Scandalous Box Set

by Layla Valentine

  And it was just me and him in that elevator.

  My heart began to race. I bit down on my lower lip to keep my cool. And then I remembered the shoes.

  Oh, my God, I quickly thought while simultaneously trying to come up with something to say. The one day the CEO ends up in the same elevator with me, alone, just has to be the same day that I’m dressed like a freaking clown.

  “Good morning,” I said, my voice coming out as a croak.

  “I don’t believe we’ve met,” he said, the side of his mouth curled in a small, warm smile. “My name’s Adam Forde.”

  How could I not know your name? I thought. You run this place! There’s a giant picture of you in the lobby!

  Well, what was he supposed to say? “As you know, I’m the ridiculously handsome CEO whose name you surely already know.”

  He extended his hand toward me and I took it after quickly wiping my sweaty palm on the side of my suit jacket. His touch was…magical. His hand was warm and firm and just the right amount of rough.

  After we let go he continued to regard me. Finally, after a brief moment, his eyebrows rose just a bit, as if he were waiting for the answer to a question he’d asked.

  Oh, shoot! I thought. He introduced himself. Damn, Isla, I know he’s hot, but try to remember you have a functioning brain!

  “Isla Marten,” I said. “I work in administration.”

  “Pleasure to meet you, Isla,” he said, slipping one hand into the pocket of his suit jacket, one thumb hooked out in a way that was, just like everything else about him, super, super sexy. “Trying to get to know as many people as I can.”

  Oh, that’s right. I’d almost forgotten that he’d only been the CEO for a couple of months.

  “Pleasure to meet you too,” I said.

  The extent of just how pleasurable it was I kept to myself. Wisely.

  “Enjoy yourself at the Christmas party last night?” he asked.

  Wow—so this was going to be a real conversation.

  Okay, I thought. I can do this. He’s just the insanely hot CEO of your company and he wants to chat. This…this is manageable.

  Truthfully, I was shaking in my mismatched shoes.

  “Yeah,” I said. “It was really great. You guys pulled out all the stops.”

  Being truthful again, I didn’t have the best time in the world. Not on any account of Adam and the rest of the company, of course. They’d rented out the ballroom of one of the skyscrapers downtown and threw a Christmas party to end all Christmas parties.

  But the cheeriness and fun had only reminded me of how alone I was. After a handful of surface-level conversations with my few work acquaintances, I ended up bellied up to the bar, sipping the same glass of champagne for the next hour. And by the time the lights dimmed and the couples began to pair off for some slow dancing to the sappy Christmas tunes, I’d decided that it was time to go.

  At least I was refreshed and ready for the day, I guess.

  “Glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself,” he said. “I haven’t had a chance to get to know all the employees as well as I would’ve liked to over the last couple of months, so I figured a party to remember would be the perfect occasion.”

  I tried to think of a response. But before I could, a quizzical expression formed on his face, one that suggested he was trying to figure something out.

  “Wait a minute,” he said, wagging his finger slowly. “Isla Marten—I know that name.”

  Now it was my turn to be confused.

  “You…you do?”

  Sure, I’d been with the company for a few years. And I’d moved up in the world of Corliss. But that didn’t mean that I’d expected to be anyone who’d be on the radar of someone like Adam. I mean, Mr. Forde.

  “Yes,” he said, nodding. “You drafted a report on the proposed buyout of Xypno Innovations last week. Someone above you thought highly enough of it to pass it along my way.”

  “Really?” I asked, trying to keep cool.

  The report was pretty standard fare. I’d worked hard on it, but hadn’t thought much of it at the time. It was just another report that I’d researched, written up, and sent to my boss.

  But it wasn’t just any report after all. No, this one had made it to the eyes of the man in charge.

  “It was excellent,” he said. “Comprehensive, insightful, with clear writing—traits that are harder to come by than one might think.”

  He offered me a small smile, one that sent a rush of hot energy through my body. The man was handsome and charming and thoughtful of his employees. It was taking all I had to not gush with thanks.

  Calm and professional, I thought.

  “In fact,” he went on. “I could use more people with your skills working with me directly.”

  And that was all I could take. The “cool” mask slipped, and I let it out.

  “I’m so glad you liked it!” I said, feeling my face light up as I spoke. “I actually ended up learning a ton about Corliss doing the report. Really interesting to get a behind-the-scenes look at a merger like that.”

  “Great to hear,” he said.

  “And let me just say, if you need anyone to work on anything like that in your department, I’m your girl.”

  To make my point, I stuck out my thumb and drove it back into my chest.

  I winced internally as soon as I’d said the words. I was acting like an overeager high school kid sucking up to the teacher.

  “I’ll…keep that in mind,” he said. “But I should let you know that Sandy, my project coordinator, is the one who handles all matters like that.”

  I felt silly again. Of course the CEO would delegate who’s writing what reports to someone beneath them. He had bigger things to worry about, like the future and direction of the company.

  At that moment the two of us turned our attention to the elevator doors, which had been open the entire time we’d been talking. Neither of us had noticed that the elevator had gone all the way up to Adam’s floor.

  “Anyway,” he said. “Meeting to get to. I should get going.”

  One more impossibly charming smile.

  “It was a pleasure meeting you,” he said. “And I’ll make sure to keep your name in mind.”

  Then he turned and was off, and I was left in the elevator kicking myself for overstepping my boundaries like that. I hoped that I hadn’t come off too poorly.

  But a thought occurred to me as I pressed the button for my floor, a small smile forming on my face as it did.

  At least he didn’t notice my shoes!

  Chapter 3

  Adam

  Isla.

  I found myself silently saying her name as I made my way to the boardroom, as if trying it on for size. The girl had certainly been eager—no doubt about that. And I could sense that she’d lost a bit of her cool during our conversation.

  But I was fine with it. I liked to see that kind of enthusiasm in my employees. Let me know that we’d hired the right people.

  And there was the matter of her being strikingly beautiful. Fair skin, delicate features, long auburn hair—she was a total knockout. Not that it mattered, however. Maybe in my mid-twenties I would’ve decided to be bold and ask her out for an after-work drink. But with my new position I had other factors to consider, such as how relationships like that between me and my subordinates were off-limits.

  Still, didn’t hurt to notice.

  I gave the double doors of the conference room a soft rap when I approached.

  “Come in,” spoke a stern voice from within that I recognized right away.

  I opened the doors, revealing the grand conference room. Inside was a long table, the dozen members of the board seated, their eyes on me. Behind the table was an incredible view of downtown San Francisco, the waters of the ocean glittering in the far distance beyond the skyscrapers.

  And at the head of the table sat Edward Corliss, founder of Corliss Enterprises. He was a tall, imposing man with broad shoulders and a head of short, silver hai
r. His watery blue eyes were situated on a lean face and fixed in such a way they seemed to suggest he was continually thinking, planning. Despite his sixty-five years he still cut an imposing physique, one flattered by his expertly tailored suits.

  More than that, he was the man who’d given me the opportunity to be CEO at Corliss. Before that I’d always been more of a lone wolf, earning my billions through a series of startups and shrewd investments. But I’d had a desire to try something different. Something bigger. Edward, as he said, saw my potential, hiring me at this tech company to give me an opportunity to be a part of an established corporation.

  “Nice of you to join us,” he said, seated in a casual but authoritative position with his legs crossed and his hands clasped together.

  “Apologies,” I said, sliding into the nearest open seat. “Got a little caught up in the elevator.”

  “No worries,” said Edward. “We were just about to begin.”

  He rose from his seat and gave the room a long sweep with his eyes, holding the board members’ attention for a solid moment. The man knew how to project power—I had to give him that. I also had a talent for it, but Edward’s skill at commanding attention and respect was one you could only truly have through decades of skill.

  He reached forward and tapped a key on his silver laptop, the screen behind him illuminating and filling with a picture of what appeared to be a massive beachside city.

  “What are we looking at here?” he asked.

  I knew the answer, of course. And likely the reason why it was on the screen. But I kept my mouth shut, wanting to see how on-the-ball the rest of the board was.

  “Is that Miami?” asked Ken Shaw, our CTO.

  “Wrong,” said Edward in an even tone. “Anyone else want to take a crack?”

  “Cannes?” asked Heather Watkins, our head of marketing.

  “Wrong again,” said Edward. “Anyone else?”

  I decided it was time to speak up.

  “It’s Rio,” I said.

  Edward nodded, clearly not surprised that I knew the answer.

  “Correct,” he said. “Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And now for the second part of the question—who knows why it’s up there?”

  More than a few sets of eyes latched onto me, suggesting they all knew that I’d be the most informed on the issue. So, I went ahead and spoke up.

  “Rio’s one of our oldest manufacturing locations,” I said. “Established in 2008. And until recently, one of our most profitable.”

  Edward nodded again.

  “That’s right,” he said. “And the key words in that are ‘until recently.’”

  He flicked the screen to our factory location, a large complex within the city.

  “The reports I’ve been reading about Rio have been…distressing,” he said. “Each quarterly report has been worse and worse, and I suspect a change in management is what’s responsible. This is a matter that should’ve been attended to when it first came across my desk, but the year’s been a busy one, and time slipped away as I’m sure you all know it has a tendency to.

  “The long and short of it is that we need someone to fly out ASAP and get to the bottom of why my factory isn’t as profitable as it ought to be. Whatever the issue is, I want it corrected before the end of the year so that we can start the new quarter out on the right foot.”

  There was a stillness in the air as it dawned on everyone in the meeting just what Edward was asking. Someone would have to go to Rio not only to solve a very pressing and potentially challenging issue, but they’d have to go during the holiday break.

  “Now,” he said. “As I’m sure you’ve all guessed, I’m looking for a volunteer. I’m aware this is Christmas break, but this is a matter that needs to be solved, and soon.”

  He stepped to the end of the conference table and leaned forward, spanning his arms over it.

  “Who’s up to the task?”

  No one said a word, just as I was expecting. Edward’s eyes went from person to person, each of them looking away rather than hold his gaze, knowing what their answer was.

  Finally, he reached me. But I didn’t look away. Instead, I smiled and gave my response.

  “I’d love to,” I said.

  I could feel the tension in the room deflate.

  “Excellent,” said Edward. “I knew one of you would be up to the task.”

  The smallest of smiles formed on his lips, and I could sense that he was pleased that I’d volunteered. And why wouldn’t I? It wasn’t like I had any family in the city with whom I was planning on spending the holidays. Without any work to do, my break would be spent bumming around my penthouse, leaving to go to the gym or out to eat. Not exactly the most thrilling of plans.

  And more than that I knew I still had something to prove. I’d only been CEO for a short time, and if I was going to hold the position, I needed to show that I wasn’t afraid to roll up my sleeves and do what needed to be done.

  “When can you leave?” asked Edward.

  “As soon as necessary.”

  “Tonight,” said Edward. “I’ll make the call to have the company jet ready.”

  “Perfect,” I said.

  “I’ll email you a personnel file for the factory so you can brush up on who you’ll be meeting with. And you’ll need someone to go with you, of course.”

  “I’ll have my project coordinator come along,” I said. “She’s perfect for situations like this.”

  “Excellent,” said Edward. “Pleased we could have the matter settled so painlessly.”

  I nodded, and that was that.

  The rest of the meeting was nothing more than mundane but essential housekeeping. Once we were done, I hurried out of the conference room and made my way to my project coordinator’s office. After a knock on the door, I was there with her.

  “Hey!” said Sandy, blond hair framing her beaming face. “What’s up, boss?”

  Sandy had been my right-hand woman since I’d come on board, and she had a work ethic that was leagues ahead of what I would’ve expected from someone a few years out of business school. She was eager and bright and had made my life at Corliss much easier and more efficient.

  “Have a last-minute trip I want you to come along for,” I said. “The big man wants us to go to Rio to check up on an underperforming factory.”

  The brightness faded from her face.

  “Last-minute?” she asked. “When were you thinking?”

  “Tonight,” I said. “And we’d need to be working through the break. I hope that’s not a problem.”

  Her expression went from “blank” to one of mild distress.

  “Something wrong?” I asked.

  “It’s…it’s nothing,” she said. “I can go. Just need time to get some things packed.”

  There was clearly more to it than that, though, and I wasn’t about to let the matter drop.

  “It’s not nothing,” I said. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  I sat down across from her, sending the signal that she and I were on the same level—speaking as equals. She appeared conflicted, as if she didn’t know where to begin.

  “It’s this holiday,” she said. “You know about my family, right? How we’re all over the country and barely get a chance to see each other?”

  “Right,” I said. “Parents in Florida, brother in New York, sisters in Iowa.”

  She nodded, a small smile forming on her face.

  “Good memory,” she said. “Anyway, this is the first year we’ve finally managed to organize something where we all see each other. We’re meeting up back in my hometown in Iowa. Plane ticket’s booked and everything.”

  “I see,” I said.

  “And I hate to say it like this, but I did put in the request a month ago to make sure my schedule was cleared.”

  It occurred to me that she absolutely had.

  “That’s right,” I said. “Totally slipped my mind.”

  Another smile from her.

  “I take ba
ck what I said about you having a good memory.”

  “Conceded.”

  Sandy shook her head.

  “But I get it. Work is work, and if I need to go with you, I can tell them that—”

  “No,” I said, cutting her off.

  She glanced up at me, surprised.

  “No?”

  “Family’s important,” I said. “They’re what the holidays are all about, right? If you’re all going to see one another, and that’s what you’ve been planning on, then that’s what you’re going to do. Simple as that.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “Because I don’t want to—”

  I raised a finger, cutting her off once more.

  “I’m afraid my answer is final,” I said.

  Relief washed over her features.

  “I just hate to leave you in the lurch like this,” she said. “I mean, I know how indispensable I am.”

  Another bright smile to let me know she was being facetious.

  “You are,” I said. “But in this case I’m the one who put myself into a situation by not remembering your request.”

  I got up.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked. “Go alone?”

  “I’ll find someone,” I said. “But you don’t need to worry about any of that. Happy holidays, Sandy.”

  “Happy holidays,” she said. “And…thanks.”

  With that I took my leave.

  While I was more than happy to give Sandy the time off, that did put me in the position of having to find someone else to accompany me on the trip. It wouldn’t be easy, especially at such short notice.

  Once I was back in my office, a large corner office with a killer view of the city, I took my usual thinking position in front of the window and thought it over.

  Who could I enlist? Who would be eager enough to agree to something like this, for no reason other than to prove himself?

  Or herself.

  Then it occurred to me—I knew just the woman. Someone bright and skilled and ambitious.

  And it was someone I’d just met that day.