Too Close to Touch Read Online Free

Kaiser.”
    Kylie stepped toward her and placed her hand Þ rmly in that of her new boss. “Kylie O’Brien.” Despite her smaller hand, Gretchen’s grip was a combination of softness and power. Kylie hoped hers gave the same impression.
    “Not Irish at all, are you, Kylie O’Brien?”
    “Maybe just a touch.” Kylie smiled, still too unsure to be charmed by the easy banter and still tingling from the zap of embarrassment knowing Gretchen had heard her voice all her fears and worries in the bathroom.
    “It’s nice to meet you.”
    “Same here.”
    “They tell me you’re my right hand, that I can rely on you to keep this department running smoothly.”
    “I’ve been here a long time. I know this company very well.”
    “Good. Being the new kid on the block, I’m going to count on you for your expertise. You okay with that?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “Excellent. The Þ rst thing we need to do is to set up a meeting of all my sales reps.”
    “All of them or just the ones here in Rochester?”
    “Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, Albany, and anywhere in between.
    I want them to see my face so they can picture who’s screaming at them through the phone when their numbers are down.”
    Kylie winced inwardly at the thought of the reps being yelled at.
    Jim had been a gentle manager, and verbally berating his people would never have crossed his mind.
    Gretchen interrupted her thought process. “Make it a mandatory meeting. Next Wednesday. If anybody can’t make it, I want them to talk to me directly about it.”
    “Okay. I’ll get on it today.”
    “Can you contact the shipping department as well and Þ nd out if my boxes have arrived? I had some things sent from my old apartment, but I don’t see them here.”
    “Got it.”
    Gretchen stopped unpacking and blinked at her. “Do you need to get a pad or something to write on?”
    • 23 •
    GEORGIA BEERS
    “No.” Kylie held her gaze. After a couple of seconds, she tapped her temple with a Þ ngertip. “I’ve got it.”
    Gretchen looked skeptical, but nodded and continued with her task. “Okay.”
    v
    The morning passed so quickly for Gretchen that she began to wonder if maybe she’d fallen through a hole in the space-time continuum and lost several hours. Her ofÞ ce was looking livable and she could Þ nd almost everything she’d unpacked. Still awaiting her boxes from Poughkeepsie, she’d headed off to a meeting with J. Edward Emerson himself, along with several of the VPs and three other regional sales managers who’d ß own in to welcome her aboard.
    She was sure she’d shaken the hands of at least a dozen new people since she’d arrived that morning, and she hoped against hope that she could actually remember their names…not that it mattered.
    She would probably only see them once a year or so at the company stockholders’ meeting. These meet-and-greet type things were a nice gesture, but she was more annoyed than anything else. There was a ton of work to be done and she felt like she was wasting time shaking hands with everybody and their brother.
    Deciding to stop by her ofÞ ce before she met her immediate superior for lunch, she heard Kylie answering the phone and was impressed with the professionalism in her voice.
    “Gretchen Kaiser’s ofÞ ce, this is Kylie. May I help you?”
    Though it was ridiculous to pass judgment after only a few hours, she had a good feeling about the competency of her EAA. And I have my own personal eye candy , she thought with a devilish grin.
    Kylie was quite a trafÞ c stopper with her all-American good looks.
    Her dark blond hair was cut simply, just skimming her shoulders, and her build was most deÞ nitely feminine, but held a hint of athleticism.
    Gretchen wondered absently if she played any sports, remembering the creamy expanse of muscled calf that peeked out from under the conservative skirt. Treadmill , she thought. I’ll bet she’s on the treadmill every day . Sighing, she made a mental note to stop