Chapter 17 #2
Christian leaned against the frame, dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt that hugged his chest in ways that made focusing on my call an act of congress. His arms were crossed and his eyes were narrowed and locked on me. I smiled at him while continuing my call with our contractor in LA.
"No, that timeline won't work." I was trying really hard to ignore how Christian's presence had my stomach in knots and my thighs tensing while reminding me of the soreness between them because of him.
"We need the eastern pavilion completed before the end of the month.
The structural supports need to be in place by…
" I paused while the contractor interrupted with excuses.
"We took on more projects than we should have and that got us a little behind…"
"Listen, I understand labor shortages are an issue but you not having proper planning is not my concern.
We signed a contract and that contract has a timeline.
We even accounted for delays in the initial timeline.
If you need additional resources, let me know now, so we can adjust the budget accordingly. Your expense, not ours."
Christian smirked as he listened to me handling the call and my stomach tightened again from the way he watched me, looking impressed. He was looking at me like he wanted to strip me naked and put his mouth on me and I was more than willing to let him...
"Understood, I'll get with my team and pull some things together."
"Perfect. Send me the revised schedule by tomorrow morning, and Sam, no more excuses. Time is money and my time is very valuable and expensive."
I ended the call and put my phone down, giving Christian my full attention. He had an amused expression on his face.
"Can I help you Mr. Devereaux?"
He pushed away from the doorframe and walked toward me. When he was close enough, he gripped my chin, tilted my face up and dropped a quick yet possessive kiss on my mouth that had my thighs clenching.
He sat on the ottoman in front of my chair. "Just enjoying watching you in your zone, threatening and terrifying contractors."
"I didn't threaten him; I was being direct."
"Call it whatever you want but I'm guessing you won't have any more delays?"
"I hope not because he's costing me money."
Christian chuckled. "Are you hiding from me? You've been tucked away in here all day."
I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm not hiding. I'm working, and thank you for lunch."
"You're welcome." Christian reached for my foot and pulled it into his lap. His fingers began working the arch and I almost moaned at how good it felt. "How is empire building going today?"
"Good, actually. I got a lot done considering I've been distracted with preparing for corporate warfare with my own father."
I watched his hands as they worked magic on my foot, which was surprisingly sexy.
"What about you? What have you been up to while I've been conquering the world?"
His thumbs pressed into my arch then moved down to the ball of my foot and I closed my eyes for a quick minute, enjoying the pressure.
"Making calls. I found something that might help with your board meeting."
I frowned. "With my father?"
He nodded and moved his fingers to my ankle, massaging there.
"Do you want me to go with you?" His expression was serious while his hands moved back to my foot.
"No, I can handle my father."
Christian dropped his chin in a way that pushed heat through my body. "I didn't ask if you can handle him. You're more than capable. I asked if you wanted me to go with you."
I smiled and shook my head. "I want you to go but don't think that's a good idea. Showing up with you would only give him more ammunition that I need a man to fight my battles."
His hands moved up my calf. "I would hope he knows his own daughter better than that."
I tried to focus on our conversation instead of how his fingers pressing into my skin made it very hard to think clearly because I was reminded of those same fingers in other places last night. "He does but won't admit it. I appreciate the offer but I'll be fine."
Christian nodded stiffly and let it go.
"I did find something that might help. It could give you an advantage in the meeting."
"Yeah?"
His fingers were now massaging the inside of my lower thigh and shit…
"Your father plans on utilizing Article Fourteen of the Whitney family charter to stop you from using the Whitney name professionally without board approval."
Wow, that was a shitty move even for him…
"Which would force me to either bring the development under Whitney International control or move forward without the Whitney branding which isn't possible because I'm a Whitney."
"Exactly."
"How do you even know this?"
"I know one of your board members. I asked questions and he gave me answers."
"About Whitney business?" I frowned, considering that there should have been no way anyone shared our internal matters.
Christian smirked. "I can be convincing when I need to be and the more important thing to focus on is that you know how to argue your position in front of the board."
He had a point but what else could this man access if he wanted.
"Thank you; that helps."
He kissed the bottom of my foot. "You're welcome. I'll let you get back to it. I have a few things I need to work on so I can devote my attention to you later."
When he stood, I was almost disappointed because I wanted him devoted to me now.
Knowing I would have him later was just enough for me to shift my mind back to business after Christian's presence no longer filled the room.
I felt the devastation already surfacing.
This man was going to shatter my heart, and the worst part— I was going to let him do it.
This felt too good, and I was willing to accept that the highs would temporarily be enough to suffer through the lows that would undoubtedly follow.