After the Interview (6 page)

C J slipped his jacket off of Zoe’s arm and said, “Thanks for bringing this today but I could have gotten it this evening at your hotel.”

Jack Dupre’s face broke into a smile as he shook C J’s free hand, saying, “As usual, you know all of the interesting and attractive women.”

Zoe, feeling like she might drown in the testosterone floating around the area said, “Mr. Fairchild and I met yesterday when I interviewed him for the magazine.”

“It seems the two of you found some mutual interests,” Jack said, nodding his head at the jacket now draped over C J’s arm.

Zoe, not used to defending herself, said, “Marshall Petroleum was very forthright with their research and data and I know my readers are going to find my conclusions about the resurging industry an important read.”

“Marshall Petroleum has been an important part of the boom due to the technology they created and continue to develop, and that is why the Williams Company values them as a partner,” Jack said. C J nodded in agreement and Zoe felt the tension dive noticeably.

It was at this point that Zoe noticed the woman standing next to C J. Well, she thought, it seems he can’t go anywhere without a beautiful woman. The blonde blue-eyed woman looked familiar to Zoe but she couldn’t place her. The woman was tanned and very athletic looking but this did not diminish her femininity.

C J noticed Zoe looking at the woman and was about to speak when Zoe heard Jack Dupre say, “Hello, Logan, it’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you as well, Jack. Your display is show-stopping, as usual,” the woman said.

Logan, oh that is why she looked so familiar, Zoe thought. So this is C J’s sister. It was the blue eyes that she recognized. From the group’s interaction, Zoe felt like she was in the middle of a situation that had some secret depths to it, so she decided to introduce herself, thus breaking the tension.

“Zoe Alden, and you must be Logan Fairchild,” she said, extending her hand.

“Yes,” the woman replied, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The words were polite but Zoe could tell that Logan was clearly very distracted.

“Excuse me, but I need to make the rounds to other visitors now. I look forward to seeing all of you this evening,” Jack said as he turned and started walking to a group of men a few feet away.

Zoe couldn’t help but feel that these last words were aimed at one particular person in their midst, and it wasn’t C J or her.

“Zoe,” Logan said, “I’m glad we met and I hope to see you more this afternoon, but right now I need to scoot or I will miss my lunch date, Uncle Burt, and I don’t like to keep a CEO waiting.” Logan took a few steps then quickly spun back to face them and asked, “C J, do you plan to head over and join us?”

“I’ll be there in a bit. You go on ahead,” he answered.

“Wow, that situation felt a bit awkward. Don’t tell me that you have enemies lurking in these halls,” Zoe said.

“Awkward yes, enemy not really. Jack and Logan were a couple once and it didn’t end well. We’ll leave it at that.”

“Fine by me,” Zoe said, not wanting to pry into C J’s sister’s personal life. After all, she was a business journalist and not a gossip columnist, but she had to admit the situation made the outing tonight all the more intriguing.

“Do the company’s CEOs really attend the symposium?” Zoe asked with a bit of surprise in her voice.

“Most of them do,” C J answered. “They may not work the company displays but you often catch them on the floor shaking hands and getting a firsthand look at what’s happening. Many deals and alliances can be formed at this event, so it is good to see who is talking to whom. This year all eyes are on the representatives from China Sea, a new oil company sponsored by their government. You can tell more about who they don’t talk to than who they do talk to, if that makes sense.” Zoe couldn’t help but be impressed by C J’s grasp of the global implications playing out in the industry now.

As if reading her thoughts, C J said, “Remember, yesterday I told you global politics have huge implications in our industry. It keeps my job from ever being dull.”

“I do know exactly what you mean and the same issues keep me moving. In fact, I am out of here earlier than expected tomorrow because of an unusual opportunity,” Zoe answered.

C J looked at her and seemed to study her face to discern if she meant what she was saying. After a moment he smiled and said, “Then we will make this a party and a night for you to remember Houston by.” Zoe looked up at his face and knew he meant what he said. “So, what is the big new scoop you’re following up on?” C J asked her.

“The Russian ambassador is attending the UN assembly meeting, and he’s agreed to an interview. The magazine has been trying for months to get this lined up, and it broke unexpectedly,” Zoe answered.

“He must be warned not to dine with you because you have a way of getting sensitive information when a guy is relaxed and waiting for chocolate cake,” C J said then laughed.

“Right,” Zoe said, remembering the intimacy of sharing that chocolate cake.

“Do you want to join us for lunch?” C J asked.

“No, I can’t now that I am minus day two at the symposium. I need to walk around, talk to more companies and take note of who is in attendance and, as you pointed out, see who is talking to whom or not talking at all,” Zoe answered.

“Fair enough,” C J said a bit too easily for Zoe’s liking. “The crayfish boil starts at five this afternoon, so I will pick you up at your hotel around five thirty. We don’t want to be too late. Don’t forget it’s very casual, and wear your dancing shoes,” he said and hurried to the back of the convention center.

Zoe had no chance to say yes or no to his announcement of their plans, and this irked her a bit. Not that she wasn’t interested in going to this crayfish boil with him, but C J was very presumptive of her acceptance of the terms. Zoe was curious to see if C J’s sister, Logan, would accept Jack Dupre’s invitation. Drama in the oil world and not the kind she was supposed to be focused on Zoe thought. As she walked down a side aisle, Zoe took note of Hughes Crosby, the CEO of BP Oil, being introduced to a representative of China Sea. Now that is an interesting development to keep tabs on with the newswires, Zoe considered. No doubt, C J would know about this meeting and the why of it before the day was over. Zoe pictured him smiling at her. He was smart, resourceful and damned good looking: quite a nice combination.

ℓ

C J spotted his sister alone at a table for four and headed her way. “Where is Uncle Burt?” C J asked.

“He had to take a phone call but will be back shortly, I hope,” Logan answered. C J wanted to ask his sister if she was ok after the encounter with Jack Dupre but thought better of it and kept quiet.

As if to preempt any chance the subject might come up, Logan asked C J, “So who is that hot reporter you’ve made friends with?”

“I haven’t made friends with her, as you call it, but I am pulling out all of the stops to make sure she’s fair in her write up about the company. We get enough grief from the liberal media. It would be nice to have a kind word for a change.” C J answered.

“Uh huh, well Caroline told me that you two looked pretty cozy last night at Matt’s,” Logan said.

C J smiled and said, “Zoe is smart and gorgeous, so what’s not to like? She’s back to New York tomorrow, so I don’t have much time to make a lasting impression.”

“Be careful there,” Logan said. “The word lasting can be very dangerous.”

ℓ

Zoe spent the balance of her afternoon at the petroleum symposium talking to a cross section of the companies present, from rig suppliers to refiners. She even managed an introduction to a representative from China Sea, which she knew was going to be a great addition to her interview of C J. Ah, and yes she admitted C J Fairchild had entered her thoughts more than once during the afternoon even though she had not even had a glimpse of him. Zoe did see Jack Dupre once and he smiled while nodding his head in greeting. There was certainly nothing wrong with that package, Zoe thought.

Speeding along the highway to reach her hotel, Zoe felt tension building in her, not the kind born of fear but of delicious anticipation. She knew that if fate and C J presented her with another opportunity to make this a night to remember Houston by, she had plans to grab it. By the time Zoe reached the hotel she was jazzed with anticipation and felt like she needed to hit the gym and run about 10 miles. No time for that, as traffic had been slow through the maze of connecting highways on the way back to the hotel. As she walked into her room, Zoe noticed the clock said 4:30, giving her an hour to write her impressions of the symposium and get ready by 5:30. No problem, she thought, how hard was it to throw on a pair of jeans and a shirt? Zoe knew she was kidding herself. She would do her best to be alluring in this shirt and jeans. Shower or write first? That was the question. Zoe opted to write first in case she indulged in some vivid daydreaming in the shower. No point in having work shortchange her fun.

Chapter Four

C J had left the symposium before Zoe and had spent almost an hour swimming laps in his pool. He was stunned that his attraction to Zoe grew each time he saw her, and today he had been amazed at how much he disliked the interaction he saw between her and Jack Dupre. Jack wasn’t a bad guy but hell no he wasn’t going to make any inroads with Zoe, C J thought to himself. Besides, C J still felt the pull between Jack and his sister, Logan. Who knew if those two would ever get beyond their blowup, but that was not his business. C J had been a hair’s breadth from spinning Zoe around and exiting the symposium with her today as his hand made contact with her back. Just imagining an afternoon of lovemaking with her had him starting to harden again; shit, this was reaching a point of absurdity. What C J wanted was to show up at Zoe’s hotel early, giving them time for passionate sex before they headed out tonight, which would make him feel a hell of a lot better. He knew she was just as ready for it as he was. Nothing was getting in the way of the inevitable tonight, C J thought.

ℓ

Zoe decided she was lucky tonight. Not having come to Houston prepared for a crayfish boil, she did not have to think too hard about what to wear. As she tucked the white cotton shirt into the jeans, she winced a bit at the fit. Maybe one size up on the jeans would have been better but what the heck they would loosen up with a bit of walking around. She slipped on black flats as she pulled a gold metal belt through the last loop on the front of her jeans. She looked for the red scarf she used to stay warm on airplanes and slung it around her neck and over her shoulder. Tonight, C J would probably not have a jacket with him, let alone a suit jacket. The idea of C J in a pair of tight jeans brought a devilish smile to Zoe’s lips. She was already imagining what his firm thighs and butt would look like, let alone feel like. Ok, she thought, keep your focus. As Zoe toyed with the idea of pulling her hair back she heard the phone ring. “Well I guess down it is,” she said, reaching for the phone.

“Hello,” Zoe said.

“I’m downstairs and waiting to see you in jeans,” C J said.

“Be down in a minute. Do you think I’ll know you without a suit jacket?” Zoe asked. She was anticipating getting the night rolling.

“I guess we’ll see as soon as you step out of that elevator,” C J answered.

The moment the elevator door opened C J stepped in view, and Zoe was not disappointed. If ever a man looked good in jeans and a pale denim cowboy shirt, it was C J. The jeans were fitted enough to allow Zoe’s imagination to run wild as he walked up to her. His lazy grin showed that he was not the least bit disappointed in what he was seeing either. How could simple be so elegant, C J thought?

“The jeans suit you,” he said, leaning over to kiss her lightly on the mouth.

Zoe, a bit stunned, just stood rooted in place. Did he really just kiss me and send every nerve in my body into high gear? Yes, the hell he did, she admitted. C J looked at Zoe, and she read the question on his face. Do we walk across the lobby and out the door or just walk back into the elevator and head upstairs? It was a simple question, but Zoe was conflicted about her desires.