Her Alpha CEO

Chapter 4

Two days had gone by with no word from Nina, and Brian was in a foul temper when he strode into the office on Monday morning. His meetings on Sunday had gone exactly as he’d expected, with most of the team being reluctant to reschedule the release date of New Moon Rising.

Only two of his employees had seemed eager to bring it forward, which Brian suspected was either a sign of boredom with the project, or treachery. He’d made a note of both of them – corporate espionage was a criminal offence and was working behind the scenes to catch them in the act of passing insider information to his brother.

They’d each been given separate fake projects to work on, and it was only a matter of time before one, or both of them, was leaked to Knight Gaming, his brother’s company. Still, it wasn’t the thought of his staff betraying him which had Brian in a fury. It was the lack of communication from Nina.

He was used to getting what he wanted, generally his good looks and charms had it handed to him on a platter, and the fact that Nina hadn’t made a single move to contact him after their night together made him think that perhaps she wasn’t interested. It stung his ego, but more than that, it hurt more than he’d expected it to. He’d really felt a connection with Nina, and he thought she had too.

He slammed his way into his office and pulled up short when he saw his sister sitting comfortably behind his desk.

“Jen, what are you doing here?”

“Well, good morning to you too, grumpy.” Jen’s eyebrow rose at his tone. He grimaced and walked over to the bar counter that lined one wall of his office, reaching for the fresh pot of coffee his PA had brewed in preparation for his arrival. He held it up to Jen and she nodded. “I don’t want angry coffee though, so make sure you don’t put any of your temper in it.” As planned, her comment made Brian chuckle.

Angry coffee was a joke going back to their childhood, when their mother had cajoled them out of fits of temper by insisting that if they made anything while in a bad mood, their food would taste angry. Jen in particular, had been fond of sending her coffee back to the kitchen stating that it was too angry to drink.

With the coffee made, and Brian’s mood slightly improved, he sat down opposite his sister.

“So, why the bad mood?” Jen watched him over the rim of her cup as she took a sip. Brian sighed.

“It’s Nina.”

“Ah, yes. Nina. How did your date go on Friday?” Brian winced, avoiding her eyes. “Oh God, Brian. Please tell me you didn’t sleep with her?” He flushed and Jen slammed her cup down on the desk. “Brian Guidice, you took the poor girl to bed after a single date?”

“She’s not a poor girl, Jennifer! She’s a woman; a beautiful, independent woman and she invited me to her bed. I didn’t take her, as you so elegantly put it.”

Jen stared at her brother, and then whistled. “Wow, you’ve got it bad, don’t you?”

Brian groaned, placing his own mug on the desk and rubbing his face with his hands. “I haven’t heard anything from her since I left on Saturday.”

“Well, have you tried calling or sending her a message?” Jen’s voice was matter-of-fact.

“No… I thought she’d contact me first. Women usually do.” He cringed back as his sister flew to her feet, sparks flying in her sudden fury.

“Nina is clearly not most women, Brian! I can’t believe how obtuse you can be sometimes. Honestly, if you weren’t my brother I’d be ashamed to know you. As it is, I look forward to the day when a woman takes that ego you seem to have developed and pops it with her stiletto. Or a few choice words.”

She snatched her purse and stormed to the door, turning back for one final word. “Call Nina, Brian. If you’re lucky, she’ll forgive you for being a class A jerk.” She slammed the door on her way out, leaving Brian staring after her in bewilderment.

“What did I do?”

*****

Nina slammed the book back into place on the shelf and turned to grab another from the trolley. She was stocking shelves but with none of her usual care and enjoyment. Brian hadn’t called or messaged, and his line about it being more than a one-night stand seemed to be just that. A line. She snorted, drawing wary glances from the customers browsing the shelves next to her. Before she could pick up the next book, a hand snatched it from the trolley.

“I’ve got this, Nina. Why don’t you go check the inventory at the back?” her friend and colleague, Lisa leaned forward to whisper, “You’re scaring the customers.”

Her temper suddenly replaced by weariness, Nina smiled her thanks and made her way to the back, where she could be alone with her thoughts, and her bad mood. Her run in with Michael had made her eager to hear from Brian again, to replace bad memories with good ones, but when Saturday passed without a word from him, and then Sunday, she’d begun to suspect he wasn’t going to get in touch.

She pulled her phone from her purse, checking it for messages for the umpteenth time, but there were none. He wasn’t going to contact her, and she might as well just forget it. Forget him. Or she could message him? No, if he wanted to see her again, he had to make the effort. And it would have to be one hell of an effort after he’d ignored her for two days following the best s*x of her life.

Nina groaned, slumping down in a chair, surrounded by books. That was the problem. What she’d felt with Brian went beyond anything else she’d ever felt with a guy. True, he was a gorgeous, billionaire CEO and many women would claim to feel something they’d never felt before just for a chance to hang onto him. But he’d sat in her house, eaten the food she’d cooked for him and raved about it to boot. Then he’d taken her to bed and made her feel things she’d never felt before. Surely that had to count for something?

Her phone buzzed in her hand, and she stared at the screen as though she’d conjured a ghost. Brian Bookstore, the caller ID read. She should probably change his surname now that she knew what it was. The phone was still ringing, while she debated answering it. It would serve him right if she didn’t, but Nina had never been one to enjoy playing games with people. She pressed the answer button.

“Hello?”

“Nina! Hi! I didn’t think you were going to answer.” His voice sent shivers through her and she steeled herself.

“I’m at work, Brian. What can I do for you?”

“Ouch. Well, I guess I deserved that.” She didn’t speak, heard him clear his throat awkwardly before he continued. “Look, Nina, I’m sorry I didn’t call you. I could use the excuse that I’ve been at work all weekend, but the truth is, I was waiting for you to call me. Most women –”

“I’m not most women,” Nina cut him off, her voice icy.

“No, of course not. I didn’t mean… look, I’m sorry. I should have called, and I didn’t because I was behaving like a class A jerk. Let me make it up to you, please? Dinner, tonight? I’ll pick you up.”