She took off as fast as she could run in the snug dress and boots. A lot of people might be surprised to know she turned down his offer. After all, wasn’t she the wild and reckless girl everyone in the small England town where she grew up talked about, the girl most likely to live on an island or rocket to the moon?
They’d all have a good laugh if they could see her now, running away from a proposition that would give her what she wanted most.
Chapter Two
Katie spent the entire weekend tryingnotto think about Chase’s offer, but the universe seemed to be in alignment against her. Everywhere she looked she saw babies. There were babies in strollers on the street, babies being rocked by their mothers in the park, and babies on every channel when she watched television. She tried to dismiss the idea over and over, but a vision of a sweet little face haunted her. Her baby’s face. It was almost as if her baby’s spirit was reaching out to her from the great beyond, demanding to be born.
Thanks to Chase, she had three nearly sleepless nights in a row.
She went to work early Monday morning with the intention of avoiding being alone with her boss. He couldn’t try to talk her into marrying him if they only saw each other in public spaces. He wouldn’t dare bring it up where someone could overhear his insane plan and inform his brother.
Luck appeared to be with her. She arrived in the office to find Chase missing. No one knew where he was or when to expect him. She kept her mind and hands busy for the next few hours entering data on the computer, answering the phones, and making copies of an important contract.
There were three secretaries with three desks outside of three offices on the eighteenth floor. She shared the large space with two other women. Alice had worked for vice-president Reginald Jacob for two decades and Marty was the new hire. She worked for their other vice-president, Chase’s brother... when he bothered to show up for work. Billy Grayson rarely used his office or his secretary. He seemed to enjoy the title and the perks of the job, but not the actual work, despite all the pushing from his new wife. It was more likely for a person to find Billy reading a book on a historical event than a business report. Chase was right about one thing. His brother would not make a good CEO.
“Atten-tion!” Chase shouted as he entered the room.
Everyone jumped, except Katie. She hated it when he announced himself as if they’d all been drafted into the military. According to long-time employees, his father used to do it. They secretly called Chase’s fatherThe Dictator. She hadn’t met the man in person, but she listened to all the stories with genuine interest. Theodore Grayson had been notorious for his heartless behavior and only managed to keep a full staff because he paid his employees generously.
Marty leaped to her feet as if shocked by something beneath her seat, and Alice glared at Chase with a hand over her heart. The two businessmen waiting outside Mr. Jacob’s office door exchanged smirks before returning to their complimentary magazines. Either they’d heard rumors about Chase or they had dealt with him before. At least someone was amused by his antics.
Chase went to work for a while, and it was quiet in the outer office, nothing but the sound of clicking computer keys and papers being shuffled.
“Greer!” Chase shouted from his open doorway. “My office. Now.”
So much for avoiding being alone with him. She couldn’t very well refuse to do her job, not with the other secretaries looking on. Notebook and pencil in hand, she followed him into his inner sanctum. Once his father’s office, the room hadn’t been changed much and had the same decorative touches. The huge desk was made from steel and glass, the same materials as the building. Theodore Grayson had a collection of swords, and his portrait remained above the stone hearth as though his ghost refused to leave. If that wasn’t intimidating enough, Chase had a full-sized knight, shining armor standing near the door like a guard.
“If I lose my job, you’ll lose yours,” Chase said.
“Why do you think you’ll lose your job?” She walked in a tight circle while contemplating his failing logic. “Won’t you just switch positions with Billy? You would be a vice-president, and he’d take over as CEO? He’ll probably show up as often as he does now. I’d bet a year’s salary you’d wind up doing the same work you do now while he floats in and out. The only difference will be your title.”
Chase shook his head hard, and not a single hair moved on his head. “Won’t happen,” he said. “Poppy is determined to make him the patriarch of our family and the boss of Grayson. She will make sure he’s here from dawn till dusk even if she has to tie him to his chair.”
Katie bounced back and forth in indecision. On one hand, the idea of marrying someone other than Phillip made her sick to her stomach. Marrying her boss to give him an heir was ridiculous. On the other hand, she yearned to have a child. It was her deepest, truest desire, and it scared her to think of it never happening.
The sweet face that haunted her returned on swift wings.
She held a hand up to keep him from saying anything that might change her mind. “I want it in writing. Everything. I won’t consider having your baby unless you put it in writing. I want an ironclad contract, something not even your team of lawyers can break if you change your mind about something later.”
A relieved smile transformed Chase’s face, making him appear younger, boyish even. “I think that can be arranged.”
Doubts nibbled at the edge of her mind. She began to pace, more nervous than a cat in a roomful of dogs. “How soon would we have to do it? Get married, I mean.”
His eyes went north as he counted the months beneath his breath. “Let me see. I will be thirty-five in....” Chase’s gaze met hers. “We have roughly fifteen months, and a baby takes nine to arrive.”
“What if I don’t get pregnant right away?”
“We’ll have to get started as soon as possible.”
She lifted a finger and pointed at him. “After the contract is drawn up and signed. I’m not doing a bloody thing until it’s—”
“In writing. Yes. I know.”
Katie’s mind whirled with exciting possibilities and dire consequences. She couldn’t believe she was considering having a baby with her boss. When he smiled at her in obvious relief, dimples formed in his cheeks, and her heart nearly melted. The torment that usually resided in his eyes washed away. For a moment, she could see the handsome carefree man he might have been without the influence of his father and the weight of his family. She would have liked to have met that man.
“What if I don’t get pregnant through no fault of my own? What do I do then? My job will be gone. There’s no way I could continue working for you after we have sex.”
“I will still pay you for your time, and I can help you find work.”