Chapter 13 Summary

When Lauren arrives in Nick's office the following afternoon, he begins going through her personnel file with her, using the information he gathers there in hopes of enticing her into an affair. Once again, Lauren rebuffs his advances. The next morning, Nick treats Lauren like an ordinary secretary, offending her by sending her to get his breakfast. Lauren is thrown off balance by Nick's constantly shifting behaviors. Nick spends the afternoon working, and after a meeting about the special project, Nick takes Lauren aside and explains the nature of the project to her. The project involves an inventor in Italy, Rossi, who believes he had invented a formula that will make carpet last forever. However, the man is very skittish, reluctant to trust anyone, and his formula is untested.

Nick seems to be accepting Lauren's reluctance to have an affair with him. However...