what was she supposed to do now? Run up and knock on his office door and tell him that she was pregnant with his child? The idea seemed ridiculous.
And I certainly won’t get the job here if I act like that.
God. She was interviewing for a job at Lucas’s company. How had this happened?
And he was the CEO! He hadn’t told her that! Hadn’t he said he was a salesperson like her? He had certainly acted as if the two of them had equivalent jobs.
No wonder he had been willing to treat her to that fancy dinner. The price of the meal they had had together must have been a drop in the ocean for the CEO of a company like Quadra-Well.
She’d been stupid to think that the night had meant anything special to him. He probably went out for meals like that all the time. Probably with girls like her. Naïve girls who thought that they had met someone who thought they were special.
Elise closed her eyes and tried to collect herself. It doesn’t matter, she told herself firmly. It doesn’t change anything.
But it did. Because now she knew where Lucas was. Now she had a way to find him. A way to get in touch with him. Now maybe her child could know his or her father.
“Elise Johnson?”
She looked up. A woman with a folder was standing by the receptionist’s desk.
“I’m Rebecca Moss,” the woman said. “Would you follow me, please?”
Right. There was still an interview to think about.
Elise got to her feet and followed Rebecca Moss toward her office.
Chapter 11
Elise
“So, Elise,” Rebecca said, “what makes you want to join our team here at Quadra-Well?”
Elise hated questions like that. The true answer was that she needed a job and would have been happy to take anything that paid her a decent wage with benefits, but of course, that wasn’t the answer they were looking for. She had to make them believe she was in love with them.
The idea came to her like a sudden flash, and she spoke without thinking. “I’m interested in the development of new contraceptive options,” she said. “I heard Quadra-Well was at the forefront of that kind of research.”
Rebecca looked up from the papers on her desk. “Did you?” she asked, sounding surprised and rather pleased. “I see you did do your research.”
If by “research” you mean “slept with the CEO,” then yes, I did.
“Well, you’re exactly right,” Rebecca said. “In fact, we have a new product that should be going to market any day now.”
“Really?”
That was a surprise. Lucas had told Elise that he was using the company’s new contraceptive. He had been using it the night they’d been together. It definitely hadn’t been working then.
But that was weeks ago. They’ve probably fixed it by now.
“It’s very exciting,” Rebecca said, clearly not noticing Elise’s sudden discomfort. “It’s an achievement many years in the making.”
“Is that why the CEO is here?” Elise asked. “I saw him come in. Your receptionist mentioned who he was.”
“Ah,” Rebecca said. “Well, yes. He’s here to meet with the local management and the members of the board who operate out of Albuquerque. I suppose you already know that Quadra-Well is headquartered in Boston?”
“Yes,” Elise admitted.
“It’s nice to have someone come in for an interview who’s taken the time to learn about the company,” Rebecca said, smiling warmly.
Clearly, things were going well. Elise saw her opportunity.
“The CEO,” she said, “is he planning to be here long?”
“Only a few days,” Rebecca said. “He flies back on Thursday, I believe. Mr. Gainsborough doesn’t come out here for long periods of time.”
Elise nodded. “I wonder…would it be possible for me to arrange a meeting with him while he’s here?”
Rebecca frowned. “He really doesn’t take meetings on that level,” she said. “Quadra-Well is a very large company, Elise. Our CEO doesn’t have time to meet with prospective employees.”
“I understand that,” Elise said. “But I believe he would meet with me, if I could just…if someone would ask him.”
“Are you really here for an interview?” Rebecca asked, her eyes narrowing.
“What do you mean?”
“Our company has some enemies,” Rebecca said. “If you’re here from a rival company, or if you’re with one of those groups who believe that contraceptives are evil, you can get out right now. I don’t have time for this.”
“No,” Elise said quickly. “No, it’s nothing like that. I’m sorry. I am here for the job.”
Rebecca folded her arms across her chest. “Then why do you want to meet with Mr. Gainsborough?” she