An Executive Decision Read Online Free PDF

slowly than expected, so I’m still here. But it is abating. Beverly’s meeting went as well as could be expected under the circumstances.’ He held her gaze. ‘We’re keeping her absence a secret until we know for sure what’s going on, so I had to lie to Alan Marston. Not an easy task.’
    She knew Alan Marston, or at least by reputation. He was a client of Jasper and McDowell’s from time to time, but even as good as she was at her job, he would work with no one but Fred Jasper.
    ‘Beverly owes me big time for dealing with Marston,’ he said. He moved behind the desk and pulled a key from a side drawer. ‘Sandra told me she locked the files in the top drawer this morning when she got here. She figured you’d forgotten them after everything that had happened.’ His gaze seemed heavier with the last words, and she felt it like a weight, like the weight of his body. She struggled to pull her mind back to the business at hand.
    Ellis unlocked the drawer and gave it a tug, but it wouldn’t open. ‘Feels like something’s stuck,’ he said, jerking it hard. His hand slipped, banging his knuckle and abrading the tip of his finger in the process. He caught his breath and bit back a curse.
    ‘Are you all right?’ Forgetting herself, Dee was at his side in an instant, taking his hand in hers.
    ‘Fine.’ He forced a throaty laugh. ‘No blood, no loss of limbs. I’m fine.’ The nearness of him radiated over her skin. He smelled like outside. There was no distance between them, and dear God, he smelled like outside. She wanted to take him in her arms. She wanted to bury her face against his chest and breathe in the scent of him. Christ, what was the matter with her? How could she even think such things under the circumstances? It took them a second to realise that his fingers were curled around hers.
    They both stepped back. Ellis offered a nervous laugh. ‘Right, let’s rescue these file folders for you then.’ He slid open the side drawer, and found a ruler, which he inserted into the breach then gently pried. ‘Who knows what the woman has tucked away in here?’ he said, offering her a sideways glance with a spark of mischief she’d never seen in any of the photos of Ellison Thorne. It made her insides feel like warm honey. ‘Wouldn’t be surprised to find a packet of some exotic fertiliser or a trowel, garden gloves. With Beverly nothing would surprise –’ The drawer gave and he caught the arm of the chair for balance as the whole thing nearly dislodged onto the floor.
    Dee gave a little gasp, swallowing back the breathless laugh that had resulted from their shared moment of awkwardness.
    Sure enough, the three file folders were on top. Ellis carefully extricated them. ‘Here are the rescued files, property of Jasper and McDowell.’ He read the black label across the top folder, as he handed them to her. Then he returned his attention to the open drawer. ‘And here’s the problem.’ Ellis pulled out the newspaper that had wedged itself in the drawer. It was the same one that had been on top of Beverly’s desk the last time Dee had seen her. On the front page Ellis and the governor of the great state of Oregon still smiled and shook hands as though nothing had happened, as though nothing had changed since the last time Dee had seen it.
    Ellis chuckled softly. ‘You wouldn’t know it to look at her, but Beverly Neumann’s a sentimental packrat.’ He nodded to the large zip-lock bag nestled in the centre of the drawer, a bag full of clippings about Pneuma Inc. and Ellis in particular. ‘She keeps a scrapbook at home. Can you believe it? Someone as hard-nosed as Beverly has a scrapbook. I’ve never actually seen it, but she always lurks like a vulture with a pair of scissors whenever there’s a newspaper or magazine article about Pneuma Inc. She even saves napkins from the yearly staff appreciation party. She saves everything. Hell, half her library at home is probably filled with silly