Page 50 of Reluctantly Yours

“She got hit in the head with the ball at tennis, so I took her home and found out her apartment is a disaster. It needs work. It’s not safe, so I moved her into my place.”

“That’s why you’re a surly son of a bitch this morning?” My glare is met with Carl’s hands in the air. “No offense to JoAnna. I love your mother.”

“I’ll be able to control the situation better with Chloe at my place. It looks more believable than my girlfriend holed up in a dilapidated apartment.”

“It looks believable all right.” Carl shakes his head and we move back in the elevator so a woman can step on. “So, are you two,” he lifts his brows.

Two floors up, the door opens and the woman gets off, so I continue my conversation with Carl.

“No. It’s strictly business between Chloe and me. Everything is for the benefit of showing Fred I’m a settled man who he should sell his company to.”

The elevator doors open again and we step out onto our floor.

“I never doubt you; you’ve always got a plan.”

I nod. Carl’s right, I’m always in control. This thing with Chloe will be no exception. While I didn’t originally plan for her to move in, it’s better this way. That’s what I’m telling myself anyway.

We push through the glass doors, then walk down the hallway toward the executive office wing.

“Have you heard of WordIt? It’s some kind of word game app.”

“Oh, yeah. Everyone is playing it. Lindsay loves it. It’s the first thing she does when she wakes up. She broke her streak the other day and she was not pleasant to be around.”

“Find the developer. Draw up an offer.”

“You want to buy the app?” Carl is surprised by my request. Hell, I am, too, but I don’t let it show.

“If it’s as popular as you say it is, it shouldn’t come as a shock. It’s in our wheelhouse and it’ll be an advertising goldmine.”

“You’re the boss.”

I nod. “Let me know what you come up with.”

“Sure thing.” Carl peels off toward his office and I continue on to mine.

Bea greets me with a smile.

“Good morning, sir. Your eight thirty meeting is already set up in the conference room on twelve. I moved your lunch meeting to twelve thirty because your call with Qwest Corp was moved to eleven. And I sent you an email of optional dresses for Chloe for tomorrow evening’s event.”

I drop into my desk chair and wake up my computer. Ignoring the people waiting for my eight thirty meeting, I open Bea’s email to find three dress options for Chloe.

Bea looks over my shoulder as I scan through the options.

“I’m a fan of the green one,” she comments.

The neckline would expose Chloe’s breasts. It’s a charity event for dogs, I don’t want to be the one drooling over her all night.

I click through to find a blue dress. The sapphire color would look great on Chloe, but unlike the green one, it has a higher neckline.

“The blue one,” I confirm.

“Of course. I’ll have it ordered and sent over to Chloe’s apartment.”

“You can send it to my address,” I say.

“Oh.” Bea’s eyebrows lift to her hairline. I can tell she’s dying to ask, but I give her a stern look and she withdraws. “My pleasure.”

After Bea leaves my office, I walk to the small closet on the far side and select one of the spare suits I have hanging there. The coffee stain on my pant leg is dry but has left a brown ring. Then, I move on with my day, doing my best to get back into my routine and to not think about Chloe.