A Cowboy for the CEO

Chapter 18: Up and Down

Hank almost choked on his sip. "Excuse me?" he asked between coughs.

"Well, I was working my ass off as a junior portfolio manager, still in the office like an idiot at seven before a holiday weekend. I don't even know which it was—Memorial Day or Fourth of July—it doesn't really matter. Everyone else in my division had gone home when the proverbial shit hit the fan," Ali explained as he regained his composure.

Under the table, Hank's knee gently collided with hers again as he moved closer. "Go on," he said before placing his hand on her thigh.

Ali could feel the heat from his palm though the thin fabric, and she struggled to recall the story. "I'll spare you the boring details, but the important part is that one of our most stable portfolios was brought under investigation in the Asian market. If we didn't act on it immediately, we'd have a whole lot of investors with worthless papers by the start of the next week."

"And you were the only one around on a holiday weekend to save the day?" He guessed, slowly slipping his fingers between the gap in her legs while unflinchingly staring into her eyes.

"Something like that," she whispered, glancing down to pace her breath and noticing for the first time a faint dimple in his chin. "Um, the division's VP was the only other person who made it into the office, and we worked together to get things straightened out. Afterward, he took me under his wing, so to speak, and trained me to be his eventual replacement."

"So where does murder fit into all of this?" he asked with a mischievous grin as he made slow circles with his finger closer and closer to her most tender spot.

"That?" She laughed to keep from screaming in pleasure. "Well, officially Jack had a heart attack, and unless anyone can prove otherwise, I'm sticking to it." She owed a lot to her former mentor, but Ali knew he would have appreciated her lighthearted banter in remembering him, even if not under these particularly risqué circumstances.

Hank laughed too, but his expression turned serious when he began to lean closer. Ali drew in her breath, noticing his gaze shifting downward again. She looked at his lips and could already feel their soft touch against her own.

"Your steaks, sir," a disinterested voice cut in, making the pair jump apart.

"Thank you," Hank snapped, his jawline taut from no doubt holding back a firmer response as the waiter placed the plates in front of them.

Ali picked up her knife, fiddling with it as she quietly dug into the meal and wondered what would have happened without the untimely interruption. She was undeniably attracted to Hank and he certainly felt the same. How far would have things gone if he hadn't been forced to stop? Now she'd never know. A twinge of disappointment ran through her as she struggled to cut the tender beef, belatedly wishing she'd ordered something more cast-friendly.

"So, show jumping, huh? How did you get into that?" Hank asked, popping a bite into his mouth as if nothing had even happened.

Ali put down the knife and instead skewered a piece of broccoli onto her fork, gladly returning to his attention, even if it meant revealing more about a topic she'd earlier tried to avoid. "I asked Santa for a pony one Christmas, and he actually got me one. There was also a letter that came along with the horse, and it said she was for riding, so if I wanted to keep her, I would need to start taking lessons."

He swallowed before responding. "That was pretty clever of your parents."

"I know, right?" She bit into the broccoli.

"You must have been pretty good to get a chance at the national championships. I'm sorry you have to miss out on it," he said before wiping his mouth on the linen napkin.