Her Alpha CEO

She looked longingly down at her pointy-toed, three-inch ivory pumps, then at the beat-up Birkenstock sandals on a woman passing by, and she sighed. Someday, she thought, she was going to be the big cheese at her own successful corporation. And the first policy she planned to put in place was a Casual Friday. Then she’d add a Casual Thursday. And a Casual Wednesday, Tuesday and Monday, too. And then she’d decree that no work ever took place on the weekend.

She knew her business philosophy was an unconventional one. Most corporate big shots had gotten where they were by working overtime, downtime, double time and time and a half.

She knew it was traditional to keep employees toeing a conservative line in all things

business-related. And she knew power suits made a more imposing impression than well, beat-up Birkenstock sandals. But she also knew that the real secret to success was loving what you did for a living.

And Nina loved big business. She just wasn’t that crazy about all its trappings. She didn’t think the image was as important as other people did. As far as she was concerned, actions spoke louder than power suits. She would rather have a force of casually dressed, happy, productive employees working for her than she would a bunch of polished corporate drones.

It wasn’t enough to be smart and energetic in today’s business world. Creativity was

absolutely essential. And creative people were not a suit-wearing tribe. So Nina was going

to cut her workforce a little slack. She toed off one pointy-toed high heel and let it drop to the sidewalk. And she would cut herself some slack, too.

Brian hadn’t had a title or description yet for the job he’d offered her, but she wasn’t

worried. No matter what it was, she would do it well. She would play by his rules for as long as it took to get the business off the ground, and then she would tailor it to her policies and procedures and put her own personal stamp on it. Brian, for all his conservative bluster, had always been an open-minded and farsighted businessman. It was part of what had made him so successful. He would allow — no, expect — Nina to be her own woman with whatever he gave her to direct. And she couldn’t wait to get started.

As if cued by the thought, Michael Jones turned the corner just then, catching Nina’s

eye and raising a hand in greeting. He was having a Casual Saturday, she noticed, wearing faded jeans with a brightly patterned tiki shirt and, she noted with some wistfulness, sandals.

“You didn’t have to dress for work,” he said by way of a greeting as he sat down across from her.

Nina eyed him with what she hoped looked like terseness, since terse was suddenly how she felt. “Well, since we’re supposed to be working,” she said meaningfully, “I dressed for work.”

“But it’s Saturday,” he said with a smile. Then he looked past her and waved to catch a waiter’s attention. “You don’t have to be all buttoned-up and battened down. Live a little.”

Yeah, like you did last night, huh, Michael? Nina had to bite her lip to keep the words from tumbling out. Instead, she was the picture of politeness when she asked, “What happened to you last night?”

He looked genuinely puzzled. “Last night?”

She nodded. “We were supposed to have a dinner meeting. To discuss your incredible business proposal and how I can help you.”

He shook his head. “No, we’re doing that this morning.” Nina turned her head and tugged lightly on an earring. “No, it was supposed to be last night, Michael. In fact, when we said goodbye on the phone yesterday afternoon after our discussion about the deal that you made with one of the subsidiaries I’d be working with, you

distinctly said, ‘I’ll see you at six-thirty.’ But I waited twenty minutes, and you never

showed.”

He looked a little taken aback, presumably by her tone, which, she had to admit, wasn’t the sort of voice one normally used with a potential business partner. Particularly a brand-new one. No, it was more the tone of voice one used with a dog who had just peed on the carpet.

His eyes went flinty. Then he smiled, a gesture that fell well short of making him look happy.

“I meant six-thirty tonight,” he said.

“No, you meant Friday,” she countered with all confidence. “I don’t make mistakes like that.”

“Neither do I.”

“You did last night,” Nina told him pointedly. “Or maybe you just found yourself…

preoccupied by a better prospect. A blonde prospect.”

His smile disappeared, and his eyes hardened even more. “What I do in my private time is none of your business, Nina.”

“It is if it affects my job.”

He expelled a soft sound of undisguised contempt. “What job?” he demanded. “We haven’t even discussed the business.”

Not that Nina minded, since it would save her the trouble of turning him down and get her out of unwanted commitments more quickly, but she felt compelled to ask, “What business exactly?” Mostly because she didn’t want to leave any loose threads hanging. And, okay, also because she wanted to goad him.

“What business?” he asked incredulously. “I don’t think that’s any of your business now that we’re not going to work together, do you? You’re also completely unsuited to the position I had you in mind for.”

Ridiculous, she thought. She was perfect for the job of vice president. And in a few years, once she got her legs, she’d be perfect for the job of CEO. After that, she wasn’t sure, but she might take over the universe. At the moment, she felt perfectly capable—she was that confident of her abilities.

Evidently, Michael didn’t have such an inflated opinion of her, however, because he

continued, “You’re also withdrawn and uncooperative, and you’re not a team player.”

Nina nodded at this. By his definition of those words, he was right, and she told him so. “In other words, I’m ethical to the point that I won’t roll over on my boyfriend and tell you all his best-kept business secrets.”

Michael’s mouth shut tight at that, but he said nothing.

“That’s why you contacted me, isn’t it, Michael? Because you thought I’d speak freely about Brian Guidice. You thought I’d make you privy to all his personal quirks and habits and reveal the details of any of his dealings that I might have been in on.”

For a moment, Michael said nothing. Then he sneered at her and said, “As if Brian Guidice would allow his mistress to be in on any of his dealings. I don’t know what I was thinking to assume a nobody like you would have any insight into a rival corporation.”