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Hunny thought of every description of him she’d read. How many times had she seen him in magazines or in society pages or even heard from MedSol employees that he was a total “hunk?” He was obviously that and more. Just from the look of him, she knew he was the exact sort of executive playboy to completely undo the image she had worked out for this company in her head. She was daunted to say the least because she still had the whole Mindy Banner thing to fix. What had possessed him to dump the wrong woman, a Senior United States Food and Drug Administration Inspector? What had the man been thinking? Huntington was glad to put a hand over her eyes. Remy turned away to adjust the blinds over his right shoulder against the afternoon sun. She took a ragged breath as she faced him full-on again. She groaned in agony Damn! Damn! Damn! The man was good to look at. She sat across from him at his desk and watched him sheepishly continue to straighten it up. “Really, I’m not normally this messy. I just need drawers. The designer said he was going to do a couple of file cabinets for me to fit under the desk. They’d match the wood and inlay, of course.” he told her self-consciously. Trying to avoid staring at his handsome face—especially the succulent lips or the play of the muscles in his arms as he moved, or the charming and humble attempt he made to both explain and tidy his desk—Hunny focused on his hands. Big, broad, manicured hands with strong and deft fingers. She turned her gaze to the scenery out of the window. Safer that way. “Well,” he startled her with his deep expectant voice. “Would you like to start?” “Yes,” Hunny answered collecting herself. She looked him directly in the eye and smiled. She did this with every client. Then she started to present him her work. The tension thankfully eased out of her quickly and she became lost in her presentation. She loved what she did and her love for it managed to stop her from staring mouth open at the specimen across from her. Remy proved to be a very attentive listener. He peppered her presentation with a question here or there or a “yes, I like that” but mainly sat across from paying attention and concentrating. Not once did she sense those waves of heat pouring off him again. All she could feel was this genuine enthusiasm for his work. She respected that. “Legal has redlined the contract already,” Remy told her. “I anticipated that I would like what I saw,” he offered as explanation. “We’ll get that back to your folks probably by tomorrow.” “Well, it is Monday,” Hunny stated glancing at her watch. “I’m sure I can get the specs back to you before I leave on Friday. Then you can contact me or Arthur back at—“ “I’d rather you stayed here.” The voice was so quiet and non-intrusive, that Hunny didn’t notice it and continued. “Once you give the final thumbs up, I’ll have my team working solely on this project. Of course I’ll oversee and be the final judge on everything after—“ “I’d prefer to be more involved with the project than that,” he stated looking directly into her eyes. This time she was unable to look away. She swallowed when she noticed how obscenely long his lashes were. So intriguing for a man and so—“Have you ever worked with your team remotely?” “I’m sorry?” Hunny breathed. She had already started to feel her breasts tighten and she could no longer cross her legs. And he smelled so… glorious? Why the hell did he smell so good when she’d been cautioned not to wear perfume? “I think it would probably be better if you worked out of this office for a while. That way, I can be readily at your service to review and approve the material you all produce. I have all the faith in the world in your work. I just don’t want to be in the dark during the process. I want to watch the process.” True, all true. But, there was more. There was that attraction on the edges of his interest in her work. “But that’s wholly unnecessary,” she caught herself arguing. “Besides, if they do the mock ups in DC we’ll still be faced with either evaluating them online or waiting for them to come in an overnight delivery.” “That’s fine,” the stubborn man answered. Hunny’s jaw worked as she tried to work out what she was going to say. “I’m not sure that it is fine. I understand your company is doing very well, but my remaining here will be an added and completely avoidable expense.” With what she hoped was a cheeky smirk, she added, “And, you can be assured that G&A would charge you for it.” Remy returned her smiled but with a glint in his eye that Hunny couldn’t quite identify. She tried to focus her perception then, but found it difficult, almost as if her senses were blurred. He was trying to put that mask on again. He picked up the phone and dialed an extension. “Hey Rich,” he greeted congenially. Rich Beltran, Head Counsel, had to be. “Yeah. How’s it coming?” he paused. “Oh yeah? Let me look.” Huntington watched him wedge the phone between his head and shoulder. His hands flew over the keyboard of his computer (which had been uncovered as he straightened his desk) and a calendar opened. “Yep. Good for me.” He typed in something Hunny couldn’t see then closed the calendar again. “No. I was calling about the contract to make sure you put in language ensuring that the Account Manager will work out of this office for the duration of the contract negotiation. At least three weeks out of the month. Well, of course… Weekends… Yep. That’s your job,” he laughed. “Carte Blanche,” Huntington noticed he said the words with a full on French pronunciation. Interesting. “I’m sure you’ll work out the pricing.” That’s when Hunny processed what he was saying, and she processed the meaning behind the words. Her heart beat so hard she thought her chest would bust open. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears which had all of sudden turned hot. Her whole body had gone still with the tension of fury. She tried to hold on to it. She really did. And, when she tried to hold on to her temper, it always worked. Except with her brother and now, apparently, with this overbearing bear of a CEO. “I’m not staying here,” she bit out. As soon as the words left her lips she thought of Arthur Murray. He was going to kill her. “There’s no need,” she added quickly. “Firstly, it’s in the contract.” It may have been in the contract, but he well knew there was no need. Huntington started to say something again but clamped her mouth shut. She was liable to kill him if she kept going. The audacity of the man! The ever-loving gall! “Secondly—“ With more calm than she felt, she offered “Perhaps we should talk about this more once the final ink dries.” “Perhaps,” The Chemist agreed with a small shrug though his demeanor indicated he had no intention of that ever happening. Determination, that was the predominant sentiment coming from him. He reached over to one of the tidy stacks and picked up something completely familiar to Huntington. “Secondly, have you seen this?” “Yes, I have.” Hunny swallowed. It was the magazine that had broken the dumping of Mindy Banner. That morning, Hunny had even seen a quick blurb about it an entertainment news program. Interesting, since absolutely none of the three in the overexposed love triangle were entertainers. “Do you think either of our interests would be best served with you back in DC?” Hunny gritted her teeth. “No,” she answered honestly. “Shall I go ahead and book you on my calendar for Wednesday, too? We meet with the board every other Wednesdays and I’d like you there.” “Of course,” she answered with a professionalism that belied her internal exasperation. She was done with this meeting. Standing, Huntington told him she would see herself out. Durant stood as well and showed her to the door. “See you tomorrow, Hon—“ “Huntington,” she cut him off. “Huntington.” He relented and inclined his head. Hunny started out of the room, but she could have sworn she heard him sniff. She turned back. Rather than ask the potentially dangerous question, she had something else she wanted to know. “No one’s been able to duplicate your formulas.” “That’s right,” He answered. Huntington noticed the tension in his jaw. The first bit of tension she’d seen in him. “It’s been one of the reasons why this company has skyrocketed in success since you’ve been at the helm.” “Right,” he repeated. “Even if other pharmaceutical companies come close to the same chemical makeup, they typically can’t offer the same shelf life MedSol can.” “Right.” “Why?” Huntington didn’t know why she’d been so blunt, but the question was out there, and now she realized she wanted it answered. “Patents,” he answered and ushered her out of his office. He closed the door behind her before she had even walked away. He acted like a man with the upper hand. Hell, Huntington could tell he felt like a man with the upper hand. Little did he know, when she tried, Huntington could come pretty damn close to reading a person’s mind under the right circumstances. And the power to read a person’s mind almost always gave one the advantage.
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About The Chemist Huntington Lewis, a smart, sexy, clairvoyant PR phenom, is trying to land the account of her life with pharmaceutical company Med Solutions. When the devastatingly attractive CEO, Remy Durant, makes an enemy of a very important FDA inspector., Huntington flies to the rescue the playboy chemist. |
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