One Night with the CEO (16 page)

M
ark stared out his office window and brooded. He hated lying to Karen, but if they wanted a clean break from each other, the lie would help them accomplish it. Then she’d go off to medical school. And he’d contact Sharon Castellano—for real. The plan was simple, but it wasn’t easy to execute.

His assistant buzzed him. “Mark, your dad’s here.”

Great. He’d completely forgotten about the other development that had made him edgy. This morning his father had asked to see him. In the city. Both of those facts concerned him. His father came to see him only rarely, and he hated the city. Whatever had drawn him out of his self-imposed exile meant bad news. He was sure of it.

Mark massaged his chest and braced himself for whatever his father’s visit would bring. So when his father waltzed through his office door, Mark couldn’t have been more surprised by the man who greeted him. He appeared to be happy. In fact, he’d taken extra care with his attire, and he’d styled his hair differently—meaning he’d actually combed it instead of relying on his customary harried professor hairdo.

His father shook his hand with confidence. “It’s good to see you, son.”

“Same here.”

“May I sit?”

Mark gestured to one of the chairs facing his desk. “Of course.” He waited for his father to settle into his seat. Just barely, though. “So what’s going on? The last time we saw each other in the city was ages ago, and you came under protest.”

“I have news. Your mother and I are making a second go of it.”

Mark stared at his father. “A second go of what, exactly?”

“A second go of our relationship. We’re getting back together.”

He couldn’t help being moved by his father’s expectant gaze. Was his father seeking his approval? That would be ridiculous—and unnecessary. His father was an adult, after all, and Mark’s views on a reconciliation between his parents was beside the point. “Is this what you want?”

“Of course it’s what I want. She’s not forcing me to take her back. I’m not under duress, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Okay, okay. Well, what’s the plan? When will you see each other? Is she moving in with you? Are you moving closer to her?”

“Slow down, Mark. We’re not picking out our china and silverware just yet. We’re dating. Getting to know each other again. Trying to see if we’re still compatible.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“Several weeks now.”

Several weeks ago his mother had contacted him about Spencer. She must have reached out to his father shortly after that. “And things are good?”

“Things are great. She’s a different woman, and I happen to like the woman she’s become.”

“Well, then I’m happy for you. But you didn’t have to come to the city to tell me this. A phone call would have sufficed, though I appreciate the effort.”

“It was your mother’s idea. Plus, she wanted me to take her to lunch, so I figured I could do both in one trip.”

“Where is she now?”

A rap at the door answered Mark’s question. Seconds later, his mother sailed into his office. He glanced at his father, who suddenly found the pattern of the office’s carpet enthralling.

She glided across the room, enveloped his hands in hers, and gave them a firm squeeze. “Mark, so good to see you, dear.”

His mother’s dark beauty hadn’t faded since he’d seen her in this very office four years ago. She wore her dark brown hair in a blunt cut, and the light touch of makeup she used enhanced her doe eyes.

“Good to see you, Lisa.”

His father cleared his throat and squished his eyes together.

“Oh, don’t be cross with him, Paul. I asked him not to call me ‘mother.’” She waved her hands in the air—because her dismissive tone hadn’t been enough, apparently. “It’s just never been my thing.”

Mark clamped his mouth shut, a well-placed derisive comment on the tip of his tongue. What would be the point? His mother had made the effort to reconnect with his father—and judging by her presence today, she wanted the same opportunity to reconnect with him.

Maybe he’d misunderstood her motivations all these years. After all, he’d only been a kid when she walked away from her marriage, and he had no way of knowing if the marriage had been rocky for other reasons—reasons having to do with his father, even. The simple and mature response would be to wish them well.

His father leaned forward, his knees bouncing. “You’re sure you’re okay with this, son?”

For as long as he could remember, he and his father had operated as a unit—sometimes a dysfunctional unit but a unit nonetheless. So it made sense that his father would worry about his reaction. But he hadn’t meant his silence to alarm his father. “Dad, go take Mo—take
Lisa
to lunch and have fun.” He walked to the door, hoping to usher them out.

His mother looked up at his father. “See? I told you there was nothing to worry about. Now you know for sure.”

Lisa placed her hand under Mark’s chin and blew his an air kiss. “Bye, dear.” She swept out of the office, his father trailing a few steps behind her. Before his father walked out the door, he turned back. “Look, I know your mother and I might not make sense on paper, but it’s been a while since I’ve taken a leap and just trusted my feelings. Sometimes your heart knows a lot more than your head.”

With that morsel of wisdom out of the way, his father walked out the door, leaving him in a state of confusion.

After asking Gracie to release her from the torture of granite and tile selections, Karen stormed into Mark’s office, not bothering to stop at his assistant’s reception desk.

Nicole, Mark’s assistant, trailed behind her, begging Karen to let her announce her unscheduled arrival.

Karen nevertheless strode across his office and stood in front of his desk. “You lied to me.”

Behind her, Nicole jumped into the conversation. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lansing. She caught me off guard.”

He kept his gaze on his computer screen. “It’s okay, Nicole. I’ll handle this.”

Nicole walked out muttering about crazy girlfriends and the lack of a job description requiring her to deal with them. Karen would apologize later. For now, she had a man to skewer.

Mark swiveled his chair in her direction and pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. He resembled Clark Kent in one of those moments when only an idiot couldn’t guess that he was Superman.

“You wear glasses?” she asked.

He whipped them off. “For reading only.”

“You look good in them.” She shook her head.
Gah. He was so distracting.
“Back to what I’m pissed about. You lied to me.”

He leaned back in his chair and rested his elbows on the arms, creating a steeple with his fingers as he settled into the seat. “About what?”

She mimicked his aloof demeanor. “About what? You know about what. You never went on a date with Sharon Castellano.”

His face blanched. “Who told you that?”

“Gracie.”

“Gracie doesn’t follow my every waking moment, you know.”

“Yes, but she knows that Sharon Castellano’s at a business retreat.
In Australia.
And before she left, she told Gracie she hadn’t heard from you.”

He rose and sat on the edge of his desk. “Okay, yes. I lied to you.”

“Because?”

“Because I think we’re getting closer than either of us anticipated, and I needed to do something to remind myself of the end game.”

She dropped into one of the chairs facing his desk. “Why does there have to be an end game? We’re enjoying each other’s company. Does it have to be anything more than that? I don’t expect marriage. I don’t even expect a long-term commitment. But I do expect honesty, and for whatever reason, we’ve reached the point where you can’t be honest with me.”

His shoulders sagged. “You’re right.”

Finally. A breakthrough.
“And?”

He sighed. “And if you want more honesty, I’m being pulled in more directions than I care to keep track of. Gracie and Ethan keep pushing me to meet someone, which I can’t really fault them for since I asked for their help. But I’m lying to them, pretending I’m too busy to meet with that woman when I know something else is holding me back. And then there’s you. And whatever it is we’re doing here. Oh. And I’m running a company where my top managers seem to perpetually have their heads in their asses. It’s a lot to manage.”

She leaned forward and squeezed his thigh. “I’m sorry you’re feeling so stressed. This isn’t easy for me, either, you know. I hadn’t figured on wanting to spend more time with you.”

He studied her. “That’s what you want? To spend more time with me?”

“Yes.”

His eyes softened. “I want that, too.”

“So we’re dating?”

He stood and pulled her out of the chair. “Yeah, we’re dating.”

“And Sharon Castellano is out of the picture?” she asked as she snuggled into him.

“Karen, she was never
in
the picture. She’s been photoshopped out of my life, okay?”

“Okay.”

Karen smiled. They might not be a perfect match, but she wanted to be with him anyway. So no more second-guessing her feelings, no more worrying about what-ifs. Besides, how bad could things possibly get?

A
fter the start of Karen’s classes, she and Mark settled into a comfortable routine. They spent a couple of nights together each week, typically at Mark’s place and occasionally at Karen’s apartment.

Because Mark didn’t bring home work often, when she studied, he hovered in the background, watching an NFL game or listening to music. Sometimes she’d catch him staring at her as she reviewed her lecture notes. Today was no different.

Standing behind her, he leaned over and spoke close to her ear. “What are you studying?”

She jumped at the contact and closed the book. “Human gross anatomy.”

He winced. “Is it gross?”

She rolled her eyes. “
Ba-dum-bum.
This class is going to kick my butt.”

“It just started. How can you tell?”

“The professor’s big on making her students compete for everything. As an incentive to study, you don’t get to work with your group’s cadaver unless you get above eighty percent on your first exam. And our midterms are based on our dissections of the cadavers, so if you have less time to work with it, you’re going in to the midterm exam with a significant disadvantage.”

“That’s brutal.”

“That’s medical school.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders and kneaded them. “You’ve got this.”

“After I study a bajillion hours, I’ll be able to agree with you.”

“Can you spare me a few hours this weekend?”

Karen narrowed her eyes. “A few?”

“Okay, you got me. I need the whole weekend. I have a surprise for you. I’d planned it for the week you were hit with the flu, but as you know, I spent several days nursing you back to health instead.”

He said this with fake woe-is-me expression on his face. Karen wanted to say no, but the reminder that he’d taken care of her that week made her feel guilty about it. Mark seemed to know that she was conflicted about it, since he added, “You can study on the flight there and back.”

“All right. I’ll go.
Just the weekend
, right?”

“Right. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

Given that she was giving up much-needed study time before her first exam in medical school, she certainly hoped so.

Mark’s surprise was a visit to wine country in Willamette Valley, Oregon. She’d never been to the Pacific Northwest, a fact she’d shared with Mark when he’d taken her to New York weeks ago.

He’d reserved a room at a local bed-and-breakfast a few miles away from several wineries. The lush grounds of the B and B invited its guests to relax, and Karen and Mark enjoyed their tranquil surroundings by taking hikes and picnicking among the cedar trees in the B and B’s orchard. Mark’s penchant for excitement would not be denied, however, so he’d also planned an adventure, but he wouldn’t tell Karen anything about it.

The last day of the trip, Mark woke her before dawn. “Wake up, sleepyhead. We have to get going.”

Karen yawned and sat up. Mark, who’d rushed to get dressed, paused as he stepped into his cargo pants and leaned over for a kiss. “You look incredible there.”

She’d draped a sheet around her naked body, and her hair hung around her shoulders. “If I look so incredible here, why don’t we just stay here?”

His gaze was as soft as a caress. “Tempting, but I don’t want you to miss this. I think it’ll be an unforgettable experience.”

She couldn’t imagine what he’d planned, so she rushed to get ready, a sense of giddiness making her move at twice her normal speed.

“We’re going on a hot air balloon ride?”

Mark pulled her to the launch site. “Yes. Up for it?”

Um. She wasn’t sure. The balloons appeared a lot smaller than she’d imagined. And there wouldn’t be much of a barrier between her and the ground below. “Couldn’t I just watch from here?”

Mark’s eyes shone with excitement. “It’ll be great, and I’ll be with you.”

She looked at him with a straight face, doing her best to signal that she didn’t find his promise to be with her impressive. “Unless you have wings, Mark, your presence isn’t all that comforting.”

He embraced her and nipped at her neck. “You can do this.”

“All right. Let’s go before I change my mind.”

Karen and Mark helped stretch out the balloon. The safety personnel then inflated the balloon and did the requisite safety checks. Mark helped Karen climb into the balloon; a few minutes later the balloon rose into the air.

Karen closed her eyes at first, but ten feet in the air, she opened her eyes. “Wow. Just wow.” Still clutching Mark’s arm, she spun around as the distance between the ground and the balloon increased.

“How do you feel?” Mark asked.

“Overwhelmed. You can hardly feel the wind, and the morning haze makes the valley look magical.”

The balloon followed the direction of the wind, seemingly becoming one with it. They floated above wineries and the Willamette River, and the pilot even navigated the balloon so that it skimmed the river.

Mark caged her in his arms as she held on to the balloon’s basket. “It was a scary start, right? But isn’t this worth it?”

She turned in to him, pushing her hair behind her ears. “Yes and yes.”

“Remember this feeling, Karen, when medical school threatens to overwhelm you.”

She rested the back of her head against his chest, a deep sense of calm washing over her. “I will.”

He’d put a lot of thought into this trip, and while she hadn’t gotten as much studying as she would have liked, she didn’t regret her decision to join him.

Not yet.