Page 30 of Think Outside the Boss

But the intensity in his gaze isn’t the least bit joking. It’s a side of him I’d sensed last weekend, but not until I’d met him here had I seen it in all its glory. Handsome might joke, but he’s serious at heart.

“I was in the top of my class at Wharton,” I say. “MBA. Working in consulting is a dream for a business grad. No other area allows you to get as much business exposure.”

“Wharton?”

I nod. It hadn’t been easy, not financing my studies or the classes themselves. “Both bachelor and MBA.”

“So you’re here to learn.”

“Absolutely I am.”

“Why Strategy?”

I meet his gaze. “My favorite courses in college were all on business strategy and strategic management. It’s the art of connecting the past with the present, to create the future. The strategy department is where the real decisions are made. It’s… well. There’s no other area that interests me as much.”

He gives a slow nod. “Strategy is the lifeblood of a company.”

“Exactly. Firms live or die based on the soundness of it, and Exciteur has some of the best corporate strategists in the country.”

“In the world,” he corrects.

I smile, but I don’t object. He’s probably right.

He leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest. For all that I know his name now, Tristan Conway is still as big of a mystery as he was in that darkened party. I don’t know his background, his age. His interests and hobbies.

“What was this?” I ask. “A second interview?”

His lips quirk. “I never get to talk to the trainees. Figured I’d change that.”

“Then why did Luke and William have to leave?”

“You know why they had to leave.”

I break away from the magnetism of his eyes, nerves dancing down my spine. “This Thanksgiving Family Day may have started out as punishment,” I say, “but I’d like to thank you. Since you chose the amusement park, this might become the biggest project I get to spearhead during my time here.”

“Punishment?”

“For my first email,” I say. Just the memory of is it is mortifying, but I don’t look away from his gaze. “I realize it was perhaps more forthcoming than you’re used to.”

His eyebrows rise. “You don’t think my staff tells me the truth?”

“Judging from what I saw today, every single one of your employees in the room were surprised when you picked the amusement park option, but only Clive really spoke about his misgivings… and only once.”

“You don’t seem to share their apprehension.”

I blow out a breath. “I really want to work here, Mr. Conway. But I believe I’ve already given you cause to fire me with that initial email… yet you didn’t. I’m hoping you won’t in the future.”

“That’s a big bet,” he comments, but a smile plays across his lips. “For the record, I didn’t give you this project as punishment.”

“No?”

“The Freddie who wrote back to my emails, who still hasn’t apologized, by the way, refused to back down. I wanted to see what that person was capable of when given the opportunity.”

Oh. “I won’t disappoint you.”

Tristan gives a single nod. “I don’t expect you to.”

Our eyes catch and hold, the eye contact anchoring me in place. Like it had at the party, where it cut through the throngs of mingling guests and throbbing music to sear me where I stood. This time, there’s only a conference table between us, and it’s quiet enough to hear a pin drop. My voice is faint when I find it again.

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