by Ava McKnight
They swayed to Feels Like Tonight, Chase occasionally twirling her under his arm, then bringing her in close again. She gazed up at him, finding this tender and playful side of him as exciting as the macho alpha one.
He moved gracefully, stealthily. Never missed a beat. One thing Cassidy had always enjoyed as an extracurricular activity was dancing. She’d forgotten that. Until now.
One song morphed into another and then another. Finally, when a faster tune dropped, she eased away.
“We’ll be at this all night if we don’t stop now,” she said.
“Yeah, and you’d have to see how uncoordinated I am when not slow dancing.”
With a soft laugh, she said, “Somehow, I doubt that’s true. You’re good at everything you do.”
His head dipped and he said, “I really am just getting started, babe.”
Her insides ignited. “Chase…” Much as she wanted him to scoop her up and take her to his bedroom, she said, “We still have business to focus on this evening.”
Painful and disappointing as it was to point out that fact, Cassidy couldn’t overlook it.
Chase groaned. “I suppose a compromise is in order.”
She collected her laptop bag and followed him into his office. The room was large, with high ceilings, the walls covered with framed movie posters. The Godfather, the original King Kong, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, The Wolf of Wall Street, Indiana Jones and so on. Her instant favorite was a vertical frame in sepia tones of Han Solo encased in carbonite.
“Now that is awesome,” she said. “I’d pay good money for the actual artwork they used to hang on Jabba the Hutt’s wall.”
Chase chuckled. “You’re a Star Wars fan?”
“Ridiculously so,” she confessed. “And I’ve always considered Han Solo the ultimate hero. Strong, sexy, reluctant to save the world over saving his own ass, but in the end… He knows the right thing to do.”
With a grin, Chase mused, “Bit of a crush there?”
“Not a bit,” she said. “If I could bring any movie character to life, it’d be him.”
One sandy brow dipped. “Should I be jealous?”
Cassidy moved in and kissed him. Naturally, Chase took over and turned the gesture to all-new heat levels, edging out Han by a long shot.
When they came up for air, she said, “You have nothing to worry about.”
“Good.”
They remained wrapped up in each other for several minutes. Then Cassidy detangled herself and said, “We’re never going to get any work done this way.”
They settled at Chase’s desk, him on one side, Cassidy on the other.
“So,” he said as he whipped out a spreadsheet of his clients, pertinent data on them and current insurance products they held. “I took your advice and cataloged where my accounts stand to date and some of the details regarding their lines of business and policies.”
“From there,” she told him, “you should research their industry and conceptualize what other resources and products would offer a safety net, extra protection, etcetera. The key is finding value adds they might not have considered, or which they’ve possibly contemplated but didn’t deem beneficial because of cost, policy limitations, whatever. Then you work up a few possible scenarios that would be advantageous to them—based on their needs, not predicated on what you can up-sell for a heftier premium—and present it.”
“Cost is typically the key factor in insureds purchasing baseline policies that don’t include the up-sell.”
“Yes.”
He pushed back his chair and went to the wet bar in the corner, uncorking a bottle of sangiovese. After pouring two glasses, he returned to his chair. “What’s the tickler to get them thinking of a bigger picture than baseline policies?”
Cassidy sipped, then said, “They’ll want the cheapest, bargain-basement policy that offers the right coverage at the right price. Sometimes, we get clients who are more proactive in risk management and they want all the bells and whistles right off the bat. The two critical elements here are that if you push bells and whistles they don’t really need, they eventually discover that and feel cheated we talked them into something we can’t fully justify and made a hefty profit because of it.”
He scowled. “I did that with Piper Industries, the first account I landed with MII.”
Cassidy smiled over the rim of her wineglass. “Yeah, I did it too. Cost-Smart restaurant industry food services. But the more I learned about the company and their insurance needs—and some of the risks inherent to their business and distribution centers—I was able to suggest shifts in balance so that their policies were much more in line with their enterprise. They appreciated that I was constantly evaluating their needs and their evolving business model—and the fact that I found ways to help offset some of the previous policy costs as we melded into a more comfortable fit.”
“Hmm.” Chase set aside his glass and studied his spreadsheet. Then he pinned her with a look. “You really are good at this.”
She smiled again. “We’re doing a SWOT analysis, Chase. Breaking down our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for improvement and threats. I bring one thing to the table. You bring something different. Wait until we get to my horrendous sales pitch. It’s a wonder I ever landed an account, and a Godsend that the vast majority of the business I’ve brought in has been based on referrals.”
He eyed her a moment, then said, “Sometimes you sell yourself short, babe.”
Her heart constricted. He was such an amazing man. Why the hell where they suddenly competing for the same job? It was so unfair and downright painful.
Conversely, Cassidy had to admit that it was a catalyst that forced them to work more closely together on honing their skills. Such a bizarre turn of events.
“Chase,” she said, “I’m perfectly aware of my flaws. Yes, sometimes I fixate on them. But the bottom line is that I haven’t taken the step past fixation to resolution. Mr. McClellan didn’t have to give us backstory on our professional shortcomings—we’re both acutely aware of them and he knows that. So he simply mentioned the issues, knowing we’d pick up on the problems we face and scramble to lessen our individual faults.”
He nodded. “Sadly, the self-improvement is long overdue for both of us.”
“Not necessarily,” she pointed out. “Cultivating those skills that are the cornerstone of our strengths takes time. That’s what we’ve both concentrated on. It’s what Tom and McClellan have allowed and encouraged us to do. We’re both good in various capacities. So now, I can see, it’s time to shift to the deficiencies and beef them up so that we’re both more well-rounded and able to manage this division, regardless of who ends up running it.”
Chase grinned. “Nice cut-through-the-bullshit insight, babe. Seriously spot-on.”
She shrugged playfully. “Sometimes lightning strikes.”
He got to his feet again and rounded the desk, leaning toward her, kissing her passionately. Her thighs went up in flames—total strike of lightning! Damn if he didn’t do the most insane things to her insides. With just a kiss.
Then again, when it came to Chase, there was no such thing as just a kiss.
He pulled away and she sighed.
With a low laugh, he said, “Good to know I affect you that way.”
“Please. That’s not even the half of it.”
His grin widened. “Admit we’re sizzling together.”
“Definitely not denying it. But…” She reached into her laptop bag at her feet and yanked out her own spreadsheet. “It’s your turn to enlighten me.”
She laid the stapled sheets of paper on the desk. He returned to his chair.
“What have you got there?”
“Meg pulled a list of previous clients who severed ties with us, along with potential clients we haven’t been able to hook. Big clients, for the most part. Billion-dollar companies that will make dollar signs flash in McClellan’s eyes. But also some smaller enterprises that’ll contribute to our bo
ttom line.”
He scanned the documents and whistled under his breath. “Lofty goals.”
“My plan is to present a list of potential new business from a domestic and global standpoint. McClellan and the Board want to go international, so that’s my second-tier approach.”
Chase eyed her a moment. “Brilliant strategy aside… You’re actually sharing your tactics with me?”
“Why not?” she asked. “You don’t need to hear this concept from me. You’ve probably already considered a similar scenario. But that’s not what McClellan is challenging you to achieve. He already knows you can win business for him. He doesn’t know that I can do it at the same level as you, so I have to prove myself. This isn’t exactly a top-secret competition, Chase.”
“No, but it does make me happy to know you trust me.”
“You haven’t let me down yet,” she said in a flirty tone.
“I won’t.
With a nod, she said, “So teach me the ways of business development.”
They walked through the key things Cassidy needed to do in order to up her game. She didn’t mention Epperson-Langley. Rather, she had Meg trying to secure an appointment with Pryce Shipley. So far, his office hadn’t returned the calls, so there wasn’t much point in saying out loud a tactic that might never come to fruition.
Later, she and Chase tucked away their paperwork and retired to the sofa with the bottle of sangiovese.
Admittedly, it felt a bit awkward to shift gears from romance to work to romance. Cassidy had never been in that position before, and she was now dating someone she would happily beat out of a promotion. How conflicting was that?
Chase must have sensed her brooding, because he said, “This new opportunity at MII shouldn’t overshadow what happens outside those doors, babe.”
She sighed. “I know. I really enjoyed our weekend, Chase.”
He grinned and it turned his beautiful blue eyes even more hypnotic. But more than finding Chase devastatingly handsome, Cassidy was drawn to his magnetic personality. Maybe that was another reason she’d fought the attraction for so long. He could easily sweep her off her feet and that worried her a bit.
“I was thinking we should plan another getaway after McClellan makes his announcement in two weeks,” he told her.
Cassidy laughed, though she heard the slight edge to it and cringed inwardly. “Sort of a no hard feelings trip?”
“If this were any other scenario, Cass—either one of us up for a promotion at a different company or in different divisions—we’d be rooting for each other, right?”
“Absolutely,” she said. “But this isn’t any other scenario.”
With a grunt, he said, “Okay, let’s discuss an alternate scenario.”
Her brow dipped. “Such as?”
Leaning in, his lips brushed hers as he said, “How hard you make me.”
She smiled, taking herself by surprise. It was incredibly easy to shed her tension and enjoy his sexy talk. Unexpectedly easy.
And that’s when she realized exactly how much she liked Chase Logan.
Completely ignoring the warning bell chiming at the back of her head, she said, “Why don’t you show me your bedroom?”
Chapter Eight
Cassidy breezed into her office the next morning, once more with Meg hot on her heels.
“Boarding passes and your itinerary,” her assistant said, handing over the documents. “I checked the weather in Portland and Seattle and there’s no anticipation of a delay for either of your flights. The vineyard in Willamette Valley is your first stop at two o’clock. Then your dinner with Piper Industries is confirmed in Seattle. I made reservations at Cutters Crabhouse at Pike Place Market.”
“Love that place. Great view of Elliot Bay.”
“They’ve gone through a remodel since you were last there, so don’t expect the same setting.”
Cassidy smiled. “Thanks for the heads-up. You know how change throws me for a loop.”
“I do.” Meg beamed. She took pride in her work and that was one more reason Cassidy appreciated and respected her. “A car will take you back to SeaTac after dinner and then you’re off to St. Louis. No rain in the forecast. Mother Nature is smiling upon your whirlwind excursion.”
“Let’s hope so, because I’ll be in two other cities on Friday, back here Saturday morning, and all the way east on Sunday for seven stops next week.” She wasn’t used to such a heavy travel schedule, but Cassidy knew it was critical to get face time with the potential clients she wanted in her back pocket. Still… A thought tickled her brain. “Hey, since I’m overnight here on Saturday, do you want to go for cocktails?”
Meg’s head jerked slightly, as though she’d been taken by extreme surprise. She stole a glance behind her and then returned her gaze to Cassidy. “You mean with me?”
With a laugh, Cassidy said, “Yes, with you. We can catch up. I can decompress over a couple of drinks before I hit the friendly skies again. And you know… We can just hang. What do you say?”
“Be forewarned, the subject of Chase Logan will be on the table.”
She’d already assumed as much. Cassidy said, “I’ll spill this time, I promise.”
Meg eyed her curiously. “It’d better not be the clean version. I’ve waited much too long for juicy details.”
“You and me both,” Cassidy said in a droll tone. “But that’s a convo for Saturday. I’ve got a plane to catch.” She collected the files she wanted to take with her and told Meg, “Thanks so much for making all of these spur-of-the-moment arrangements. And for putting me up at the Ritz.”
Meg grinned. “You’ve been well under your travel budget for five years. If you have to do this new-business blitz, you may as well do it in style.”
“Yeah, the first-class seats will take some of the sting out of this impromptu jet-setting. See you on Saturday. Text me your venue of choice and the time and I’ll be there.”
“Travel safe.”
Cassidy tugged her luggage behind her and left MII. She drove to the airport, parked in the East Economy lot and took the tram to her terminal. She wondered how Chase did this every other week. Sometimes he was gone for three days, sometimes the entire week. Cassidy was more of a homebody.
Again, being a product of her environment, she’d never been encouraged to hop a plane to parts unknown. Her first flight ever had been from Connecticut to Phoenix after she’d graduated college. Several other trips had followed, as part of her job at MII, but never anything as extensive as Chase’s brutal travel schedule. Or this current one.
Cassidy landed in Portland and rented a car. The drive through Oregon wine country was spectacular, the landscape lush and gorgeous. She met with the owners of a midsized winery, sampled their varietals and laid out a presentation to fit their needs based on the phone conversation she’d had with them when they claimed they were shopping around for a new insurance company.
Leaving on a positive note and another meeting scheduled to obtain all the information Underwriting would need in order to pull together policy quotes, Cassidy rushed back to the airport and hopped a quick flight to Seattle.
Piper Industries was a tougher nut to crack, but Cassidy held the attention of the CFO and the head of Internal Audit throughout dinner and they assured her they’d be in touch in the coming weeks. She ended her day with a late check-in at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis, caught a few hours of sleep and then met with two other potential clients. She flew back to Phoenix on Saturday morning and kept her date with Meg.
On the drive to the Ocean Club at Kierland Commons, she took a call from Chase.
“Thanks for texting me earlier to say you’d arrived back in town safely.”
A smile touched her lips. “Thanks for worrying enough to ask me to text you.”
“Well…you’ve been on my mind.”
Cassidy’s heart fluttered. “I was thinking about your proposition to get away after all of this is said and done. How about Oregon wine country?”
“Whatever you want, babe.”
“I’ll even bring your goody bag.”
With a hearty chuckle, he said, “That might cause a bit of trouble if we’re staying at some quaint bed and breakfast. We’d shake the rafters and get tossed out.”
“Where’s your sense of adventure?” she teased.
“Be careful what sort of challenges you issue,” he warned. “I was only thinking of how embarrassed you’d be. I’m okay with being cited for disturbing the peace with screaming orgasms. But I know how sensitive you are about things like that.”
“Yes, that actually would embarrass me.”
“So, are you still having drinks with Meg tonight?”
“And dinner. I’ve been craving the Ocean Club’s Scottish salmon fillet.”
“At least tell me you’ll come over afterward.”
“I’d love to,” she said, though regret tinged her voice. “But I’m already exhausted and I’m pretty sure conking out will be the only thing on my mind once I’m done with Meg. I’d hate to disappoint you.”
He groaned. “Yeah, it’d be a bitch keeping my hands off you. How about tomorrow morning? I have a nine a.m. softball game. Come watch me play.”
“That sounds like fun. Text me the info and look for me in the stands.”
She had an afternoon flight back east. She intended to stop in Hartford for dinner and an overnighter with her family. Then she’d head to Boston first thing Monday morning for a meeting.
As she turned into the restaurant’s parking lot, she said, “I’ll be gone all week, not back until the weekend. How about we get together next Sunday night?”
“That’s too far away when I want you so damn bad.”
Heat lit her insides. “Anticipation can be very sexy, you know.”
With a low grunt, he said, “It’s cruel to give me exactly what I want…and then take it away.”
Cassidy was inclined to agree. “This isn’t anything I expected, Chase. But I can’t pass up this chance we’ve got at work.”