Front Burner (Published)

Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

“My apologies for the interruption, Mr. Michaels. Please continue,” Mr. Gray bellowed, as he frowned at Emma while she strode past him.

“Sorry,” Emma mumbled and found her chair in the corner.  There had never been a better moment to become invisible.  She felt herself trying to shrink down into her seat.  Thankfully, the whirring ceiling fans above her were rescuing her from sweating through her top.

She quietly pulled out her notebook to find the younger Mr. Michaels still staring in her direction. 

What is this guy’s problem? Emma wondered.  Being late is not a criminal offence here, is it?  

Eventually, he pulled his eyes away from hers and continued with his speech. 

For the next hour, Emma took down notes while both Michaels spoke to the group.  Throughout the meeting, she was able to get a closer look at her aggressor, who was younger than she originally thought.  

Grant Michaels, as she learned, had to be in his early thirties and obviously had a share in one of the many family-operated businesses.  Still seething with embarrassment, somehow, Emma was able to jot down pieces of information on company loyalty and appreciation, new advertising campaigns and a hopeful United States Senate editorial endorsement. 

Several times during the meeting, her eyes met his and she would quickly avert her gaze and find something more interesting inside her notebook.  While the man’s glare had somewhat softened, his glances still remained heated. 

Maybe I should apologize, Emma considered, but quickly shot down the idea.  Pretending it never happened seemed like a much better option.  Maybe she could send an email?  Possibly after it all blows over.  Lucky for her, a sales representative’s phone made for another interruption, which seemed to remove Emma as the center of Gray’s hostility.

As the speeches were winding down and hands were being shaken, she took a moment to glance over the words that flowed over her notebook.  Emma looked between the two owners and was sure that Grant Michaels was the politician of the family.  He held a confidence and power that could not be undermined by his youthful appearance.  No wonder her disruption got under his skin. 

As the group filed out of the room, she remained in the back, still trying to hide from the earlier incident.  Outside of the door, the noise level picked up as employees scattered to find their desks. 

Emma made her way over the elevator bank, following her angry boss down to the main floor where they shared a connecting office.  As she paused to step onto the car, she felt a large warm hand on the small of her back.  After her displayed clumsiness, it was no surprise that someone felt the need to assist her. 

But as she settled in the back of the elevator, the hand remained.  She looked over her right shoulder and saw Grant Michaels’ shadowed eyes pinning her to the floor.  His lips were tight, but she couldn’t read his serious expression.

Emma wanted to take a step to the side, so that Mr. Michaels’ hand would fall away, but a marketing manager left her little space to shift.  She didn’t want to further offend someone who had authority over her job, but his presence was making her uncomfortable.  Emma glimpsed up once more and her breath caught in her throat while Grant’s smoldered gaze remained. 

She returned her eyes to the floor and let the ache consume her chest while she waited for the elevator to come to a halt.  Emma couldn’t remember a time when she had ever experienced anything close to this painfully warm sensation simmering in her lower stomach.  Her ex-boyfriend Carter never provoked this reaction, not even the one time he persuaded her into his bed. 

How did this stranger change her entire perception with a single touch? She wondered.  She never would have expected this. Not so soon after…

As the doors slid open, Emma wiggled her way through the small group and dashed toward the petite office that connected to Mr. Gray’s by a large doorway, no longer caring if she was the center of attention.  Even with Grant Michaels’ hand missing from her back, she could still feel tingling warmth where his long fingers once lay.  A warmth that spread throughout her body.  She flicked on her computer and clinched her eyes, urging the unfamiliar – and unwelcome – moment to pass.

“We need to talk about…” a large voice filled the joining rooms.  Emma jumped to her feet, as the warmth was immediately cooled by her nerves.

“Mr. Gray, I am deeply sorry about this morning,” she started, interrupting his lecture.  She knew what she did wrong.  “It will not happen again.  I’ve learned to never carry coffee along for a ride where everyone in the city is out to exterminate you.  Please, Sir, I am determined to show you the value I can bring to the company,” Emma pleaded. 

Richard Gray nodded, and said, “I understand, Ms. Rosen.  I want to remind you that for the rest of the month, you are still in your probationary period.  If anything comes up again, I expect to be notified.  I won’t be made a fool in front of my bosses.”

“Understood,” she replied to his retreating back.

Well, okay then, she thought.  He was still moody, but at least she still had a job.