Page 73 of Captivated By You

Declining the offer of coffee, I cut straight to the chase. “I need to borrow a member of staff for a couple of days. Three at the most.”

“Well, you are the CEO.” Philippe chuckled. “I can hardly say no.”

“You can always say no. But on this occasion, I admit, my asking is as a courtesytoyou and as a sign of my respectfor you.”

Philippe, good-natured guy that he was, merely chuckled. “Who’s the staff member?”

I did my level best to remain nonchalant. “Kiana Doherty.”

Philippe’s eyebrows rose an inch. “Oh, sure.” He frowned. “Why her?”

A gamut of inappropriate answers to that question ran through my mind, and I almost smiled, catching myself just in time. “Confidentially, I have an issue at one of the hotels, and I think a fresh pair of eyes is exactly what I need to solve the problem. She’s young, bright, enthusiastic. Just what I’m looking for.”

“I see.”

Philippe tapped his lip, and I could tell he was desperate to ask me which hotel had the issue. Philippe was both a terrible gossip and a competitive bastard. He’d love to know the details, but I had no intention of sharing such information. Philippe and I could be considered friends, I guessed, but confidential business such as this deserved to be treated with respect. He wouldn’t like it if I shared details of his performance with other general managers, and the manager in Chicago would feel exactly the same. As he would have every right to.

“She’s certainly bright, and I’m sure she’ll be of use to you. Where shall I tell her she’s going?”

I chuckled. “Nice try, Philippe. I’ll speak with her.”

He didn’t show an ounce of embarrassment at his obvious attempt to play me. No glancing down or fiddling with his shirt cuffs, just a straight-as-a-die stare and a slight curve to his lips.

“I’ll go and get her for you.”

He returned five minutes later with Kiana in tow. He must have told her I was here, because she didn’t look surprised to see me. She did, however, glare, sending a silent message with her eyes.

“Miss Doherty, please, have a seat.” I motioned to the chair I’d sat in. “That will be all, Philippe.”

I waited until he’d left, and then perched on the edge of his desk, raking my gaze over her. I’d dropped her off at her apartment less than eighteen hours ago, yet my hunger for her reared its head, my dick growing hard as she crossed her legs, revealing a hint of golden thigh encased in shiny pantyhose that I intended to remove the second the plane reached cruising altitude.

“What gives, Ash?”

I chuckled. “God, I love how direct you are.”

“Have you told him about us?” She jerked her head toward the door, indicating Philippe.

“No.”

“Good.” She picked a thread of cotton off her skirt and rolled it into a ball. “So? What’s up? I thought you said you were busy this week. I didn’t expect to see you until Friday.”

I captured her wrists, helping her to her feet. “I missed you.” My hands went to her waist. She fired a glance at the door. “Don’t worry. No one will disturb us.”

“What’s your plan, Ash? Bend me over Philippe’s desk and fuck me?”

I twisted my lips to the side. “As an idea, it has merit. For now, I’ll keep it on the back burner.”

She ran her hands over my shoulders. “Stop teasing me. I’m at work. You promised you’d keep it professional between us.”

“And I am.” When she arched a brow and glanced at where I held her waist, I smiled and released her, standing back. “I have a problem that I need your help with. A work problem, not a cock problem.”

She squared her shoulders, standing tall. “What can I do?”

“It’s a highly sensitive issue. I don’t want anyone to know, and that includes Philippe. I’ve told him it’s a confidential project, but I fully expect him to press you. You arenotto tell him.”

Her head jerked back, and she jutted her chin. “Go on.”

“One of my hotels isn’t performing well. A few weeks ago, I sent in what I guess you could call a team of fixers to help, and for a while, performance picked up. But since they left, results have fallen away again. I want to take a fresh look at the issue, and I’d like your help.”

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