Was it absurdly conceited to think that Nathan had created a position just for her? He couldn’t possibly care about her enough to foist his girlfriend on one of his vice presidents, could he? An annoying little voice in her brain piped up that Trainor Electronics was big enough so one extra employee wasn’t going to affect the bottom line, which meant it might be a job custom-tailored for her.

No, it was more plausible that Nathan had heard about the opening and mentioned her name to Phil Riviere. That was a grand enough gesture when she thought about it with more humility. A recommendation from the CEO would be hard to ignore.

Either way, she faced a serious dilemma: Should she break her own personal code of ethics and work for a man she was dating? No, dating was too mild a word. Should she work for a man she was having wild, passionate sex with?

Chloe groaned when she realized that wasn’t even the worst of it.

How would she feel when she and Nathan broke up, the inevitable outcome Judith had predicted? She might still see him in the corridor or on the elevator or in the lobby. How long would it take before she stopped looking at his hands and remembering how it felt to have his fingers deep inside her? Or staring at his mouth and thinking of his lips on her breasts or between her thighs? His gray eyes would no longer blaze with desire or gleam with mischief when he looked at her. She wouldn’t get that delicious glow of satisfaction out of knowing that she could make him have fun.

She choked on a sob as a searing sense of loss hollowed out her chest. If this was how she felt just imagining it . . .

Slamming her palms down on the arms of the big chair, she shoved herself out of it to pace around the table as she faced the truth.

Grandmillie was right. She was in too deep with Nathan. It would be better to stop right now. She could accept the job at Trainor Electronics with a clear conscience and start the process of getting over him sooner rather than later.

She halted abruptly. “The wedding.”

She couldn’t leave him to face his father alone. The joy that exploded through her when she decided she would have another five days with Nathan convinced her that she’d made the right decision.

Not to go to the wedding, but to end the relationship before she fell any harder.

Nathan leaned back against the Rolls, the cold of the metal biting through his cotton shirt. He should have stayed in the car to read another report, but he wanted to see the way Chloe’s face lit up when she spotted him. Yesterday, her obvious delight had hit him in the chest like CPR to a dying man: hard but life-giving. Something he couldn’t name had shifted inside him.

The front doors of the office building swung open with a flash of sun on glass as another elevatorload of workers poured out into the damp, gloomy New York afternoon. He scanned the crowd for Chloe’s face, his pulse rate settling back to normal when he didn’t see it.

He went back to his reverie until a single figure came out the far door. The moment her toe hit the sidewalk, he knew it was Chloe. Every nerve in his body went on full alert, shouting, That’s the woman you want!

He straightened away from the car and lifted his hand as he started toward her. “Chloe.”

She turned and the anticipated delight flashed across her face. He lengthened his stride to reach her faster but slowed when her expression changed, dimmed by a shadow that looked almost like regret. Was she going to tell him she wouldn’t let him buy her clothes? Or something worse?

“Chloe,” he said again as he seized her shoulders and bent to kiss her, spectators be damned. Her lips were soft and warm and yielding. Her breasts under her jacket brushed tantalizingly against his chest. She gave a little mew of pleasure as he pulled her closer. He wanted to slide his hands down her back to dig his fingers into her behind and jam her hard against his erection. He contented himself with a quick pat on one perfectly curved buttock before he released her.

She tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. “It’s a good thing I’m only a temp here. I’m pretty sure at least four people I work with are gawking at us.”

“Once you’re on the sidewalk, you’re on your own time,” he said, hauling her along with him toward the privacy of the big car. He bent his head to whisper in her ear the question that had been distracting him off and on all day. “Are you wearing panties?”

“Of course I am. It would shock the saleslady at Saks if I didn’t.”

“I told Oskar to take at least thirty minutes to get us to Saks.” He pulled open the car door for her and helped her into the private warmth of the interior.

“Oh, great,” she huffed as he slid onto the seat beside her. “Now Oskar knows exactly what we’re doing back here.”

“I pay Oskar a great deal not to speculate on what I’m doing.” He sank his fingers into the tightly coiled satin of her hair and shook loose the neat bun, sifting his fingers through the glossy strands so they fell over her shoulders.

She shivered as the back of his hand brushed the side of her soft, ripe breast. “You can pay Oskar not to talk about it, but his thoughts are beyond your control.”

“Oskar’s may be, but I’ll bet I can focus yours for the next thirty minutes.” He wanted to push her down onto the black leather, tear off her panties, and plunge himself inside her, to feel her moving underneath him and around him. But she had a valid point about the saleslady. He reached for the top button on her blouse.

Chloe put her palm flat on his chest and pushed him away. “We need to talk business first.”