One
“Not a damn thing seems to be working.”
Kelly Prentiss stood opposite her boss’s desk and listened to him rant once again. Same issues, different day, and burnout was threatening to become a real thing.
Trying to breathe new life into a multi-billion-dollar business after it had hit rock bottom was quite a task for anyone to take on. But Luke Holloway wasn’t just anyone. He was the Vice President of New Product Development for Wingate Enterprises, he was her boss, and he’d starred in every single fantasy she’d had for the last several years.
The poor guy didn’t even know how many hats he wore.
Thankfully it was Friday, but she knew Luke wouldn’t be taking the weekend off...which meant she wouldn’t be taking the weekend off, either.
“We need to think outside the box,” she offered.
Those dark, brooding eyes landed on her and every nerve ending stood at attention. She thought after working for Luke for so long this sexual tension would cease at some point, but each day that passed she only felt that magnetic pull more and more.
How ridiculous was it to be infatuated with her boss? Could she be any more cliché? Added to that, the man was practically married to his job. He didn’t make time to date anymore and, to her knowledge, he didn’t even find her attractive. Never once had he flirted or even tried that fun banter men and women engaged in. All work, all the time; that was Luke.
He’d had a failed engagement three years ago and, since the downward spiral of Wingate, he’d poured every waking minute into finding the next big product, or miracle, to pull the company out of the ashes.
Luke either needed some grand new hotels, some phenomenal up-and-coming businesses...or, at this point, some fairy godmother to come save the day. Anything that would give the Wingates the boost they desperately needed to restore their reputation and breathe new life into the family-owned empire.
“You think I haven’t been thinking outside the box?” he asked.
Kelly knew he’d been doing everything in his power to rescue the company, but she had to do something to get his attention. Desperate times called for desperate measures and all that. So she had a plan...an extremely risky plan. However, if Luke knew what she had in store for him, he’d fire her and never speak to her again.
And, if he realized this scheme was his brother’s idea, it might bring an abrupt end to their cozy family gatherings.
Good thing then that Luke didn’t know anything about the detailed plans that had been building up behind the scenes between Kelly and Zeke Holloway.
“Listen,” she began. “I’ve been doing some research on my own, and there’s an investor that would like to meet with you. He has some great ideas and he’s offering to help back the next project.”
His brows rose as he listened, and Kelly knew she had him.
“He’s ready to meet anytime you’re available,” she went on, not wanting to give him a chance to speak. “I can clear your schedule and contact your pilot. We could go as soon as tomorrow if that works for you.”
Her heart beat so fast in her chest she could barely think straight. Kelly couldn’t believe she was deceiving him. But the man didn’t look out for himself, so somebody had to, right? And, considering she was the closest nonfamily person in his life, she took the liberty upon herself.
Actually, his brother Ezekiel was the one who proudly concocted this plan, but Luke’s brother was the VP and had his own host of issues to deal with. Added to that, he had recently mar
ried the love of his life, Reagan.
Kelly was the one with Luke day in, day out. They spent hours upon hours together, and she knew how his mind worked, so she prayed she could pull this off. Zeke had told her point blank she was the only woman for the job.
Lying to Luke about an investor didn’t feel right. But she promised Zeke she’d whisk his brother away so he could relax and recharge, and considering he was putting up an insane amount of money for this plan, she couldn’t back out now.
Silence filled his office and did nothing to calm her nerves. Kelly came to her feet and offered a wide smile, hoping she could at least fake some confidence.
“I think this is the exact thing you need to find your footing,” she told him. “It wouldn’t hurt to hear what this man has to say.”
At least that first part of her statement was the honest truth. He needed a reset and, quite honestly, so did she. They’d both been working nonstop. She couldn’t keep watching her boss beat himself up and she was running out of steam. At some point, someone had to take over and call the loss.
Taking a break didn’t mean admitting defeat. It just meant their minds simply needed to be cleared of all the extraneous stuff that wasn’t working and to allow for ideas of things that would work.
But, she had to be honest here, this trip was also about seeing if there was a spark. She never would have taken a chance on her own, but now that Zeke insisted on getting Luke out of the office and someplace relaxing, this was her only opportunity to take the biggest risk of her life.
“You trust me?” she added, knowing he did but needing to reel him in further to pull off her plan.
“With every secret I have,” he told her.