Crazy for the Boss (Crazy in Love Book 1) (18 page)

A
s ways to
wake up went, having the soft, naked backside of a beautiful woman pressed up against him was unbeatable. It was giving James all sorts of thoughts.

He nestled closer to Quinn, offering his body heat against the chill in the room that was still almost Arctic despite his getting up every so often to throw a few more logs on the fire. Snuggling under the blankets with Quinn made it bearable, though.

Okay, more than bearable.

He leaned up on his right arm and stared down at her sleeping form. She seemed so vulnerable lying there asleep, her lips open the slightest bit, allowing him to hear her slow breathing, to watch her body rise and fall.

It stirred something inside. A strong protective feeling, of knowing he wanted to wake up with this woman each and every day, be the one next to her when she opened her eyes. To be the one who made love to her as he was going to do now.

Almost as if she could hear his thoughts, her eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes, trying to focus on something in front of her. He studied her, guessing she was probably remembering everything that had happened last night—and in the hours since. She turned slowly, almost as if she wasn’t sure she’d see him, and he had a moment of anxiety wondering what her reaction would be when she realized it was all real. It had really happened.

Her dark eyes weren’t heavy with sleep as they found him, and he saw them widen and her lips curl up into a smile. She looked undeniably happy.

“Morning,” he said and leaned down to kiss her lips.

“Morning,” she said when he broke away and stretched her arms over her head. She shivered immediately as her arms reached the cold air.

“Don’t move. I’ll take care of it,” he said and threw the blanket off, walking naked across the floor to throw some more wood on the fire.

He turned and he saw the surprise register when she saw him already fully aroused. Sure, part of it was due to the morning, but another part was purely Quinn. He grinned and slid under the covers.

“Oh,” was all she said as he brought her fully against him, enjoying her warmth and the shiver that racked her body.

He pulled the blanket down so her breasts were exposed before running his fingers across the sensitive skin, smiling as she sighed and turned toward him, her leg hooking over his.

“I want to wake up like this every day, you know. With you, naked, in my arms.” He leaned down, flicking his tongue across her nipple. “Will that be a problem?”

She ran her fingers through his hair, tousling it. “It could probably be arranged.” Her hand reached down between their bodies, this time seeking him out, her touch uncertain at first, and he sucked in his breath. She smiled almost slyly and her grip tightened, running his length.

She ducked under the covers.

“Quinn—” But whatever he was going to say next was forgotten as her mouth covered the tip of him, slowly taking him in her mouth all the while her hands continuing to caress him.

He took the onslaught until he was about to burst and grabbed her arm, bringing her up.

James reached to his side. One condom left. He’d better put it to good use.

Once he was covered, he moved to bring Quinn down next to him, but she shook her head, instead positioning herself over him, her hair falling down her shoulders like some Greek goddess. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips looked far too swollen as she slowly eased herself over him, bit by bit, until their bodies were flush.

God. She was going to kill him.

He gripped her hips, trying to gather his control, particularly after she started to move. She took her time, building up to her own rhythm, and he was there to hold her as she bit down on her bottom lip, nearly making him come right then.

Instead, he brought his hand to her breast, kneading it as she continued to climb toward her own release, her moans becoming louder, her breath shorter, and he found himself holding back, trying to let her come, but it was getting close.

She was just clenching her thighs, her sex tightening around him, when she let out a long moan giving him permission to let his barely maintained control go, and he thrust upwards, finding his own release.

She dropped over him, her hair almost a veil, and he swept it away to kiss her neck.

It was a long moment before either of them stirred again, each content just to be next to each other.

He lifted her hand, placing a kiss on it before bringing it to his chest, enjoying the sigh that slipped from her lips.

“I probably should get inside soon if I’m going to at least pretend that I slept in my room.”

Seeing her go was the last thing he wanted, but he understood the need for some discretion. They had all the time in the world to spend weekends lounging naked in bed together. And as much as he’d joked about her dad meeting him with a rifle, he didn’t know how Bill Taylor would take the news of this development.

She grabbed one of the blankets and wrapped it around her, stopping to grab her panties from the floor before heading to the bedroom corner of the apartment where, from the sounds of it, she was digging through one of Sabrina’s drawers. A minute later, she was back, dressed in some sweat pants and a long-sleeved tee. She eyed her heels that were still abandoned on the floor before heading back to grab some purple slippers.

“I’ll be back before you know it. Maybe you can get some coffee brewing for us?”

He sat up, grabbing her hand. “So bossy.” But he didn’t mind, instead drawing her down as he planted another kiss on her lips.

Hell, if she was going to return the kiss like that…no.

He sighed. “Go before I have you naked and under me again.”

She grinned and, grabbing her purse and keys, slipped outside, heading to face whatever might await her. It couldn’t be even seven yet, and he hoped that like them, everyone had had a very, very late night.

James grabbed a blanket and headed to the bathroom to quickly shower off before throwing his pants and shirt on and heading over to make a pot of coffee. He’d just flicked on the brew button when the buzzing of his phone on the floor caught his attention. He went over and grabbed it, reading the caller ID.

His heart sank.

He’d been so wrapped up in this weekend and finding out exactly what his feelings were toward Quinn that he’d nearly forgotten the mess awaiting them both back home. A call from his grandfather sent a sense of foreboding through him, but he answered it, ready to get it over with.

“James.” Just a single word was all Cyrus said but it sounded ominous.

“Yes, sir. Is there something wrong?” Since his grandfather only contacted him personally when something was.

“I could ask the same thing of you. Fortunately, as I’m the chairman of the board of directors, the news was bound to reach me. Anything you’d like to mention?”

The old man knew but he apparently wanted to hear James say it. “Well, first off, you might be happy to know that we are in the final stages with the Blossom Brew deal. The bank has approved the loan, and with the twenty percent the company is putting up, we will be able to finalize everything by next week, with a press release by Friday at the latest. But for some reason, I’m pretty sure that’s not why you’re calling.”

“You’re damn right. Dennis has notified everyone that without so much as a notice to the board, you’ve gone and fired him, leaving Thornhill Management currently without a general counsel.”

“It would have been preferable, I’ll agree, to have had Dennis’s replacement already selected and prepared to step in, but sometimes a person is just too poisonous to keep around, and for the good of the company, I made the call to let him go.”

“Oh, so it seems we agree on some things. That sometimes you need to know when to make the tough call and let employees go. The problem is, Dennis has everyone pretty much convinced that your head isn’t in the right place here. That instead of firing this gal who we thought we’d taken care of months ago, you fired him.”

“I’m not going to apologize for what I did to Dennis. You and the board tasked me with the job of running this company to the best of my abilities. I gave a direct order that until the labor and employment attorney I hired to handle these specific issues was able to investigate the matter on Monday, nothing was to be done with that woman. Despite knowing this, Dennis chose to challenge my authority and fired her.”

There was a long pause, but James refused to say more, least of all apologize.

“I’m not saying that your reasoning isn’t sound, son,” Cyrus finally said, his tone almost resigned. “However, as you should know by now, in business, there’s always a bit of a game to play. If you wanted Dennis out, there were other ways of going about it. And first and foremost, never make an enemy when you’re out of town and out of touch and completely vulnerable to any accusations he might swing your way to help discredit you to the board.”

Discredit him? “What has he done?” James asked, his tone deadly calm.

“Answer this for me. Where are you exactly? Because last I heard, you were taking a weekend holiday to Mexico with your friends.”

“I was, but things got more complicated. I ended up stuck in Idaho while they work on the plane. It should be ready to go today.” At least, he was almost certain, since, with Quinn in his arms, he hadn’t had the urgency to check.

“This isn’t looking good for you. Dennis has been questioning your judgment, particularly when it comes to a certain employee who I’m gathering you’re there with this weekend.”

Quinn? How did Dennis know anything about her? About them?

“He’s hinted that your decisions are clouded when it comes to this gal. First it started with that charity employee-assistance plan she wanted, one that left several board members with reservations, and now, as Dennis tells it, you’re letting her decide who is to stay or go, regardless of what your top management thinks. Dennis has half of the board believing you’re leading with the wrong head on this one.”

“That’s ridiculous. I’m not going to answer to anyone about my private life. It’s none of their damn business,” he added, his fury rising. He fisted his hand and then released it. No. This was what Dennis wanted. To get to him. “This is going blow over. Dennis’s ego is hurting and he’s trying to stir up trouble as a result. But once things go forward with Blossom Brew and we get a new general counsel in place, people will be back on board.”

“You’re not really hearing me. That twenty percent of the franchise purchase that Thornhill was fronting is on the line. Dennis has close to the votes he needs to have the board reverse its decision. And without the twenty percent, you don’t have the money to finalize anything. So your ace, this deal, is probably not going to save your ass.”

James fumed. He didn’t regret firing Dennis, but he did regret not doing it sooner, back when he had his doubts about Dennis’s loyalty. And now the son of a bitch was going to pound the final nail in his coffin.

“How much time do I have until the board votes?”

“They’re meeting first thing Wednesday morning.”

In four days.

“Thanks for giving me the heads-up, sir. I’ll see you Wednesday.”

The line went dead and James stood there, still trying to process what the hell had happened. And what his options were.

If he couldn’t sway the board to front the twenty percent, did he still have time to find another backer? By Wednesday? The outlook was doubtful.

The problem was that, if Dennis had those members in his pocket, everything James had worked for the past few months was going to be worth shit. He’d lose the deal, and maybe not Monday, or the next month, but it was inevitable he’d probably lose his job, too.

One that he was finding that he really wanted. More than he’d thought possible.

The only way to prevent that from happening would be for James to retract his termination of Dennis’s employment and to offer some compromise to the board.

The euphoria he’d been experiencing before he’d taken that call had fled, leaving coldness and anger in its place. Anger at Dennis and himself for not handling things better than he had.

Damn it.

He grabbed the phone, scrolling through the numbers to see who he’d call first to do damage control. His heart sank further as he envisioned the conversation he was going to have with Quinn, no matter what he decided. The disappointment he was going to cause her.

But there was just too much at stake.

He could only hope that she’d understand.

Q
uinn knocked
on the door before pushing it open, a plate filled with day-old donuts in her hands and a couple of Nutri-Grain bars in case the donuts were bad. “I hope you’re decent.”

Although, to be truthful, she’d kind of been hoping to find James still stark naked and ready for a repeat of earlier. She was certain that if they put their minds to it, they could find a hidden stash of condoms somewhere. Sabrina certainly wouldn’t be living like a nun out here.

Instead, however, James was sitting fully dressed on the edge of the couch, a couple feet from their makeshift bed, his cell phone to his ear. He waved to her briefly but continued with the conversation.

She smiled as she studied him. If he didn’t shave soon, he was going to actually
be
mistaken for the Brawny guy. But…it looked good on him.

Really, really good.

And it had added a certain level of…friction, she had to admit, to their lovemaking.

Short of sighing, she pulled her gaze from him and headed to the counter, where a full pot of coffee was waiting. She poured them both some while he finished his call.

“All right. We’ll talk on Monday. Thank you for making yourself available to me this morning.”

Grabbing both mugs, she took a seat next to him, fighting the urge to settle herself in his lap and run her hand through that mop of hair. But she could show restraint. “What was that about?”

He took the coffee, his face too grave for this early in the morning. “It’s a long story. But…you’re going to need to know everything.”

Whatever it was, it couldn’t be that bad. Not when everything was finally coming together.

But five minutes in, after he’d caught her up with the incident on Thursday night with Lauralee and the resulting suspension, her optimism was waning.

“I wish you’d told me about it. It’s my job.” She wasn’t angry about his not filling her in until now, though. She could even appreciate his thoughtfulness in wanting her to enjoy her time off, particularly since, as he’d ordered, no further action was to take place until she’d returned to work and could start to investigate.

“It gets worse. Because yesterday, Dennis called to chew me out for having the temerity to put a mandate on him when it came to employment decisions related to Lauralee. He decided to go against my clear order and fired her.” Before she could jump up in outrage on Lauralee’s behalf, he hurried on. “Not only did I reverse him, but I fired him—or, as I put it, gave him the option to take a very generous early retirement plan or take nothing.”

Wow. She blinked, trying to process everything. “You finally fired him? Can’t say that that doesn’t come as a relief. But it still must have been a hard call, seeing as how I know you’ve been trying to tread carefully in your first months as CEO, not rocking the boat on personnel decisions. But I think that was the right decision, especially in light of this insubordination.” She put her hand on his back, rubbing at the knot between his shoulders. “And I don’t know if you have some ideas about a replacement, but I have some contacts I can reach out to if you’d like.”

He drank some coffee. “I wish that was the biggest of my concerns. Cyrus called me this morning. It appears that while I’ve been out of town, Dennis has been spreading rumors, presenting his skewed opinion on the situation to the board. And somehow, he’s created enough unrest that the board is having an emergency meeting on Wednesday to decide whether to reverse their previous decision to use company assets to front the last twenty percent on the Blossom Brew deal. Without that money, we won’t have enough. And with the short time frame, there isn’t time to find someone else to finance that much. Which means the whole thing might be dead in the water.”

No wonder he looked so ripped up. This deal meant too much to him. He’d invested so much time to have it get this far and be at risk of losing it because of some egotistical rat like Dennis. “That’s ridiculous. That’s like…like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Don’t they realize how profitable this deal could be? I just don’t get it. You had their approval before, which is how things got this far. Why are they second-guessing you now?”

He met her gaze. “Because Dennis has put it into their heads that I’m not making decisions right now from a place of power but more a place of…lust. He’s insinuated that, of late, I’ve been relying too much on…your opinion, despite the possible harm it might bring the company. Starting with the EAP and now this thing with Lauralee.”

“Lust?” The horror and humiliation of what he was saying finally sank in. “They’re implying that we’ve been in some sort of…inappropriate relationship from the start? That maybe I’ve used my wiles to get you to compromise on certain issues?” She felt sick. It was the very reason she’d been reluctant to move their relationship from professional to anything but a few days ago. She didn’t want the knowing looks, the crude jokes, and the credibility she’d worked so hard for lost, just like that.

And the thing that was unfair, up until twelve hours ago—okay, maybe twenty-four if you counted that kiss—she hadn’t done anything to cross that line. She could have marched right into that boardroom and denied everything, all the lies that Dennis was spreading to hurt her, to hurt James.

But now…it was true. They were sleeping together, and whether they put a prettier ribbon on it and called it a serous relationship or not, who would believe them?

She leaned forward, covering her hands with her face. This was a mess. How was she going to show her face on Monday? Would there be snickering? Knowing smiles behind her back?

Another truth was also starting to hit her.

If this deal didn’t go through, how long would it be before they were voting to throw James out?

James wouldn’t let that happen.

She knew that. But what steps would he take to ensure that didn’t happen? What would he need to do to appease Dennis and the board members who held his future in their hands?

The truth was clear.

And it crushed her soul a little, even though he hadn’t said it. Yet. “You’re going to let Lauralee go, aren’t you? You’re going to stand behind Dennis and Paul and hope this all goes away and everything goes as planned.”

“I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do. I’m sure my moving against the opinions of Dennis and Paul is giving a few of them pause, especially since both men have been with the company for so long.” He pinched the top of his nose, hesitating. “I’ve thought of all sorts of scenarios and there is another possibility. I know that the board has questioned a few of my decisions over the past few months, starting with bringing Lauralee back on, then the Blossom Brew franchise deal, followed by the EAP—which many of them considered wasteful and unnecessary. I’m thinking that if I go into that meeting ready to offer a compromise, I can keep the votes to make this deal happen. But ultimately, it’s going to come down to letting go of something. Lauralee…or the EAP.”

She felt like he’d slapped her.

He’d either fire Lauralee or drop the EAP? Those were the only solutions to this?

She shook her head, not believing he was thinking this. Lauralee didn’t deserve to lose her job because a couple of arrogant assholes couldn’t let go of their hurt pride. And the employee-assistance plan had the possibility of helping so many employees, employees like her who struggled with their mental health and could use the extra support that this plan would provide them. That would have provided her or her mom had it been available.

From the way that James was looking at her, she was fairly certain which way he was leaning.

And it was probably the worse of two evils, she knew. Keeping an employee, an actual employee who would continue to provide service to the company, versus an expensive plan—at least in the board’s eyes—that would help employees
in theory
.

But she wasn’t ready to give up. Not just yet.

“James, I know there’s another choice here. There has to be. You’re a smart and savvy businessman. You’re exactly what this company needs, and you need to make them realize that having you at the helm is in their best interest. You need them to see that they can trust in your decisions.”

He glanced away, running his hand over his beard as he sighed. “It’s not that easy. For so long, I’ve been considered the black sheep of the Thornhill family. The screw-up. No one had faith I’d ever amount to much. It was a huge leap of faith for the board and Cyrus to finally give me the chance to prove my worth. Maybe with time, once this deal goes through, I can broach the topic of the EAP again. When I’m coming from a position of strength and experience. It won’t be forever, just a year, maybe two, tops.”

She stared at him, forcing him to meet her gaze again, which he did. “But what about the promise you made me? When you first hired me? You gave me your word that this would be part of the deal of my coming on board.”

He flinched. “I know I promised you and I feel horrible about this, but it’s only temporary.”

“No.” She shook her head. “You’re giving up too easily. If they won’t stand behind you, then find another way to finance that last twenty percent. You have the contacts, the connections. Even if Blossom Brew was on hold for just a few weeks…”

He stood up. “I wish it were that simple. A deal like this could just as easily go away for good. There’s a good chance that if the Blossom Brew people heard of this recent hitch, they’d pull out entirely and start talking with other companies.”

So instead of trying, he was just buckling under the pressure.

Abandoning the project, his promise, and the employees who would have benefited from this program, to make sure he stayed in his position.

It made sense. It was a rational decision.

But why did it hurt so much? Why did it feel like such a betrayal?

“I am sorry, Quinn. But it’s not forever. Just for a little while.”

“Some employees might not have a little while. Some might need help now.” It came out in barely a whisper, her earlier strength and resolve crumbling.

“For crying out loud,” he snapped. “We’re their employers. Not their doctors or their parents. Don’t put this on me, Quinn. I’m running a company here, not a charity.”

And there it was.

She’d convinced herself all this time that maybe James was different, that he wasn’t part of the whole big system that considered its employees expendable. But he was. When it came down to it, his interest was in his own skin.

He wasn’t going to even try to fight to keep his promise.

He was giving up. She had been wrong about him. About a lot of things.

“Quinn, look—”

But she didn’t need to hear any more excuses. Any more reasons not to do the right thing. To keep his promise to her.

“I trusted you.” Her heart felt like it was going to break. She needed to get away. Needed to think. “You know, I think that maybe you should probably go. Your plane is probably ready, and you can take that trip to Cabo and be back on Monday as you’d planned. I could really use these last couple of days to myself.”

He looked torn, and after a moment, he nodded. “You know, you’re right. I think we both need a couple of days to think about our priorities.” He took a deep breath, and they studied each other for a long moment. “I do wish I’d found a way to do both. Remember that.”

Then, picking up his jacket off the floor, he headed out the door, already dialing a number on his cell.

While Quinn tried not to feel like her heart was breaking. Again. That someone else she’d begun to care for, maybe even love, hadn’t just betrayed her.

* * *

Q
uinn heard
the door open and the pattering of feet before the mattress dipped as someone sat on the corner of her bed.

“Go away,” she said, pulling the covers tighter around her head.

“You’ve been in here all day,” Tessa said. “Ever since your flight came in last night. Don’t you think you should at least talk to us? Tell us what happened?”

After James had left Idaho yesterday, Quinn couldn’t bear the questions that would inevitably come from her family and, needing time to herself, had booked the first flights she could find to get back to the city, getting in near midnight last night.

And even though she’d been surrounded by people on the plane and in the airports waiting to depart, she’d felt alone. No one minded the tear-faced woman in the corner with the earbuds keeping her company.

There was the delicious cracking sound of someone opening a can of soda. “I’ve got a Coke Zero here if you at least come out of the blanket,” Anna cajoled.

God. What she wouldn’t do for that first, bubbly taste…

She sat up, throwing the blanket off her.

“Whew—” Anna said, handing her the can. “You might want to consider a shower while you’re up.” But she was smiling.

The cold beverage tasted good. Even though it only seemed to make her stomach rumble more from hunger.

“I think you’ll feel better if you at least talk to us about it. We ordered an extra sausage and pepperoni pizza, your favorite,” Tessa added. “It’ll be here in ten minutes. Just enough time for you to drag yourself out of bed and take that shower.”