Sleeping With The CEO
Chapter 147: Unexpected Challenger

Chapter 147: Unexpected Challenger

There were many unwritten things that came with being the CEO of a successful group. Things that no one talked about but everybody knew that they were part and parcel of the job.

One of those things was the mind games, and the negotiations. Being the CEO of Haven Group, Derek had gone through many negotiations that were so tense you could have cut the air with a butter knife. He had gone toe to toe with people who played mind games, to a level so great that if a person was unused to that amount of toxicity, they would crack under the pressure and end up in a psych ward somewhere. And that was not just him being dramatic. He had seen it happen before.

There had been multiple cases of people committing suicide due to the mind games that the higher-ups were playing with them. Derek knew all about that, and he knew that the only way to survive such things, and to come out on top. Was to have one particular trait that a lot of people often dismissed as something trivial. And that trait was simple.

Patience.

That was all you needed. For you see, no matter how long the negotiations dragged on, no matter what was thrown at you.

If you were patient enough, at some point you would begin to see the pattern, and once the pattern had made itself clear it was game over for the other side, you could then turn their playbook against them. And more often than not, people who played mind games often had no idea what to do when they were being attacked, with their own game plan.

It was something that Derek had done time and time again, relishing the looks on his competitors’ faces when he turned the tables on them. Negotiations and mind games were something that he took so lightly, he could play them in his sleep.

That was, if he was ever able to get any sleep.

But now Derek was realizing that on that front he might have spoken too soon. Yes, if negotiations and playing dirty tricks were some sort of bottled alcohol, fresh off the shelf and selling to the highest bidder.

Derek would most likely be able to drink the majority of CEOs under the table. But it seemed that for him, his greatest challenger in that respect would not be anyone who held a similar title to him.

No, in fact, Derek was being given a run for his money by someone whom he had never seen coming.

Emily Molson of all people.

When he had finally been given the chance to explain everything that had gone on, he had seized it and he had used it to the best of his ability. By the time that he had stopped talking. He was certain that Emily had been sold, that she understood that Derek had been honest with her.

That he did not have any ill intentions towards her. And he had just been about to pat himself on the back, certain that she would say yes. When Emily had done something totally unexpected, rather than give Derek a simple yes or a no, he did not like to acknowledge that ’no’ could have been an option. But still, he had expected either of the two, a yes or a no, simple.

But Emily had not gone for either of those two options. Instead, she had created a third option for herself and had stuck to it. Emily had given him a ’maybe’, and that was the problem that Derek was having. If she had said yes, he would have rejoiced and things would have been great for him.

He would have known that not only was she coming back as his PA, they would also be giving the sleep thing a try, which was a win all around. But instead of if she had given him a no, Derek would also have known what to do with that. He would not have liked it, but he also had a game plan for a no.

If she had said no, he would have tried everything in his power to convince her otherwise. To show her all of the benefits that would come with her changing her mind, and deciding to go along with being his PA again and to agreeing to sharing a bed with him.

Yes, or no, those were the answers that Derek had prepared for.

But Emily had gone for the middle road, not falling on either side. She had gone for maybe. And that small word was a big problem for Derek. Maybe meant that she was undecided.

If he assumed that she had said maybe, but actually meant no, and then tried to charm her into changing her stance, she might take it as him being too pushy and say no either way.

Or, if she was leaning towards saying yes, and he kept on pushing, she might change her answer to no.

All because he did not know when to let up. So Emily had effectively tied him up with that simple answer. He could neither push nor could he pull. He had to stand down and wait for her to come to him.

Which was exactly what Derek was doing, even if it felt like one of the hardest things that he had ever done. It helped that he still had Emily’s coat. Even after all the time that had passed, it still retained some of her scent. It was not as strong as it had been in the beginning. And now there were even traces of him there, threatening to overpower Emily’s spring scent. But when he focused hard enough and buried his nose in the fabric, Derek could still smell her. And on tough days, like the one that he was currently having, that small thing was enough to calm him down. Emily had said maybe.

She had not come out right and said no, so Derek still stood a chance. He reminded himself of that as he lay in bed clutching her coat close, but that did precious little to make him actually believe that there was a chance that she would say no.

The negative part of himself was having a great time, doing its absolute best to make him think that Emily would not even show up if he were burning and calling out her name. Rather than let the dark thoughts gather around him and drag him down, Derek got up.

Taking Emily’s coat, he put it back in the walk-in closet. And then he picked out some swim trunks and headed to his rooftop pool. He did some lazy laps in the water, not really trying to burn off steam, but just trying to get his thoughts sluggish enough that he did not think of anything. And for the most part, it worked.

It got him from one hour to the next. Until it was finally time for him to get ready to head back to the diner, where he would receive Emily’s answer.

He really hoped that it was a yes.