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It was Alejandro’s turn to be surprised. He regained his senses quickly. ‘I’ve been working on a deal that is determined to fall apart at the last minute. Trust me, wasting time with tricks is the very last thing on my mind. Goodbye, Miss Jameson.’
Shadows and questions swirled through her hazel-gold eyes. Her lower lip twisted, as if she was gnawing it from the inside. Eventually she rose, her fingers clamped around her briefcase, her jaw angled with stubborn pride.
Without a word, she turned away from his desk. In that moment, Alejandro wished he’d also turned away. The sight of her trim waist and voluptuous backside triggered another onset of libido-tugging.
He gritted his teeth.
The timing and circumstance of this attraction to her were abhorrent enough to send him to his feet. He’d vowed a very long time ago never to mix business with pleasure when another deal had disintegrated because of a fleeting liaison with a competitor. He’d been young and foolish enough to imagine one would not affect the other. Although the incident had only temporarily slowed down his meteoric rise, Alejandro had learned the lesson well enough to keep his affairs private and brief.
Dragging his gaze from the shapely legs heading for the door, he strode to the window and stared at the view. Lake Michigan didn’t offer much solace. Like a lead domino falling over, Elise’s image, the feel of their palms touching, the silkiness of her skin, tumbled through his mind. Even the sound of the door shutting barely created a ripple in the sizzling awareness gripping him.
What the hell was wrong with him today? First he’d cracked open the vault of memories he’d vowed never to revisit. Now he was getting hot under the collar because of a woman who should barely register on his radar?
He shoved a hand through his hair and turned around.
Elise Jameson was standing before his desk, her eyes square on his.
‘Unless I’ve grown senile in the last five minutes, I’m sure I told you to leave.’
She exhaled slow and steady. Alejandro was certain it was a composure-gaining technique. He had a feeling he’d need one of those before the day ended.
‘You did. But I’m still here. The way I see it, you’re either going to hire me or we’ll never see each other again. So I need to say this. I wasn’t being emotional. I just didn’t see the point of wasting time with questions to which you already had answers. And yes, my...irritation could’ve been kept on a tighter leash. Give me another chance and you have my word it won’t happen again.’
‘What it are we talking about, just to be certain? The irritation or the emotion?’
The whitening of her knuckles on her briefcase was the only sign that his question had further irked. ‘Either. Both. Whichever you wish.’
He leaned back in his chair. ‘Because I’m the boss?’
‘Because you’re the boss. Once you hire me. But allow me to say one last thing before you make up your mind.’
‘Yes?’
‘I’m good at my job. You’ll get nothing but the best from me. I promise.’
He shrugged. ‘That’s a good speech. But it’s just a speech. I also don’t deal in promises.’ Promises were easy to make and easier to break. He’d learnt that lesson with shocking frequency as a child.
Her gaze swept down for an instant before rising again. ‘Finish the interview. Whichever way you want. Then make up your mind.’
The urge to dismiss her was strong. The urge to have her stay was stronger. Alejandro stepped back from examining why. This whole day had been askew from the start.
‘Very well. Sit down, Miss Jameson. But let me make one thing clear.’
She sat back down. ‘Yes?’
‘I never play tricks. I abhor subterfuge of any kind. Remember that before we go any further.’
She nodded and folded her hands in her lap. ‘Understood.’
CHAPTER TWO
WHAT THE HELL just happened?
Elise reeled as if she’d just been dragged upside down through an earthquake. Only she wasn’t sure whether she’d survived it or whether what felt like aftershocks were, in fact, another larger quake poised on the horizon, ready to flatten her.
She took another slow, steadying breath.
It was clear the man across the desk from her—the intensely masculine man, whose green eyes tracked her every movement like a spotlight searching for a flaw—was intent on rattling her. Why, she wasn’t exactly sure. She was here to help, after all.
Perhaps it was the air of mistrust fairly vibrating off him. Or her own blaring instincts about being in a predator’s presence that had produced his thunderous frown when she’d walked in.
Whatever it was, it’d ruffled her calm, which had in turn reminded her of the hell letting her guard down with a client had created just one short year ago.
Her palms grew clammy.
Reeling herself back in, she pushed the disquieting memories away.
Unlike last year, she’d chosen this commission herself. Alejandro Aguilar the man was an unknown quantity, but as CEO his reputation was stellar. She needed to bring her A-game because she couldn’t lose this commission.
Earning SNV’s contract would mean freedom from Jameson and her parents’ clutches. It was the visceral need for freedom that had eroded the temporary relief to be free of this man’s disturbing aura when he’d asked her to leave. It was what had halted her flight when every instinct had screamed at her to accept his cold, terse dismissal. And run.
The instinct still clamoured. But then so did the burning need to fulfil her duties to her parents and finally, finally walk away.
‘I understand completely,’ she reiterated, projecting a firmer voice.
‘Good. Now answer me this. Hypothetically, if a deal you were working on for a year suddenly started to fall apart, what would you attribute it to?’ he asked in that smooth, deep voice that transmitted right through to the soles of her feet.
‘That depends on who the other party is, although most eleventh-hour setbacks usually involve money.’
‘This one isn’t money related. I’m sure of it.’ A grim smile fleeted over his lips before his face hardened into a beautifully arresting sculpture she had a hard time dragging her eyes from.
In truth, everything about Alejandro Aguilar was insanely absorbing. From the square-cut jaw to the cheekbones that belonged on a Roman statue, to the broad shoulders, tapered torso and neat backside she’d glimpsed when she’d turned around mid-flight, his looks and aura were overwhelming enough to cause another shaky exhalation.
Silently, intensely, she repeated her warning mantra to herself.
Looks were deceiving; power and arrogant charm were stepping stones dangerous men used on their prey. Quite apart from her parents wielding those assets with almost lethal force, her own harrowing experience had taught her to be extremely wary of those qualities.
Marsha and Ralph Jameson had taken turns drilling into their only child that exploiting those elements were what would get her ahead in life. They hadn’t accommodated the notion that she wanted to live a different life. Had gone as far as to push her into a situation she’d barely been able to escape from unscathed, then derided her ordeal.
That, above everything her parents had subjected her to, still had the power to burn her raw.
Elise pushed the traumatic memory away and redoubled her efforts to focus. ‘If it’s not money, then it’s a competitor.’ He regarded her steadily. ‘But then you know that, too.’
He nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘So, the question is, what’s your competitor offering them that you’re not?’
‘Nothing,’ came the immediate, rigid reply.
‘Are you sure?’
One sculpted eyebrow rose. ‘Are you questioning the veracity of my due diligence?’
He was touchy. Extremely. Men like Alejandro Aguilar didn’t rise to lofty CEO positions of extremely successful corporations by being touchy. Men like him usually had rhinoceros-thick skins. Had she adversely demonstrated her wariness about being in the presence of another powerful man? Was she being overly sensitive?
The tense conversation she’d had with her mother before coming here had put her on edge. Marsha Jameson had wanted to spearhead the SNV commission herself, despite Elise having cultivated the initial contact with SNV’s PR department. Elise had stood her ground, a fact that hadn’t pleased her mother. It was another reason Elise had stopped herself from walking out of the door just now.
She wouldn’t...couldn’t blow it.
Inhaling slowly, she picked her way through the mine-infested landscape. ‘Of course not. But there’s nothing wrong with an extra pair of eyes.’ For some reason her statement brought an even deeper scrutiny of her face, his gaze holding hers with fierce control. She hastened to continue. ‘It is why you’re looking to hire an outside PR firm, isn’t it?’
He remained silent for a brief spell, his fingertips pressed together. ‘Your file says you specialise in US–Japanese commissions.’
‘Yes.’
‘This merger involves a Japanese company.’ He paused. ‘The Ishikawa Corporation.’
Elise’s heart missed a beat. The reason behind it was puzzling. It’d come sooner than expected, but he would’ve needed to trust her with some details in order to secure her help. That he’d done so mere minutes into the interview shouldn’t trigger such a response from her.
Yet the tiniest sliver of warmth curled through her.
To counteract it, she nodded briskly. ‘Give me an hour to do a little research...I mean a more personal research, and I’ll see if I can come up with something.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘You think an hour is all it’ll take to fix my problem?’ he taunted.
‘I won’t know until I try whether or not I can help you, Mr Aguilar. Let me try.’
‘You have half an hour.’ He nodded to the far side of his office, where two stylish studded leather sofas faced each other across a smoked-glass coffee table. ‘I’ll have Margo set you up with a laptop—’
‘There’s no need. I brought my own.’ Elise held up her briefcase and attempted a cool smile.
His scowl deepened. ‘I’d prefer it if those confidential details we spoke about don’t leave my building. Pass the test, and we’ll see about redressing your security access.’
The warmth evaporated. ‘Oh, right.’ She was irritated with herself for feeling stung by the implication that she wasn’t trustworthy. But then hadn’t she experienced a similar feeling towards him moments ago? Wasn’t she even now kicking herself for continuing to be mesmerised by the sheer depths of raw sensuality oozing from him?
‘Is that going to be a problem?’ he enquired.
Realising she’d been staring at him for a fistful of heartbeats, she pinned on another smile and rose. ‘Of course not. I’m ready when you are.’ She headed for the sofa to the sound of Margo being summoned, but the tingle between her shoulder blades and down her back indicated he was watching her. Keeping her movements fluid, she set her case down and removed her jacket before choosing the seat farthest from his desk.
Only then did she risk another glance in his direction.
His head was bent over a document, two fingers tracing the words downward as he speed-read. As with everything she’d noticed about him so far, the action was unmistakably absorbing. To the point where she was in danger of appearing like a hormone-engorged groupie at a rock concert!
She exhaled in relief when Margo knocked and entered. The laptop she set before Elise looked custom-made and top of the line.
After she departed, Elise opened it and stared down at the wallpaper that depicted the majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range in Spain. In the middle of the screen, the SNV logo blinked its request.
‘Is there a problem?’ Alejandro asked coolly.
‘Yes. This requires a password.’
He rose with smooth animal grace, document in one hand and his tiny espresso cup in the other. Pausing at the tray, he refilled his cup, then crossed the room to her.
The notion that she’d unwittingly invited him closer sent equal amounts of chagrin and wariness coursing through her. Her senses jumped as he reached for the laptop. Elegant fingers flew over the keyboard and then he handed it back.
Expecting him to return to his desk, she stared dry-mouthed as he picked up the document and cup, relaxed against the sofa, and crossed one leg over the other.
Elise had always thought that men who sat that way were a little too in touch with their feminine side, but there was nothing even remotely feminine about Alejandro Aguilar as he lounged with almost predatory indolence and flicked through the papers in his hand.
‘Unless you intend to prise your answers from my subconscious, I suggest you get on with it, Miss Jameson.’
Heat flared into her cheeks for the third time in less than an hour, eliciting a thorough self-loathing for her inability to curb her jumpy reactions.
Dragging her focus back to the laptop, she settled it on her lap and went to work. Her initial searches produced run-of-the-mill information about the Ishikawa Corporation Alejandro most likely already possessed. She sent three quick emails to trusted sources in Kyoto and Osaka, delved deeper into the company history, then traced the genealogy of the founders.
Fifteen minutes later, a tiny spurt of excitement lanced her.
‘Found something you want to share?’
She looked up and found laser eyes trained on her. ‘What?’
‘You just made the universal feminine sound of excitement,’ he drawled, lifting his cup and draining it.
She tried to look away, but found herself unable to. ‘I’m not sure what that is, but yes, I may have found something.’
‘And?’ he pressed impatiently.
With effort, she refocused on the screen. ‘And I have another thirteen minutes until my time is up. So if you don’t mind?’
He made a sound beneath his breath, a cross between a growl and a huff, as he stood to refill his cup yet again. The sound rumbled along her nerve endings, causing her fingers to stumble over the keys.
God. What on earth was wrong with her?
Even before the incident that still had the power to make her stomach turn in sick horror, she’d never reacted this strongly to another man. Ever. She hadn’t allowed herself to even indulge in thoughts of the opposite sex since the incident. Sure, there hadn’t been a shortage of male attention despite her often blatant lack of interest. From those who wanted to date the boss’s daughter to further their own ends, to those who thought she would be accommodating with her affections because of the rumours surrounding her parents’ marriage. Each and every one of them had been firmly rebuffed.
Alejandro Aguilar hadn’t so much as flicked an interested eyelash in her direction. Yet her senses seemed poised on the edge of an unknown precipice, anticipating a sensation she couldn’t quite name.
The ping of an incoming email brought blessed refocusing. She read it quickly, then reached for her phone. ‘I need to make a quick phone call.’
‘Why?’ he asked without lifting his gaze from his document.
‘I want to confirm a few things before I present my findings. I still have five minutes left.’
He nodded to the state-of-the-art gadget crouched in the middle of the coffee table. ‘Use that phone.’
The bite of distaste stung deeper, prompting her to utter words she would’ve been better off stemming. ‘Are your trust issues as big as your caffeine problem?’
Glacial green eyes sliced into her. ‘You call them problems, I think of them as necessary tools that keep me at the top of my game. Your time is almost up. Use the phone or cut your losses and leave.’
Her hand tightened around her phone. ‘You’d toss me out before you hear what I’ve found out? Just because I state a few home truths?’
‘We met an hour ago. Are you naive enough to demand that I trust you in so short a time?’
‘Of course not. Nevertheless, I don’t appreciate being treated as if I’ve committed a crime or I’m about to commit one when all I’m trying to do is to help you.’
‘You take pleasure in debating non-issues when the only thing that should be important here is your service to me. Learning to give me what I want will go a long way to improving your chances of earning this contract.’
Her breath hitched as another voice surged into her head.
Stop playing so hard to get. Give me what I want and I’ll reward you...
The distaste of bitter memories made her snap, ‘I told you, if you’re looking for someone to lie down for you to walk all over, then I’m the wrong person for the job.’
He strolled the last few steps to the coffee table and dropped his papers on the gleaming surface. Regarding her with cold detachment, he drawled, ‘Lying down, in any shape or form, won’t be necessary. But once again we’re at an impasse, it seems. The next move is yours.’
Every atom in her body screamed at Elise to slam shut the laptop, get her things, and leave. She stayed put. Tried to get herself under control.
Yes, Alejandro Aguilar had done nothing but make demands that chafed, but they weren’t uncommon.
Sucking in a breath that didn’t quite rebalance her equilibrium, she set her phone on the table and, using Alejandro’s conference set, dialled the number she knew by rote.
When the familiar voice filled the room, Elise wondered for a moment whether she’d done the right thing.
‘Hi, Grandma.’
A furtive glance at Alejandro showed both eyebrows lifted in cold mockery.
‘Elise, my dear, what a pleasant surprise. I hope you’re calling to tell me you’ve finally found a young man worthy of your affections? I know half of them are dim-witted and the other half focused on the almighty dollar, but a beautiful, intelligent girl like you is capable of landing the right man. You’re not being too picky, are—?’
‘No, Grandma, I’m not... I’m calling about something else.’ Cringing and red-faced, Elise switched to Japanese, her chin lowered to avoid Alejandro’s drilling stare. ‘Something work related.’
‘Oh. Okay...’
Elise asked the questions she needed to, then a few more to verify she was on the right track, then quickly ended the call, unwilling to invite her beloved grandmother’s laser probing into her non-existent love life.
In the seething silence, she cleared her throat, momentarily gripped by embarrassment.
‘In the interest of getting this surreal hour over and done with, can we attempt to get past the fact that you blithely dropped your work to make a personal phone call?’ Alejandro snapped.
‘It...umm...wasn’t a personal call. At least not from my end...anyway.’ Elise stopped, smoothed her damp palms over her skirt, and tried to form coherent words. ‘My grandmother is Japanese. She lives in Hawaii now but she still owns several businesses in Kyoto. I thought she might have insights as to what’s stalling your merger.’
Alejandro returned her gaze, narrow-eyed, then took the seat opposite her. Wordlessly, he waited, his powerful arms braced on his knees.
Elise cleared her throat. ‘Kenzo Ishikawa, Jason and Nathan’s grandfather, started the company.’
‘I’m aware of that.’
Elise barely managed to keep her lips from pursing. ‘He’s old school. Traditional.’
‘I know what old school means. Explain yourself better.’
‘Kenzo has taken a back seat, but he’s still on the board.’ At his darker glare, she hurried on. ‘The company’s been based in Kyoto since it was created. Were you planning on moving any of their factories from Kyoto?’
Alejandro nodded. ‘Seventy per cent of them, yes. It’ll save millions of dollars in revenue and deliver a faster service if we relocate the factories and warehouses to Europe and the US.’
‘That probably doesn’t matter to him. Since this is a merger and not a buyout, they’ll still be associated with it. Kenzo won’t want to see everything he’s worked for moved to another continent.’
‘So your opinion is that this deal is stalling because of nostalgia?’
‘Sentimentality can be a strong motivator.’
‘I don’t have time for sentimentality. Or protracted delays. Sitting back while they grapple with their touchy-feely emotions isn’t cost-effective for me.’
‘Perhaps it hadn’t been a card they felt they could play and win,’ she ventured. ‘But now they do?’
His jaw clenched. One fist wrapped around the other, then he surged to his feet.
‘You know, don’t you?’ she queried.
‘Why the Ishikawas have suddenly gone dewy-eyed? Sí, I do,’ he breathed.
Elise was certain fire would shoot from his nostrils, so devastating was the rage simmering from him.
But he simply returned to his desk. Slightly dazed, she heard him order Margo to summon his strategy team. Once the instructions were snapped out, he jammed his hands into his pockets and turned to the window. Although his gaze remained fixed on the view of Lake Michigan, Elise sensed his thoughts were very much turned inward.
To the source of the problem she’d just helped him uncover.
She sat, hands in her lap, as minutes crawled by. Finally, irritation snapping at her fraught nerves, she stood and shrugged on her jacket. Buttoning it, she approached him.
‘Pardon my interruption of your non-Zen rumination, but does the light bulb I just handed you mean that I’m hired?’
His shoulders stiffened. Slowly he turned and leaned against the window, his ankles crossed. Elise forced her gaze to remain on his face, not glance down to the thighs bunched against the taut fabric of his trousers.
‘Sí, I’m inclined to give you the commission.’
She tamped down the absurd fizz of excitement. ‘I hear a busload of buts in there.’
His eyes gleamed a dangerous, hypnotic green. ‘But...we need to establish a few ground rules.’
‘I can live with a few reasonable rules.’
His mouth twisted with a parody of a smile. ‘I assure you, it’ll be in your interest to do so.’
She attempted a smile of her own. ‘I’ll be the judge of that. So shoot.’
‘First, there will be instances when if I say jump, you will ask me how high.’
‘I don’t think—’
‘Like now, for instance, when I say if you want to be hired, you’ll let me finish speaking before you give in to the urge to interrupt.’
She swallowed hard against the urge to tell him to go to hell and reminded herself why she needed this commission. Practising a woefully inadequate restorative breathing exercise, she forced out a nod.
‘Second, are we agreed on the extreme confidentiality of this deal?’
‘Yes.’
‘So, no more phone calls to Grandma.’
Heat rushed up her neck. ‘No more phone calls to Grandma.’
‘Good. You’ll work from here in my office, full time, until this deal is done.’
‘I thought I’d be working alongside your own PR team.’
‘They’ll be brought in when extra support is needed. Don’t worry, you’ll be adequately compensated.’
Not seeing any way around that bar refusing, she pressed her lips together and nodded.
‘Was that a yes, Miss Jameson? If so, I prefer to hear the word, so there’s no misunderstanding.’
She gritted her teeth. ‘Yes. It was a yes.’
‘Perfect. You’ll start today. Right now. Margo will escort you to HR and you’ll sign the requisite confidentiality papers. If you need lunch, let her know and she’ll organise something for you.’
‘I’m quite capable of getting my own lunch.’
‘This is one of those instances where wasting time on a matter will be considered a breach of your work rules.’
Shock widened her eyes. ‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Lunch, unless you have specific dietary requirements, is lunch, Miss Jameson. Wasting time arguing about who gets you lunch is counterproductive.’
‘I... Are you serious?’ she asked, unsure whether to be grossly offended or mildly hysterical.
He jerked his head to a connecting door at the far side of the room. ‘There’s a Michelin-starred chef employed to prepare and serve whatever dish you desire to my personal dining room. All you need to do is ask.’