Page 28 of In Charge

Chapter 13

Maya

I’d never been thetype of person to hold a grudge or stay mad at others for a long time, but I surprised even myself with how quickly I forgave Robbie. What did that say about where my heart was?

The truth was, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I initially thought it was when Julia came into my office upset because Senator Thomas couldn’t reach Mr. Pennington. When I saw the news notifications, I’d panicked. But the impact was minor, and I convinced the affected clients to give me a chance to bury the stories. I did so in a matter of hours. While Mr. Pennington’s reputation was tarnished, the company escaped without harm.

I understood why Robbie did it. I didn’t need to hear Robbie’s story about his sisters to know that his father was an asshole. Most people, myself included, couldn’t stand him. He didn’t build a successful company because he was liked. It was a success because he was good at his job, and he hired smart, likable agents.

When I first learned Robbie was coming to work for me, I expected him to be just like his father. No one was more surprised than me at how different they were. It was his personality that set him aside from his father or any man for that matter. He was funny, charming, and when he wasn’t trying to make me uncomfortable with his fuck me eyes, he was sweet. And Robbie was sexy and looked nothing like his father. Thank goodness for that.

He was also a very generous lover. He was so attentive to my needs and knew exactly where and how to touch me. He invaded my mind on and off since our passionate night of sex on my desk. I struggled to stay focused on work and not what I’d do the next time we were alone together. An ache formed between my legs, and I longed to feel him close to me again. The memory of how he made me come multiple times last night had me wet again.

Get a grip, Maya. If I didn’t focus on work, like now, I’d never make it through this meeting with Mr. Pennington.

I checked the time. “Shit.” He’d be here in an hour.

Which meant Robbie would be here soon as well. I had to get my mind focused on anything else except his naked body pressed close to mine.

“Client catastrophes, problems to solve, focus on that,” I said to myself. I opened the file on my desk containing the management concerns of Bo Jensen. Focusing on his schedule and press releases was just enough to get through the rest of my day.

***

ROBBIE WALKED INTOmy office about five minutes before our scheduled meeting. “Should I come back in a few? You look like you’re concentrating.”

“No, it’s fine.” I stood and walked over to the sofa. “Let’s sit over here. It’ll be more comfortable for all of us.”

Robbie nodded and took a seat on one end of the sofa. I smiled and sat next to him. “Have you spoken to your father at all today?”

“A little this morning.” He sighed. His brows were furrowed and avoided eye contact. “Before I came to see you.”

“So you know what he wants to discuss with us?” I suddenly felt unprepared for the meeting. Every meeting I’ve ever had with Mr. Pennington, I knew the purpose and could plan for my desired outcome. Not knowing what to expect made me uneasy.

“Not exactly.” He laced his fingers together and stretched his arms out in front of him. “I know what I hope he says, but I can’t predict what he’ll do.”

“He knows it was you?” I already knew the answer to that, but confirmation would be nice.

“Oh yeah, he knew immediately. I don’t even think he was surprised I did it. Disappointed, but not surprised.” He turned to face me, and I took his hand. His touch sent a shiver up my arm and the sensitive spot between my legs ached. I could still feel the mark from what he did to me last night. “No matter what happens in this meeting, I want to continue seeing you outside the office.”

“Me, too.” He dropped my hand and stood before I had a chance to say more. I followed his eyes and saw the reason why. Mr. Pennington stepped into my office and closed the door.

“Good, you’re both already here,” he said. He sat in the chair opposite the sofa and waved at Robbie. “Sit, boy. You don’t respect me, so let’s not stand on ceremony. I’m just going to get to the point, so we can get this over with.”

“Okay,” I crossed my legs and sat up straight. “What can we do for you?”

Mr. Pennington held his eyes on Robbie. They stared at each other with an unspoken understanding. They clearly had an agreement, and I didn’t like not knowing what it was about. This must’ve been what Robbie meant earlier when he said his next move was dependent on what his father said right now. I glanced at Robbie. His knee bounced, and he fiddled with the cording on the sofa.

Mr. Pennington exhaled, and I turned to find he was staring at me. “My retirement is effective immediately. I’ve spoken with the board, and they voted unanimously to accept my retirement and your promotion to CEO today. Congratulations, Maya, you’re taking over my company.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a grin form on Robbie’s face. I reached over to shake Mr. Pennington’s hand. “Thank you, sir. I don’t know what to say.”

He grunted and waved my hand away. “There’s nothing to say. You deserve it, and everyone knows it. You’ll do a great job.” He turned his attention to Robbie and smiled. “You were right about the board. They jumped at the chance to have you join them. Mrs. Turner’s appointment is up in two months. She has decided not to stay on for another term. You will take her place.”

“That sounds great.” Robbie’s smile grew, and his white teeth sparkled in the light.

“Am I missing something? Are you saying Robbie is going to be on the board of directors?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Mr. Pennington stood; his eyes bore down on Robbie. “Your other requests are being taken care of. You’ll get copies as soon as the lawyer finalizes the documents. The paperwork regarding you new positions should be here this afternoon for signatures. Well, I’ll leave you two to finalize all those details, looks like I have a retirement to start.”

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