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I never expected this kind of reaction towards Nelly, and the rush of it all makes me unable to concentrate.
“Hey,” she greets, turning around with two mugs of coffee, and finds me standing there, watching her. I can’t take my eyes off her, and the sweep of emotions still rushing through me makes me tingle.
Her blonde hair tumbles down her back in a million waves, and the gold streaks in them make me want to run my fingers through them.
The last time I felt anything this intense, it ended with me hurt. I can’t let that happen again.
“I made you coffee, and if you just sit, I’ll get started on an egg benedict for breakfast.” Her eyes swoop over my body, and she arches a brow. “Off to work already?”
I don’t move or blink while taking in her features. My pulse does a crazy skip, and when she lowers her gaze to my lips, I forget to breathe.
I plant both hands on my hips, pushing back my suit jacket a bit. “I uh … I can’t stay for breakfast. I’ve got to get to the office and I just … I have a board meeting to discuss the merger with my shareholders. It’s a lot of work.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it is, and I’m grateful, but you can still stay for coffee.” She’s already walking towards me while talking, and she hands me the coffee mug. “Drink. It’ll help you feel energized.”
Her scent envelopes my nostrils, and the hint of lavender is intoxicating. Needing to clear the lump in my throat, I sip the coffee and close my eyes.
Nelly’s back to making her egg benedict and I know hanging around is dangerous because it makes me want to sit there and drown in the sensations that she stirs in me.
I can’t have this right now. I can’t handle it.
“I should go,” I say after finishing my coffee and setting the mug down on the table. “You don’t need to make me one. I’ll grab a bite on my way to work.”
“But …”
I’m out of the kitchen before she can say anything else, and I can’t breathe easily until I’m out of the house. The drive to my office is a short one, and my mind wanders to Nelly more many times than I would like.
My meeting with the board to pitch the merger starts an hour after my arrival, and I’m seated at the head of the table, listening to the lawyer talk through the technicalities of the merger. John Greer, one of the board members, grumbles, and I turn to him.
“Do you have something to say, Mr. Greer?” I ask, twirling the pen in my hand while taking in his grumpy look.
“No, sir,” he answers, focusing on the documents in front of him again.
The room falls silent, and he scoffs before lifting his head to look at me again. “Actually, there is a problem, Everhart. You might be the CEO’s grandson, but we all own a fair share of this company, and I can’t sit back and watch you drive this company into the ground.”
More murmurs erupt around the table, and the lawyer falls silent, pressing his lips together.
“So, you’re saying … what, exactly?”
“This merger is a terrible idea,” Greer continues. “You might be doing it because of the pretty lady, but if she mismanaged her company that badly, what makes you think the same wouldn’t happen again once she becomes one of our subsidiaries? She’s incompetent, and Sunny Aerospace is …”
“Watch your tone, Greer,” I interrupt, my muscles tightening in annoyance. “You can talk smack about Sunny Aerospace because it’s about to fold, but not about its management. Nelly Sinclair works hard, and Sunny Aerospace has the potential to be one of the leading companies in its industry. It’s not their fault that they weren’t strong enough to deal with the financial implications of a crash of that magnitude, one which could not have been foreseen. It was a disaster that affected all …”
“Yes, but they were incompetent. But how do we know that this incompetence won’t continue, even if we change management? What if this affects our image too? Are you making this decision simply because she is now your wife?”
His last question causes a stir amongst the others in the conference room and the look on their faces proves that they all think my push for the merger is risky.
“I understand your concerns,” I continue, rising to my feet. “But we can handle all of that. Hart Holdings is large enough to control the media in our favor. In addition, Sunny Aerospace has the infrastructure and the R&D to help Hart Holdings reach many of its goals. It is a win-win for us.”
“Tell me that this doesn’t bother any of you here,” Greer yells and gets on his feet too. He seems frantic as his eyes dart across the table to take in everyone’s look. The other board members are quiet, and I dare to think they are on my side.
Greer’s expression turns into a scowl, and he licks his lips before shaking his head. “I won’t agree with this. If you decide to merge, I will resign and sell all my shares of Hart Holdings and its subsidiaries. I’m not going down on a sinking ship.”
“Greer, we …”
“I'm not changing my mind.” He storms out of the conference room without another word, and my assistant wanders in right then.
“Sir, I have an update on the Sunny Aerospace lawsuit settlement. They have to pay the fine within the next 7 days, or they risk further legal action.”