Pull Me Closer (Suits in Pursuit) (2 page)

She took her first step into the bathroom
and looked at her haggard appearance. Tired, swollen eyes stared back. Her long wavy-curly mane needed some care and attention. She had the credentials and experience, but if she expected to land a new job and create the life she wanted, she needed to look the part. In desperate need of a makeover, Kerrigan made a hair appointment, treated herself to a manicure and pedicure, and planned a small shopping spree for her interview. She would be ready, and she would look damn good too.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

“Sir, Kerrigan Mulls is here. Are you ready for her?” Brenda asked.

Axel frowned, but kept his attention turned to his computer. “Should I be ready for her? Who is she?”
he barked.

Brenda’s eyebrows pressed
together and the toe of her square-tipped shoe tapped against the hardwood floor. “Kerrigan Mulls. She’s interviewing for the junior account rep position in Marie’s department. She’s your eleven o’clock.”

Grateful for an organized
executive assistant like Brenda, “You know, I couldn’t run this company without you,” he said, gave her a quick glance and returned to his work.

Brenda’s gaze settled on his humbled smirk. “
I hope you remember that.”

Axel Christensen
was many things. Young. Hot. Successful. He didn’t have a lot of patience. He wasn’t particularly in the mood to conduct an interview today. His sexy little lunch date would be meeting him soon, and he couldn’t wait to see Misty Scott again. Their conversation would be dull, and they had nothing in common, but then again, her brain didn’t interest him.

Insisting
that he meet every job candidate for the account rep positions, he cursed himself. The interviews were important, but he would make this one brief. Having become an excellent judge of character, he would know within minutes if Kerrigan Mulls would be the right person for the job.

Axel glanced at Brenda, whose arms
were crossed, clutching a stack of papers against her chest. “All right, send her in,” he relinquished his frown and turned back to the spreadsheet on his computer screen.

“Very
good. I’ll bring her in now.” Brenda headed for the executive suite reception area where Kerrigan Mulls waited.

Kerrigan took in the contemporary, but elegant and expensive décor of the executive suite. The receptionists’ counter where Brenda
sat was sleek, and modern made of what looked like frosted glass over silver metal with the agency’s name etched across the front. Lounge-style seats in navy leather sat in the lobby, and abstract prints in vivid hues hung around the room against stark white walls.

While waiting, Kerrigan pulled out a
sheet of paper and read over her notes. She hadn’t been able to find much information on A.C. Advertising or the CEO in her research, but she pegged him as a weasel, a fast-talking pitchman, despite Ashley’s praise. Based on what she learned, he had been driven to succeed and had done quite well, having built the multi-million dollar advertising agency from the ground up. The position she wanted would support the company’s growth and expansion plans by securing new business and additional revenue.

The heavy oak doors opened
slowly and Brenda emerged, bustling over to her with a stack of paper and a file folder in hand. “Miss Mulls, Mr. Christensen will see you now. Do you need anything? Would you like a beverage, maybe some coffee?”

She eyed the
woman with pity. She looked bogged down with all those items in her hands. “No, thank you—I’m fine. Please call me Kerrigan.”

Standing
, Kerrigan’s hand ran down her skirt to smooth out the creases that had formed while she sat, and then she shook her hair into place. She leaned down, picked up her laptop bag, and followed Brenda through the set of oversized oak double doors that led into the CEO’s office. Eyes darting throughout the space, she noted the décor, handsome like the man who sat behind the immaculately organized desk at the other end of the room.

The
large office housed three meetings areas including a conference table to the right of the entrance flanked by a set of tall black bookcases. Her eyes landed on a long red leather sofa anchored against the wall near the large black desk where the CEO sat. She and Brenda approached two guest chairs in front of his desk, his eyes still riveted to his computer screen.

Brenda clutched her papers and
folder tightly. “Mr. Christensen, this is Kerrigan Mulls. Kerrigan, this is our President and Chief Executive Officer, Axel Christensen.” Brenda gave a half smile, and then walked briskly toward the massive doors, slipped passed the two of them leaving Kerrigan alone with him.

He did
n’t make the halfhearted effort to recognize her. Kerrigan stood there with her hands trembling and knees knocking, marveling at the young CEO. She didn’t imagine the head of the company would be, well … so damn good-looking. Ashley omitting this information surprised her. Despite his appearance, she couldn’t believe that her friend raved about working for the man. He seemed cold and distant. A far cry from awesome, as Ashley described him.

Though he wore an expensive, custom tailored suit, she could see the
hard, chiseled man beneath. Axel Christensen was insanely and menacingly hot. A face sculpted to perfection, the man was a masculine work of art in living flesh.

His hand slid
away from the mouse, he turned in her direction and lifted his eyes from the monitor. As soon as he stood, she warmed in an instant. Interviews always made Kerrigan nervous, or maybe the man glaring down at her caused her heart rate to increase and her breath to catch in her throat. The towering giant extended a mammoth hand to greet her in standard professional fashion. Placing her small jittery hand in his palm, her gaze crawled up his roughly six feet, five-inch frame to blazing blue eyes, a vivid complement to his tanned olive complexion and dark hair.

His
brow pressed together forming a thick dark line across his creased forehead. Slowly relaxing the contorted muscles of his face, his puzzled expression melted away. “Hello.” The sound of his deep silky voice stroked her ears, reverberating through her core in quakes. As he greeted her, she flustered at the overpowering intensity of his stark presence, athletic physique and raw sexual intonation of his simple one-word greeting.

She blinked. “Hi,” she stammered back, unable to think of anything more intelligent to say. She hated interviews, and the CEO’s
good looks didn’t help calm her nerves.

The searing heat of his imposing gaze landed on her flesh. His computer
was no longer the most fascinating thing in the room. The lustful gaze of his eyes raking up and down her body left her exposed. Averting his glare, she fixed her sights on an unfastened button on his shirt. He seemed paralyzed, as though his brain held his next words prisoner. His laser focus continued scanning her over.

After the longest
minute in her life passed, his eyes found hers again, and she held his stare. The intensity almost too much for her to bear, her knees were going to buckle and she would end up sprawled out on the hardwood floor—not a great way to make a first impression. How could one first time encounter with a man make her feel this way?

Mesmerized. Axel surrounded
himself by beautiful women, but something about Kerrigan Mulls captivated him the minute his eyes landed on her. Taking in her beauty, he studied her delicate features and noticed the way her long dark hair cascaded down her back, tumbling over one shoulder in soft curls. Big, beautiful, hazel eyes looked up at him. He wanted to touch her flawless, caramel-coated skin and her plum-colored lips begged to be licked. The white blouse she wore gave him a tantalizing view of the cleavage that belonged to perky, round breasts. She wore a fitted gray skirt that hugged her small curvaceous frame. Long slender, shapely legs extended from beneath the hem of her skirt, leading down to feet adorned by a pair of stylish silver-toned peep-toe stilettos. She had to be the most beautiful woman his eyes ever probed.

H
er hand trembling in his, he clutched her fingers tightly to steady her tremors. An electrifying current surged through him, and the background of his surrounding office faded away. He wondered if she felt the spark too. The quiet gasp that escaped her lips told him that she did. He watched her slender, bronze fingers slide out of his grasp as she withdrew her hand from his. Rubbing her left palm, she caressed the tangible impression he left on her.

Her
eyes grew large, startled by the sound of him clearing his throat. “Please take a seat Miss, Mrs. Mulls,” he said.

A
nervous smile stretched across her face like rays of sunlight stretched across the horizon. Losing her balance, she stumbled, gripped the edge of his desk and then landed roughly in the leather guest chair behind her. “I, I’m … Miss Mulls. Just call me Kerrigan,” she stammered as a hint of color marked her cheeks.

Confining
his bemused smirk, he covered his mouth with his hand and rubbed his chin. He sat and his pants tightened around his growing erection, making him uncomfortable. Axel had never become aroused at a first introduction. He leaned back in his chair, rested his right foot on the opposite knee, and gave his groin reprieve. His hands folded, he placed them on the back of his neck with his bent arms spanned out. Perhaps his casual posture would help her relax.

“
Well Kerrigan, tell me about your background.”

Her eyes traced his
distended muscles through the long sleeves of his white shirt. “Well…” She shifted in her seat crossing her left leg over the right, uncrossing them, and then crossing them again, right over left. Finally, she stilled. “I’ve been in the advertising business for seven years. I’m good at what I do. My clients trust me to come up with creative strategies to expand their market share and grow revenue.”

He
changed positions to improve his view, his elbows resting on the desk now. “Can you tell me about your latest campaign success?”

She looked
away for several moments, as though pondering his question. “I developed the marketing strategy to support the expansion of Tip Toe Shoes over six national markets with an exciting new campaign targeted to women ages eighteen to forty. Our creative team went to work, and the radio spots and television commercials proved successful. They’re entering the Atlanta and Chicago markets this year.” Her voice trembled slightly when she spoke, and he wondered if she had interview anxiety or if her nervous energy resulted from something else, perhaps him.