Hearing that Regina asked about nature of their relationship, Jeff opened his mouth to respond, but he felt JoAnna squeezing his hand, so he stopped.
Bridgette had difficulty keeping a straight face. ' This woman is truly outrageous! ' Bridgette thought that even if JoAnna is not the owner of the resort and her employer, Regina should not ask such a blatant question. Can she be more obvious about her intentions? Ah, it will be fun watching her lady boss put this wanna-be-girlfriend back where she belongs.
Even Steve who usually keeps to himself could not stop from frowning while looking at the woman sitting opposite from him. ' How dare she pursue his Boss when it's obvious that Miss Hill is his lover? ' Steve concluded that Regina must be a miss from well-to-do family who was spoiled silly while growing up.
JoAnna tilted her head slightly as she watched Regina fume. Smile lingered on JoAnna's face while she spoke in a lazy manner, stark opposite of Regina's high pitched anxious voice: "Yes, Miss Heaven, you are overstepping your boundaries. I never heard of a subordinate ask superior about private life so blatantly. I hope this does not happen again, because I believe that my employees should know that my patience has limits. I want to remind you that whatever my relationship with Jeff is, it should not impact why you came here…"
JoAnna placed her left hand slowly over Jeff's, which was holding her right, and she was pleased to see that Regina's eyes landed on her engagement ring. "Miss Heaven, you did come here to handle finances for Great Ocean Resort. Correct?"
Regina faintly nodded while she tried to process everything she saw and heard. ' Is that an engagement ring? Why are they so close? Are two of them engaged?!! Is she threatening me?!! ' She could not believe that CEO White who is always so cold and unapproachable is holding hands with that woman. He speaks softly to her. He is smiling… and no matter how she looks at them, they are very intimate. Oh, she would give anything if he would treat her like that.
JoAnna gave her a reminder in an icy tone: "As long as you keep that in mind, we will not have any problems."
Regina lowered her head and kept busy with her food. Her mind was racing while trying to make sense of the situation. She didn't know that Jeff is engaged. But does that matter? Even if they are engaged, she does not want to miss the chance of seducing Jeff. And by staying close to JoAnna she can get more chances to interact with him. Regina is confident that as long as she is patient, she will get her chance to be with Jeff without anyone else present. And even right now, he is there, next to her… only few inches away. If she just sways her body a bit, she will touch him! Regina is irritated that his body is turned toward JoAnna. She was sitting next to him, but she was looking at his back! And those are some broad shoulders… she wondered how it would feel to touch that back. Looks muscular. It must feel good to run palms over it. Regina told herself to calm down. She needs a plan. It seems that JoAnna realized that she is interested in Jeff. If JoAnna fires her, then what? What excuse will she have to stick close to Jeff?
Steve reminded Jeff that they are running short on time.
"Before we go…", Jeff looked at Regina. "Anna agreed to arrange a room at the resort for you. So, you can stay here."
Regina looked at him and panic flashed over her face. ' Stay here? But you will be in White corp. HQ! When will I get a chance to see you if I'm stuck here? ' She didn't dare say her thoughts at loud, but she was screaming in her mind.
She quickly composed herself and flashed a smile. "CEO White, that won't be necessary. I prefer to stay at my current hotel, downtown."
Jeff thought how that does not sound very reasonable, but she must have her reasons. "As you wish… then I will arrange a car to drive you here and back."
"Now THAT won't be necessary." JoAnna interjected. "Why are you doing things for my employees?"
"You are right." Jeff quickly realized his mistake when he saw icy look in JoAnna's eyes. "I apologize." He wanted to help his future wife, but it can be easily mistaken as that he wants to take care of Regina.
They finished lunch, and Jeff and Steve were ready to head back to LA.
JoAnna wanted Regina to go so that she can talk with Jeff without Regina around before he leaves. "Miss Heaven, Bridgette will escort you to your office. Please familiarize yourself with work and make sure to get back to me by five with any questions you might have or if you need anything. Tomorrow, Bridgette will be here if anything urgent comes up since I will not be available."
"Miss Hill, if you are not here tomorrow, then I can work from White corp. HQ!" Regina said without thinking.
In Regina's mind, if boss is not here, she does not need to be present either. She can work on her laptop with emails and chats. And her ultimate goal is to spend time close to Jeff.
Jeff and Steve both frowned at Regina's words.
"Why would you work from White corp. HQ?" Jeff asked in an icy tone. He saw that she is just staring at him without moving, so he explained sternly: "Miss Heaven, don't assume that because I looked for a person to fill this vacancy, that this job has anything to do with White corp. You are here to work at Golden Ocean Resort, and your boss is Miss JoAnna Hill. If you have a problem with that, we can void the contract you signed when you agreed to this arrangement. Is that understood?"
Regina nodded her head vigorously and she was happy that Bridgette was already standing ready to take her away. Jeff was too scary! But at the same time, he was so hot! Sure, not being able to work from White corp. offices makes it more difficult… but she will come up with something.
Regina followed Bridgette out of the restaurant while her mind was racing: ' They are engaged? So what? Even if they are married that does not mean much… people get divorced daily... ' Regina is confident that as long as she can get Jeff's attention, he will see how great she is, and this JoAnna is not worthy. This is even better… by working close to JoAnna she can find out about her weaknesses and expose her to Jeff. Ha! Perfect! Regina is not in a hurry… for years she is admiring CEO Jeffrey White from distance. Now that she is finally close to him, there is no need to rush into anything. She can take her time and slowly make him hers.
Jeff looked at JoAnna with guilt on his face. "I'm sorry I didn't realize… we should cancel her contract and send her back. She was not professional at all. I must say that I am disappointed." He was referring to Regina. "I will find you someone else for finances of this resort."
"You couldn't have known.", JoAnna pacified Jeff. There is no way he knew in advance that Regina is this infatuated with him. "I have a feeling that this one is stubborn. Even if you send her back, she will not give up easily, and she will look for her next chance. Instead of me fearing what she might do behind my back, I would rather have her in front of me."
Jeff agreed with her logic. With both of them alert and having Steve and Bridgette by their side, Regina will not be able to cause problems. Right?