Electric! (4 page)

Chase grinned. “Well, you’ve got nothing to worry about.
Because that’ll never happen.”

“What makes you so sure?” Her voice was soft, uncertain.
Tentative.

He snorted. “You have a sharp brain and a big heart. You’d
never put up with a man who doesn’t see or appreciate both.”

She swallowed hard. “What if I make a mistake and choose the
wrong guy?”

Chase gave a slight shake of his head. “You’re too smart for
that.”

“But—”

“Hey.” He cut her off by placing a finger over her lips. “You’re
so afraid of fucking up it paralyzes you. Christ, Cass. You’ve got to lighten
up a bit. You have a fantastic career—and
no one
doubts your ability at
MII. You’ve worked too hard for anyone to question whether you’re good enough
for the position you hold—or for a promotion.”

“There are no promotions,” she mumbled against his finger.

“Okay, not currently. But you know what I’m saying. If
something were to open up in our division, you’d be a top candidate.
The
top candidate. The only thing you’re lacking, that I can see, is a social life.”

“Oh whoa.” She pushed his hand away from her mouth. “Now we’re
entering
pot calling the kettle black
territory.”

“Huh?” He looked taken aback.

“Well.” She drained her champagne flute and set it on an end
table next to a tall potted plant. Crossing her arms over her chest, she said, “From
what I hear, you don’t date any more than I do.”

“That’s an easy one to address,” he told her, holding her
gaze.

“How so?”

He thrust his chin upward. “The only woman I want to date
keeps shooting me down.”

She stared at him for endless moments. He waited patiently
for her rebuttal.

Finally, she said, “Here’s a newsflash—although it shouldn’t
be because you ought to know this by now. I’m not your type.”

“Aren’t I supposed to be the judge of that?”

She bit into her lower lip briefly, then gave him an
earnest, though somehow heart-wrenching look that disturbed him greatly.
“Chase, were we to get together, I would be a
huge
disappointment. Trust
me on this one.”

Cassidy brushed past him, leaving him standing in the secluded
corner, his mind whirling.

There. She’d done it. Cassidy had told him what she should
have said two years ago when he’d started lobbing flirty comments her way.

Unfortunately, confiding in Chase did not lift the weight
from her shoulders, as she’d hoped it would. Rather, she felt even more mired
in the dismal reality that she did not possess any sort of animal magnetism
herself. Nor was she capable of getting a man so hot and bothered that he had
to have her
this very second
. She knew from experience.

The sting of so many rejections caught up with her and
Cassidy knew it was time to call it a night. No more drinking with Chase.

She collected her wrap from the coat-check stand and stepped
outside, inhaling the crisp night air. The country club provided a
complimentary Town Car for guests attending special functions, and she found
the driver amidst the Escalades. He dropped her off at the mini-chateau and
Cassidy flipped the switch on the tall gas fireplace. She kicked off her shoes
and curled on the sofa with her laptop and stack of tidy black leather
portfolios that contained the documentation she personally kept on all of her
clients.

Annual renewals were coming up for some of her insureds, and
she wanted to spend the weekend reviewing their current policies, assessing
needs they’d expressed over the past policy term and evaluating whether there
were additional benefits MII could provide to keep them happy and committed to
the company. Cassidy excelled at customer service, the reason she had the zero-percent
turnover rate McClellan had mentioned, and why she landed the vast majority of
her clients by word-of-mouth referrals, rather than having to farm for
business.

She settled in with her work and a plush faux-fur throw
she’d brought from home.

After a few assessments of portfolios, she checked her
iPhone, since it continued to buzz, indicating incoming text messages.

All from Meg.

She scrolled through the first few.

Where are you?

Everything okay?

Chase looks bewildered. You’re nowhere in sight. ????

Hello? Anyone there?

Cassidy grimaced. She typed a quick reply.

Bailed so I could work.

She tossed the phone onto the cushion next to her and opened
another file. But she suddenly couldn’t concentrate on it.

Chase looked bewildered?

Her phone vibrated again. She barely spared a glance at the
screen. Meg just didn’t give up.

Want company?

Cassidy sighed. She did, actually. Her heart wasn’t in her
work this evening. Particularly following her humiliating admission to Chase.

While her laptop powered down, she absently sent a text.
Sure.
And gave the address.

She set the computer and folders on the coffee table, then
went into the spacious kitchen and retrieved one of the bottles of chardonnay
she’d stocked in the fridge. She popped the cork and poured two glasses.

Maybe she’d tell Meg all about her depressing love life and
the reason she didn’t bother dating.

Wasn’t that what friends did? Meg worried about how many
hours she logged each week, but Cassidy had never really shared her personal
woes. Or the reasons why she was perfectly content with late nights at the
office, versus trolling the bars or searching the Internet for her soul mate.

Perfectly content.

The words skipped through her head. Mocking her.

Really? She was perfectly content with her solitude?

“No,” she whispered. But she was probably too far gone in
the romance department for it to even matter.

The doorbell rang and Cassidy set the two wineglasses on the
wooden dining table that accommodated eight in the great room. She crossed to
the foyer and pulled open one of the double doors. Only to let out a sharp gasp
at the vision before her.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, stunned.

Chase stood on the welcome mat. The Town Car drove off. Snow
fell on the trees in the front yard. Cassidy’s heart picked up a few too many
extra beats.

He gave her a perplexed look. “I asked if you wanted
company. You said sure. Having a memory lapse?”

“N-no,” she stammered. He was too good-looking by far and
here he was, standing on the threshold of her vacay rental, making every inch
of her burn despite the chilly air that filtered in. She let out a
self-deprecating laugh. “I didn’t pay close attention to the text. Meg sent me
a flurry of messages and I thought yours was from her. I didn’t look at the
contact name.”

“Oh.” He frowned. “Well… This is awkward.” He glanced over
his shoulder. Yeah, the Town Car was long gone.

She said, “It’s not awkward. Come in. I just poured wine.”
Cassidy stepped aside to let him in.

Chase removed his overcoat, shook off the snow and hung it
on a rung along the sidewall. He took in the interior of the house and said,
“Nice pad.”

“Two bedrooms upstairs, two down. Fantastic kitchen. I
wouldn’t mind getting snowed-in here. The great room is spectacular.” The split
floor plan meant the enormous windows overlooking the deck and the golf course
were two-stories tall. “If I owned this place, I wouldn’t live here just
part-time and rent it out. I bet the views are equally gorgeous in the summer.”

“No doubt. This area is scenic year-round.”

He followed her farther into the house. She said, “That’s
right, you’re from Flagstaff.”

“Born and raised. Went to Northern Arizona University before
I moved to Scottsdale.”

She handed him a glass of chardonnay. “It’s really very
pretty here. What made you decide to move to the valley?”

“Limited professional opportunities, unless I wanted to be a
doctor, lawyer, realtor or professor.”

“Of course. Small town.”

“
Expensive
town. A lot of my friends took off after
high school or college. The ones who stayed mostly ended up working for a
family business or Gore, one of the major employers up here.”

She recalled his parents had owned a health food store but
had moved it to Boca Raton. “You didn’t want to relocate to Florida with your
family?”

“No. I’m a ski bum, not a beach bum.” His beautiful blue
eyes sparkled in the firelight. “You ski?”

Cassidy laughed. “Are you kidding? Talk about an unnecessary
risk. My father frowned upon any activity that might cause bodily harm.
Insurance man, don’t you know.”Just like McClellan.

“Yes, I know. I’ve met your brother too, at industry
conventions. Still… Eliminates a lot of fun in life.”

She sipped her wine, then said, “I didn’t mind. I liked the
library.”

“Pretty and smart,” he mused. “Guess it doesn’t matter that
you don’t ski. You could be a lodge bunny and make all the men drool.”

This time, Cassidy’s soft laugh held no humor. “You totally
see something no one else does. Why is that?”

He eyed her over the rim of his glass. “You’re joking,
right?”

“No, Chase. I’m not.” She moved around a large leather sofa
and stood in front of the fireplace.

For once, he didn’t pursue her or crowd her. Instead, he
remained by the wall of windows and asked, “That thing you said to me earlier,
before you walked out on me. What was that all about?”

Cassidy pulled in a long breath, let it out slowly. Sipped
her wine. Stalled.

Her gaze stayed on the flames flickering in the hearth as
she admitted, “It’s something I should have told you a long time ago. Two
years, to be exact.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry I’ve wasted so much of your
time, Chase, when I could have put an end to your flirting the first day we
met.”

He was quiet a moment, then said, “If you tell me you’ve
been involved with someone this whole time, then yeah, I’m gonna be a bit
pissed off.”

She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Of course I’m not
involved with anyone. I would never let you keep up the suggestive repartee if
I were dating another man.”

He nodded slowly. “I didn’t think so. But I have no idea why
you fight the obvious chemistry between us. And I sure as hell don’t get why
you’d think you’d disappoint me.”

Cassidy’s gaze returned to the fire. “I told you, I’m not
your type. I don’t ski, or jet off for the weekend to some place exotic, or do
any of the things you do. I work.”

“That’s not entirely true. You go to basketball, baseball
and football games with some of the VPs and your clients. You like hockey too.”

“Yes, but I’m there for a work-related purpose. Not for
general socializing. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve turned down Meg
for happy hour? She’s stopped inviting me.”

“Cass,” he said as he moved toward the fireplace. He gently
gripped her elbow and turned her to face him. “I understand you have to work
harder than just about anyone else to prove yourself. It’s not fair, but it’s a
fact. You’re the youngest executive and you’re a woman. Two huge strikes
against you in this field. But there’s a reason you have a seat at the
executive conference table. You are damn good at what you do.”

“I have to work twice as hard, Chase. And not slip up. I
know I have staunch supporters at MII, but seriously, if I fucked up even once,
they’d be more than happy to replace me with a man.”

He regarded her a moment, then said, “You know what I find
intriguing about you?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t a clue. Really.”

One corner of his mouth lifted in a devilish grin. “Aside
from being damn pretty, I like that you’re a straight-shooter. You’re not
really a feminist. Hell, I’ve heard you tell a few
extremely
un-PC
jokes. Also, you seem to get a kick out of holding your own against the old
boys’ network—you’re not bitter about the double standard. You butt up against
it in your own way. In fact, you sort of take a more unisex approach to the
industry bias.”

“That’s because it’s not about men or women, Chase. It’s
about clients and customer service and following through on commitments made.
We collect a fee to protect insureds and they deserve to have us in their
corner when they need us, whether it’s a loss that barely exceeds their deductible
or an entire part of their business that’s been devastated by a natural
disaster or an industrial catastrophe.”

“Integrity,” he said with emphasis. “
That’s
one of
the things I admire most about you.”

Warmth ribboned through Cassidy. “And when you say things
like that, Chase, it’s the reason I continue to let you flirt with me.”

“You like flirting back.”

He had her on that one. “I do on occasion. Be glad I catch
myself. Seriously, Chase. Keeping this up is pointless.”

Cassidy retrieved her glass from the mantel and took a deep
sip.

In a quiet voice, he said, “I know you like me.”

“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “And I like that you
flirt with me and no one else in the office. I like the way you look at me.”

He nodded.

“It’s just that… I can’t for the life of me figure out why
you pursue me, other than you like the thrill of the chase.” She laughed,
surprising herself. “Chase. What a pun.”

“Ha-ha. Funny.” When she glanced up at him, he added, “Not.”

“Anyway,” she said, “I like how well we work together, and I
want it to stay that way. I don’t want there to be awkwardness between us, and
I know that would happen if we ever got together.” She turned back to the
fireplace and muttered, “Not that
that
would last for more than ten
seconds, but whatever.”

With a hand on her arm, Chase gingerly forced her to face
him again. “First of all, there wouldn’t be awkwardness. We’re adults, not
teenagers. Mature enough to deal with each other on a professional and a
personal level. Second…what the hell do you mean we wouldn’t last more than ten
seconds?”