Читать книгу Mills & Boon Stars Collection: Seductive Nights - Maya Blake - Страница 13

CHAPTER FOUR

ELISE RESISTED THE URGE to glance into the outer office. She’d already done that far too many times. Thankfully, not once had Alejandro looked her way. His focus on his work was absolute enough to induce envy. He’d taken a few phone calls, one of which he’d conducted at the far end of his office in front of the bank of floor-to-ceiling windows.

For one absurd second, Elise had wondered whether the low murmured conversation involved a lover. She’d jumped away from the thought as if physically scalded. It was beyond none of her business, and straying into dangerous territory she knew better than to approach.

Refocusing on her work between those times hadn’t been a hardship. The intricacies of the merger were staggering and fascinating. But more importantly, the deal Alejandro was chasing would create thousands of jobs. Granted, the merger would also elevate him to top five on the World’s Richest list, but he would be helping thousands along the way.

The other thing she’d noted was the mind-bending scale of philanthropy attached to each year’s estimated earnings. For each year Alejandro achieved the target he’d set his company, he planned to donate a share of the company’s profit to humanitarian projects.

Elise frowned as she finished the charities section. Nothing she’d read so far should make the Ishikawa Corporation want to do anything other than bite Alejandro’s hand off in their haste to secure the merger. If nothing else, they stood to become instant billionaires.

‘You’re frowning.’

She stumbled to a halt, realising she’d entered his office. He was bathed in the mid-afternoon sun, the contrast of olive skin against the rolled-up sleeves of his black shirt striking enough to command her stare. ‘Oh... I’m almost done reading the file.’

‘And?’

‘And the deal...the charity benefits... It’s all amazing.’

‘Amazing directly contradicts that frown.’

She looked away from him, anxiously noting her elevated pulse rate, and crossed over to the drinks tray. ‘Well, I expected to find a thread of dissatisfaction right from the beginning. Something that would indicate they were unhappy. There’s nothing. I’m just wondering why they chose now to throw a wrench in what was from the very start a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’

‘My guess is another party is dangling promises they may not be able to keep.’

Elise picked up a bottle of water and traced her finger across the top. ‘You guess? Sorry, but you don’t strike me as the kind of man who guesses.’

‘And have you known many men like me?’ he drawled.

She flushed, then cursed herself for being flustered at the deliberate taunt. ‘You know what I mean, Mr Aguilar.’

Contemplative eyes probed hers for several seconds. When he held out an imperious hand for water, she picked up another bottle and passed it to him, curbing the urge to roll her eyes.

‘You’re right. I don’t guess.’

Surprise spiked through her. ‘So you know who’s trying to jinx the deal?’

‘Sí, I do,’ he murmured in a tone that sent a shiver down her spine. When he didn’t elaborate, she frowned.

‘Are you going to tell me who it is?’

‘Have you finished reading the report?’

‘Not yet.’

He uncapped the bottle and drained half of it in greedy gulps. Elise stopped herself from staring at the solid column of his throat. Or at the dark stubble that had crept over his jaw in the last few hours.

‘Go finish it. The “who” doesn’t really matter. What I need is a PR strategy on how we can resolve this problem if they remain intransigent.’

She returned to her office, fully aware there was no point pressing him for more information.

When she next raised her head, the view at her window had changed from day to evening, with lights from the adjacent skyscrapers illuminating the night sky. Her senses jumped when Alejandro filled the doorway.

‘You done?’ he asked, leaning against the jamb.

Elise nodded, wishing there was something else she could refocus her attention on besides the sleek musculature of Alejandro Aguilar’s body.

There’s the file. Her work. The reason she was here. She’d signed a contract mere hours ago that had drawn clear lines of boss and employee. While her past experience had borne witness that clients could violate contracts, she had a feeling Alejandro would stick rigidly to his.

But that didn’t mean she could drop her guard...or ogle his breathtakingly gorgeous body whenever she was in his presence.

She dragged her focus to the file. ‘My opinion hasn’t changed. They would have to have been offered something over and above what you’re offering. And that’s...’

‘That’s what?’ he encouraged.

‘That’s bordering on financial suicide, unless the other party has unlimited funds. Or are willing to go all out to steal this deal from you.’

His gaze swept downward, veiling his expression. Her senses twitched. She used to think she was a good reader of people. A horrific violation of her trust had robbed her of that last year.

Even so, she knew she’d struck somewhere in the vicinity of a nail.

Alejandro turned around without answering.

Elise rose. ‘Am I right? Mr Aguilar, is someone going to extraordinary lengths to see you fail?’

‘Alejandro,’ he murmured.

‘What?’

‘If we’re to work together, you’ll have to call me Alejandro.’

Elise wasn’t sure why the thought of repeating his name, even minus that sensual Spanish intonation she had no hope of mimicking, sent a shiver of awareness through her. ‘I... Okay.’

‘The chef has prepared dinner for us. Come. We’ll talk some more while we eat.’

She followed him out of his office to a set of smoked-glass doors, which swung open to reveal a small twelve-seater dining room. At the head of the table and directly adjacent, two places had been set, complete with silver tableware and glasses that indicated this was a multi-course meal.

They sat, and the chef walked in bearing two platters. Elise chose the chicken ravioli starter and almost groaned with pleasure as the delicate tastes melted on her tongue.

‘Okay, I take it back. Given the choice of going outside for fresh air and a sandwich or this, I’ll choose this every time.’

The chef, who was almost at the door, grinned at her compliment. Smiling in return, she turned back to her place and noticed Alejandro’s scowl.

Her smile dimmed. ‘Um, in case you missed it, I’m conceding that I was wrong before. No need to give me the evil eye.’

His eyes narrowed on the shutting door before returning to hers. ‘Do you make a habit of flirting with every man you come into contact with?’

Elise froze in the act of lifting her fork. ‘I don’t flirt,’ she bit out, her insides congealing at the accusation that struck a direct hit and dredged up haunting memories. No matter how many times she’d told herself the assault hadn’t been her fault, a part of her always wondered if she’d emitted the very vibes she’d striven to avoid her whole life.

Her parents might have chosen to use their God-given looks and charm as weapons, and Marsha Jameson might have advised Elise to exploit her sexuality to her advantage, but Elise had vowed never to follow in their footsteps.

Unfortunately, that rigid belief had proven to be an irresistible challenge for Brian Grey...

Hastily shoving aside bitter memories, she pushed the chair back and surged to her feet.

Her wrist was captured before she’d taken a single step. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

‘I don’t like the tone of this conversation. Perhaps I was too hasty in taking back the benefits of getting my own meal. I don’t flirt,’ she reiterated, the need to reassure herself that what had happened a year ago hadn’t been her fault pumping through her blood. ‘But I have manners. And if someone does something nice for me, I thank them.’

He regarded her intensely for far too long. ‘Sit down, Elise. We’re not done.’

She shook her head. ‘I’ve lost my appetite. Besides, it’s seven in the evening. I didn’t sign up to work all hours.’

‘But you committed yourself to working reasonable work hours. Are you calling this an unreasonable hour?’

‘I’ll re-evaluate if I’m not subjected to unfounded allegations,’ she challenged. She looked pointedly at the hand manacling her wrist.

He waited a beat, then released her. ‘You were enjoying your food a few minutes ago. I’ll refrain from ruining our meal with...touchy subjects.’

Elise eyed her plate, then the door. She knew her outburst had flared brightly on Alejandro’s radar, but walking out at this stage would be counterproductive. She sat back down.

‘While you’re doing that, perhaps you’d like to remember that I haven’t flirted with you. Unless you count yourself above men?’ It was a cheap shot, regretted the moment she uttered the words.

One corner of his mouth quirked. ‘We’ll leave that debate alone, shall we?’

Her face reddened slightly, and for the rest of the first course they didn’t speak.

Once the second course of roast beef and vegetable medley had been served, he held up the bottle of expensive red. ‘Wine?’

About to refuse, she sprung for a little Dutch courage to see her through and nodded. ‘I’m not much of a wine drinker, or a drinker at all, so don’t hold it against me if I don’t appreciate the vintage.’

He filled her glass, then his. ‘I prefer honesty to a pretentious diatribe on non-existent flavours and bouquets.’

Despite the residual sting of his earlier accusation, a smile tugged at her lips. ‘Score one for me.’

Sharp eyes met hers. ‘Remain straight with me in all things, and you’ll score a lot more.’

For some reason the statement produced equal amounts of dread and anticipation. Anticipation of what, she had no idea. They were halfway through their main course before he spoke again.

‘So, in light of what you’ve discovered, what would Jameson PR advise?’

She knew her parents would advise him to go for the usurper’s jugular. Setting a bloodhound on the trail of salacious gossip and secrets to discredit was a favourite tactic her father relished.

‘A charm offensive. And a reminder of everything they have to gain by merging with you.’

‘Not a declaration of war on my competitor?’

Her mouth soured. ‘You can take that route if you want to, I guess.’

‘Which route would you take?’

‘Not that. Blood and gore turn my stomach.’

‘Perhaps you need a stronger disposition,’ he mocked.

Choosing not to take the bait, she sipped her wine, a little surprised when it slipped down smoothly. ‘The looking-into-the-whites-of-their-eyes approach works, Alejandro. Nothing beats a personal touch. How many times have you met the Ishikawa brothers face to face since deciding to pursue this merger?’

He swirled his wine glass. ‘Twice.’

‘After you had your team investigate their viability and profit margins?’

‘Of course.’

‘I’m guessing both times were here in the States where you wined and dined them at the best restaurant in town?’

‘Their every wish was catered to. They left happy.’

‘In your opinion.’

His gaze probed hers. ‘What’s your point?’

‘I’m willing to bet my sizeable manga collection that you didn’t divulge a single personal detail about yourself.’

‘At the risk of repeating myself, I don’t do—’

‘Touchy-feely. Yes, I’m aware. But letting them see you as remotely...human may have prevented this from happening.’

‘That might work for the average Mom and Pop ice-cream-parlour business. If they can’t see their way past those...feelings to a multibillion-dollar merger, then perhaps I’m dealing with the wrong business.’

She sent him a droll look. ‘We both know this isn’t a mistake. The Ishikawa Corporation’s business record is outstanding. So is SNV’s. A successful merger would be the stuff of breaking news headlines and serious accolades. All you’ll need to do is...bend a little.’

‘Is that what you’d do in my shoes? Bare your life to strangers in order to secure a deal?’

She lifted her glass and took a healthy gulp, relishing the warmth that blanketed her insides. ‘We’re not talking about me here.’

‘You’re fond of hypotheticals. So let’s have it. Would you give yourself the same advice, were you in my position?’

‘Maybe.’ She bore his intense scrutiny for a minute before she sighed. ‘Yes, I would.’

‘And what would you tell them about yourself?’

Elise shook her head. ‘That’s too broad a question.’

‘Let’s streamline, then. You attended a university on the west coast when your family is based in a state with excellent universities. Why?’

Nerves began to eat into the warmth. She took another sip, despite the faint warning that this form of Dutch courage hadn’t been her best idea. ‘The need to broaden my horizons?’

‘If you had such a need, why did you return to work with your parents?’

She stiffened at the other raw subject that grated her nerves. ‘Is there a law against that?’

‘Is that the answer you’d give a prospective business partner?’

‘No...’ She paused, aware she had skidded towards a chasm of her own making. ‘I agreed to work at Jameson in return for my parents paying for my university tuition.’

A slow frown gathered on his brow. ‘They expected you to pay for the education they gave you?’

Elise chose to blame the Malbec for loosening the tight leash she normally had on her emotions. ‘They expect a lot of things. Including not giving free rides to anyone, including their daughter.’

The enlightened gleam in his eyes further unnerved her. ‘Things aren’t cordial between you and your parents?’

A harsh laugh escaped before she could stop it. ‘You could say that.’

‘Then why do you work with them?’ he queried.

‘Because jobs don’t automatically fall from the heavens the moment you graduate from college. And if, by some divine grace, you make it to a second or third interview and your prospective boss finds out that you’re the daughter of Marsha and Ralph Jameson, they question why you’d snub the chance to work for the exalted Jamesons. Half of them won’t touch you because they don’t believe you’ll be committed to your job. The other half have certain...preconceived notions about you and won’t even give you a chance. Seven months of polite rejections and my parents demanding repayment of their loan left me little choice.’

Elise took another sip of wine to drown the sinking knowledge that she’d divulged far more than she’d intended to.

Silence seething with questions filled the room. Alejandro levelled a gaze at her, speculation swirling in his shrewd eyes. ‘And is that debt paid off?’

She swallowed. ‘No. But I’m almost there.’

He raised his brow. ‘Almost?’

‘Yep. With your help, of course.’

‘My help?’ he enquired thinly.

‘Helping you nail this deal would be great for you, of course, and it’ll boost my résumé, too, but, more importantly, it’ll see me freed from the shackles of Mum and Dad. So really, it’s a trifecta of pure winning.’

Alejandro slowly swirled his glass. ‘I see.’

Shame nibbled at her. As he continued to stare at her, heat that had nothing to do with the great food and wine swarmed up her neck. ‘I’m sorry, you didn’t ask for my life history.’ Setting the nearly empty glass down, she stood. And swayed. Alejandro surged up and grasped her waist. She averted her gaze from eyes that saw way too much. ‘I told you I wasn’t much of a drinker.’

‘Sí, you did, but you’re not drunk. Trust me, I know the difference.’ His voice was faintly self-mocking.

‘All the same, this isn’t going to look good in the morning, is it?’ she muttered.

‘You barely finished your glass. I’m not going to hold it against you.’

Her eyes flicked to his. And stayed, absorbed by the faint gold flecks splaying from his pupils. ‘Thanks,’ she whispered.

‘De nada,’ he murmured.

They remained like that, their breaths close enough to mingle. Elise knew it was unsafe to let those dark-rimmed eyes bore right into her soul. ‘I didn’t mean to carry on. I just...’

His eyebrow lifted. ‘You just...?’

‘I don’t like talking about my parents.’

‘Why?’

‘It...it just hurts too much, you know?’

A curiously bleak smile quirked his lips. ‘No. I don’t know.’

Elise frowned. ‘Of course not. I’m guessing you had a brilliant childhood, filled with nauseatingly blissful memories.’

The hands curled at her waist tightened imperceptibly. ‘Nauseating more often than not, yes. Blissful, no.’

Her brain suddenly locked onto the fact that his hands were on her body. Elise couldn’t think beyond the electric heat seeping into her skin. Or the need to feel it glide elsewhere.

‘Well, I’m sorry.’

‘For what?’

She attempted a shrug. ‘For both of us.’

‘I don’t need your pity.’ His voice was edgy, filled with a thousand barbs.

She shivered. Immediately, his hands slid up her arms, warming her. Elise struggled to focus. ‘I wasn’t offering it. I was just...’

His gaze dropped to her mouth and her thoughts momentarily scattered. Dragging her eyes from his face restored temporary sanity. A question that had been probing the back of her mind surged forward, but his hands on her body wreaked havoc with her thought processes.

‘Alejandro?’

‘Sí?’ he breathed.

Her insides shook at the sultry, exotic word. ‘You can let me go now. I promise I won’t fall over.’

His hands tightened on her for a heated second, then he freed her. ‘Good to know. Would you like some coffee or shall we put an end to this workday?’

She gripped her arms where his had been a moment ago, absurdly aware she wasn’t ready for the evening to end. ‘You were going to tell me who was behind the stalled merger.’

Several emotions curled through his eyes, most of them forbidding enough to send a chill through her.

‘It’s my brother,’ he finally offered. Contrary to the expression in his eyes, his voice was bled of every emotion.

‘Your brother?’

‘Yes.’

‘But...why?’

He took a step back, then another. Striding to the ever-present coffee cart, he poured a shot of espresso. ‘Because like you, for me, family isn’t a word that conjures hearts and flowers.’

Elise wished she didn’t understand what he meant. All the same... ‘That’s still a little extreme, isn’t it? Your brother wants to hurt you that much?’

His mouth twisted. ‘You assume I’m capable of being hurt. At the worst, he’ll make a nuisance of himself. No more.’

The staggering confidence behind the words further chilled her. And yet, she felt an affinity with Alejandro, sensed an underlying emotion that she couldn’t quite pinpoint.

She was twisting the puzzle in her mind when he drained his cup and set it down. ‘I think I’ve used up my reasonable workday quota where you’re concerned. Come.’

He walked out of the dining room. She followed at a slower pace, and entered his office to find him returning from hers with her jacket and briefcase.

He held out her jacket for her, and Elise murmured her thanks. About to bid him goodnight and beat a hasty retreat, she froze as he caught up his own jacket and came towards her. ‘You’re leaving, too?’

‘I’m taking you home.’

She shook her head. ‘There’s no need to do that. The subway will get me home in twenty minutes.’

He took her elbow and steered her towards the door. ‘It’s late. Letting you brave the subway at this time of night is out of the question. If nothing else, I wish to see you return to work tomorrow in one piece.’

‘It’s really not—’

‘You haven’t already forgotten our agreement to dispense with unnecessary arguments, have you?’

She firmed her mouth and followed him into what looked like a private lift. Enclosed in the small space, she couldn’t think of one thing to say to the man whose presence loomed powerful and vibrant beside her. In contrast, she felt small and shamefully inept, so she turned her face away from him. To the mirror that reflected his image in perfect detail.

Even in profile, Alejandro was unforgivingly captivating. In the harsh light, his skin glowed a vibrant olive, his thick dark hair gleaming invitingly. Elise had never felt the urge to touch a man’s face, let alone his hair. Pursuing a double major had been time-consuming enough, and the casual dates she’d occasionally accepted in college ended when she discovered sex was the subtext behind each date.

That reality had followed her into her working life, but she’d become an expert at holding male interest at bay.

But staring at Alejandro, she felt an alien need to do the opposite, to give in to the subtext of sex pulsing through her right to the tips of her fingers.

As if he sensed her unvarnished scrutiny, Alejandro’s head snapped up. Their eyes met in the mirror. His gaze held hers easily, compelling her completely, so she couldn’t look away. The whine of the descending lift the only sound, they stared at each other as silence seethed, thickened into something else. Something that had intense heat dredging low in her belly, and flaring tingles all over her body.

His gaze probed, darkened with each jagged second. It dropped to her lips, and Elise, as if she were under a spell, parted them.

Someone made a sound. A tiny fracture of breath. The beginning of a curse. Or a prayer. She never got the chance to guess.

The lift arrived with a slight bump and the doors glided open.

And the spell was broken.