who shot her back a friendly smile.
“I’m Rhea,” she said. “Office manager.”
“Maddy. Social media maverick.”
“Rebecca’s replacement, right? Welcome to the team,” Rhea said. “We’re r
eally happy you could start so soon.”
“It’s been very helpful,” said a voice directly behind her.
The hair on Maddy’s arms raised at that deep, masculine rumble that she was pretty sure would haunt her until the end of her days. Carter’s voice was just… delicious. It made her want to reach out and touch him, to press her fingers against the stubble on his throat, tracing the rough trail up to softer skin of his lips.
Carter shot her a smile as he took a seat at the head of the table. The silver frames of his glasses glinted in the light. “So, here we are. We made it. We are officially a 100% Pacific Northwestern company. I owe a lot to all of you for being willing to make this move, and I promise it will be worth it. With the reduced rental rates and the subscription box launch next year, we’ll be in an excellent place to really aggressively expand. I know things have been a little hectic, and this is the first time we’ve had to sit down and talk, so that’s what I want to do today. Talk. Check in. Not just on your current projects, but on how you all are doing. How you’re liking Portland. How you’re getting settled. But first, Nat and Zoe have some matters to attend to.”
Zoe, the petite brunette who was Carter’s assistant, stood up, tapping on the tablet that seemed to be glued to her hand at all times. “If you haven’t gotten your permanent ID badges for the building yet, come see me. I have the final batch from security. IT is finishing up installing our computers and tech as we speak, so let’s not bother them until they’re finished with that, okay? And also, I’ve assembled a “best of Portland” list for you all. Restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, yoga studios, knitting classes, museums—you name it, I’ve got it listed. You’ll find it in your email.”
“You’re a gem, Zoe,” Renee said.
“I found a few tea shops you’ll definitely go for,” Zoe added with a smile. “It’s all in the email. Anyway, onto Nat’s stuff.”
“What would we do without Zoe as our den mother?” Nat asked, with a smile, evoking a murmur of laughter from the group. “I wanted to introduce a few people, as I’m sure you’ve noticed some of our new faces. Liberty Evans, who manages our flagship store in Portland, is here today.”
A woman at the end of the table gave a jaunty little wave. “Hi everyone. I’m really excited to work with all of you. Please, feel free to stop by the shop any time to get an idea about it and see all your hard work in action! We even do demonstrations and classes.”
“And we also have the heads of our Portland team: Hope, Ana and Robin. These ladies have been pulling some major weight here in the Portland office, and we owe them a lot for facilitating this end of the move.”
A round of applause broke out, the three women in question smiling at the acknowledgment. “We’re very happy to finally have the entire team here,” said one of them.
“And last, we have a new team member. Maddy Craine is going to be taking over as our social media manager,” Nat said.
“Hi,” Maddy said, acutely aware of Carter looking at her out of the corner of her eye. “I’m Maddy. I’m incredibly happy to be here and to be working for such a woman-positive company. I have an open-door policy, so if you’ve got an idea, feel free to come to me, and we can brainstorm. And if you’ve got interns who need to do something, you can send them my way. I’m a big believer in mentoring.”
“And I think that’s all the new managers and department heads,” Nat said. “So, let’s do what Carter said—let’s talk.”
Maddy watched, impressed and feeling increasingly empowered as they went one by one down the table, talking about everything from the pains of finding a new babysitter to setting up the lab to having to replace the water heater in a new house to whether or not the special rechargeable battery Carter was working on was ready to be tested. This, she thought, as each employee had her time to talk, to ask questions, and to be listened to by not just her team, but her higher-ups, was like a family. One that was good on the outside and inside. One that listened and learned from each other.
And finally, it was her turn, as Nat finished up and Maddy found herself not knowing what to say, her throat suddenly tight.
“I am feeling very grateful,” she said, finally, looking around at the women, and then at Carter, whose green eyes glowed warmly at her, a small smile playing across his face. “It’s been a long time since I felt empowered and excited to come to work. And that’s what I feel in this room, around all of you: excited about this work and empowered by your enthusiasm and passion. So I want to say thank you. And I’m going to work very hard for all of you.”
“We’re happy to have you be part of the team,” said Hope, from down the table. Maddy smiled at the motherly woman, feeling even more glad that Nat had managed to get her this chance.
Now she just couldn’t blow it by lusting so obviously after Carter.
The door to the conference room opened. “Sorry I’m late,” said a man, swaggering into the room. He was wearing a gray suit that was a little too tight across his bulky frame. “Ladies, nice to see you all.”
Instantly, it felt as if all the good cheer and energy had been sucked out of the room. Maddy caught some of the New York ladies rolling their eyes while the Portland team looked confused.
“Dillon, you never mentioned wanting to sit in,” Carter said, getting up and straightening to his impressive height. “This really is just a time for me to check in with the managers and lay out the itinerary for the retreat.”
Dillon sighed loudly, looking around the room. “Do you ladies really want to drag yourself out of this fine city out into the forest with all the dirt and bugs?”
“Oh no, dirt and bugs, I’m terrified!” drawled Dr. Kemp sarcastically. She tossed her long blonde hair, shooting Dillon a look. “In my opinion, as a doctor and a psychologist, the retreat is an excellent time for team bonding. I, for one, cannot wait to connect with our Portland branch.” She smiled across the table at Liberty. “I’m really looking forward to talking to you about all the classes the store’s been putting on.”
“I’d love your input,” Liberty said. “And if you ever want to teach anything yourself, I’d be honored. Your book was one of the ones that blew my mind in college.”
“I’m so flattered to hear that,” Renee said. She shot a sweet-as-syrup smile at Dillon. “See? We’re already bonding and generating new ideas. Just imagine what we’ll get up to in the woods, with all that dirt.”
“And all those bugs,” Liberty added. Renee shot her a delighted smile, and Maddy had to hide her guffaw of laughter.
Dillon flushed, his lips thinning at the failure of his ploy to get the women to shrink from the icky outdoors.
“You know, I think it’s a good time to call the meeting,” Carter said. “Dillon, I think we’ve had enough suggestions for the day. Rhea will see you out.”
Rhea got to her feet, a friendly expression on her face that also managed to say don’t cross me, boy. “This way, Mr. Palmer.” He sighed and reluctantly followed her out the door.
The meeting soon broke up and people dispersed, chatting and laughing together. Maddy was heading back to the office when she heard Carter call her name down the hall.
“Maddy?”
She turned, trying not to look too excited about him chasing her down the hall. Down, girl.
“Yeah?”
“I just wanted to make sure you had all the details for the retreat,” he said.
“Oh,” she felt a little flash of surprise. “Did you want me to come? I mean, I understand if there’s no room. I know I was a last-minute hire.”
“I absolutely need you there,” he said, with a smile that just sent her nerves zinging all through her body, like shooting starts ricocheting across the sky. “You’ll come?”
“I think I can find a cat-sitter.” Oh my god, Maddy, way to sound like an ancient cat lady.
“You have a cat? Me too. It never seemed fair to have a dog in New York when I worked so much. But the first year I lived there, there was this half-starved cat l
iving under a dumpster in the alley behind my shitty apartment. Took me a few days and a lot of leftover Chinese, but I finally got him to come out long enough to grab him. He’s been my buddy ever since.”
Carter. Shirtless. With a cat he just saved in his arms. The image was now in her head and it was never going to come out. A hot man with a kitty was almost as good as a hot man with a baby. Hell, to some women, better.
“Kelvin is still kind of mad at me for the plane ride from New York,” Carter added, shoving his hands in his pockets and laughing. “He’s been sulking all over my place. But I bought him an even bigger cat tree to make up for it.”
“I got a really fancy tree for Peaches, and he never used it,” Maddy said. “He was much more interested in the box it came in. Like most discerning cats, Peaches is a sucker for a good box. I ended up giving the tree to the animal rescue I got him from.”
“That was nice of you,” he smiled.
“Carter, I need you,” Nat called, sticking her head out from her office.
“I’ll have Zoe send you all the details about the retreat,” Carter said. “I’m glad you’ll be joining us.”
She tried not to stare too hard as he walked away. But really, it was difficult: The man’s butt should be memorialized in marble.
As she went back to her own office, she began to make a mental list in her head: get a cat-sitter, find luggage, stop thinking about boss’s delectable ass as he bends over, rescuing kittens.
It was going to be quite the week.
Chapter Six
Carter
It was late by the time he pulled into the hospital’s lot. The rain-washed asphalt glowed beneath the lights as he made his away through the rows of cars and up to the main doors.
He took the elevator up to the fourth floor, glancing down at his phone to make sure he had the room number right before the doors slid open.
There was something about walking into a pediatric ward that was both inspiring and terrible. The sense of desperation in the air… but also tremendous hope. A painful kind of dichotomy, where one can’t quite exist without the other.
