swore.
SEVEN
“You’re angry,” Ella said.
“You’re right.”
They were in the elevator heading to the lobby. Chase still had sixteen more floors during which he could vent, but to Ella’s surprise that was all he said on the subject. Instead, he pulled out his cell phone, punched in a number and barked, “Bring my car around,” to whoever had the misfortune of being on the other end of the line.
At street level, he escorted her to the main doors. She half expected him to toss her out on her rear, given the murder lurking in his eyes and the way his jaw tightened. Instead, he held open the door for her and then followed her outside.
“Are you going somewhere?” she asked as they stood on the sidewalk.
“Besides insane, you mean?”
“You don’t need to leave the building for that,” Ella pointed out with a grin that earned her a withering glare.
“I’ve decided to take a short break.” He glanced up the street, apparently searching for the car he’d ordered brought around.
She raised her hand to hail a cab, but he stopped her.
“What are you doing?” she asked as his fingers wove through hers and he held on.
“You’re coming with me.”
Ella blinked. “Where are we going?”
“My place.”
“You want to take me home with you?”
Their sexy antics in Chase’s office prior to his uncle and cousin’s arrival blasted through her mind. His home would afford both privacy and a flat surface more conducive to lovemaking. But Chase’s current mood seemed all wrong for romance.
“You can check out the dining room and configure the place settings for my dinner party.”
He had a flat surface in mind, all right. But it wasn’t the one she was thinking of. She should have been relieved that Chase still wanted her for the job. More than ever, she needed the experience it offered. But the request caught her off guard. He hadn’t mentioned it earlier. Of course, he hadn’t mentioned a lot of things since both of their mouths had been put to more satisfying uses than conversation.
“N-now?” she sputtered.
“What? You can’t spare a few minutes before you start on the plans for my uncle’s wake?” he drawled.
“That’s not fair.”
“Fair!” Anger flashed in his eyes. “You agreed to quit, Ella.”
“I tried!” And she had, but ultimately Elliot had been adamant that she stay on. He had faith in her abilities, he’d told her. And, damn, if hearing that hadn’t made her want to tackle the job all the more. Still, she resented Chase’s implication that she’d somehow gone behind his back. “I made it perfectly clear to your uncle that I didn’t have any experience, but Elliot was adamant. Owen agreed.”
“Owen?” Chase’s eyes narrowed.
She swallowed and admitted, “Elliot asked him what he thought and he said I was perfect for the job.”
“I should have known,” Chase muttered. “What else did my cousin say?”
“Not much.” She scuffed the toe of one blinged-out shoe on the pavement. “Just that he agreed with Madame Maroushka.”
“Madame—who in the hell is Madame Maroushka?”
Ella winced at his tone. She hadn’t planned to mention the fortune-teller to Chase, even though she’d told Elliot and Owen about her visit to the woman as a way to illustrate why she wasn’t right for the job. She might have known that Elliot would see her avant-garde approach to finding gainful employment as a plus. She doubted Chase would agree. Well, the cat was out of the bag now. No reason to try to stuff it back in. Besides, it wasn’t as if the man could become more irritated with her. Based on his expression, he was already well past the point of being irate.
Ella’s spine stiffened. Come to think of it, she was starting to feel a little ticked off herself. She was being made to feel like the bad guy in this situation when technically none of it was her fault.
So, summoning up an air of nonchalance, she informed Chase, “Madame Maroushka is a
SEVEN
“You’re angry,” Ella said.
“You’re right.”
They were in the elevator heading to the lobby. Chase still had sixteen more floors during which he could vent, but to Ella’s surprise that was all he said on the subject. Instead, he pulled out his cell phone, punched in a number and barked, “Bring my car around,” to whoever had the misfortune of being on the other end of the line.
At street level, he escorted her to the main doors. She half expected him to toss her out on her rear, given the murder lurking in his eyes and the way his jaw tightened. Instead, he held open the door for her and then followed her outside.
“Are you going somewhere?” she asked as they stood on the sidewalk.
“Besides insane, you mean?”
“You don’t need to leave the building for that,” Ella pointed out with a grin that earned her a withering glare.
“I’ve decided to take a short break.” He glanced up the street, apparently searching for the car he’d ordered brought around.
She raised her hand to hail a cab, but he stopped her.
“What are you doing?” she asked as his fingers wove through hers and he held on.
“You’re coming with me.”
Ella blinked. “Where are we going?”
“My place.”
“You want to take me home with you?”
Their sexy antics in Chase’s office prior to his uncle and cousin’s arrival blasted through her mind. His home would afford both privacy and a flat surface more conducive to lovemaking. But Chase’s current mood seemed all wrong for romance.
“You can check out the dining room and configure the place settings for my dinner party.”
He had a flat surface in mind, all right. But it wasn’t the one she was thinking of. She should have been relieved that Chase still wanted her for the job. More than ever, she needed the experience it offered. But the request caught her off guard. He hadn’t mentioned it earlier. Of course, he hadn’t mentioned a lot of things since both of their mouths had been put to more satisfying uses than conversation.
“N-now?” she sputtered.
“What? You can’t spare a few minutes before you start on the plans for my uncle’s wake?” he drawled.
“That’s not fair.”
“Fair!” Anger flashed in his eyes. “You agreed to quit, Ella.”
“I tried!” And she had, but ultimately Elliot had been adamant that she stay on. He had faith in her abilities, he’d told her. And, damn, if hearing that hadn’t made her want to tackle the job all the more. Still, she resented Chase’s implication that she’d somehow gone behind his back. “I made it perfectly clear to your uncle that I didn’t have any experience, but Elliot was adamant. Owen agreed.”
“Owen?” Chase’s eyes narrowed.
She swallowed and admitted, “Elliot asked him what he thought and he said I was perfect for the job.”
“I should have known,” Chase muttered. “What else did my cousin say?”
“Not much.” She scuffed the toe of one blinged-out shoe on the pavement. “Just that he agreed with Madame Maroushka.”
“Madame—who in the hell is Madame Maroushka?”
Ella winced at his tone. She hadn’t planned to mention the fortune-teller to Chase, even though she’d told Elliot and Owen about her visit to the woman as a way to illustrate why she wasn’t right for the job. She might have known that Elliot would see her avant-garde approach to finding gainful employment as a plus. She doubted Chase would agree. Well, the cat was out of the bag now. No reason to try to stuff it back in. Besides, it wasn’t as if the man could become more irritated with her. Based on his expression, he was already well past the point of being irate.
Ella’s spine stiffened. Come to think of it, she was starting to feel a little ticked off herself. She was being made to feel like the bad guy in this situation when technically none of it was her fault.
So, summoning up an air of nonchalance, she informed Chase, “Madame Maroushka is a
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