Читать книгу The Paris Connection - Cerella Sechrist - Страница 11

CHAPTER FOUR

EMMA FELT THE tug and vibration of the tightrope beneath her and quickly redistributed her weight to accommodate the shift. Behind her, she sensed Aurora struggling, her arms flapping wildly. They were only a few inches off the ground, but it was still a struggle to remain balanced.

“Easy, easy...” René coached from the sidelines. “Work in harmony. Together.”

From farther down the line, Emma recognized Marc’s scoff. “Easy for you to say. You’re still on solid ground and not relying on these idiots to stay balanced!”

Emma inhaled sharply at Marc’s criticism but didn’t tear her eyes from Cole, whose back remained poised and straight in front of her. He made the exercise seem effortless, and she felt a swell of irritation at the sight.

From several feet away, René clucked his tongue at Marc in disapproval. “Monsieur, it is a team effort. You must anticipate each other’s movements, must be as one—”

“If you say ‘as one with the rope,’ I’m going to tear this thing off the stakes and strangle you with it.”

“Marc!” Emma blurted out, embarrassed by her coworker’s vehemence.

“It’s all right, René!” Emma heard Giselle call from farther down the line. “I’m sure you would do a much better job than Marc if you were to join us. Care to take his place?”

Emma tore her gaze from the task of balancing and shot it in René’s direction. She found him frowning in disapproval.

“You are all out of sync with each other. You must aim for cooperation. Understanding. Coordination. See how your boss holds his position?” René gave a nod of approval. “You must look to him as your example.”

Irritation flickered in Emma’s chest.

“Sacré bleu,” Marc muttered. “He has the easiest position in the entire line.”

For the first time since the exercise began, Emma saw Cole’s back stiffen in front of her. He turned his head to speak over his shoulder. “Want to switch places, Marc?”

“Absolutely.”

Marc jumped off the rope and to the ground so unexpectedly that the rest of them shifted and flailed, reaching out blindly to maintain a balance they could not re-create. One by one, they fell off the line and onto the ground mere inches below.

Cole was the last to waver, and if Emma hadn’t reached out without thinking, grabbing him to maintain her balance, he might have remained steady. Her momentary fumbling, though, caused him to stagger with the rest of them, and both she and Cole jumped to the ground at the same moment.

She stumbled, and he quickly turned and caught her, his hands firm but gentle on her waist to keep her upright.

“Careful there,” he murmured.

As she collected herself, she looked up into the concerned depths of his hazel eyes. She stared for a moment, caught in his watchful gaze. She jerked to awareness seconds later as she realized how tightly she gripped his forearms and how his hands remained on her waist.

“Oh, um, thanks,” she muttered and released him. His own hands dropped back to his sides.

“No problem. I guess we all need a bit more practice.”

“Not me.”

Emma turned away from Cole to see Marc dusting off his pants. “I am done with these circus acts.”

“Marc,” Cole said, his tone soft but warning. “Julien sent us here for a reason.”

“Well, then, Julien can come out here himself and see what a waste of time this is. How is balancing on a tightrope going to improve how we work together? The rest of us have known each other for years. No offense, Cole,” he rushed to add, “but wouldn’t the company be better served if we each devoted ourselves to what we’re already good at?”

René grumbled. “My program is of the highest caliber. It works, if you only give it a chance.”

“I just did, and I can’t say I was impressed.”

Emma watched as René’s mouth flattened to a straight line. “With such attitudes, it takes time to form the bond.”

Emma caught Giselle’s eye and saw her own concern reflected in her friend’s gaze. Cole must have seen it, too.

“René, would you be so kind a host as to give the rest of the group a quick tour of the other activities here while I have a word alone with Marc?”

René’s expression remained peeved.

“Please, René,” Emma spoke up, “I know we would all love to see what other opportunities there are in a course such as this.”

Her plea seemed to soften their host slightly.

“I thought the rope bridge looked fun,” Aurora added.

“My kids would go crazy here,” Louis put in. “They’d love it.”

Giselle sealed the deal by moving to René’s side and tugging at his stiff arm until she could weave her own through it. “Of course, you must show us!”

He finally relaxed. “Very well, if that is what you wish. Please, follow me.”

Aurora and Louis trailed after Giselle and René, but Emma lingered for a moment.

“You, too, Emma,” Cole said. “Join the others. Marc and I will be along shortly.”

Emma’s gaze shifted between the two men, from Marc’s sour expression to Cole’s neutral one. She gave a little shrug, decided it was Cole’s job to see to Marc and followed the others, refusing to allow herself a backward glance.

* * *

COLE WATCHED UNTIL he was certain the others were out of earshot, and then he turned his full attention to Marc.

“Not a fan of the tightrope, huh?”

“Children’s games,” Marc spat.

Cole shrugged and then crouched down to test the tautness of the rope. He tugged on it and watched as it vibrated from the touch. He sensed Marc watching him so he turned his head and looked up.

“You have to admit, though, it’s not a bad exercise. Trying to get us to work in rhythm? It’s a good icebreaker, a nice method to get you comfortable around your new boss.”

Marc appeared slightly chastened. “My apologies. You are not the problem.”

Cole stood and brushed his hands against the hem of his T-shirt, dusting off the dirt from the rope. “I’m glad to hear it. I’d hate to think that display just now was solely because of me.”

Marc shook his head. “Sometimes I find myself short of patience where my coworkers are concerned.”

“Oh? How so?”

Cole watched as Marc shifted his eyes away.

“It’s okay, Marc. You can be honest.”

It seemed to be the invitation Marc was waiting for.

“Aurora is a mouse. She’s not cut out for work as a recruiter. Giselle is more interested in finding dates than placing recruits. Louis isn’t so bad, so long as that wife of his isn’t calling him at his desk all day long. And Emma. Don’t even get me started.”

Cole felt a stab of curiosity. “What about Emma?”

Marc sneered. “Julien’s little lackey. She’s his favorite, and it shows. She doesn’t have half the talent I do, and yet, she’s the managing director and was slated for promotion before you came along.”

Cole thought how appropriate it was that this conversation was taking place beside a tightrope, where each step had to be measured carefully. He felt as if he was still balancing on that thin line.

“Her record speaks for itself,” he pointed out. “Her satisfaction rating with her clients is impeccable. Her recruitments love their placements at their new jobs, and the companies who hired them couldn’t be happier.”

“Of course. But her talents are no better than my own. Why should she have the opportunities to advance when they are denied to the rest of us?”

“The rest of us?” Cole repeated. “Or denied to you specifically?”

Marc released a rush of breath in a quick huff. “The old man plays favorites. He gives to Emma with one hand and withholds from me with the other. And he thinks sending his supposed top recruiters on a little holiday is going to unite us?” Another scoff. “I had hoped, with your coming, that matters could be set right.”

Balance, Cole reminded himself. He was an outsider here, new to this country and this office. Was this Marc’s attempt at a corporate coup? If so, he’d approached the wrong man. Cole had no intention of overthrowing Julien. He was still president and chairman of the board, even if Cole did now possess daily operational control.

“I think you’re going to have to be a bit more specific in what you want me to do,” Cole said.

He watched as Marc took a step back, turned and walked a few feet and then came back to stand before him. His agitation was evident in how he met Cole’s eyes and then quickly looked away.

“Emma has made her dislike of you clear.”

Cole eyed him but said nothing in response to this.

“She left you waiting at the airport on your first day. Things were tense between you.”

Marc had been paying far more attention to the situation between him and Emma than Cole had realized.

“We simply had a few misunderstandings at first. She had a good reason for being late to pick me up on that first day.” Despite the initial tensions, they had formed an unspoken truce, and he felt compelled to defend her.

Marc made a face. “Traffic? She has lived in Paris for ten years. She should know to allow the appropriate amount of time to reach the airport.”

Cole felt a ripple of irritation run through him.

“Marc—” Before he could get another word out, the other man began speaking again.

“It’s curious, though, isn’t it?”

Cole stopped. “Curious? What’s curious?”

“Emma. And Julien.”

Cole reared back in surprise. “What are you saying, Marc?”

“Well.” Marc shifted from one foot to the other, ran a hand through his hair and then paused to rub the back of his neck. Cole felt his impatience growing.

“Marc? Just say whatever it is that’s on your mind.”

Marc dropped his hand. “It is no small matter, though, and I need to be certain I can trust your discretion.”

Forcing himself to relax his posture, Cole nodded. “I understand your concerns, but that’s what this weekend is for—to build trust between us all.”

He waited as Marc eyed him for several seconds. “I believe you are trustworthy, but it is a delicate consideration.”

Cole gritted his teeth and tried to be patient as he waited. Marc obviously had something to say; Cole needn’t push him to say it.

Marc drew a breath and then slowly exhaled it. “All right. Have you considered that perhaps there is more between Julien and Emma than they would have you believe?”

Cole blinked. “Are you suggesting...?”

“I think they are in a secret relationship.”

Cole couldn’t stop himself. He burst out laughing at this idea but soon cut it off when he saw how Marc stiffened. He couldn’t help wondering if this conversation was staged in some way. He looked away from Marc, his gaze sweeping the forest around him. The activities course contained several different areas where other groups and instructors were engaged in various exercises, but this particular corner of the ropes course remained isolated from the rest. There were a handful of people gathered around an instructor many yards away, but here, he and Marc were alone. No one was listening in, at least that’s how it appeared. He shifted his focus back to the man before him.

“Sorry, Marc, but no. I don’t believe that’s the case.” He thought about Emma, her classic beauty, and then Julien’s round form, a product of too many years of a gourmand’s indulgence. He could not imagine Emma and Julien together. The idea was preposterous. He had to give Marc credit, though; the man possessed far more imagination than he would have thought.

“You are thinking of superficial considerations, I can see,” Marc stated as he crossed his arms over his chest. “But imagine Emma’s advancement—he was prepared to name her CEO before your company took over. How does someone as young as Emma move up so quickly?”