Chosen for Power (Women of Power, #1) by Kathleen Brooks Page B

second job to help the family out. “You have a good night.”
    “You, too, Ray. And tell your mom she can send in cookies anytime she wants.” She had baked some cookies before Christmas and people where still talking about them.
    “I’ll tell her, but you may be buried in them now that she knows you like them.”
    “Ah, but what a way to go.”
    Drake headed out of the lab and started reading all the text messages from Phillip about his schedule tomorrow and then the messages from Elle. He almost laughed out loud when he read them. She started this afternoon telling him she was going out with the girls at Maggie’s. Then came the texts from Maggie’s. He was pretty sure Elle had made the cardinal mistake of leaving her phone on the table. One of the girls must have grabbed it before it locked. Come over here you sexy beast just didn’t sound like Elle. Making the last-minute decision to see if she was still there, he walked out of his building and started walking the three blocks to Maggie’s.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    Elle set down her drink and tried to swallow as she laughed at Bree’s latest story from the construction site. Her sister’s no-nonsense attitude, mixed with her uncanny ability to tell dirty jokes, tended to throw the male workers off balance. Simpson Steel was in the middle of a construction job, and Bree was working with a new crew who had just caught on to her dry sense of humor.
    “Oh my gosh, it’s almost ten. I better get home. I have meetings in the morning with the old fogeys from the bank we took over last year. They are always so hard to deal with. I mean, can you yell at someone with bushy eyebrows who can hardly hear? But, I swear, if they call me ‘little missy’ one more time, I’m turning Shirley loose on them,” Elle joked as she grabbed her purse.
    “Sorry, sis, you always like financials. I, on the other hand, will be shopping for the fall collection. Really throw them off, wear something sexy,” Allegra laughed as Elle rose and gave them all hugs.
    “They’d probably have a heart attack, and I don’t think that would be good for business. Thanks for the night out, ladies,” Elle called as she headed out the door.
     
    Elle’s smile still lingered on her lips as she dug around in her purse for her cell phone. She had to call Drake and explain the texts from Mallory. Good thing she loved her best friend. While she loved spending time with Drake, after a day like today she needed her goofy girl time.
    Umph! Elle slammed into a strong male chest and stumbled backward before she was able to catch herself. She looked up into the eyes of Chord. Perfect. Her great evening was ruined by Chord’s sneering face.
    “Excuse me, Chord,” Elle said as nicely as she could. She would not stoop to his level and start an argument. She gave him a tight smile and walked past him before she felt his hand close just a little too tightly over her upper arm.
    “All alone again, Ellie? I guess money can’t buy happiness.” He squeezed her arm a little more and Elle couldn’t help but grimace.
    “I see money can’t buy manners either,” Elle shot back to him as she yanked her arm from his clutch. She fought the urge to rub it but refused to allow him to see how he affected her. There was something in his sneer of menacing evil that told her he'd take pleasure in seeing her hurt.
    “You know, the company I’m working for, Titan Industries, is interested in forcefully taking you over. I’m sure you already know it, though. I just want to make sure you know when they take you over, I'll be involved. I thought you'd like to know when they start looking up your skirt, so to say, that I told them I knew from personal experience they’d like what they see.” Chord leered at her and Elle suppressed a shudder, knowing she’d had sex with this man. She had been fooled by him and allowed him into her heart and body. She fought back the nausea building in her stomach and stood her