Merger to Marriage (Boardrooms and Billi - By Addison Fox Page 0,8
McBride’s CFO, said dryly as she crossed the room.
Mayson’s gaze caught immediately on her sister’s four-inch heels, and she was up and around her desk, bending down to admire Camryn’s latest acquisition. “I like these. Can I try them on?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because if you try them on you’ll like them, and next time you’re at my place you’ll conveniently borrow them, and then you’ll never give them back.”
Mayson stood up, her hands immediately going to her hips. “I never do that.”
“Oh no?” Camryn’s gaze shot to the carpet, in the vicinity of Mayson’s feet, and Mayson began to back away at her sister’s intense stare. “What about those?”
“These are mine.”
“Well, those Jimmy Choos started out as mine.”
“They’re my favorites.”
“They were my favorites. Now I’ve got new favorites.” Camryn dropped into a guest chair and lifted her legs in a move that would make a few Rockettes jealous. “And I’m not sharing.”
“Ladies, ladies. Are we done?” Keira took the chair next to Camryn’s. “I’ve got a few things I want to go over.”
“Seriously,” Camryn said. “Aren’t you a newlywed? A state that includes daily and nightly sex? Doesn’t that relax you, even a little?”
“Yes, it includes a lot of sex.” Keira giggled as a light blush stole over her face. “But we still have a business to run.”
“Ah, there’s the CEO we know and love.” Mayson dropped back into her chair. “Besides, the company’s been running just fine.”
“As I knew it would. But what sort of ass kickers would we be if we rested on our laurels?”
“Bad ones,” Mayson and Camryn chimed in unison.
“Exactly.”
“I do have one question.” Camryn spoke first. “I’m not opposed to hard work in the least, but how is it we’re working harder than ever before? I mean, Keira went and married our takeover threat. Do we get any breaks?”
Mayson leaned forward over her desk. “Cam’s got a good point. Maybe we can relax from breakneck to break a nail?”
Keira’s smile was wide and held the distinct notes of pleasantly smug. “An excellent suggestion.”
“How so?”
“Nathan and I are throwing a weekend party, and you two are on the top of my guest list.”
“Where?”
“At his home in Newport.”
“Don’t you mean your home?” Mayson couldn’t resist the quick taunt, gratified to see Keira’s light blush.
“Ours. Ours. Ours.” Keira smacked her forehead lightly. “Why do I keep forgetting that?”
Camryn cupped her mouth and offered up a stage whisper. “It’s all the sex.”
Mayson nodded, her errant thoughts tripping straight toward her night with Holt. “It scrambles the brain.”
“You two can just be quiet.”
“Why would we want to do that?” Mayson eyed her cell phone where it buzzed silently on her desk. The readout let her know it was a board member from Hands, Hearts and Hugs, and she silently prayed for good news. “It’s so fun to see you so flustered.”
“I’ve got the car scheduled to pick you both up on Friday at noon.”
“She’s giving us a half day off?” Camryn dropped the stage whisper but maintained the note of fun. “The sex really has scrambled her brain.”
…
Holt skimmed through emails on his tablet as the conference call droned on in his ear. He’d already presented his recommendation on a piece of property, and the ensuing bickering—veiled as “strategic discussion”--his clients were playing at was of little interest.
The pissing contest between executive staff and the board was the last hurdle to overcome before they ponied up the half-billion dollar commitment the hotel and entertainment facility was going to run them. Since it was projected to make that back in about three years, he knew the “discussion” was only a formality.
He continued to half-listen as he worked through his inbox, and his gaze caught on an email from Nathan. The note was quick and succinct—the opposite of the call he was on, Holt thought with a smile—inviting him to Nathan and Keira’s weekend house for a party. A litany of excuses rose up, and he almost hit reply with the intent to say no when an image filled his mind’s eye of dark, vivid brown eyes.
Elizabeth.
He’d thought about her far more than was comfortable since Nathan’s wedding. He’d even gone so far as to casually ask Nathan about her when they’d met for their standing monthly cocktail after his friend returned from his honeymoon, but the name hadn’t registered. Unwilling to press the issue too hard, he’d let it drop, but the lack of information only deepened the mystery.
The swift knock at his door pulled him from his wedding-weekend musings, a direct reminder