“I didn’t manage my expectations well.” His voice held an edge of self-mockery.

“In what way?”

“I spent all day yesterday imagining you in my office today. When you weren’t here, I had a problem with it.”

The powerful and brilliant Nathan Trainor missed her. How could she not feel thrilled by that? “At least you have weighty executive decisions to distract you. I’m only using about a quarter of my brain to collate a bunch of audit reports.”

“I’m interested in hearing what you’re using the other three-quarters for.”

Chloe felt heat bloom in her cheeks. “That’s for you to find out when you pick me up this afternoon.”

There was a pause before he said with a rasp in his voice, “Advance planning is always wise. I look forward to combining your ideas with mine, because I suspect the effect will be explosive.”

His words danced along her nerve endings, making her squirm on the leather cushion. Before she could respond, he said, “You only have a half hour for lunch, so go eat.”

“Because I’ll need my strength?” It came out sounding as though she couldn’t quite catch her breath.

“Be ready the moment you get in the car. I will be.”

He ended the call, leaving her hot and aching in private places. She closed her eyes and imagined him touching her where she ached the most, which only made it worse. She hauled herself out of the chair, sending her cell phone thudding onto the beige carpeting.

When it rang, she jumped and then scooped it up, hoping Nathan wanted to continue their phone foreplay.

It was Judith. “Sweetie, I’ve got a last-minute interview for you. Are you free today after work?”

Chloe straightened in the chair. “Not really. How about tomorrow?”

“The cutoff for the hiring decision is today.”

Her stomach clenched. “How good is the position?”

Judith quoted a nice salary and decent benefits at a medium-sized but growing corporation. “And the position has significant upside.”

“There has to be a catch.”

“This is your last chance to interview for it,” Judith said. “Seriously, I found out about this by sheer luck. Their HR director called me to check one candidate’s employment record because I placed him in a job before this. They wanted to make sure he wasn’t violating his employment contract.”

“Was he? That would eliminate some of my competition.” Chloe was stalling as she struggled with the inevitable. She was going to have to tell Nathan she couldn’t meet him after work.

“No. He cleared his commitment by forty-three days.”

“Darn.” Chloe sighed inwardly as she worked hard to inject gratitude and enthusiasm into her voice. “I’ll rearrange my schedule so I can take the interview. Thanks so much for giving me such a great opportunity.”

She glanced down at her outfit of a slim navy skirt, high-heeled black pumps, and a peach silk blouse. She’d dressed up more than usual because she was meeting Nathan, so her clothing would work for an interview.

“It’s pure self-interest,” Judith said. “You’ll make me a nice finder’s fee when you get the job. I’ll text you the address and contact information. Knock ’em dead!”

Chloe hung up and sagged in the chair. She was a little nervous about calling Nathan. A man like him was used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it. He might understand her decision to take the interview, but he wouldn’t be happy about it. She wasn’t happy about it either.

She had to think long-term, though. This thing with Nathan would burn out sooner rather than later, while the job was a more permanent proposition.

She hit his speed-dial button and waited, her grip so tight the edges of the phone cut into her fingers.

“Chloe.” His voice was warm with pleasure. “Have you eaten lunch already?”

“No. I got another call. I have an unexpected job interview right after work. It’s for a great permanent position, so I couldn’t turn it down. I’m sorry.”

There was a long moment of silence and she held her breath. Then his voice came through, sounding calm and matter-of-fact. “Not a problem. I can use the extra time to finish the work from last week. Call me as soon as you’re done.”

“I, um, thank you for understanding.”

“Delay will make our encounter all the more . . . satisfying.”

The pause before his last word was loaded with the promise of mind-bending sex. Chloe felt the build of desire begin again. “You’re a more patient man than I thought.”

“Only when the end result is worth waiting for.”

Focusing on the interview was going to take every ounce of mental discipline she possessed.

Nathan hung up the phone and let loose a string of profanity. It wasn’t the postponement of his sexual gratification that had him cursing like a Marine. It was the damned job interview. He had hoped to handle the offer of the position at Trainor Electronics subtly so no one—and especially Chloe—suspected that he had set it in motion. This new development would force him to cut corners for the sake of speed. He would also have to make sure the offer from his company was so much better than the other one that she would have a hard time turning it down.

He swiveled around to his computer and began to type a private message to Roberta.

There was no point in being the CEO if you couldn’t use your power for a friend.