“There are lots more people to meet, if you’re going to be my exec.”
“I thought you brought me here to meet eligible men.”
“Yeah, that was part of the plan.” Jake’s jaw tightened. “But you changed your mind... Didn’t you?”
“I’ve changed it again,” she said coldly. “Yes, I want to meet men. The more the better.”
“In that case, let’s go back to the party.”
“No.”
“Emily, don’t be an idiot. That party’s loaded with candidates.”
“Oh, I’m sure it is. Crystal-clones are probably everywhere!”
“I’m not talking about Crystal, I’m talking about...” Jake scowled and let go of Emily’s hand. What was he talking about? If she wanted to meet men, that was her business. But if she was serious about being his exec, that was his business. She had to start spending some time with him at functions like this one. That was reasonable, wasn’t it? “Look, we won’t stay long.”
“I stayed too long, already.”
“Will you stop being so foolish?”
“I am not being foolish. I am being sensible.”
“The hell you are. You want to meet men? Well, there they are, a dozen floors above us. Men. Young, old, in between. Fat ones, thin ones, lawyers, bankers and corporate types, all arrayed for your pleasure like hors d’oeuvres on a buffet table.”
“I’m not interested,” Emily said sharply. “Can’t you get that through your thick head? I want to meet men, not have you play go-between.”
“You sure as hell need somebody as a go-between! When you search for dates on your own—”
“I do not search for dates!”
“—when you run your own campaign, the guys you come up with are creeps.”
“All right,” Emily said furiously, “this has gone far enough.”
Jake grabbed her and swung her towards him as she reached for the Stop button. His eyes had turned a dark, forbidding green. “Okay. We’ll forget whether or not you’re in the mood to start behaving like a real woman. Let’s stick to business. I promoted you yesterday. You want to be my exec? Start acting like one.”
“I will. I have, for months now. I do your research. I soothe your clients. I see to it that your office runs without a hiccup. But I don’t have to subject myself to—to standing around on the sidelines in a room filled with overdressed, overmade up females who think life begins and ends with you.”
“Listen to me, Emily. We’re going upstairs. You’re going to that party, by my side.”
“What for? You don’t need me there. I’m not Jacob McBride, Super-Macho Investment Broker. And before you tell yourself that’s a compliment, it isn’t.”
“P.A’s go home at five. E.A’s network. That’s why you’re going to smile, shake some hands, let me introduce you around.” Jake smiled through his teeth. “Or I can take you downstairs, put you in a taxi, and you can go back to being my secretary and my personal assistant. Your choice.”
Emily stared at him. “Why are you doing this?” she finally asked. “I mean, it’s just a party. You really think I should go to these things, okay. I will. But I don’t see what’s so important about tonight.”
Actually, he didn’t, either. Yeah, it would help if she met some of the UBS people but it wasn’t vital. Keeping her at his side tonight was going to cramp his style; he’d be so busy making sure she didn’t make a run for the elevators or bolt for the fire stairs that he’d probably spend more time concentrating on her than on the people he’d come to see. And she was right, about not being dressed for the occasion. She’d look out of place. Well, so what? Crystal was a sight every man in the room would enjoy but she wasn’t bright, the way Emily was. She didn’t have Emily’s sense of fun. And she’d never drive him crazy, making him want to throttle her one minute and kiss her the next...
Jake frowned, took an involuntary step back.
“I told you the reason,” he said brusquely. “Now, do you want the promotion or don’t you?”
The cool, insolent look on Jake’s handsome face was infuriating. Emily debated the wisdom of telling the mighty McBride what he could do with both the job and the promotion, thought better of it, and lifted her chin.
“I really don’t like you, Mr. McBride,” she said coldly. “But I do like my job.” She undid the belt at the waistline of her coat, snatched the wool scarf from her throat, the wool gloves from her hands, tucked them into her pockets and took the coat off. “Very well. I’m ready.”