They got their food and he found a table in the corner and sat down. She followed him and placed her tray in front of her, diving into the delicious food. He started eating as if his life depended on it and they were both silent for several moment.
“Who’s this beautiful woman?” a man said as he approached their table and sat down without being invited. “I’m Trenton, Max’s older brother,” the man said. Cassie recognized him from some articles she’d seen written up on him. He’d gotten married a while ago.
“This is Cassie McIntyre, Trenton. She’s going to be following me around like a lost puppy dog for a while, doing an interview,” Max said. Cassie sent him a glare. He couldn’t have been more rude if he’d tried.
“Nice to meet you, Cassie. If you’re looking for some real dirt on this guy then you’ll have to come see me,” he said with a wink. Cassie instantly liked Max’s brother.
“I will certainly take you up on that, Trenton,” she said, feeling better even after the dog comment.
“That’s not part of the deal,” Max growled, clearly not liking her interacting with more of his family members.
“There’s nothing that states I can’t talk to your family members about you. It just says I can’t invade their privacy,” she said smugly. She would’ve never signed something saying she couldn’t talk to his family or employees. She wasn’t stupid. Max glared at her and pushed his food away. She had a feeling he’d make the rest of her day unpleasant if he could get away with it.
“Don’t be so grouchy, Max, I won’t spill too many secrets,” Trenton said with a laugh and wink, which earned him a glare. Cassie found their interaction amusing. She pulled out her iPad and took some notes, which made Max glower even more. Heck, if she could get under his skin that easily she would take the thing out more often. She enjoyed riling him up.
“So, Cassie, you’re a reporter?” Trenton asked.
“I’m hoping to be. I graduated at the top of my class in journalism, but sadly have been working as a barista for a small coffee shop. I’ve tried getting a job with different papers and magazines, but the market’s so competitive that I haven’t had any luck so far. I know this exclusive interview with Max will get me a job with no problem, though,” she said, beaming. She was so excited to work in a busy news room. She soon would be back on track for her ten year plan she’d made for herself before she graduated.
“Yep, Max is definitely cagey when it comes to interviews. The rest of us usually just get them over with so we’re not hounded all the time,” he said. He seemed to realize he may have offended her, but she had much thicker skin than that.
“I know reporters can be annoying, don’t worry about it. When you’re in the public eye like your family, though, the public wants to know all about you. I promise to be tasteful and won’t hound any of you after I’m done,” she responded.
Cassie picked up her cup and took a long swallow of coffee. She needed the pause in conversation and she needed the caffeine to wake her up. Max was oddly silent as she and Trenton talked for several more moments. His silence worried her more than his sarcastic remarks. He was good at thinking of new ways to intimidate her.
Max leaned back in his chair, drinking his coffee and looking back and forth between the two of them. She didn’t trust the look in his eyes one bit. She knew he had something else up his sleeve.
“How long is the interview for? It sounds like more than just an afternoon,” Trenton finally asked.
“For a month,” Cassie told him. Trenton coughed in surprise, spilling a bit of his coffee. Cassie smiled.
“How did you manage that?” Trenton finally asked, looking from her to Max and back again.
“Well, first your brother had to slam into me with his car, leaving me in a coma in the hospital for a week, then have the nerve to throw papers at me, promising I wouldn’t sue the pants off him. I chose an interview, instead,” she said with a huge smile. Trenton stared at her for a moment, with his mouth open. Then, his eyes lit up and he let out a loud laugh, causing several heads to turn in their direction.
“That is priceless, seriously. I can’t wait to call up Bree and Austin. They’re going to crack up,” Trenton said between fits of laughter.
“This is none of any of your business, Trenton,” Max said sending a glare toward his brother.
“There is no possible way you’re going to keep this away from the family. You know things like this spread like wildfire around our family. The unstoppable Max getting blackmailed, and by a tiny woman, to boot. Thank you so much for making my day, Ms. Cassie McIntyre,” he said as he stood up.
“You’re very welcome, Trenton. I look forward to speaking with you more,” she said with a bright smile. Trenton left, his laughter carrying back to them as he walked from the cafeteria.
“Don’t look so smug, Cassie, the day is young,” Max threatened. His words took a little of the joy from her. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but the man caused unspeakable things to happen in her body with just a glance, or a slight breath on her skin. She couldn’t imagine what he could do if he put in a hundred percent effort. She turned away and looked out the window.
“What’s the plan for the rest of the day?” she finally asked, trying to get back on a topic of business.
“Today will be quite boring, I’m afraid. I have a business trip up to Alaska at the end of this week, and have to catch up on paperwork. You don’t have to stick around if you don’t want to,” he offered, almost hopefully.
“I have nowhere else to be,” she said, thinking to herself there was no way he was chasing her off. The second she left, something amazing would be uncovered, and she wasn’t taking a chance on missing it.
“Suit yourself,” he said with a shrug as if it didn’t matter to him either way. He then reached across the table and brushed a piece of her escaped hair from her face. He slowly tucked the strand behind her ear, his fingers brushing her cheek as he pulled back. He was the most touchy-feely person she’d ever been around, and had no thought of a person’s personal bubble.
She firmed her shoulders and pointedly brought her iPad into focus. She wanted to get back on track with the interview, and let him know she didn’t appreciate being man-handled.
“What kind of people do you like working for you?” she asked, proud of her professional sounding tone. He looked at her for a moment as if he were in deep thought.
“They must first and foremost be attractive. I have to deal with suits all day, so I want some eye candy around the office to lighten things up,” he said in a serious tone. She looked at him, trying to deem whether he was joking. She couldn’t believe he’d possibly mean that. If he was speaking the truth, he’d have half the country ready to rip out his throat. Maybe he was that shallow. She decided to go with it and furiously began typing notes.
“So, in other words you prefer to be surrounded by bimbos?” she questioned.
“Are you saying that attractive people have to be stupid?” he asked right back. She stopped for a moment, trying to come up with a proper response. It didn’t matter what she said, as she wasn’t the one up for an interview.
“You didn’t say anything about intelligence - you simply said they had to be attractive. Do you have a special dress code for these attractive people?” she fired right back.
“My philosophy has always been that the human body is beautiful and therefore there’s no shame in highlighting the assets.” He then looked at her own clothing like she was definitely lacking. It took everything in her not to squirm while he was dissecting her as if she were under a microscope. Cassie was steaming mad, but hoped it didn’t show on her face.
“You realize you sound like an ass, right?” she said in her most professional tone.
“Just because I like pretty things? Now, who’s being the prejudiced one, Cassie? I’ve found that Bimbos suit me quite well,” he added. She was ready for the interview to be over. She had a feeling that was exactly what he was shooting for. He stood up, indicating breakfast was over. She mutely followed him back to the elevators, where she refused to break her silence.
When the doors opened, there were a few people in the office, but it certainly wasn’t full. She glanced up and saw an older woman sitting behind the receptionist desk, and knew in that moment everything he’d said in the cafeteria was a pack of lies. He’d been trying to get under her skin and it had worked perfectly. She may not make the entire month, after all.
Chapter Four
“Does anyone around here know how to do their jobs right?” Max thundered into the silent room. Several faces turned in his direction, well aware he was in a foul mood, and not willing to poke the bear. Cassie typed some notes, which had his head whipping around, the full force of his frustration now focused on her.
Cassie had been at the offices, observing Max for two weeks. She was getting a general idea about the man, but not really finding the story she so desperately wanted. She wanted to find a more personal twist, unlike anything anyone had ever written on one of the Andersons, but he was incredibly good at blocking her out.
At the moment he was beyond frustrated because his Alaska trip had been pushed back due to some corporate issue she knew nothing about, and with the weather getting worse, he was anxious to get there before it was too late.
She’d been back in her apartment for a week and after being at Joseph luxurious guest house, it didn’t hold the same appeal. She was somewhat grateful for the long hours Max put in because by the time she got home she was ready for a shower and bed. She didn’t have to look around much at the lonely place she’d called home with zero complaints up until meeting him.
Max stormed over to her desk , circling around her like a shark getting ready to attack. A lesser person would’ve shaken in fear with the mood he was in. She simply held her head high and looked him in the eye. She was actually exhilarated by his temper. It was much better to see some real emotion flashing in him, other than the persona he seemed determined to show her. He wasn’t giving an inch for her to have an interesting article. She was learning she had to drag everything from him and was considering different torture methods to achieve her goal.
He finally stopped his circling, leaned down and planted his hands on her desk, pushing his face close to hers. She felt her heart accelerate and was aware their lips were only inches apart. He hadn’t attempted to touch her again since their steamy kiss on the couch, and much to her frustration she wished he would. She didn’t even recognize herself, anymore.
As she sat through boring meetings and business lunches she found herself focusing more and more on the actual man. He wasn’t the person she’d originally thought he was. He liked to portray himself as a playboy corporate shark but he was an amazing employer, who loved the people he worked with and gave his time and money away without a second thought. She was afraid she had a bit of a crush on him. She wouldn’t admit it, not even to herself and banished the thought as soon as it popped into her head.