What an amazing woman! Could he hope to earn her respect and admiration?
“You’ve gone about things the wrong way,” he muttered. “You need to tell her who you are.”
Chapter 7
The office was quiet, the overhead fluorescent lights out. The soft glow of floor lights that lined the walls gave off enough illumination to see around the cubicles. Zac had arrived just as the employees were leaving. Excellent. Now he had opportunity to really look around.
Much as the Paris office was failing spectacularly, Zac couldn’t force himself to hit the fire ‘em all button. And it wasn’t because he’d slept with the office manager and had developed a sweet spot for her gorgeous set of gams.
It was because Rachel Parker possessed a vitality and determination that he believed could pull this office up from the depths, and maybe—just maybe—breathe new life into it.
But she couldn’t do that without an excellent support team. And did she really enjoy her position as office manager? Or did she prefer to be back in marketing? He’d had a glimpse into her creative mind—it needed feeding. But he also felt strongly about her supervisory skills.
Pausing in the supply room doorway, he gave his thin Zegna tie a tug and loosened the tight knot. Since arriving at this office, he’d felt more relaxed, not so inclined to support the stern corporate raider image he’d mastered over the years.
But he was lying to Rachel every day he did not confess who he really was. The lie hadn’t bothered him two days ago. Even yesterday, when he’d learned she might have a clue about the secret visit. Who at the New York office had alerted Paris to his presence?
Such secrecy was…stupid. It had initially felt necessary, to not alarm the employees. But now? Zac was rethinking that plan. The employees were people. People who had families and mouths to feed. They had a right to know what was going on.
As did Rachel. Something had developed between them beyond the personal relationship. A sort of business trust. And while not revealing his position in the company wasn’t going to kill anyone, it would definitely drive a wedge between him and Rachel.
Was that a problem? It shouldn’t be. He’d flown to Paris for the week. After today, two business days remained. He’d fly home. Life would move on. Whether or not he decided to keep this office intact.
It was this no-strings thing they had started. Hell, if he was muddling over it so much, it must mean he wanted to take it to the next level. The I’ll call you, you call me level. The I’ll see you exclusively level. The can I keep a change of clothing in your apartment? level.
“Really?” he muttered.
No woman had ever gotten under his skin so quickly. And if he pursued the taking it to the next level idea, then he wasn’t sure how it would work for them on the business side of things. He couldn’t have both relationships. Could he? Why else had he decided to keep the apartment if not because he had hope for the two of them?
He shook his head.
A moan from down the hallway alerted Zac that he wasn’t the only one in the office. He spied the dim light coming out of the office manager’s doorway. Of course, she would still be here. The woman was dedicated.
And yet, she had moaned. Had that been a good moan or a bad moan? And if it had been good, why was he still standing there?
Wandering down the aisle, he arrived at her door, smirked at the paper sign—she deserved a nice bronze plate—and pushed it inward. Shoes in open boxes were scattered over the floor, the black leather couch, and the desk. Shoes in every color, style, and heel height. He didn’t immediately notice a human occupant until a box toppled from a stack and another moan echoed out.
“That bad, huh?”
“Who’s there?” echoed out from around the corner of her desk. “Zac? I thought everyone had left for the day. I didn’t even see you come in.”
“I was finishing up some last
“You’ve gone about things the wrong way,” he muttered. “You need to tell her who you are.”
Chapter 7
The office was quiet, the overhead fluorescent lights out. The soft glow of floor lights that lined the walls gave off enough illumination to see around the cubicles. Zac had arrived just as the employees were leaving. Excellent. Now he had opportunity to really look around.
Much as the Paris office was failing spectacularly, Zac couldn’t force himself to hit the fire ‘em all button. And it wasn’t because he’d slept with the office manager and had developed a sweet spot for her gorgeous set of gams.
It was because Rachel Parker possessed a vitality and determination that he believed could pull this office up from the depths, and maybe—just maybe—breathe new life into it.
But she couldn’t do that without an excellent support team. And did she really enjoy her position as office manager? Or did she prefer to be back in marketing? He’d had a glimpse into her creative mind—it needed feeding. But he also felt strongly about her supervisory skills.
Pausing in the supply room doorway, he gave his thin Zegna tie a tug and loosened the tight knot. Since arriving at this office, he’d felt more relaxed, not so inclined to support the stern corporate raider image he’d mastered over the years.
But he was lying to Rachel every day he did not confess who he really was. The lie hadn’t bothered him two days ago. Even yesterday, when he’d learned she might have a clue about the secret visit. Who at the New York office had alerted Paris to his presence?
Such secrecy was…stupid. It had initially felt necessary, to not alarm the employees. But now? Zac was rethinking that plan. The employees were people. People who had families and mouths to feed. They had a right to know what was going on.
As did Rachel. Something had developed between them beyond the personal relationship. A sort of business trust. And while not revealing his position in the company wasn’t going to kill anyone, it would definitely drive a wedge between him and Rachel.
Was that a problem? It shouldn’t be. He’d flown to Paris for the week. After today, two business days remained. He’d fly home. Life would move on. Whether or not he decided to keep this office intact.
It was this no-strings thing they had started. Hell, if he was muddling over it so much, it must mean he wanted to take it to the next level. The I’ll call you, you call me level. The I’ll see you exclusively level. The can I keep a change of clothing in your apartment? level.
“Really?” he muttered.
No woman had ever gotten under his skin so quickly. And if he pursued the taking it to the next level idea, then he wasn’t sure how it would work for them on the business side of things. He couldn’t have both relationships. Could he? Why else had he decided to keep the apartment if not because he had hope for the two of them?
He shook his head.
A moan from down the hallway alerted Zac that he wasn’t the only one in the office. He spied the dim light coming out of the office manager’s doorway. Of course, she would still be here. The woman was dedicated.
And yet, she had moaned. Had that been a good moan or a bad moan? And if it had been good, why was he still standing there?
Wandering down the aisle, he arrived at her door, smirked at the paper sign—she deserved a nice bronze plate—and pushed it inward. Shoes in open boxes were scattered over the floor, the black leather couch, and the desk. Shoes in every color, style, and heel height. He didn’t immediately notice a human occupant until a box toppled from a stack and another moan echoed out.
“That bad, huh?”
“Who’s there?” echoed out from around the corner of her desk. “Zac? I thought everyone had left for the day. I didn’t even see you come in.”
“I was finishing up some last
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