#featured
#216 in Romance
#42 in ChikLit
Faye rolled her eyes. "You're such a loser."
"And you're so hot in that."
She looked at him and found him staring at her, his eyes glinting as if he was some kind of a predator. Her face heated up and her jaw...
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The seconds ticking by seemed like hours as Faye Westbrook stared at the contract she had just re-negotiated. She wanted to tear it apart and never see it again. In fact, she wanted to tear down the four walls of her office and just take a long vacation. Something like the rest of her life would do.
Faye was tired, but it wasn't because of the work. Work was one of the things that kept her sane. She was not tired of the environment either. In truth, she rather liked her office. Her title was even more attractive and invigorating: CEO! It was easy to be a slave driver and all you had to do was call it delegation. She was CEO of the fastest growing technology business in the world and no one would believe her.
And why would anyone?
A CEO at age 26 of a Fortune 500 company who looked like she was just in college.
Faye wanted to scream.
She never got the respect due her when talking with more...seasoned officers of other companies. Government officials looked down on her as if she were a joke. The media treated her as if she were a high school student who really didn't understand the intricacies of science and business.
Faye's hand slammed on the table. She was a great businesswoman and a smart scientist, damn it!
A knock on her door brought her back and she straightened from the slouch on her soft chair. "Yes?"
Her secretary, Peter, came in with a few post-its in his hand. "Mr. Kowalski wanted to know if you can report to the board later about the contract with Nanoco Group."
The question almost brought a sigh past her lips, but was quickly restrained. There was no dodging reading the contract so that she would have something to report to the owner and his family. "Yes. Tell him I'll be ready at about nine."
"Nine at the board room, then." Peter nodded. "Also, your aunt is on line three. Would you be speaking to her?"
"Which aunt?" Faye raised an eyebrow. The truth was, she knew which aunt was calling her. Or at least she was 90% sure it would be her.
"She said that if you asked that it was Julie Evans?" The puzzled look on his face showed his reluctance to deliver the message, but he did anyway.
Faye couldn't help but laugh. The last time her aunt called, her name was Veronica Chase. "Alright. I'll answer. Would that be all?"
"Yes, but...I was wondering...would you be working this weekend?"
The way he spoke told her volumes of what he wanted to ask for. "Any occasions planned?"
"It's my girlfriend's birthday and she's leaving tomorrow night for a month-long training in France. I was hoping I could take the day off for her."
Faye hid her puzzlement. It was still a mystery to her why people would invest in so much time, effort and emotions for another person who might one day leave them? All for a few moments of bliss together and a lifetime of tolerating the things you can't stand about them...and that was assuming they did not get separated. "Go on. I can handle things here. Don't worry. Just leave the keys on your desk before you leave tonight."
