Seduced The Unexpected Virgin - By Emily McKay Page 0,17
a muffin into her hand.
She took a bite, despite the scowl on her face. She looked exactly like a recalcitrant toddler miffed at being talked into going to bed early on Christmas Eve. “Has anyone ever told you you’re a very difficult man to deal with?”
He grinned. “Second rule of nonprofits—don’t insult the insanely rich donors giving you money.”
She gave him a tight smile. “That wasn’t an insult. It was a question.” She broke off another bite of muffin and popped it into her mouth. Her voice dripped with mock enthusiasm when she asked, “Are there any other rules of nonprofits I need to know?”
“We’ll go over them on the plane.”
He still wasn’t sure how exactly he was supposed to spend a five-and-a-half-hour flight with her. He sure as hell wasn’t going to be able to sleep with her in the seat beside him.
The good news was, she didn’t look any more enthusiastic about it than he felt.
She forced a smile. “Yippee.”
After Ward’s comments Friday, Ana had fully expected him to make the trip with her. When he wasn’t in the car that came to pick her up, she assumed he’d meet her at the terminal. But he hadn’t shown up there, either. He’d sent Jess to explain that Rafe had rescheduled the board meeting for the following morning. When she’d offered to stay for the meeting herself, Jess quickly assured her that wasn’t necessary. Instead, she was hustled onto the plane, leaving her with the feeling that she was being “handled.”
Thirty-six hours later, at least one of her fears had been alleviated. She didn’t yet know if Ward doubted her abilities, but it was obvious from her treatment at CMF that he wasn’t angling to get her fired. Surely if he had been, the CMF employees wouldn’t have rolled out the carpet for her on such a grand scale.
Once the plane had landed in Charleston, she’d been whisked off to the hotel to freshen up and rest. Luckily, she’d been able to sleep on the plane and needed only a brief nap before her whirlwind tour of CMF. She’d spent a few hours shadowing the director of the charitable branch of CMF. The woman, Stacy Goebel, had been a friend of Cara’s and had been an executive at a marketing firm before Ward had offered her the job. That evening, Stacy had taken Ana to dinner at a local landmark before dropping her off at the hotel. The next day was more of the same, except at the incubator branch of the charity.
By noon, her mind was reeling from how much she’d learned. Things she hadn’t even thought she needed to know. Stacy had scheduled a lunch with CMF’s on-staff lawyer, who was able to recommend a lawyer in San Diego that could work with Hannah’s Hope. Then it was back to CMF for the afternoon. By the time they ended for the day, Ana could hardly think straight.
Once again, Stacy had planned to take her out to dinner. Waiting for Stacy in the front lobby, Ana occupied herself by gawking. Until now, she’d been carted from meeting to meeting at such a brisk pace that she hadn’t had much of a chance to look around. Now that she did, she felt another burst of giddy, fan-girl excitement.
CMF’s lobby was decorated with trophies from Ward’s music career. The main reception desk sat in the middle of the room, a small waiting area was off to the side. Gold and platinum albums covered so much of the wall that it almost looked like wallpaper.
Stacy made it into the lobby just about the time Ana had reached the back wall where a beat-up Alvarez Yairi acoustic guitar sat on a stand encased in glass. Its burled mahogany back and sides gleamed a rich brown under the lights. The solid cedar front was worn and scuffed.
“Ah, I see you found the gallery.”
“It’s an impressive collection.” It was a fitting tribute to Ward’s extraordinary career. “It seems…I don’t know. Out of place, maybe. Ward doesn’t seem the type to be quite so ostentatious.”
“He’s not,” Stacy quickly defended her boss.
Ana hid her cringe. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“No, honestly. Ward doesn’t like this room at all. The decorator suggested it. Ward’s never comfortable here, but even he admits that it’s a hit whenever we host fundraisers here. Donors love it.”
Ana nodded. That did seem like Ward. Willing to flaunt his fame only when it got him what he wanted. In this