Bachelor CEO

He took a deep breath, calming himself as Cecilia approached. “You okay?”

“Of course,” Chase replied through gritted teeth. How could he not have seen this? Easy. McDaniel had thousands of employees and there were always jobs open. Never in a million years would Chase have expected his grandfather to create a second vice president position or to bring in an outsider to fill that niche.

His sister touched his cheek, and Chase unclenched his jaw and forced a fake smile to his face.

“That’s better,” she said. She knew him far too well. “Gotta keep up appearances.”

“Yeah.” Chase gave a nod of acknowledgment to a passerby. He lifted his glass and saluted another.

After his one beer, he’d been drinking water most of the evening. He hadn’t wanted anything dulling his senses.

“Here they come,” Cecilia whispered, as Leroy led Miranda through the crowd.

Chase clenched his fists and tried to keep his smile from slipping.

“Chase,” Leroy said in greeting a few moments later. “I know you met Miranda earlier. There isn’t anyone more competent or more suited to this position than her. She’ll start Tuesday. I expect you to show her the ropes.”

Chase would like to show her a noose. Sure, most people would love to be in his position. As soon as Miranda took over, he’d be free to enjoy a life of leisure. He could collect his salary and, for one year, do whatever he wanted. How awesome was that? Trouble was, he already had six weeks vacation time annually, and hardly ever took any. He loved McDaniel and he loved his job. The last thing he wanted was some upstart replacement coming in and messing with his company—no matter how gorgeous she was.