I wrapped my arms around his neck, hoping I’d sound less bitchy if I was in his arms. Also, I was sniffing for women’s perfume. “Let me rephrase—was Norma your lunch date?” The only scent I came up with was the usual Hudson smell that tended to set my pheromones on overdrive.
“More like lunch meeting, but yes.”
I’d hoped the evidence had been misleading. “Did you dine with her alone?”
Hudson withdrew from my embrace and pinned me with a stern stare. “Alayna, keep this up and I’m going to have to put you over my knee. Except I know how much you like that.” He bopped my nose with his finger and headed toward his desk.
His patronizing attitude made me all the more infuriated. “I don’t like that you had lunch with her. Alone.”
He shuffled some papers, his attention obviously elsewhere. “Well, I don’t like who you had lunch with either, so we’re even.” Before I could react, he looked up at me. “And no, that’s not why I had lunch with her. It was business. We’re working on a deal and we needed to hammer out details.”
Of course it was business. Did I have any reason in the world to think otherwise?
I didn’t.
I still didn’t like it.
I walked over to the other side of his desk. Memories of our last encounter here helped take the edge off my emotions, leaving me sounding less accusatory but whinier. “Did you have to do it in a social setting?”
Whinier seemed to work in my favor. Hudson’s eyes softened, though his tone was still straightforward and aloof. “I chose a lunch meeting with you in mind, Alayna. Would you rather that we’d stayed in my office with the doors closed and no one around?”
With the lingering images of the things I’d done with Hudson in his office behind closed doors, the question made me a bit ill. I slumped into an armchair. “You are not helping the situation.”
Hudson sat across from me. “You know that Norma is one of my key employees. My business frequently requires me to interact with her. In person. Sometimes, we’re alone.”
The explanation of his working relationship with Norma made sense. And sounded familiar. I decided to suggest a one-size-fits all solution. “Maybe you could transfer her.”
“With what reason?”
“The same reason you transferred David.” It was the exact same deal, after all. In reverse.
Hudson pinched the bridge of his nose. “While I understand your comparison of the situations, I’m not transferring Norma.”
I stood with a shriek of frustration. “This is really unfair you know.” I paced as I spoke. “I can’t work with someone you don’t trust but you can work with someone I don’t trust? And since you’re the big business owner in this situation, you were able to just take care of things with David, transfer him, and if he refused, fire him. What can I do? Nothing. I’m helpless.” I paused my walking and shook a finger at him. “Norma has a big fat crush on you, Hudson. I can see in her eyes that she’s not afraid to make a move.”
Hudson jiggled his mouse and focused on his computer screen. “She is quite aware that I don’t return her feelings.”
“How does she…?” The only way she’d know that was if he’d told her and the only reason he’d tell her…“Has she already made a move?”
“Alayna, this conversation is going nowhere. I have appointments—”
“Hudson!”
With a deep sigh, he leaned back in his chair and met my eyes. “She’s told me that she wishes there were more between us. If that counts as making a move, then yes, she’s made a move. But, as I’ve said, I’m not interested. And she knows it.”
I gritted my teeth to insure my next words didn’t come out in a scream. “Can you explain how this is different than me working with David?”
He blinked. Twice. “I can’t. You’re right. It’s not different.”
“But that’s all I get? You won’t change it?” It wasn’t going to be much of a victory if he answered the way I suspected he would.
“I can’t lose Norma. She’s too valuable to my company.”
And that was what I’d expected he’d say.
I leaned on the back of the armchair. There was nothing to say. Nothing I could say. He agreed with my point but was unwilling to do anything about it. Now we were at an impasse. Our eyes locked on each other as we each silently refused to back down.
After several long seconds, Hudson swore under his breath and looked away. When he turned back, he asked, “Do you want David to stay?”
My heart flipped in my chest. “Would you let him if I said yes?”
His eye twitched. “If that’s the only way to make this right, then I would.”
A thrill of happiness ran through me.
Until I remembered all the reasons why David staying wasn’t a good idea.
“Dammit, Hudson.” I couldn’t believe I was actually going to say what I was going to say next. “No. I don’t want David to stay anymore.” I refused to meet Hudson’s eyes. “It wouldn’t be good for him. He’s…he’s in love with me.”
“I know.”
I already knew Hudson knew. It was me that was just now admitting it.
I turned away from the desk and plopped myself down on his couch. Hudson came and sat down next to me. I rubbed my hand across his cheek. “Thank you for offering, though. I know that wasn’t easy for you.”
“No. It wasn’t.” He ran his fingers up and down my arm, leaving goose bumps in their wake. “But it would be worth it to make you happy.”
Man, he’d grown up in the last few weeks. I had to give him that.
But maybe I hadn’t, because I still wasn’t quite ready to let the subject of Norma Anders go to rest. “Have you considered that maybe it’s not good for Norma to work with you either?”
Hudson chuckled. “No, I haven’t. And I’m sure it’s not.”
I shifted to face him. “Could we make some sort of concession here?” I took his hand in mine, playing with it as I talked. “Like, could you not have meetings alone with her? Is there anyone else on your team that could join you in the future?”
With his free hand, he brushed a piece of hair out of my face. “On the project we’re currently working on—no. But it’s almost done, and I don’t expect that this level of secrecy would be necessary in the future.”