Читать книгу The Complete Boardroom Collection - Джанис Мейнард, Yvonne Lindsay - Страница 26

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FOUR

Scott’s reply was to rest his hands, splayed out, on the table, his left hand loose and relaxed, the right bandaged around the fingers. He leaned the top half of his long wide frame towards her from the hips so that she had to fight the urge to lean back against the display table and protect her space.

She liked hands, always had. It was usually one of the first things she noticed about a person. She could tell from the way he protected his bandaged fingers that he must be in pain. His left hand had long slender fingers with clean short nails. The knuckles were scarred and bruised as though they had been bashed at regular intervals and the veins on the back of his hand stood out in prominent raised rivers. Sinewy. Powerful.

They were clever, fast, working hands.

No manicures for Scott Elstrom.

The neck of his top stretched open and revealed a hint of deeply tanned skin around the neckline and more than a few dark blond chest hairs.

At this distance, she could have reached out and touched the curved flicks of thick blond slicked-back hair that had fallen over one side of his temple, but she had the idea that he would like that far too much so she simply lifted her chin and inhaled a long calming breath through her nose.

Big mistake.

Instead of a background aroma of leather and lavender and old books, she was overwhelmed with the scent of gentle rain on freshly cut grass blended with lime zest which was tangy and fresh against the sweetness of the air.

He had certainly made good use of the bath at Freya’s!

He smelt wonderful. Expensive, distinctive and on a scale of one to ten on the testosterone level she would give him a twelve. From the sun-bleached hair on his arms and the way the muscles in his neck flexed when he moved, to the know-it-all confidence in the smile he was giving her at that moment, he was off the scale.

He was about as different from Peter as it was possible to be—on the surface.

He was a fashion photographer’s dream. She knew several professionals who would have signed him on the spot if they had seen him like this. And somehow she had to paint his portrait! Wow! Thank you, Freya.

So what if she was attracted to him? It was only natural.

Until now, she had believed that she was immune to such charms. After all, she had been exposed to this type of infection many times before and just about survived. Working in studio photography exposed her to egos the size of small planets most days of the week, girls and boys.

But this man was a carrier for a super-powerful version of charm that no amount of previous experience had a chance of fighting off.

For a moment her heart went out to him.

He had travelled thousands of miles to come back to take over a family business with frostbitten fingers. The last thing he needed was a pest like her turning up to annoy him.

Then his gaze shot to her face. It was fierce and intense, and for one microsecond she had an insight into the power and strength of this man who could freeze her to ice with just one glance.

She might have guessed. He probably expected everyone to jump when he clicked his fingers and not complain in the process.

‘There seems to be a misunderstanding, Miss Baldoni. I thought that I made it clear last night that the situation has changed. And I have no plans to have my portrait painted by you or anyone else for that matter.’

His voice came from the depths of his chest and was no doubt intended to intimidate lesser mortals who got in his way.

Not this time! She was way too used to dealing with the divas of the media world to let a feeble excuse like logic stop her from getting her way.

She needed this commission!

‘Oh, I understand what you’re telling me perfectly, Mr Elstrom. Plans do have a nasty habit of changing on us without warning, don’t they? It’s most inconvenient.’

Rubbing her hands together in delight, Toni dived into her capacious shoulder bag and pulled out her digital camera. ‘My motto? Let’s look at this as an opportunity. In fact, I was just telling Freya this morning that I have a wonderful feeling that this project is going to be something extra special.’

His nose wrinkled and a sound close to a low, deep grunt escaped his lips. ‘You spoke to Freya?’

‘Well, of course I had to clarify my position. Seeing as she has already paid me half my fee. And guess what? Your father is so looking forward to seeing your final portrait! He can hardly wait to see it join the others in your boardroom.’

Then she grinned, fluttered her eyelashes at him, raised the camera to her eyes and fired off a flash photograph of his stunned face before he could say a word.

‘Excellent. Now, shall we peek at the gallery?’

‘The gallery?’ he asked with a less than happy expression on his face, eyebrows high.

‘The Baldoni collection, of course. I would love to see my father’s work again. And you can talk to me about the Elstrom family history at the same time. What fun!’

His lips formed the word ‘fun’—at least she thought that the word was fun—and he made that low groaning sound again.

‘Only if you promise not to even try to take my photograph again.’

‘No photographs? That’s going to make it tricky.’

‘Camera-shy,’ he murmured.

‘Okay—’ she winced ‘—that’s a first but I can handle that. It will mean more work but I can run a few sketches and make notes on your ideas.’

‘No ideas. You’re on your own, Miss Baldoni. But if you want to see the other portraits before you go, the boardroom is on the first floor.’ He nodded to the narrow polished wooden staircase at the other end of the reception area. ‘After you.’

* * *

‘What a wonderful table,’ Toni said as she strolled into a long narrow room with wood-panelled walls which was dominated by a stunning table which ran almost the full length of the room. The surface of the table was decorated by inlaid pictures crafted from fine marquetry and gold bands which had been inserted into the golden wood.

She ran her fingers along the wood, which was worn down by wear and slightly rough under her fingertips, and then strolled over to the four large windows which ran from waist to head height. ‘Is this stained glass original?’

‘The whole building was bomb-damaged during the war so some of the glass was replaced with replicas.’

‘It’s lovely work.’

Then, with one deep breath, she swung around and, with her back to the windows, plunged her hands deep into the pockets of her coat to try and get some warmth.

Facing her was a collection of some of the most stunning and unusual portraits that she had ever seen.

Looking from left to right, it was immediately clear that the oldest full length paintings were on the wall directly facing the chair at the head of the table. She dashed across the room so that she could take a closer look, moving from picture to picture, nodding and smiling in appreciation of the remarkable workmanship. And chatting to herself as she went.

‘Now that older gent with the sea charts and sextant—that has to be of the seafaring Elstrom shipping clan. All beards and rough and tough dangerous sea crossings. But this one.’ She paused and tapped her lower lip and tilted her head to one side. ‘This Elstrom looks more studious. Was he a scientist?’

She turned around to ask Scott but he was standing at the other end of the room, close to the door, with his gaze totally focused on the centre of the table. Deep in thought and totally oblivious to her and what she had been asking.

Toni had staged photo shoots long enough to recognize that something was very wrong with the man she was looking at.

His shoulders were braced hard, his jaw was locked tight shut and those eyes were not blue at all but had turned as grey and steely as the ocean waves on the portraits she had just been looking at. Dark. Stormy. And troubled.

Everything about Scott’s body language screamed out to her that he took absolutely no pleasure in being in this room.

Well, that made sense. The last twenty-four hours must have been quite a roller coaster. His father was ill and he’d had a terrible journey from Alaska to take over a job when he wasn’t expecting it. She would be totally wrecked! Maybe she should be a little more forgiving? Her journey this morning had been a short ride on a heated bus.

She quickly glanced away and pretended to move to the next portrait and then the next until she came to an Elstrom in a business suit and a painting style that was totally familiar to her. Instinct and a slight rustle of papers behind her back told her that Scott had moved.

‘Ah. Look at that classic pose,’ she called out in a cheery voice. ‘Your grandfather must have been a wonderful chairman of the board. So dominant. My grandfather really did capture something about him. There is real spirit behind those eyes.’

Toni glanced across at Scott but he seemed more interested in scanning through a bundle of mail he had brought with him from the reception area.

‘But we can be more creative if you want,’ she suggested and stepped closer to him. ‘Maybe even take it out of doors and have more of an action shot. Sailing could work. Or mountaineering? Just pass me some action shots and let me work my magic. All good control metaphors.’

‘Control metaphors,’ he repeated. ‘That sounds good. Do you do this a lot?’

Suddenly Toni’s patience ran out. ‘My CV is with Freya and your father sounded very keen on me painting something worthy of hanging on these walls next to your family. Is there a problem I don’t know about here? Or is the problem with me? Because, for the record, I don’t normally spend my evenings modelling lingerie.’

That got his attention and the mail hit the table.

‘For the record. My decision to cancel your contract has nothing to do with what happened last night. You have every right to hold a birthday party if you choose.’

‘Cancel? Oh, no...’ She coughed and shook her head. ‘Freya told me that this was a top priority job. I turned work away to come here to do this. You don’t cancel at this short notice. I won’t allow it.’

Then she whirled around and waved her arm towards the paintings.

‘This is your family! My grandfather started the tradition of painting portraits of every head of the Elstroms, starting with your great-grandfather right down to that one of your uncle, which my dad worked on when I was a girl. And now it’s my turn. Tradition. I like that idea just fine. You are carrying on the family tradition and so am I. So you’re having your portrait painted whether you like it or not.’

She blinked and grinned but his reaction was to close his eyes for a second and cross his arms.

‘Then let me explain again. It’s very simple. I have absolutely no intention of having a painting of my face hanging on that wall and I certainly do not have the time to sit around while you sketch my wrinkles. As far as I’m concerned, you can take your fee and go home right now. Think of it as a bonus.’

‘Are you serious?’ she choked. ‘You dragged me all the way out here to the centre of London to do the work and now you’ve changed your mind? Is that what you’re telling me?’

‘I haven’t changed my mind. This was never my idea in the first place. The first thing I knew about it was when you told me last night. My sister made the arrangements, not me.’

‘I have a signed contract,’ Toni replied, crossing her arms to match his, her eyebrows high.

‘I can cancel it and you can keep your fee. Go home with my blessing.’

‘Just like that?’ she gasped.

‘Just like that. You will have your fee in the bank today. I’m sorry for wasting your time. Do we have a deal, Miss Baldoni?’

He held out his hand and she took it. And held it and kept on holding it until he looked down and frowned and tried to pull it away.

‘What are you doing?’

‘My job. Part of creating a portrait is making a connection with the sitter so you can capture something unique about them. I always start with the hands. Or, in your case, one hand. I like hands and yours is spectacular.’

She gave a quick nod. ‘You like being outdoors and working for a living in hard environments. Alaska makes sense now. Yes. I can do something with that. And it explains why you’re so grumpy here in the office.’

‘I am not grumpy,’ he said and pulled his hand back. ‘Did you hear what I said? You’re going to have your fee. So feel free to go and do one of those jobs that you passed over to come here.’

‘Grumpy. Here is how it works. I sign a contract and I deliver the goods. No arguments, no discussion; that is what’s going to happen.’

He glared at her and did the eyebrow thing again. ‘Are you always so stubborn?’

‘Frequently. Especially with uncooperative subjects like you. So you may as well get used to the idea, because I am painting you. Even if I have to do it from memory and press clippings. That’s the way it works.’

She stepped back and made a square with the thumb and forefingers of both hands. ‘Oh. Would you mind doing that look again? Scowl a little more to one side. That’s super. I was looking for a scary image for Halloween.’

‘Double the fee if you leave now.’

That stopped her and she clasped hold of one of the boardroom’s carved wooden chairs.

‘What? No. I gave Freya my word that I would do the very best work that I could. Promises mean something in my family. If I give my word that I will do something I will do it. End of story.’

‘Is it? Let me guess. I know a few things about families too. Something tells me that you’re desperate to prove to your father, the famous portrait painter, that you’re his equal.’

He leant back against the wooden panels with a smug expression on his face. ‘Am I right?’

* * *

The words hit Toni like a slap across the face and she reeled back in a reflex action which had her gasping for breath.

Suddenly it all became too much. Lack of sleep, the sadness of waving Amy goodbye as she drove away in a taxi, and then the harshness of this man all combined together in one mighty wave which washed over her, leaving her exhausted.

Toni whirled around sideways to look at the portrait that her father had painted. There was no way that she was going to let Scott see how close she was to bursting into tears.

It was several minutes before she was ready to reply in a hoarse whisper. ‘Whose family are we talking about? Yours or mine? Because I’m sorry to disappoint you, Mr Elstrom, but this time you’re wrong. My father passed away several years ago. The only person I have to prove anything to is myself.’

There was a sharp intake of breath followed by a long slow sigh. ‘My apologies. I didn’t know.’

Toni replied with a sharp nod. ‘There is no reason why you should know. But, you see, I really am the last of the Baldoni artists and your father wants a Baldoni hanging on this wall. Which means. Me.’

Toni half turned from the waist and risked glancing at Scott, who was looking at her with something close to respect in his eyes.

She stood in silence for a moment and then her shoulders dropped. ‘Freya has already paid me half my fee for the portrait. I don’t want to give that money back.’ Then she shrugged. ‘In fact I have already spent it on something important—but that doesn’t matter.’

She lifted her chin but carried on in a softer voice. ‘What does matter is that I want to deliver this portrait. I can work on your likeness from photos and sketches. But it makes a big difference if I can get my client to sit down and be fairly still for a while. I can see that might be a problem. So tell me how we can work together to make this happen.’

Scott waved an arm around in a circle.

‘I cannot give you that time. Look around you, Miss Baldoni. I have just been made the head of a company which no longer exists. My father decided to close the business a month ago and make the few remaining staff redundant.’

His fingers clasped around the back rung of a chair.

‘It’s going to take me months to sort out the financial situation and come up with some sort of rescue package before this building is sold to developers. Apparently, they could make at least six luxury apartments out of this three-storey building.’

‘Apartments? Oh, no. That’s terrible. Are they allowed to do that? Seriously?’

‘Oh, yes. Specialist builders can prop up the creaky outside walls and make the structure safe and strong but it will mean gutting the inside and starting again. Two hundred years of history is about to be wiped away as if it never happened.’

‘I see. Well, that explains something I’d been wondering about,’ Toni replied in a low voice, almost mumbling to herself before she looked up into Scott’s face to find him looking quizzically at her.

‘From what Freya told me, your father has been working here most of his life and took over about twenty years ago—that must be from your uncle. Yes? But he didn’t have his portrait painted. Even though he is obviously very traditional. It makes sense now. This was going to be his last chance to be painted as the head of Elstrom Mapping before the company closed. He wanted the last portrait on the wall on the day the building was sold.’

She pushed her hands deep into her pockets. ‘That’s sad,’ she sniffed.

‘Sad but true. Because you’re right.’

He stepped in front of the portrait painted by Toni’s father and they stood side by side and stared up at the young, vibrant blond-haired man whose essence had been captured in oil paint on canvas.

‘My uncle Neil was the action businessman—the dynamic and charming star who was a natural athlete and medal-winning explorer. He excelled in public speaking, making presentations and was dazzling to the media. While my father...?’

Scott pushed his hands into his trouser pockets.

‘My father worked out as a boy that he was never going to compete with his older brother Neil. He preferred to stay in the background and let his brother take the limelight. So they sat down and worked it out between them. My father would stay here in the office and do the meticulous work behind the scenes while my uncle Neil travelled the world using Elstrom maps and bringing in more orders than they could cope with. It was win/win. Until my uncle was killed in an avalanche in the Himalayas. And the whole thing fell apart.’

‘Now it’s my turn to be sorry. He looks like a remarkable man.’

‘He was extraordinary. And that was part of the problem. Do you know why my father never contacted the Baldoni family? Because he never once felt that he was the man in charge. I was about twelve when my uncle had the accident and as far as my dad was concerned I was the man who was destined to take my uncle’s place. My uncle had never married or settled down anywhere long enough to have a family, although he was never short of female company. Which meant one thing. I was the heir. The man who was going to be the next head of Elstrom Mapping. My father told me on my eighteenth birthday that all he’d been doing was keeping my seat warm for me.’

‘Wait. Are you telling me that he never wanted his portrait painted?’

‘Never. It was going to be my portrait hanging on the wall next to my uncle. Not my dad. Me.’

‘Wow. So why...?’

‘He finally accepted this Christmas that it was never going to happen.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Oh, it’s quite simple. I walked out of this building two years ago and made it perfectly clear that I had absolutely no intention of ever coming back. That was it. Unless Freya suddenly developed a burning fascination for sea charts, the Elstrom line ended with my dad. I was out and was out for good.’

Scott nodded to the wall and as he spoke every word seemed to come from a deep, dark place. ‘It has taken two years for him to finally get that fact into his head and admit defeat. Lars Elstrom truly would be the last head of Elstrom Mapping. There was no way he was going to get me to come back and run the business. No way at all.’

Then he turned around to face her and leant back against the table. Head high. Eyes narrow and all business.

‘Do you get the picture now, Miss Baldoni?’

The Complete Boardroom Collection

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