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Chapter 14
Holland
Though I had been out, I knew I hadn’t missed much. I’d caught up on email Monday afternoon, so there couldn’t be anything I really needed to give my attention to today besides making sure Trey knew I was working. And that left me free to focus on the turmoil roiling around in my mind. I was still buzzed with adrenaline—any time I had to present in front of a group I got that rush, and it took a while to wear off. This one was more potent because of what it could mean for my career. If I’d managed what I set out to do…if we’d managed it…it could change everything.
I stared at the list of emails on my screen, not really seeing it, as my mind moved on to the other major development in my life…Oliver Cody. He was right, he hadn’t exactly lied to me. Though I didn’t appreciate omissions of truth much more than lies. Still, I understood why he hadn’t been up-front, at least I thought I understood a little bit. He’d been away from work for a long time, and had certainly spent the last part of that time reeling from the tragedy that had taken his parents from him. I could understand why Oliver might have been happy to have someone in his life who didn’t know him as the CEO for a while. And he had told me in the end.
Of course now that I knew, I needed to put a stop to the warm feeling that spread through my limbs at the thought of his name, the memory of what those dark eyes looked like as they lidded with lust. I needed to forget all of that. He was the CEO of my company, and therefore my boss, which made things extremely complicated at best.
My phone rang, distracting me.
“Hello, Holland O’Dell.” I pressed the cool receiver to my ear.
“Ms. O’Dell, this is Scott Crea, in HR. Is there a time today when we might be able to meet?”
Fear swirled in my stomach, and I wondered if Trey had already decided I wasn’t taking work seriously, had already pulled the trigger on his threat. Scott’s words made me search my mind for whatever infraction might have put me in trouble with HR. Sleeping with the CEO seemed like a potential ding, but there was no way he could know about that, could he? “Sure,” I said. “I could come now.” Whatever this was, I figured it was better to get it over with. If I scheduled something for the afternoon, I’d worry about it all day.
By the time I’d crossed the plaza to the executive tower where Scott’s office was, I’d calmed myself, convinced I hadn’t done anything to get me into trouble—or nothing anyone could possibly know about. I wondered if this might be related to the analyst’s demotion, the one Oliver had orchestrated after I’d told him about the way the guy had gotten the job over me, but I doubted that could be traced back to me, either.
“Ms. O’Dell,” Scott said, waving me into his office. Though we weren’t on a high floor, he had glass windows at his back, letting in light and making the space feel expansive and open. One day I wanted an office like this. One day, I told myself, I would have it.
I sat, giving Scott a weak smile. “Can you tell me what this is about?” I asked, unable to wait any longer. If I was in trouble, I wanted to know it.
He smiled and sat down. “I wanted to be the first to congratulate you,” he said, grinning at me. “You’re being promoted.”
I let that news sink in. A promotion in my department meant moving up from account executive to account supervisor, a position that still had me in sales. Nothing in the way Trey had spoken to me yesterday indicated he’d put in a call to have me promoted. “Oh,” I said, trying not to sound disappointed or confused. The promotion made no sense at all, since Trey had been at my desk literally one day ago, basically challenging me to step up.
“It’s unusual,” Scott continued. “But moves between departments aren’t unheard of. You’ll be taking on a new role as director of analytic application.”
“What?” I asked, sitting up straight.
“It’s a position that’s just been created,” he said. “A go-between that straddles sales and analytics. Here’s the job description I received this morning from Mr. Cody’s office. You were appointed by name.”
As I scanned the paper he’d handed me, everything snapped into place. Oliver had made this happen. I couldn’t decide if I was angry or elated, but I was definitely leaning toward the latter. Still, something didn’t feel right about having this handed to me on a silver platter. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t worked my ass off for it, but I also knew no other candidates had been given a chance at the new position. I’d won it by sleeping with the CEO. With that cheery thought in mind, Scott led me to the eighth-floor office that would now be mine, and I entered it as one might reenter a church after years of living a secular life—with extreme reverence, and hounded by guilt.
The space was open and bright, and the windows afforded a view of Santa Monica and the Pacific beyond. I stared out at the blue horizon, my mind spinning wildly.
“Mr. Cody has requested that you make the transition over the next week or so, but that you do it from this office so you are accessible to your new department as needed to get up to speed.”
I nodded, struck dumb as I turned to take in the broad wooden desk in the center of the room. There was another impressive bouquet of lilies and roses set in its center, with a card peeking out that was addressed to me.
“I’ll drop some paperwork off this afternoon, and we can schedule time to go over the compensation package and additional benefits,” Scott continued, seeming to think nothing of this enormous change coming out of the blue. “Congratulations,” he finished.
“Thank you,” I said, standing behind my new desk as I watched him leave the room. I pulled the card from the flowers, and was unsurprised to find they were from Oliver.
I choose you. —Oliver
I dropped into the chair behind the desk and turned, staring out the window as I tried to sort through the wild thoughts flinging around inside my mind.
I let the blue expanse of the sky calm me a bit, and leaned back, working to accept that I’d earned this. Maybe it had come down a different path than I’d expected it to, maybe it had happened a little faster, but I’d still earned it. I pushed down the guilt that was threatening to ruin what should be a major achievement in my life.
“Hello, Director.” Oliver’s deep voice came from the doorway and sent my skin tingling as a warmth washed over me, unbidden. I took a deep breath and turned in my chair to face him, steeling myself.
He stood in the doorway, his broad shoulders filling it completely. With just one foot over the threshold into my office, he dominated the space, making me feel like I was visiting him here instead of the other way around. I realized he commanded every room he walked into. Especially dressed as he was today, in the tie and dress shirt, his hair perfectly messy and a light stubble covering that grave jaw. His shirt was rolled up the thickly corded forearms. I pushed down a flush of heat and took a deep breath.
“I’m not sure what to think about this,” I said.
He stepped in and closed the door behind him.
