Everything inside of him went into hyper speed, reeling with the realization that he’d inadvertently bought the company in which his ex-lover worked. He remembered his fury when he’d discovered that Naya had left his suite that morning. No note, no warning, not even a “Thanks for a great time!” message. After the night they’d shared, he would have expected…hell, he had no idea what he’d expected. He only knew from experience that women tried hard to get into his bed, not leave it. And his night with Naya had been…explosive. He’d woken up that morning, fully prepared to continue making love to her. His first thought was that he would need to cancel his meetings as his erection proved too impatient to wait that long.
When he’d discovered that she’d left, leaving only her underwear as proof of her existence, he’d been more furious than he could ever remember feeling. After all the women he’d had to dismiss from his life, this one had disappeared! None of his guards had been able to find her either. There was no credit card trail from the bar, no one had ever seen her before, and no one knew where she’d gone.
But now…here she was! And apparently, she was an employee of his!
Ah, how the fates had turned!
His staff saw the smile and, almost as one, they stepped back. From experience, they knew that ferocious expression was never good.
Chapter 7
Naya stared at the e-mail that had just come in, her heart pounding as she read, then re-read the message. She was wanted upstairs? That didn’t make any sense. The floor referenced in the message was the floor where the executives worked.
“Is it true?” Bonnie asked with breathless excitement as she popped into Naya’s office.
“Is what true?” Naya asked, her hand moving to cover her stomach. Was the news of her pregnancy already making the rounds? How could anyone know? The only three people in the world who knew about her pregnancy were Cassy, Ella, and herself. Well, and the tiny little person inside of her womb. But she was fairly certain that the four people who knew wouldn’t say anything.
“About the takeover!” Bonnie gushed. “Some hotshot Russian guy bought up the company. It was all hush hush until this morning. Now, he’s here in the building, and it sounds like heads are really starting to roll!”
“Takeover?” Naya echoed uneasily. Her fingers curled in panic. Takeovers meant layoffs! Layoffs meant that a lot of staff members would be let go!
She couldn’t lose this job! She needed to help pay for her mother’s rent and groceries! Oh, please, don’t let this happen! Even a small gap in her income would cause problems. Not to mention, she had no idea how she was going to be able to afford a baby. And health care! Good grief, she needed her health insurance more than anything now! Being laid off seven months before giving birth…she’d never get new health insurance!
And then the rest of Bonnie’s comments hit her. “Russian?” The image of Pierce came to mind. Naya remember him muttering something during their night together and she’d thought it sounded like Russian, although Naya had no idea. But…but that was impossible, she thought. No way could Pierce be here. Her luck wasn’t that bad…
Was it?
“Yes!” Bonnie continued, oblivious to Naya’s anxiety. “I heard that Mark has already been fired. Something about the last marketing campaign being lifeless, but we don’t know if that’s true or not. Only rumors right now.”
Naya’s stomach churned and this was completely different from the morning sickness that hit her throughout the day. This was a panicked kind of sickness, although the result was the same. Naya stood up abruptly, thinking to head down to Mark’s office and talk to him, ask if the gossip was true. But a moment later, she sat down again, looking for a trash can…and praying she could make it to the bathroom in time.
“Bonnie,” Naya began, but the woman continued on as if oblivious to Naya’s panic. “I heard that this guy who bought up the company is one of the toughest men in business. Scary, gorgeous, and merciless. Apparently, last year, he bought that hotel over on Tenth Avenue. You know, the one that…”
Naya knew exactly which one Bonnie was referring to, but couldn’t confirm or deny that knowledge since her phone rang. Both Bonnie and Naya stared at the phone as if it had grown claws. Especially since the extension in the little window revealed that the phone call was coming from the executive floor. They stared at the number, then looked at each other.
Bonnie laid a gentle hand on Naya’s arm, her eyes filled with pity. Going to the executive floor probably meant that she was going to be laid off!
“I’m sorry,” Bonnie whispered, then rushed out. They both assumed that Naya was about to be laid off, terminated. And no one wanted to be around the person when that was happening. It was almost as if the termination stink could be smelled, and others were expecting it to be contagious.
Naya stood up, her heart pounding, her fingers shaking as she lifted the receiver to her ear. “Naya Banks,” she announced softly, then cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. If she was going to be fired, she wanted to go out with dignity! She wouldn’t cower in front of anyone.
Nope, she would wait until she got home to do that! She could cower in the dubious privacy of her tiny apartment. The apartment that she wouldn’t be able to afford in another month. Or week.
“Ms. Banks, this is Lois Jeffers. Your presence has been requested here in the president’s office. Did you not receive the e-mail?”
Naya opened her mouth to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.
“The message was sent with return receipt so it is showing that you’ve received and opened the message. Please come up to the executive floor. The room details are listed in the message.”
A moment later, the phone call disconnected and Naya stared at the receiver, numb with horror. She was about to be fired! Or laid off. Was there really a difference? Not really. When it came right down to the nitty gritty details, either way, she was out of a job.
Should she go upstairs? Or should she just collect her stuff and leave? Did she really need to hear them tell her that she was no longer needed at the company? Wouldn’t it be more dignified to simply walk out with her head held high?
Naya knew she should have shut her mouth about the last campaign. She’d said it wasn’t very good and, as the marketing campaign had progressed, the numbers showed that she was right. She’d offered several ideas! But her boss hadn’t listened. She hadn’t meant to become the squeaky wheel. She’d just known that the ideas they were running with had no pizzazz.
And now she was going to be terminated for speaking out.
She lifted her chin. She wouldn’t just leave with her tail between her legs as if she were ashamed of her contributions here! If management was going to fire her, she was going to accept that termination with grace and dignity. She would walk out of the office with a strength of character that others would envy, showing them that she was strong and couldn’t be cowed.
She’d be unemployed, yeah. But not cowed!
Grabbing a pen, she toyed with it, just to have something to do with her hands. And since that felt better, she grabbed a notebook as well. The notebook wasn’t necessary, but it was like a shield, she thought. Okay, so the notebook and pen demonstrated her nervous body language, but she didn’t care. Better armed with a defense than visibly trembling.
Leaving her office, she immediately noticed that the rest of the marketing staff glanced in her direction, then quickly away. No one wanted to look her in the eye.
They all knew.
Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the department and stood in front of the elevators, not pressing the call button just yet. She needed another moment. Or ten moments. Maybe a hundred would be better.
No, it was better to just get this over with.
Reaching out, she pressed the button and shuddered. She could do this! Somehow, she would get through this. Her mother would be fine and her baby would be perfect! Her hand fluttered to her stomach as if she needed to protect her unborn,
newly discovered baby from what was about to happen. It was amazing how quickly one’s maternal instincts kicked in. She was protecting her child and she’d only known about the little lady for less than fourteen hours!
And yes, she was having a girl. She’d decided. The elevator doors opened up and she stepped inside, strengthened somehow by the idea of her child being born. She was a mother now, she thought. Pregnancy…wow! Motherhood? Goodness, she was already a mother, wasn’t she? Just being pregnant cast her into that exclusive club.
It was both the most wonderful and the most terrifying thought she’d had in her entire life.
Too bad she was about to be fired. Or laid off. Whatever, the language didn’t mean a whole lot. She would be out of a job in…five minutes? Fifteen?
The elevator doors opened up and she stared at the executive floor. She’d never been on this floor before, but there was an energy here that wasn’t present on the other floors. She’d been to the accounting, human resources, financial, and production departments during the various meetings she’d attended over the years she’d been working here, and none of them had this sense of urgency.
“Are you Naya Banks?” a stern, terrifying woman demanded as soon as Naya stepped off of the elevators.
“Yes. I’m not sure…”
“This way,” the woman ordered, interrupting Naya’s hope of getting more information.
It took a long moment before Naya could remember that she had feet and they should be helping her to follow the older woman. She was already disappearing around the corner.
Naya’s feet weren’t nearly as efficient. Nor was her mind. She was working at it, but the idea of walking to the slaughter had never held much appeal. Survival instincts were working overtime. Maybe if she went to the bathroom, the person inside that conference room would move on to the next person. It would sure be nice to be second in line to be terminated. Or third. Or even tenth! Maybe if she hid in the bathroom, she would be completely forgotten!
Wait, that was being a coward again, wasn’t it? Darn it.
Her mental gymnastics were not helping. Finally, Naya forced her feet to move. As soon as Naya rounded the corner, she found herself facing a set of double doors and the angry woman who glared sharply at Naya as she slowly put one foot in front of the other.
“Ms. Banks, I guarantee that today is not a day in which you should choose to be slow,” the older woman hissed quietly as she stood beside the now-open doorway.
Naya blinked at the woman, not sure what was going on. The woman looked…panicked? This was very odd. Naya was the one that was about to be terminated…wasn’t she? Why was this woman so worried?
Naya had no idea what to do. She knew that she didn’t have ice cream in her freezer, her go-to treat when she needed comfort. Glancing at her watch, she absently wondered how long it took to be terminated from one’s job. She’d never experienced anything like that. She’d always been the stellar employee, the one that got the job done when no one else could.
Apparently, her record was about to be…
“Ms. Banks!” the woman hissed again, then jerked her head to the side, silently ordering Naya to enter the office.
Naya stepped through the doorway, feeling like she should bow her head so the guillotine would have a better angle. Oh boy, this was it. This was the end. Her mother would become overwhelmed and head out of town again. Naya would lose her baby because she didn’t have the means to support her. Her hand covered her stomach, protecting her baby girl.
The door closed with a snick behind her and Naya felt her body jerk with the sound. This was it, she thought and took a deep breath.
“So, we meet again,” a deep voice rang out from her right.
That voice! The last time she’d heard that voice, it had been encouraging her to…well, to do things! To do naughty things! Wicked, wonderful things that had caused her to scream his name!
But that was impossible! It couldn’t be him! No!
She spun around, her eyes wide with fear, horror, and panic even as her hand clenched around the pen and notebook she’d brought up with her.
It couldn’t be him! Oh, please, don’t let it be him!
Even as her eyes focused on the tall, devastatingly rugged man, she recognized that accent and her body knew moments before her mind would allow her to accept the reality towering in front of her.
Goodness, she remembered those cold, grey eyes and how they could heat up with passion! And the way his lips could…oh, my, the way he’d had kissed her. All over her body! Those lips could do things that should be considered illegal! And probably were!
“You!” she whispered, her body numb with shock and…hope! Anticipation! Goodness, he was even taller than she remembered! That feeling of vulnerability and yet, still protected as he wrapped his muscular arms around her, lifted her onto the bed and…
“So you work for me now,” he was saying.
Huh?! Wait, what?
“I’m sorry?” she gasped, still reeling.
Pierce walked around the woman, shocked to find that she was even lovelier than he remembered. And he had been thinking about her for a long time. He hadn’t been able to get the woman out of his mind.
He wanted to pull her up into his arms and kiss her, to feel those trembling lips give way, to rediscover all of those places on her body that made her sigh with pleasure or gasp with excitement. He remembered so many of those places. Naya had been the most responsive woman he’d ever held in his arms.
Damn it! His body was tightening with need, just at the memories of how she’d shuddered in his arms, the way she’d held him tightly as she’d convulsed around him.
But she’d also walked out on him. After the most incredible night he’d ever experienced, this woman had casually strolled out of his suite.
Pierce wasn’t sure what he was angrier about. The fact that she’d left that morning, or that his security team hadn’t been able to find her.
Oh, that was all going to change. Even now, he could feel her body vibrating with awareness. He could use that. Yes, he would use that against her, to show her that he was not the kind of man to walk out on!
He would tease her body, make her want him as badly as he’d wanted her that morning, but this time, he would be the one walking out! Yes, he would be the one in control! Just as she’d left him without a word, no explanation, or even a goodbye, he would return that favor. In spades!
Oh yes, the tables were definitely turned now.
“I don’t understand,” his gentle beauty said.
He came around to the front of her, watching her green eyes, seeing the desire flicker there. She was fighting it, he realized. Her surprise, she couldn’t hide, but her desire? Yes, he’d learned over the last two months that desire was a much more difficult feeling to hide. Especially where she was concerned. It infuriated him that she could do this to him, could make him want her even as she tried to tamp down her own lust.
Oh, no, little one, he thought with increasing anger, this game was one that he played extremely well. One he was going to win.
“I am your new employer,” he explained. “As of midnight this morning, Tri-Tek came under the Danilov corporate umbrella.” He moved closer, shocked at how good she smelled. “As do you,” he whispered softly, as his body reacted to her scent, to the soft, worried look in her pretty green eyes. He gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to pull her into his arms and tell her that everything would be okay and that she didn’t need to worry about anything.
Naya heard his words, but she didn’t understand why he was so angry. Was he angry? Or was she misunderstanding what was going on?
That was the problem with having sex with someone before you knew him! It was hard to interpret their reactions!
“I work for you now?” she asked, her heart pounding. Was that because this man was so close? Or was it because his words indicated that she wasn’t about to be fired?
“You do. I am in control.” He moved so that he was behind
her. “I will determine when this relationship is over now. You walked out on me the last time we were together. That will not happen this time, Naya,” he growled.
He was angry because she’d walked out on him? Naya blinked, opening her mouth to explain.
“I don’t want to hear it,” he said as soon as he saw that she was going to argue with him. She shook her head, trying to get him to understand but he walked over to the large desk and sat down in the leather chair, looking like some sort of evil sheik waiting on a concubine to…do whatever it was that a concubine did. “You work in the marketing department,” he snapped. “Tell me your thoughts about the most recent marketing campaigns your group developed.”
Naya stood there, gripping the pen and notebook while she tried to catch up. She probably needed to explain about that morning, about why she’d run away after a night of amazing, blissful sex. She needed him to know that it hadn’t been a rejection of him, but of what she’d done. Even now, she blushed at the things he’d introduced her to and she couldn’t believe what she’d done with him!
Oh, and there was also the niggling issue of the child they’d created! Yes, she should probably tell him about her pregnancy too.
How exactly was one supposed to tell a furious man that she had a life growing inside of her? A life that he’d helped create?
Gently, she supposed. But then his other statement registered. He wanted her opinion about the marketing department? Why? And what was she supposed to say? That the head of the department was one of the most un-creative men she’d ever met? That he stifled any sort of brainstorming that his team tried? He was a dictator that liked all of his minions to follow behind him, supporting his ideas even if they didn’t make sense? And he’d hired several idiots right out of college that had no clue how to market!
Oh no! She wasn’t going to be the one to say that. Not in this tension-filled environment.
“Mark is a fine leader,” she finally said, thinking to be as neutral about the issues as she could.
Pregnant with the Tycoon's Heir (The Ladies of The Burling School Book 5) Page 6