Cinderella And The Ceo

It almost seemed his unusual life was tailor-made to allow him to slip into a subsidiary unnoticed, and when he came to that conclusion, he got his first inkling that all this was awfully darned lucky—and coincidental.

Suddenly, it dawned on him that he had been set up. The realization hit him like a runaway fast ball. He wasn’t sure if he had been sent here to actually get the training he was supposed to be pretending to get, or if he was being tested to see if he was smart enough to take over when his stepfather retired, but he did know he had been set up.

Insulted, furious, Deke didn’t know what to do. He had worked for this corporation in one form or another since he was sixteen. True, he had never been at the top, but he knew the ins and outs…sort of. He didn’t know everything. Even he admitted he should be at his stepfather’s side every minute of the next two years.

All right, maybe he did need some training. But he didn’t need this entry-level stuff. Besides, it was embarrassing. And time-consuming. Surely he could learn a hundred times more at his stepfather’s side than he could learn from the supervisors at one little subsidiary.

Reining in his temper and his frustration, Deke became his usual controlled, disciplined self, not about to say or do anything out of line until he ascertained what was really going on. The HR director walked him to a section of the plant floor that was cordoned off by wire fence and looked like a cage. He led him through the mesh gate, called Laurel from a workstation at the back of the area and told Deke that this was his first stop in his working tour of the plant. She was the person who would provide his first four weeks of training.

Given the number of coincidences, Deke wasn’t taking anything for granted anymore. Not even Laurel’s easy acceptance. For all he knew she could be in on this scheme, too.

The thought that she might have conspired with his family brought him up short. He suddenly recognized that for the past twenty-four hours, while he had been blinded by her beauty and eagerly trying to think of ways to do right by her, she could very well have been taking notes on his abilities. Worse, through the course of the afternoon that followed, he suspected his performance was not worth writing home to mother about. He knew it for sure when he punched a hole in a bag of foam peanuts and sent them raining down on the entire department.

By the time four o’clock rolled around, Deke was so angry he could have spit nails. He didn’t mind that Laurel had him doing menial labor, so he would understand the intricacies of her department, or even that he wasn’t gifted as a shipper. It was the fact that no one talked with him about needing to be trained or needing to prove himself that bugged the hell out of him.

“So, ready to call it a day?” Laurel asked about ten minutes before quitting time.

Not sure how to deal with her, Deke rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Through no fault of Deke’s they were within a foot of each other. Though he was preoccupied with not being told the truth why he was at this plant, he nonetheless had to steel himself against reacting to Laurel’s alluring scent. He knew it would be total insanity to look into her sexy green eyes. But in shifting his gaze, he only succeeded in noticing that her complexion was smooth and clear. Radiant, in spite of eight hours in a grimy manufacturing plant.

“I heard you called a softball practice for after work,” Laurel said.

Deke struggled not to growl with frustration. It was almost sacrilegious that his family would drag softball into their scheme.

“Yes, I did.”

“Good. I’m sure the girls are eager to get started.”

“Most of them are,” Deke agreed, walking away because he didn’t want to get any more involved with his “boss” than he had to. All things considered, she probably was the person who reported his progress to his family. And after the day he’d spent, running to keep up with tasks the other employees seemed to be able to do in their sleep, he doubted her account would be a good one.

But Laurel stopped him by touching his forearm. “I really appreciate your doing this.”

Warmth radiated from the spot she touched on his arm, but more than that, her genuine smile of gratitude brought his thoughts to a crashing halt. How could he accuse her of being in on any kind of conspiracy? If she knew anything about his family’s plan to test him, a woman of Laurel’s level of sincerity would never be able to hide it from him.

Which meant she didn’t know his family had probably paid the old coach to retire for a summer, and she really was appreciative of his coaching her daughter’s softball team.

That knowledge inspired a burst of male pride in Deke. After hours of losing the battle with foam peanuts, pleasing her made him completely forget that she’d spent the day treating him like a peon. Worse, he had the urge to please her again.

Deke almost groaned. In thirty seconds of conversation and with one touch on his arm, Laurel made him forget he was here to please his family, not please her! How was he supposed to quickly, efficiently ascertain what his family wanted from him so he could do it and get the heck out of here, when the world’s biggest distraction was always close enough to touch?

“You’re welcome,” he said, then walked away from her.

The truth was, this would be a lot easier if she was in on his family’s scheme. At least then his anger would keep him sane. Without that, his wayward reactions to her could really throw a monkey wrench into things.

“All right, that’s it for the day,” Deke called to the noisy group of eight- and nine-year-old girls who were performing various softball drills on the grassy playing field. “Melody and Rachel, you gather the equipment this afternoon. Tomorrow we’ll have a schedule of whose turn it is to make sure all the balls and bats get into the duffel bag for me to take home. I’ll also have a printed practice schedule for your mothers. Right now, you guys, er, girls, can hit the showers.”

Audra tugged on his pant leg. “We don’t have showers, Mr. Bertrim.”

“Okay, then,” Deke said, glancing around to try to figure out what the appropriate dismissal line would be.

“Go to your mother’s car. Get on home. Get outa here,” he said, and started to chuckle. This was different, but fun, and so far the girls were nothing but enthusiastic little charmers.

“See you, Mr. Bertrim,” Sally Walker sang as she ran by him.

“See ya.”

“See ya.”

The chorus continued until all the girls were off the field and jogging toward the vehicles awaiting them in the gravel parking lot. Only Audra stayed behind.

Deke glanced down at her. “So, how’d I do?”

She shrugged. “Most of the girls like you because you’re cute. So you didn’t do too bad, but tomorrow we’re really going to want to play ball.”

“And you will,” Deke agreed, picking up the duffel bag that contained the equipment and slinging it over his shoulder. The hour-and-a-half of exercise was exactly what he needed to clear his head and put everything into perspective. He was heir to the throne of his family’s business, and apparently they thought he needed some training or a test of his abilities. He didn’t like that he hadn’t been told the truth, but he wasn’t so arrogant that he wouldn’t respect his family’s wishes. Or Tom Baxter’s. Because in two years Tom would be Deke’s right-hand man. And Deke needed to win Tom’s respect as much as he needed to win his stepfather’s. After thinking all this through, Deke realized he wanted to prove himself. And quickly. So there would be no doubts.

And so he could get the hell home, away from the temptation of a woman who would drive him insane if he had to live with her for three long months. A woman whose daughter was currently yanking on his pant leg.

“But there’s nothing wrong with some practice drills to get you into shape.”

Audra looked at him. “We’re eight. All we do is exercise. We don’t need to get in shape.”

Laughing because she was downright adorable, Deke ruffled her hair. “Smart little thing aren’t you?”

“My mother had me tested to see if I was gifted.”

Deke stopped by his small white rental car, rifling in his pants pocket for his keys. “Are you?”

“Borderline,” Audra said, shrugging. “But don’t let that scare you.”

“Hey, I don’t care if you have green hair. All I care is that you catch the ball, throw the ball and hit the ball when you’re supposed to.”

Audra grinned. “Me, too.”

Because the softball field was only a few blocks from Laurel’s home, Audra and Deke made the trip in minutes. When he pulled the car into the driveway, Audra bounded out as if her pants were on fire. Deke followed her up the sidewalk and into the kitchen.

“So was it fun?” Laurel asked Audra, but she looked at Deke.

“It was great, Mom.”

Deke smiled and nodded, confirming that the situation would probably work out. He saw Laurel breathe a sigh of relief.

“I made beef stew,” Laurel announced, and as she said the words, Deke smelled the spicy, rich aroma. But he also smelled something else. Something sweet. Cinnamon.

“And an apple pie,” she added, turning away from him to the stove, as if embarrassed to face him.

Instead of the sexual reaction he usually felt any time he was in Laurel’s company, warm and fuzzy emotion enveloped Deke when he realized she’d made that pie for him…that’s why she was embarrassed. Just from watching Audra play, he knew softball meant a great deal to her, and because Laurel was grateful to him for saving her daughter’s summer, she’d baked him a pie.