After the Interview Read Online Free

day was quick, providing time to dry her hair and get through her minimal makeup routine. Zoe also took about fifteen minutes to jot down some notes from the interview and send an email to Jeff, her editor, letting him know the interview had gone well and she was headed out for more work this evening.
     
    About to close her laptop, Zoe had a sudden idea she couldn’t resist. Within seconds she had located C J Fairchild’s life in the gossip pages of the local newspaper. He didn’t seem to miss a social function. One headline called him the most eligible and unattainable bachelor in the city. From the photos it looked like he had “dated” women from all over the globe. When did this man find time to work? A grin lit up Zoe’s face. C J Fairchild might be just what she needed right now.
     
    Walking to the closet, Zoe looked at her reflection in the mirror and wondered why this man interested her so much. Oh face it, he excites you physically and that has not happened in a long time, she thought. Pulling the tight fitting emerald green dress over her chest and hips, Zoe couldn’t help thinking about what it would feel like to have C J run his hands over those same curves.
     
    “Stop this insanity,” Zoe said out loud, much to her amazement.
     
    Shoes, she thought, should be her focus at the moment because one of her black slingbacks was missing. Ah, there it was under the chair. The bedside phone rang and startled Zoe. 7:05. Fashionably late, Mr. Fairchild, she thought.
     
    “Zoe, it’s C J. I’m in the lobby and ready to head out when you are,” he said.
    “Be there in five,” Zoe said and hung up the phone, not waiting for a reply.
    On the way out the door, she grabbed her phone and purse. Don’t act so eager, she thought; collect yourself and be cool and calm. That thought vanished the minute Zoe stepped into the lobby and saw C J. He was standing with his back to her but she would have known him anywhere. Why? Because his black suit was impeccable and spoke of elegance, and no less than three other women in the lobby were openly staring his way. Turning as Zoe stepped out of the elevator, C J broke into an almost conspiratorial grin when he saw her approaching. His eyes openly traveled the length of her body, making Zoe feel like she had been caressed.
     
    “My guess is you plan to single-handedly take the cocktail party by storm and derail any business talk this evening, Ms. Alden, because you are stunning.”
     
    “Why thank you, Mr. Fairchild,” was all Zoe could manage to say in return.
     
    She wanted to tell him he was a drop dead gorgeous hunk of man but that would not do. Plus she was relieved her exit from the elevator to meet C J had gone much smoother than this afternoon in his office. He seemed to not only unnerve her but also make her practically fall into his arms. This idea brought a smile to Zoe’s face. Seeing this, C J extended his arm and guided her to the exit and his waiting car.
     
     
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    The Petroleum Club was the epitome of old-moneyed elegance. Nothing was overstated and gaudy, but walking into the foyer made you feel like you had entered the realm of royalty. After all, oil was money, and there was plenty of it in Houston, especially tonight. The staircase, white marble with sculpted metal balustrades, led up from the marble floored entry and split into two branches then curved elegantly toward the second floor. An art deco statue sparkled as the light from an enormous Murano glass chandelier reflected onto it. Zoe caught the faint sounds of conversation and a woman’s laugh intermingled with musicians playing softly, when she noticed a gentleman in formal attire approach them from an alcove.
     
    C J nodded to the gentleman who acknowledged their presence with, “Welcome Mr. Fairchild, and who is your guest this evening?”
     
    “Mr. James, this is Ms. Zoe Alden of the Business Journal from New York. She’s in town visiting the petroleum symposium and voicing