Laid and Leveraged by Alison Ford Page A

what I mean!” she pointed out. “You just think you know what's best. If you had ever bothered to ask me, I'd have told you that I hired her precisely because she's young and inexperienced. Becky hasn't been at it long enough to have a healthy fear of a CEO. She's the only person in that company I can rely on to be forthright and honest with me.” Roger seemed taken aback. His silence stretched for what seemed like an eternity.
    “I admit I hadn't thought of that, Michelle.” He looked at her with a newfound respect. “I do admire honesty and temerity in my employees. Very well, you may keep Ms. Clark.”
    Really? Just like that he was letting her keep Becky? Michelle couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice. “What made you change your mind?” she asked.
    “You presented me with good reasons.” He locked his eyes with hers. “I always take my employees' suggestions seriously. I would have let you keep her in the beginning if you had chosen to act rational instead of fighting my authority.”
    Michelle frowned. He was right. She'd been more angry about him usurping her power than trying to logically and neatly defend her decisions.
    “So in the future, if there's something I want, as long as I am polite about asking you'll let me do it?” she asked him.
    “Only if I agree with it. I'm still in charge, Michelle, whether you like it or not. But I'm not a vain ogre that refuses to listen to anyone else.”
    Michelle considered what he said. Roger wasn't being unreasonable, in fact he was acting a lot like the CEO she'd always tried to be. Michelle knew she hadn't been fair to him. From the beginning she resisted his authority over her and tried to show him that she was still boss. He hadn't let her, but he hadn't been trying to demoralize her on top of it. Roger just wanted Today's Energy to be successful and had a different, and probably a better, idea of how to get there.
    “Alright,” she conceded. She laughed a little, holding up her hand playfully. “Truce.” He grinned down at her and patted his knee.
    “Come here,” he told her. Now that the business matter was settled, Roger's voice grew husky with desire. Michelle felt her own body tingle in response.
    “You want me to sit on your lap?” she couldn't help but still be a little skeptical.
    “Yes,” he answered thickly.
    She grinned at him. Moving up off the floor, Michelle crawled into Roger's lap, straddling and facing him. Roger slid the straps of her dress down over her shoulders and scooped out one of her breasts from the bra. He bent down, about to fasten his mouth over her nipple when Michelle stopped him.
    “Roger,” she began. “I just have one more question.”
    “I promise to answer it in the morning,” he groaned, reaching for her nipple again. Michelle stopped him by placing both of her palms on either side of Roger's face and tilted his head back to look at her.
    “Why did you send me home right after we made love the first time?” she asked. The memory of that night still hurt and she couldn't keep the pain out of her voice from being dismissed so brutally. Roger snaked his arms about her waist and squeezed her to him.
    “Oh Michelle,” he murmured. “I knew that you had only agreed to go out with me because you hoped to trade sex for your company. I thought that I could handle it. My intent was to show you how good it could be if only you would give into me. But,” he smiled ruefully at her. “I'm afraid it was so good for me, I nearly lost myself. If you had asked me at that moment to give you your company back, I would have. Hell, I would have given you half of mine as well. I had to send you home, or else you would have ruined me.” Michelle could hardly believe her ears. If what Roger said was true, it meant that he felt every bit as much affection for her as she for him. Maybe there was even a real future with him. She felt her heart soar at the thought of spending her life with the handsome, strong man in front