Читать книгу Brides, Babies And Billionaires - Мишель Смарт, Rebecca Winters - Страница 104

Three

Kirk’s head was still reeling. At the emergency board meeting, everyone had been shocked to hear the news of Orson’s heart attack, but all had agreed that the company could show no weakness, especially when Orson’s confidential report on his reasoning behind the merger had been presented to them. Therefore, they’d appointed Kirk interim chairman.

The new responsibility was a heavy weight on him, along with worry for Orson Harrison’s health. And on top of all that, he still had to tell Sally about the possibility she might be pregnant. He closed his eyes for a brief moment. He’d been such a fool to allow desire to cloud his judgment. It was the kind of impulsive emotion and need-driven behavior he’d always sworn he’d never indulge in. And now look where it had landed him.

He was investigating her, just as he was investigating every staff member here—he never should have allowed sex to muddy the waters.

He had no doubt she wouldn’t be happy to hear his news. Who would be, especially while her father’s life hung in the balance? So far the hospital had released very little information—only that Orson was in critical condition. Even Marilyn, who’d known Orson for almost thirty years, had been trying on the phone all morning, and remained unable to get past the gatekeeper of patient details at the hospital. To be honest, Kirk had been surprised to see the woman at her desk this morning and he’d expressed as much. She’d curtly informed him that someone had to hold the place together in Orson’s absence and had been ill-pleased when she’d been informed of his appointment as interim chairman.

Kirk flicked a glance at his watch. Perhaps she’d gotten ahold of Sally again by now. He hit the interoffice button to connect with the prickly PA.

“Any updates regarding Mr. Harrison?” he asked.

“No, sir.” The woman’s voice was clipped.

She’d made it quite clear that she wasn’t happy about him using Orson’s office—interim appointment or not. She was even less impressed when he’d ignored her protests and taken up residence. It made sense to him to stand at the helm right now, when he was supposed to be steering this particular ship. It would help the staff to see someone visibly taking charge. Well, the staff except for Marilyn.

“Thank you, Marilyn,” Kirk replied, keeping his voice civil. “And Ms. Harrison? Has there been any communication with her yet?”

“I believe she’s in the building but I haven’t spoken to her myself, yet.”

Kirk looked at his watch. Two thirty. They were going forward with the planned announcement of the merger—it was, after all, the only thing that would explain why Kirk had taken temporary leadership—and the video link announcement was scheduled to commence at three sharp. Did Sally still plan to be there? He knew her father had wanted her by his side, but in light of recent events, he wouldn’t blame her for skipping out. Coming into the office at all couldn’t have been an easy decision to make with her father so desperately ill.

“Could you get a message to her and ask her to come to my office as soon as possible? I want to brief her before the video link.”

“Certainly, sir.”

Again there was that brief hesitation and slight distaste to her tone as she said the word sir. He’d already asked her to call him by his first name, but it seemed his request had been ignored. That, however, wasn’t important to him right now. He had a far greater concern on his hands. Like, how the hell did he tell Sally about the condom?

It was only a few minutes before he heard women’s voices outside the office door. The double doors began to swing open, and he heard Marilyn’s voice call out in caution.

“Oh, but there’s someone—”

And there she was. Sally Harrison appeared in the doorway, her head still turned to Marilyn, a reassuring smile on her face. A smile that froze then faded into an expression of shock when she saw him rise from behind her father’s desk.

“K-Kirk?” she stammered.

Her face paled, highlighting the dark shadows of exhaustion and worry beneath her eyes that even makeup couldn’t disguise. Kirk moved swiftly to her side, aware of Orson’s PA coming up behind Sally. He gently guided Sally into a chair.

“A glass of water for Ms. Harrison, please, Marilyn,” Kirk instructed the PA, who raced to do his bidding.

She was back in a moment, and Kirk took the glass from her before pressing it into Sally’s shaking hand.

“Mr. Tanner, it’s really too much to expect her to attend the video link,” Marilyn began defensively. “She shouldn’t have to—”

“It’s entirely up to Ms. Harrison. Marilyn, perhaps you could get something for her to eat. I bet you haven’t had anything today, have you?” he asked, looking at Sally directly.

Sally shook her head. “No. I couldn’t bear to think about food.”

She tried to take a sip of the water. Her hand was shaking so much Kirk wrapped his fingers around hers to steady her and keep her from spilling. She flinched at his touch, a reaction he was sure Marilyn hadn’t missed.

“You need to eat something,” he said. He turned to the PA. “Could you get a bowl of fruit from the executive kitchen for Ms. Harrison and perhaps some yogurt, as well?”

“Is that what you want, Sally?” Marilyn asked, moving to Sally’s other side. “Perhaps you’d rather I stayed here with you while Mr. Tanner got you something to eat.”

Kirk bit back a retort. He wasn’t about to enter into a battle of wills with Marilyn here and now. And given the time constraints that now faced them, he wouldn’t be able to have the discussion with Sally that they really needed to have. He studied her from the top of her golden head to her sensibly clad feet. Even in a demure pale blue suit and with her hair scraped back into a ponytail that gave him a headache just looking at how tightly it was bound, she still affected him.

Could she already be pregnant with his child? The thought came like a sucker punch straight to his gut.

“Good idea,” he said, making a decision to leave their discussion until they could be guaranteed more privacy and uninterrupted time.

Of greater importance was letting Sally come to terms with his presence here—and the fact that he’d kept it from her last night. Once the shock wore off, he had no doubt matters between them would be less than cordial, especially once she discovered that he’d known exactly who she was all along.

Sally looked from him to Marilyn. “It-it’s okay, Marilyn. You know what I like. Perhaps you could get it for me? I really am feeling quite weak.”

“Of course you are,” Marilyn said in a more placatory tone and patted Sally on the shoulder. “You’ve always had a delicate constitution. I’ll be back in a moment.”

Marilyn closed the door behind her with a sharp click, leaving Kirk in no doubt that even though Orson’s PA had left the room to do his bidding, she certainly wasn’t happy about it.

“Have another sip of water,” he urged Sally.

He was relieved to see a little color coming back into her face.

“How is your dad doing?” he asked, determined to distract her until Marilyn’s return.

She drew in another deep breath. “He’s in an induced coma and they say he’s stable—whatever that means. It’s hard to see it as anything positive when he looks so awful and is totally nonresponsive.” Her voice shook, but she kept going. “They’re hoping to operate tomorrow. A quadruple bypass, apparently.”

Kirk pressed a hand on her shoulder. “I know your dad. He’s strong, he’ll come through.”

She looked up at him and he saw a flash of anger in her blue eyes.

“Just how well do you know my dad?”

Kirk felt a swell of discomfort, with just a tinge of rueful amusement. Trust Orson’s daughter to cut straight to the chase. “I’ve known him most of my life, to be honest.”

“And how is it I’ve never met you before last night?”

There was still a slight tremor to her voice, but he could see her getting stronger by the minute.

“Our parents were friends until my father died. After that my mom and I moved away. I was a kid at the time. There was no reason for you to know me before last night.”

He kept it deliberately brief. There wasn’t time for detail now.

“And now you’re back.” She fell silent a moment before flicking him another heated look. “You knew all along who I was, didn’t you?”

Kirk clenched his jaw and nodded. He’d never been the kind of person who lived on regret, but right now, if he could have turned back the clock and done last night over again, he absolutely would have. Or would he? He doubted she’d have come home with him if she’d known he’d soon be her boss. Would he have missed the chance to lose himself in her arms the way he had? Never have known the perfect passion they’d experienced together? Never had the broken condom, the snarky voice in the back of his mind sharply reminded him. Okay, so he’d have skipped that part.

“I see.” Sally swallowed another sip of water before speaking again. “She called you Mr. Tanner. That would be the Tanner in Harrison Tanner Tech? The new vice president?”

He nodded.

She pressed her lips together before speaking. “It seems you had me at a disadvantage right from the start. Which asks the question why you’d do something like that. Did it give you a kick to sleep with the chairman’s oblivious daughter? Never mind—don’t bother answering that.”

Sally waved her hand as if to negate the words she’d just uttered.

“Look, can we talk about that later, over dinner?”

“I do not want to go out to dinner with you. In fact, I don’t even want to be in the same room as you.”

Her cheeks had flushed pink with fury. At least that was better than the waxen image she’d presented to him only a few moments ago.

Marilyn returned to the office and set a small tray on Sally’s lap.

“There you are, my dear. Goodness knows, with your father so ill, the last thing we need is you collapsing, too. I’ve been telling your father for years now that he needs to slow down, but do you think he listens to me?” As if suddenly aware of the leaden atmosphere between Kirk and Sally, Marilyn straightened and gave Kirk a pointed glare. “Is there anything else...sir?”

“No, thank you, Marilyn. That will be all for now,” Kirk replied. He flicked a quick look at his watch. “Eat up,” he instructed Sally. “We have fifteen minutes.”

“I don’t feel like eat—”

“Please, Sally, at least try. It’ll boost your blood sugar for now and hopefully tide you through the next few hours,” Kirk said. “Whether you like it or not, we have to work together, today in particular. The last thing I want—and, as Marilyn already pointed out, the very last thing Harrison Tanner Tech needs—is you collapsing live on camera, especially during the merger announcement and even more so when news of your father’s heart attack becomes public knowledge.”

They locked gazes for what felt like a full minute before Sally acceded to his request and began to spoon up mouthfuls of the fruit.

“I still don’t want to go out for dinner with you,” she muttered between bites.

“We need to talk about last night, and we don’t have time now.”

“I don’t particularly wish to discuss last night. In fact, I’d rather forget it ever happened.”

Her words were cutting. Her anger and distrust right now felt like a palpable presence in the room. Such a contrast to the sweet openness she had shown him last night. And the tension between them was only going to get worse when she heard what he had to tell her. There was a knock at the door, and one of the communications team popped his head in.

“Ten minutes, Mr. Tanner! We need you miked and sound checked now.”

“And me, too,” Sally interjected in a shaking voice.

“Are you sure, Ms. Harrison?”

It wasn’t Kirk’s imagination—she paled again. But in true Harrison spirit, she placed her bowl on the desk in front of her and rose to her feet. She straightened her jacket and smoothed her hands over her rounded hips. Yes, there was still a tremor there.

“Absolutely certain. Let’s get this over with,” she said tightly.

“You don’t have to speak. In fact, you don’t have to do anything at all. I can handle the announcement.”

“Really? Do you think that’s a good idea given that people will be expecting to see my father? A man they know and trust—” she paused for emphasis “—and instead they’re getting you?”

There was enough scorn in her voice to curdle milk.

“They can trust me,” he said simply. “And so can you.”

“You’ll excuse me if I find that hard to believe.”

* * *

Sally wished she hadn’t eaten a thing. Right now she felt sick to her stomach. How dare Kirk have hidden his identity from her like that? What kind of a jerk was he? Was this some form of one-upmanship, lording his conquest over her before he’d even started here—making sure she knew exactly who was the top dog? And what if he tried to hold their one-night stand over her?

Sally stiffened her spine and looked him straight in the eyes. “In my father’s absence, I would prefer to make the announcement regarding the merger. You can fill in the details afterward. It’s what Dad would want.”

The sick sensation in her stomach intensified at the thought of being the figurehead for making the company-wide statement. But she could do this. She had to do this, to save face if nothing else. Kirk looked at her for a few seconds then shrugged and reached across the desk to grab a sheaf of papers. He held them out to her.

“Here’s the statement your father prepared yesterday. If you’re sure you can handle it, I have no objection to you making the announcement and then I’ll field any questions from the floor. After the Q and A from the video feed closes, we’ll repeat the same again for the press announcement.”

“Why will you be answering questions? Why not Silas Rogers, the CEO, or any of our other senior management?”

“Sally, your father and I have been working together in the lead-up to this for several months now. No one else can give the answers I can. I’m the one who can carry out the plans your father and I made—that’s why I’ve been appointed interim chairman. The board gave their approval at the meeting that was called this morning.”

This morning. While she’d been at the hospital, out of her mind with worry over her father’s condition. Her mind latched onto one part of what he’d said and yanked her out of her brief reverie.

“Several months?” Sally couldn’t stop the outburst. “But I didn’t hear about it until yesterday!”

“It was your father’s decision to keep everything under wraps for as long as possible. Obviously he’d hoped to do the announcement with me today, present a united front and all that, but since he can’t, we’ll do the next best thing. Are you okay with that?”

Okay with it? No, she wasn’t okay with it—any of it. But her dad had thought of everything, hadn’t he? And none of it, except for a rushed dinner together last night, had included her.

“Sally?”

“Let me read the statement.”

Sally scanned the double-spaced pages, hearing her father’s voice in the back of her mind with every word she read. It wasn’t right. He should be here to do this. This company was his pride and joy, built on his hard work, and he respected each and every one of his employees so very highly. Somehow she had to remember that in what she was about to do. Somehow she had to put aside her phobia and be the kind of person her father should have been able to rely on.

With every thought, she could feel her anxiety levels wind up several notches. Be bold, she told herself. You can do this. She drew in another deep breath then stood up and met Kirk’s gaze.

“Right, let’s go.”

“Are you sure? You’ll be okay?”

Blue-green eyes bored into hers, and she felt as though he could see through her bravado and her best intentions and all the way to the quivering jelly inside. He knew. Somehow, probably through her father, he knew about her glossophobia—the debilitating terror she experienced when faced with public speaking. Shame trickled down her spine, but she refused to back down.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, forcing a calm into her voice that she was far from feeling. “It’s a video link, isn’t it? Just us and a camera, right?”

“Look, Sally, you don’t have to—”

She shook her head. “No, trust me, I really do.”

He might not understand it, but this had become vital to her now. A method of proof that she was worthy. A way to show her father, when he was well enough to hear about it, that she had what it took and could be relied upon to step up.

Kirk gave her a small nod of acceptance. “Fine. Remember I’ll be right beside you.”

She’d been afraid he’d say that. But as they walked out of her dad’s office and down the carpeted corridor toward the main conference room, she felt an unexpected sense of comfort in his nearness. She tried to push the sensation away. She didn’t want to rely on this man. A man she knew intimately and yet not at all. Don’t think about last night! Don’t think about the taste of him, the feel of him, the pleasure he gave you.

She needn’t have worried. Last night was the last thing on her mind as they entered the conference room and she was immediately confronted by the single lens of a camera pointing straight toward her. And beyond it was a bank of television screens on the large wall of the conference room—each screen filled with faces of the staff assembled at each of their offices. All of them staring straight at her.