Bachelor CEO

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She should tell him no. Fight it. Get away from Chase McDaniel and back to the party as quickly as her legs could carry her. That would be the rational thing to do.

But she couldn’t. He was like rocky road ice cream. Impossible to resist. His lips lightly touched hers and didn’t disappoint. He kissed her gently, as if testing how far she’d let him go.

Her body quickened. She wanted him to deepen the kiss, and as if reading her mind, he began to really kiss her. She let herself taste him, let him slide his tongue inside to connect with hers.

He was divine. Sure, she’d been kissed before, but something about kissing Chase felt different. It felt perfect. But it was also terribly wrong.

She pulled back, trying to ignore the flood of sensations rushing through her. What he’d roused with one kiss had warning signs flashing in her head. “I think you’ve had enough of a reward,” she said. Her voice came out huskier than she would have liked.

His gaze locked on to hers and his lips parted. For a moment she thought he’d try to change her mind. Then he stepped away and let her go. “Shall we head back to the party then?”

The abrupt way he dismissed what had happened made her knees wobble. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten her reserve and fallen under the spell of his playboy charms. He seemed to live for adventure. And she’d been just another challenge. Now that he’d succeeded, game over. Time to move on to the next conquest.

She followed him from the boathouse and toward the tent. Dinner had been served and people were sitting at tables eating and laughing.

“Shall we eat?” Chase asked.

“Sure,” Miranda agreed.

Places had been saved for them at the head table, and after going through the buffet line, they settled in their seats. Miranda tried to eat, but the fact that she’d kissed Chase McDaniel smarted. She wasn’t easy, yet she’d succumbed like a dog rolling over for a pat on its stomach. Disappointment at her behavior made her lose her appetite, so she picked at her food, while Leroy and Walter shared stories of becoming friends and building companies.

“Mine was always a family business. Even now we control the stock,” Leroy boasted.

“Yeah, but I proved to my boss you didn’t have to be family to get ahead. I’m a self-made man.”

“And I’m not?” Leroy countered. They loved to one-up each other, a friendly game they’d played for years.

“I’ve survived two mergers,” Walter claimed.

“Speaking of which, what’s with this latest takeover?” his old friend asked.

“Is something wrong with your food?” Chase leaned close and gestured to Miranda’s plate as Walter began to describe the situation in detail.

“It’s delicious,” she replied. The food was superb, and she forced herself to eat a bite.

The gall of the man, anyway. Why had he kissed her? Sure, it was only a kiss, but for some reason she couldn’t let it go the way Chase obviously had. He’d probably kissed plenty of women like that, which showed her inexperience. She also felt guilty. She’d enjoyed his touch too much. It had been awhile since she’d dated. Heck, she hadn’t had a real relationship in over a year, and Manuel had only been using her to close a sales deal and get a promotion at his company.

The night slipped on, and Chase asked her to dance. Despite her resolve to keep distance between them, she went. She wanted to be in his arms, to see if her earlier reaction was a fluke. She also wanted to speak with him.

“I need to tell you something,” she said as the slow number ended. She had to talk to him about her job. Given what had happened between them, it was the right thing to do. Otherwise, working together would be awkward. It probably would be anyway. He was like chocolate cake. She loved eating it, but afterward felt guilty for indulging.

“What is it?” Chase asked.

She opened her mouth.

“Chase!”

Miranda closed her lips and tried not to grimace as an older couple came forward.

“You look fantastic,” the woman gushed. “I haven’t seen you in, what, ten years?”

“This is Leroy’s second cousin Laura and her husband, Cliff.” Chase made the introductions. “They live in Paris.”

“Yes, but we wouldn’t have missed Leroy’s eightieth for the world.”

Miranda, seeing the conversation would be ongoing, soon slipped away.

“Having fun?” Walter asked as she returned to her seat.

“Loads,” she said, her gaze seeking out Chase. She knew he’d hate her once his grandfather took the stage.

Not five minutes later that moment arrived, sealing Miranda’s fate. Her window of opportunity to tell Chase the truth and set things right had closed.

Leroy grasped the microphone in one hand and asked for everyone’s attention. Chase finished chatting with his relatives and moved to the side of the room, joining his siblings. Miranda slipped into the chair next to Walter.

“I saw you and Chase dance. I’m glad you’ll be able to work well together,” Walter told her.

“Yeah.” Miranda didn’t want to tell him that was doubtful after tonight. She listened as Leroy thanked everyone for coming, before acknowledging and introducing his family.

Then he said, “As you know, I’m eighty.” He paused and waited out a few hoots and hollers. “But contrary to the rumors, I’m not retiring. I’ve decided to stay until this time next year. Still, I want to start easing my way out slowly.”

Leroy looked over the crowd, which consisted of business colleagues, friends, neighbors and family. “To achieve my objective and to make the transition smoother, I’ve decided to restructure the top of McDaniel Manufacturing. My good friend Walter Peters and I discussed ideal candidates for the new position I’m creating. It’ll be third in line, behind me and behind Chase, my grandson.”

Everyone glanced at Chase and he gave a short nod. His face remained taut and impassive, even though Leroy smiled at him.

“In fact, it’s been so hush-hush that this is the first time I’ve brought it up, even to Chase. However, since I am the CEO…” The few board members present laughed. They would rubber-stamp anything Leroy wanted.

“I’m calling this new spot a vice presidency, and the person I’ve hired to fill the position is here with us tonight.”

Walter touched Miranda’s arm in a show of support. She needed it. Even though she wasn’t looking at Chase, she could sense him watching her, and her skin heated.

“I’d like to introduce Miranda Craig as the new second vice president of McDaniel Manufacturing,” Leroy continued, and somehow she stood and briefly waved to the crowd.

Only after she sat down did she dare glance at Chase. His grandfather continued to talk, but the speech faded into a background hum as Chase and Miranda’s eyes connected.

With effort, she managed not to avert her head. She hated what she read on his face. His initial shock had turned into anger and the tight expression guaranteed payback. Since Leroy hadn’t told Chase anything about Miranda, he clearly thought she’d been coy and flirtatious. He thought she’d played him.

In a sense, maybe she had. She knew what many others in the room did not. Chase was going on forced sabbatical. She was the one who was going to take over his job. She was his grandfather’s choice for the next CEO should Chase fail to return.

As she watched, Chase lifted his glass to her in a mock salute. A feeling of foreboding settled over her. He wasn’t offering her good wishes. Miranda wasn’t that naive. Gone was the passion, replaced with something much deadlier. Chase wasn’t conceding an inch.

This was war.

Chapter Four

Chase had never thought of himself as the type of person who would be able to commit murder. But as he stared at Miranda, he wanted nothing more than to wring her pretty little neck until she begged for mercy or at least apologized.

He’d kissed her! He’d flirted with the enemy.

He took a deep breath, calming himself as Cecilia approached. “You okay?”

“Of course,” Chase replied through gritted teeth. How could he not have seen this? Easy. McDaniel had thousands of employees and there were always jobs open. Never in a million years would Chase have expected his grandfather to create a second vice president position or to bring in an outsider to fill that niche.

His sister touched his cheek, and Chase unclenched his jaw and forced a fake smile to his face.

“That’s better,” she said. She knew him far too well. “Gotta keep up appearances.”

“Yeah.” Chase gave a nod of acknowledgment to a passerby. He lifted his glass and saluted another.

After his one beer, he’d been drinking water most of the evening. He hadn’t wanted anything dulling his senses.

“Here they come,” Cecilia whispered, as Leroy led Miranda through the crowd.

Chase clenched his fists and tried to keep his smile from slipping.

“Chase,” Leroy said in greeting a few moments later. “I know you met Miranda earlier. There isn’t anyone more competent or more suited to this position than her. She’ll start Tuesday. I expect you to show her the ropes.”

Chase would like to show her a noose. Sure, most people would love to be in his position. As soon as Miranda took over, he’d be free to enjoy a life of leisure. He could collect his salary and, for one year, do whatever he wanted. How awesome was that? Trouble was, he already had six weeks vacation time annually, and hardly ever took any. He loved McDaniel and he loved his job. The last thing he wanted was some upstart replacement coming in and messing with his company—no matter how gorgeous she was.