Hypnotic Seduction (The Seduction Series) (8 page)

“And take time away from this fascinating project?” She mentally cringed. What had gotten into her? Incredibly enough, she didn’t feel at all self-conscious with Jordan.

“Go ahead.” He grinned. “Keep sassing me. I’ll take back your raise.” He pushed the envelope toward her. “Open it. I need to know if you’ll be staying at Calder or not.”

She smiled, emboldened by his pleased reaction to her teasing. “Getting nervous now that my probation is over?”

“
Touché
. If you want the truth—yeah, I’d really hate to lose you.”

After tearing open the envelope’s flap, she withdrew the check stub for her automatic deposit and gasped. He’d given her a twenty-thousand-dollar raise, which placed her income level with most department managers’ salaries.

“Jordan, this is way too much.”

“I promised to push your salary up to what you’re worth. I wanted you to know how much I appreciate all you do for me. Besides, if I don’t pay you well, you won’t be able to afford to keep making me cookies.”

Okay, so maybe he had a clue how much all the chocolate, butter, and nuts cost each week. “I’m glad you like them.”

Now if she could only figure out a way to suggest he
reimburse
her for his lunches.

Since he’d never actually asked her to bring him anything to eat, she’d been unable to find a nice way to request repayment. Still, with this kind of raise, she could more than afford to wait for him to realize she’d been shelling out for his meals.

“Thank you.” She held up the envelope. “I’ve been hoping to send my grandmother on a short cruise for her birthday at the end of August.”

“That’s sweet. She must mean a lot to you.”

Hannah slipped the envelope into the tote bag under her desk. “My mom was only fifteen when she became pregnant with me, so my grandparents raised me.”

“That explains why you have so much in common with Edward. He never stops talking about you.”

“Well, I’m crazy about him, too.”

The muscles in Jordan’s jaw noticeably flexed. “Well, anyway, you’re now eligible for corporate benefits. Employees can buy all of Calder’s products at half price at the company store. But if you let me know when you need something, I can get it for you for free—including condoms and birth control pills. Just bring me your doctor’s prescription.”

She froze and turned to him, her mouth hanging open.
Right
—like she would ever actually ask him for condoms.

“What’s the matter? The subject of contraception doesn’t embarrass you, does it?”

She gnawed on her lip, and a hot flush burst into her cheeks.

“Ahhh, I see the shy, reserved Hannah Oliver hasn’t completely vanished.” He shifted his feet, resting his rear on the edge of her desk. “Quite seriously—I hope the topic of sex doesn’t make you uncomfortable. Contraceptive products built this corporation.”

She’d learned from the corporate history that condom sales alone had allowed Edward to double the company’s size after the AIDS pandemic started during the eighties.

“In fact,” Jordan continued, “we’ll be starting a clinical trial soon on a new formulation to treat sexual dysfunction in women. That’s not a problem for you, is it?”

Her cheeks flamed hotter. Did he really think she’d tell him how lousy her sex life was? “My orgasms”—or lack of them—“aren’t any of your business, Mr. Calder.”

~*~

Jordan stared at his assistant for several seconds, mentally replaying their conversation. Damn. She must have thought he meant....“I’m sorry.” He sputtered through his laughter. “I promise I wasn’t asking about your sex life. I just wanted to know if dealing with printed material on the subject would embarrass you.”

The pink tinge in her cheeks suggested maybe her discomfort came from more than him broaching the provocative topic.

“Then again,”—he shrugged—“if climaxing really
is
a problem for you, I could ask R&D to consider you for the clinical trial.”

“Oh, sure.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell you about my sex life right about the same time I ask you for birth control. In other words,
never
. Or just as soon as you offer to model the company’s entire condom line—whichever comes first.”

Damn, she was cute when she was outraged. Was it just coincidence that she’d mentioned him putting his dick on display, or had she heard the exaggerated stories about him that had spread like a flu epidemic since December?

She slapped her hand over her mouth, horror lighting her eyes. “
Oh-my-gosh
— I shouldn’t have said that.”

Chuckling inwardly, he pictured himself strutting buck-naked down a catwalk, wagging a full erection sheathed in one of Calder’s fluorescent novelty condoms. Prissy Hannah would undoubtedly run the other way, screaming.

He opened his mouth to tell her he’d give her a private fashion show anytime she liked, but then snapped his teeth shut before his comeback could pop out.

She was his assistant, for crying out loud, not some pick-up in a bar. Not to mention, she’d just told him she was nuts about his grandfather.

“I’m so sorry, Jordan. My
hypno
—”

“It’s okay.” He held up one hand while discreetly tugging on the leg of his trousers. “I think we’ve both said entirely too much.”

The problem was, in the last month, he’d not only grown to like her way too much for his peace of mind and had stopped seeing her as just his employee, he’d also started to rely on her for more than just her clerical services—which scared the hell out of him. His mother and Marcy had taught him not to ever let himself depend on any woman.

Nevertheless, lately, he’d found himself thinking about Hannah at the oddest times and wondering what her opinion or reaction would be. It didn’t help that Edward never let a day go by without asking about her.

It was definitely time to go back to his office and reread the section he’d written for the employee handbook on appropriate conduct in the workplace. As far as he could recall, the company guidelines he’d drafted classified getting naked with one’s assistant as completely inappropriate—not to mention, grounds for termination.

And wouldn’t that be a major bummer if he had to fire himself?

~*~

“So how’s my grandson treating you?” Edward asked the following morning as he sank into the chair next to Hannah’s desk, nibbling a cookie. “I hope he’s not working you so hard you can’t take time to go out for a bite to eat with me today.”

Jordan’s grandfather had treated her to lunch four times since she’d begun working at Calder Pharmaceutical, the last time to a sumptuous meal of lobster and chocolate mousse. When Hannah had offered to share her cookies with the sweet old man, she never imagined he zipped around town in a Bentley that cost more than a lot of people’s homes. Still, regardless of Edward’s staggering wealth, she treasured his friendship.

“I’m really sorry, but I can’t.” She pulled her letter opener through an envelope’s flap. “You should know better than anyone the board of directors’ meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.”

Edward was still officially
chairman
even though his grandson had assumed most of his responsibilities.

“I still have a ton of work to do for that plus the pediatric symposium Jordan is organizing for the end of June.”

“Stop distracting my help,” Jordan grumbled, striding out of his office with a fresh stack of papers to
be expedited
.

Hannah pulled the letter from the envelope and a check fluttered out of it. She scanned the page.

Dear Mr. Calder,

Thank you for your generous help with my son’s medical bills. I’m happy to tell you Taylor’s liver function has improved dramatically, and the doctors believe he’ll make a full recovery.

Therefore, I’m returning the money you kindly sent, as I don’t feel it would be ethical to keep it.

Once again, thank you for your compassion.

Sincerely,

Janice Russell

“Jordan?” Hannah slid the letter and check for two hundred grand across her desk. “I’m not sure what to do with this.”

He read the page and breathed out a pleasure-filled sigh before handing the note to Edward. “The Russell kid is going to be okay.” He laid the check back on her desk. “Return it and tell Mrs. Russell to add it to her kids’ college funds.”

“You sent her a check?” Edward sputtered, wearing a look of disbelief. “Calder wasn’t responsible for her son’s condition.”

“I don’t care. Her husband died serving in Afghanistan while she was pregnant with their third child. She needs the money.”

“I feel for her, too. But it’s still tantamount to Calder admitting liability.” Edward’s face turned red. “That drug is clearly labeled as contraindicated for pediatric use. If anyone’s to blame, it’s the doctor for prescribing it and the pharmacist for dispensing it. You have enough problems with the board, you don’t—”

“The board doesn’t have to know about it. I sent the check out of my bonus and made it clear Calder wasn’t assuming any legal responsibility and it was simply a charitable donation.” Jordan shrugged. “Besides, it was a shrewd business move. If for some reason the boy has any future problems, the mother will already have accepted compensation.”

That sounded a bit lame to Hannah. If the family didn’t have a legal leg to stand on from the beginning, they would have even less of a case now that the child’s health had improved.

For some reason, Jordan didn’t want anyone to know he had a marshmallow center under his crusty exterior. His compassion for the Russell family made her like him more than ever.

“Their situation is the whole reason I decided to sponsor the pediatric conference.”

“I don’t understand. What happened?” Hannah asked.

Jordan turned and propped himself against her desk. “The additional testing to get FDA approval for pediatric use is expensive and time consuming. A lot of drug companies don’t bother, and pediatricians then prescribe—on an off-label basis—medications that have only been proven safe for adults.”

Her chest tightened at his fervor and genuine concern for the public’s well being.

“Unfortunately, a child’s liver isn’t as well developed as an adult’s,” he continued. “So with some drugs, the age of a patient is more critical than his weight, and simply decreasing the dosage isn’t the answer.”

“Can’t the FDA order drug companies to run clinical trials on medications they believe will be used off-label on children?”

“Yes,” Edward interjected, “but that also slows down the approval process and keeps drugs that are desperately needed from going to market. When at all possible, Calder spends the extra time and money to run pediatric trials.”

“I’m hoping our conference will publicize that to the medical community,” Jordan explained, “and send the message that Calder cares about kids.”

“Hey, that’s catchy,” she said.

“I hope so, since it’s going to be our new advertising slogan.” Jordan straightened the papers he’d placed in her in-basket. “I realize it’s the Friday before Memorial Day, and you have a three-day weekend. But do you think you could work late tonight? I don’t want to be finishing the presentation at the last minute on Tuesday before the board meeting. If you have a date, I understand.”

“Don’t you have one?” She could’ve sworn she’d made a dinner reservation for him earlier that week.

“I cancelled.” His virile scent wafted around her and kicked her pulse into overdrive. “If it’s a problem and you’re not doing anything tomorrow, we could finish at my home, instead.”

“N-no, I don’t mind. This evening is fine. I was just planning to order some Chinese takeout, rent a movie, and do some studying for my exam.”

Damn. She mentally kicked herself for agreeing so quickly. She would’ve loved to see his house.

“Great.” Jordan smiled and jerked his head toward the door. “Since you’ll be staying late, do me a favor and get the old man out of my hair for an hour or so.” He dug a credit card out of his wallet. “Lunch is my treat since you’ve been working so hard.”

Hannah stood, picked up her purse, and snatched the plastic from Jordan’s grasp. “In that case—” She linked her arm around Edward’s elbow. “Maybe we’ll bring you some scraps in a doggy bag.”

Edward’s bushy eyebrows wiggled at her like a couple of albino caterpillars dancing the minuet on his forehead. “Since my grandson’s picking up the tab, I think a magnum of Cristal would go nicely with lunch, don’t you?”

“You don’t scare me, old man,” Jordan growled past the good-natured curl in his mouth. “You forget who you’ve granted power of attorney to if you’re ever mentally incapacitated.”

“Is that a threat?” Edward asked him, escorting her out the door.

“No, Gramps, simply a reminder.” Jordan called after them. “And don’t get my assistant too tipsy to work tonight.”

crave
  v
. 1. To have an intense desire for. See Synonyms at desire.

The surest way to make a person crave something is to wave it in front of his nose and tell him he can’t have it.

The elegant country club Edward chose for lunch dazzled Hannah. While enjoying a low-
carb
shrimp salad platter artfully arranged over a bed of greens with fancy deviled eggs and a side of
caprese
salad, she told him about her hypnotherapy and the recent trouble she’d had controlling her mouth.

“I wanted to shake off some of my inhibitions, but now I’m afraid my good sense has flown the coop along with them. I can’t tell you the outrageous things I said to Jordan yesterday. I’m lucky he didn’t fire me.”

The chandelier’s light twinkled in Edward’s dark eyes. “No one’s job has ever been safer than yours, my dear. Jordan is the first to admit he’d be lost without you.” Edward reached across the white linen tablecloth and patted her hand. “Just relax and be yourself. It’s good for my grandson to be put in his place once in a while.” He stabbed his fork into his chef’s salad. “Now, tell me about school. Are you ready for your exams?”

“Barely.”