Page 37 of Hard Deal
“I’ve barely seen you all week.” Mina, Caleb’s executive assistant, handed a drink over. It was tall and colourful in a way that indicated it would go down far too easily. “How are you holding up? The news about Gerald was quite a shock, right?”
Imogen sipped her drink. “Yeah, it was. I know he’s been out of the office more than usual lately, but I had no idea.”
Three sets of eyes peered at her curiously. Did they think she was lying? Imogen was friendly with the other executive assistants, but she mostly stayed out of gossip, which left her a little on the outside. Mina waded a swizzle stick through her drink and then tapped off the excess before setting it neatly down on a napkin in front of her. She was flanked by Dave—their CFO’s executive assistant—and Petra, who’d been with the company since its inception. The latter was a goldmine of information and Imogen often wondered if she had compromising pictures of someone stashed away, since no one ever crossed her.
“Do you think Mary knew?” Dave asked.
“Mary knows everything,” Mina replied, running a hand through her chin-length black hair. “Not that she’d ever give anyone the heads-up.”
“It’s certainly possible,” Imogen agreed. “She books most of his personal appointments, and he probably asked her not to say anything.”
“Apparently Gerald didn’t even tell Caleb,” Petra said. “Shay heard someone talking about it after the big meeting, said apparently he looked like he was about to storm out.”
“He’s been in a foul mood all week.” Mina drummed her fingers against her desk. “That would certainly explain it.”
Petra shot a sly grin in Imogen’s direction. “I’m sure he can find someone to cheer him up.”
Imogen almost choked on her drink. What on earth was that supposed to mean? She tried to play it cool by swirling her straw through the chopped-up pieces of fruit and coral liquid like she hadn’t even noticed Petra’s expression.
Oh God, what if someone had seen them at the club? Or heard them in her office? Or worse, what if someone had noticed her touching him under the boardroom table?
You’re two consenting adults. It’s no one else’s business what you do with your body.
Except that only worked in theory. In practice, she’d broken at least one HR policy, a handful of personal rules and had compromised her reputation at work. For what? The thrill of a man wanting her?
Not just any man.
Caleb made her feel so...alive. So desired and powerful and deliciously out of control. But it was a slippery slope, and she still had the bruises from when she’d landed hard on her butt the last time.
“No comment, Imogen?” Mina asked.
“Why would I have something to say about that?”
“Come on.” Petra winked. “Don’t be coy, you can tell us.”
A dull throb started at the base of her skull. Stress headache, a sure sign things were going south. Fast. “Tell you what?”
“She’s not going to admit it.” Dave patted Imogen on the arm. “I’m afraid your cover’s already blown, girl. Shay saw you at Samantha having dinner with Caleb.”
“Dinner.” Imogen nodded, relief filtering through her bloodstream. “Yeah. It was nothing. Business.”
“Bullshit.” Mina dug an elbow into Imogen’s ribs. “You do not go to the hottest restaurant in the city for a business dinner unless you’re a CEO or a celebrity. And what the hell would you two be discussing there that couldn’t be done at work?”
They weren’t buying her lame excuse. Not even a little bit.
“I...” Think! How are you going to explain this? “I won a bet.”
Her colleagues raised their eyebrows, but this time there wasn’t any protest. “A bet?” Dave asked.
“Yeah. Caleb bet me that he could...crack my laptop password.” Oh God. So lame. “And the loser had to buy dinner. I won and I picked Samantha.”
“Good taste.” Petra nodded. “So he bet you for a date?”
“No.” Imogen shook her head, but the instant denial did nothing but make them laugh and roll their eyes. “I picked Samantha because I know how hard it is to get a table there. I didn’t think he’d be able to do it.”
“Sneaky thing!” Petra looked on with approval. “I’m not so interested in the dinner, though. I want to know what happened afterward. Was he as good as the rumours say?”
Imogen gritted her back teeth together. The thought of Caleb sleeping with anyone else made her want to Hulk-smash the fancy cocktail glass in front of her.