Free Scandalizing the CEO by Katherine Garbera Page A

bouquet of flowers. She carried them to her sitting area and then checked the card. They were from Steven.
    In his scrawling handwriting was a simple note that thanked her for the evening and told her he couldn’t wait to see her again.
    She held the card in her hand and sat down next to the flowers. She didn’t want to fall for Steven, but when he did things like this it was hard not to.
    All her life she’d been a misfit. She hadn’t dated in high school because she’d been a chubby bookworm. And in college she’d just sort of muddled through. She’d had a boyfriend there, but Barry hadn’t been the dream lover she’d longed for, and she’d ended up pouring herself into her classes and eventually her job: working and eating and pretending that her job was enough.
    But when she’d lost it because of Steven, her awakening had changed her focus, but it hadn’t changed her dreams for the future. She’d never pictured herself in a long-term relationship.
    She’d always been happy on her own. Now, though, she was dreaming of Steven, wanting to wake up with him—and she didn’t even know what that meant. She was scared to think that she was coming to need him. She didn’t want to need a man like Steven Devonshire.
    She put down the card and picked up her phone. If she were going to take a chance on dating Steven, on letting him be important to her, she had to make sure that Maurice wasn’t going to fire her over this.
    She dialed his direct line and he answered on the third ring.
    “It’s Ainsley.”
    “Good morning, Ainsley. Did you get our Devonshire story details locked up?”
    “I’m still working on that, sir. But I did need to talk to you about something.”
    “Yes?”
    “Steven Devonshire asked me out and I’d like to go out with him. I don’t want it to affect our story. However, I thought since we are going to run the article in the U.S. and UK editions, it might not be a problem. The focus of the articles is on the mothers and Malcolm.”
    “Let me think about this, Ainsley. I don’t want to stand in the way of your personal life. As far as I know, you rarely do anything but work.”
    “That’s true, sir. This job is my life.”
    “I can understand that. But having a life is important, too. I think we’ll add a note that you are dating Steven if it turns out that you are and since the focus is on fashion I think we’ll be okay.”
    “Thanks, Maurice.”
    “You’re welcome. Now get me all the people I need for this article so it can rock.”
    “I will.”
    She hung up and realized that she had no more excuses to keep Steven at bay. She wasn’t going to lose her job over him and that was reassuring, but it also took away her safe out if things got too deep, too fast. One part of her was happy about that; the other was a bit worried.
    She thought she was still in control of her life. But her heart argued that it would be making the decisions when it came to Steven.

Seven
    “H ow was your date?” Freddie asked as he joined her in the cab at the end of their third day in New York. “What date?”
    “With Steven Devonshire. We haven’t had a moment to chat and I want all the details. Was it everything you thought it would be? Did birds sing? The heavens open up?”
    She punched him playfully in the arm. “You make me sound like…someone who is obsessed. It was just drinks. He’s a very sophisticated and charming man.”
    “What makes him sophisticated?”
    “His choices.”
    “Tell me everything.”
    She wanted to laugh at the way he said it, but she knew that she’d never share what she felt about Steven with Freddie. It was one thing to let him know about what she’dread on the Internet, but how Steven kissed was personal and she wasn’t about to share it.
    “It was just a nice evening.”
    “A nice evening? What are you hiding? Do you like him?”
    She shook her head. “It’s complicated.”
    She wanted the taxi ride to be over. But of course it was rush hour and