Electric! (15 page)

If?
He didn’t like that word one little bit.

“Forget HR, Cass. This company has no rule against office
affairs.” Chase deposited his glass on the table and stood. “So just slow down,
babe.” He reached for her hand and pulled her to him. This scenario turned more
ominous with every passing minute, because it wasn’t just the VP position on
the line, but the relationship he was trying to establish with her.

“Chase.” Her gaze locked with his.

“Cass,” he countered, his tone lowering. “We made a bold
move over the weekend. We can’t lose sight of that.”

She sighed. “I know.” She paused, then said, “But really.
This opportunity for a promotion is also an important move. For our careers.
And we’ve each expended too much effort, time and energy to not put all we’ve
got into landing the job. How it’ll impact us on the backend, I don’t know.
Right now, however, I say engaging in an office romance is a bad idea.”

“I don’t.” He kissed her. Passionately. She responded
instantly—though much too briefly.

Breaking their kiss, she said, “Chase, we’re going to shoot
ourselves in the foot.” Her voice was soft and breathy, driving him wild.
Making him hard and aching for her.

“We agreed that we’d pursue this.”

“I know.” Her fingers grazed his clenched jaw. “And I still
want to. Believe me. At the moment…” She shook her head. “We’ve got a bigger
issue to address. Giving McClellan what he wants and one of us getting the
promotion
we
want.”

Chase grunted. “I know you’re right. I also know I’m not
willing to give up on us so damn fast.”

“Me either,” she said in a quiet tone. He had no delusions
she held back a
but…

He kissed her again, before she could get in another word.
Their lips tangled, then his tongue slipped inside. His cock throbbed with the
excitement she so easily elicited. Desire coursed through him. He held her tightly,
her body melding to his.

God, she felt like heaven in his arms. They fit together
perfectly and she sparked an intense yearning deep within him.

Finally dragging his mouth from hers, he whispered in her
ear, “This is much too hot to walk away from, babe.”

Her chest rose and fell rapidly against his, tempting him
further.

“I’m not saying that I don’t want you, Chase. I’m just
saying it’s dangerous for us to be starting something when we’ve suddenly been
cast into this hot mess of a situation. McClellan has made us rivals.”

“No. He’s challenged us to be even better at what we do. You
said so yourself.”

“And you know that means I’m going to devote all of my time
to my job in order to give him every reason to choose me as his VP.”

“Not
all
of your time,” he murmured, his lips grazing
her temple. He felt the shiver down her spine as her body trembled against his.
“We started something this weekend. Don’t put the brakes on it.”

He kissed her again and she seemed to melt in his arms.
Chase wasn’t fool enough to think she was putty in his hands, though. She might
not be able to resist him when he employed the full-court press, but he knew
she was able to shift her focus to work when he wasn’t coaxing her to keep
their new romance in mind.

Not that he blamed her. The truth was, Chase really did want
the promotion as much as she did. But he wanted the girl too. He intended to
fight for both. Yeah, it was risky business, given the fact he had just as good
a chance of landing the VP position as Cassidy. He had no misguided illusions
there’d be some emotional upheaval if he was selected by McClellan. He also
knew Cassidy was the consummate professional. She would still put her heart and
soul into her career, even if she remained a director and reported to him.

Okay, that might actually be a touchy situation. But if the
tables ended up turned and he worked for Cassidy… Well, he had to admit that’d
be damn sexy. Boffing the boss had never been on his to-do list, but then
again… He’d never faced the prospect of working for a woman who got his
adrenaline pumping and all the blood rushing to his dick.

He could totally handle Cassidy on top, in and out of bed.
Could she handle him being her superior at MII?

He fought a frown.

Definitely a sticky situation.

That didn’t mean Chase wasn’t inclined to fully engage in
this head-to-head competition. For one thing, he deserved the opportunity for
advancement as much as she did. In addition, if he bowed out, she’d forever
wonder if she’d snagged the job based solely on her merit and talent, or
because she was the only candidate.

He’d hang tough with her. But he’d also have to get creative
to ensure she didn’t “backburner” them, as she’d suggested.

Stepping away from her, he reached for his glass and drained
the scotch. Then he said, “Have dinner with me tonight.”

“Chase,” she said on a sigh. “I’m still reeling from
McClellan’s bombshell. I’m sure you are too. I need a little time to process.”

He grunted.
Time to process
translated to Cassidy
putting that wall back up between them.

Uh-huh.
He wouldn’t allow that to happen.

“Tomorrow night, then,” he said, his tone insistent.

She shook her head. “Friday. I’ve got a lot of work to do
this week. So do you.”

“Wednesday,” he negotiated. “Dinner at my house.”

She eyed him skeptically, though heat flashed in her amber
eyes. “Dinner at your house means we’ll be down the hall from a bedroom. I
don’t think we should be sleeping with each other right now, Chase. Not until
this promotion is resolved.”

A low growl fell from his lips. “Cass, no way in hell can I
go two or three weeks without getting you naked. Especially now that I know how
hot we are together.”

A hint of pink tinged her cheeks. But she didn’t shy away
from the subject.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she said, “but let’s take
this one day at a time and we’ll see where we end up on Wednesday.”

The flicker of desire in her gaze told him she wasn’t
particularly fond of the no-sex notion either.

Good news for the home team.

“All right,” he concurred. “We’ve spent two years reaching
this point. A couple more days isn’t going to kill me.” He grimaced. “Much.”

Cassidy laughed softly. “Poor baby.” Then she gave him a
compelling look. “I’m just as torn as you are, Chase. This completely throws me
for a loop. But neither one of us would be happy with ourselves if we didn’t
put our all into getting this promotion.”

He couldn’t deny that. Still… “Why the fuck did it have to
come up now?”

“Insane, I know. But something we don’t have control over.
So…” She took her martini to the wet bar and dumped the remains in the sink.
Then she turned back to Chase. “This is going to be difficult, no doubt about
it. But I really want you to know that I don’t regret what happened over the
weekend and I meant what I said about dating. I do want to try it. The timing
needs to be right for us both. This is tricky.”

“Yes,” he said with a nod. “But doable. We just have to
figure it all out, Cass.”

She looked nervous and that didn’t bode well for Chase.

Was she giving up on them already?

* * * * *

“So I’m up for a promotion,” Cassidy said into her cell as
she buzzed around her kitchen, prepping a salad for dinner that she’d eat while
poring over her client files to ensure everything on that end was up to snuff
before she dove into her new business-development activities.

Her dad was on the other end of the line and she told him
about the crazy lunch she’d had with McClellan that day.

She said, “I’m still in shock, and I’ve got monstrous
competition with Chase Logan.”

Her father and her brother knew all about Chase from a professional
perspective. Industrial risk insurance was actually a small community, despite
the enormity of the client aspect and profit margins. Industry forums were
always interesting to attend, when Cassidy and Chase would run into Gav, or
even her dad, who occasionally participated in symposiums or conventions.

“I have a good chance of getting this job,” she said,
“regardless of Chase being up for it too.”

“Congrats, kiddo. It’d be well earned.”

“For me and for Chase. I won’t lie. He has a solid shot at this
promotion too. Maybe a slight edge, even. I mean, he is a man.”

“You know that’ll be a factor, right?” her father asked in
all seriousness.

“Of course. He also trumps me when it comes to landing the
biggest accounts.”

“Unfortunately, I’m aware of that. We’ve lost a number of
clients to him these past two years.”

“He’s lost some as well. I haven’t.”

“That’s because you’re great at relationship management.”

When it came to business, yes. She wasn’t exactly sure how
to handle her new relationship with Chase. Now was hardly the time to jump into
something with him. If ever her sole focus should be on work, it was during
this pivotal stage in her career.

Her father said, “Logan landed Epperson-Langley two years
ago—
huge
manufacturer based out of Pittsburgh. That was a big coup that
helped to shape his reputation and get his foot in a lot of doors. Advantageous
for MII too.”

“But they termed after only a year with us because Chase
didn’t keep up on their evolving needs. Gav lured them away.”

With a grunt, her dad said, “They’ve already told him they
won’t be renewing. The Cooper Alliance beat our renewal quote and we didn’t
budge on price.”

“What?” She reached for her wineglass and sipped the
chardonnay. “I hadn’t heard.”

“Just happened—word hasn’t hit the street yet. It’s not
embargoed information and I’m not telling it to a competitor. I’m having a
conversation with my daughter.”

She smiled. “Way to justify, Pops.”

“Whatever. Look, this could really help you out. Gav is sort
of like Logan—great at reeling in accounts, but he’s not a customer-service
guy. He’s immediately on to the next bigger, better deal. What E-L wants is a
partner. An insurer that’s one step ahead of them when it comes to analyzing
and anticipating their needs and working with them on policy costs. That
requires a sturdy bridge between Accounts and Underwriting. You excel at
building those bridges.”

“Yeah,” she said, still a bit stunned by the enormous news.

“You’re exactly what they need, sweetie. And you’ve got your
own solid, respectable reputation to reach out to E-L. Though… Getting an
appointment with their Risk Management senior veep is no easy feat. Took your
brother a couple months just to get an initial half-hour meet-n-greet with the
guy.”

“Chase had equal difficulty.” She sipped again,
consternation encroaching on her excitement. “Damn it, Dad. I don’t have two
months. I have two weeks. Landing E-L would be huge for me. This promotion will
be in the bag if I can get the ball rolling with them.”

“That’s what I’m thinking. But again, nailing an appointment
is going to be a challenge.”

Her mind churned. “For sure.”

“Your contact over there is Pryce Shipley. Do whatever you
can to persuade him you’re the account rep he needs.”

Her excitement overrode her consternation. “Thanks, Dad. Mighty
big of you to hand me this lead.”

“Your brother is good at what he does, Cass, but he didn’t
give the client what they wanted. You’re good too. I’m proud of you both—your
mother was as well. We’ve always wanted you and Gav to be successful and you are.
But I know Gav’s position as a VP came quicker and a little easier because he’s
male and the boys like having cigars and scotch and bullshitting with him. You
have to work harder to get noticed and gain respect. But you’re doing it, and I
admire your dedication and professionalism.”

A lump of emotion swelled in her throat. Speaking around it,
she said, “Thanks, Dad. That means a lot to me. And I will kick ass and take
names to get this promotion.”

He chuckled. “I’d expect no less from you.”

She smiled again, though of course he couldn’t see the
gesture.

In a more serious tone, he added, “Just keep in mind that
you have one black mark against you. If you don’t get this job, Cass, my guess
is it’ll have more to do with your gender than with your talent.”

“I know you’re my biggest fan, but I do have some
shortcomings that go beyond being a chick. I’m working on them, though.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, sweets.”

“Thanks, Dad. Gotta go now. Tell Gav I said hey and give
each other a hug for me.”

“Ha, ha.” He laughed. “Keep me updated on your progress with
Shipley.”

“Sure. Love you.”

“Ditto.”

She disconnected the call and finished mixing her salad in
the bowl with a fat-free balsamic dressing. Cassidy doubted she’d be hitting
the gym over the next two weeks so she planned to focus on eating light and
healthy so she didn’t negate the fitness progress she’d made.

And, of course, she didn’t want to pack on pounds now that
she was getting naked with Chase.

She frowned. Damn, what a crappy turn of events. Bad, bad timing.

Using the tongs, she scooped up the lettuce and chopped
veggies and dumped them on a plate. The idea of landing Epperson-Langley as an
account slipped into her mind again. She carried her salad to the formal dining
room she primarily used as a home office. Her files were scattered across the
rectangular glass-top table and she settled in.

Admittedly, her father’s tip about E-L was an ace in the
hole—as long as she got the appointment with Pryce Shipley and piqued his
interest. Since E-L had already officially given notice of severing ties with
Gav, it wasn’t sneaky for her to swoop in. The news would permeate the
insurance world in no time at all. She’d just be one up on those who wanted to
woo E-L in hopes of picking up their business.