by Alexia Adams
“And did you rebel to get attention?” Jeremy put a finger under her chin until her eyes met his.
“Not intentionally. But I still managed to screw up royally a couple of times.”
“This I have to hear.” He seemed about to caress her face but dropped his hand instead.
“It’s not a pretty story.”
“Please, I think it would help me know you better.”
She searched his eyes, trying to decide if he was sincere or playing the marketing game. It was dangerous getting too personal with Jeremy. She was already battling lust; she didn’t need to add any more complicated emotions to the mix. “Why do you need to know me better?”
“I just do. You’re an enigma to me, Lalita Evans. You come across as a cool, detached business professional. But I know underneath that veneer beats the heart of a passionate, sensuous woman. Are you afraid of letting her out?”
“She’s the one who gets in trouble.” Lalita shrugged. It was her turn to stare at the swans on the lake. They glided over the water without a care in the world. A faint breeze ruffled Lalita’s hair, a teasing caress. The smell of thousands of exotic blooms wafted across her, tickling her senses. But nothing intoxicated her soul like the man next to her.
Jeremy ran a hand through his hair, then shoved it into his trouser pocket. She wished he would take her in his arms and kiss her. All this waiting and wondering was wreaking havoc with her nerves. Every cell in her body edged closer to him. At this rate, she wouldn’t be surprised if some of them didn’t jump ship and join the dark side.
Lalita took a deep breath. She’d put her young adult silliness behind her, she didn’t want to expose it to the man she’d made an even greater fool of herself over. He’d think she was a serial idiot. If she threw herself at him now—a desperate serial idiot.
Jeremy took his hand from his pocket and tucked a flapping strand of her hair behind her ear. She’d assumed passion would be her undoing. Seemed it was tenderness.
“When I was at university, I thought I was in love. Twice. Turns out the guys wanted my money or what my father could do for their careers. The second time it happened, I swore I wouldn’t make a fool of myself over a man again.”
Then I met you.
“Not all men want to use you to get to your father, Lalita. Some of us want you for you alone.” She ignored that comment, sure it was a throw-away line. Jeremy seemed about to touch her again but stopped, his hand dropping to his side in a clenched fist.
“Do you get on with your father?” His sudden change of topic had her perplexed.
“Mostly. He’s not an easy man to please. Sometimes I wonder if he’s extra hard on me because I’m his daughter and he doesn’t want to appear to favour me over the other directors. Or whether he doesn’t think I can handle the business. He keeps asking me to return to London, and I think it’s so he can keep a closer eye on me.” She attempted a nonchalant shrug. Her father’s approval meant a lot to her.
“I notice you call him John.”
“We made an agreement when I first joined the company that I would call him by his first name in the office. It doesn’t sound very professional if I call him Daddy during Board meetings.”
She turned away from the lake, about to walk away when she stopped short. “Speaking of my father, do you see that guy over there—the one in the grey suit with the dark glasses?”
“Yeah. He another one of your ex-boyfriends?” She was surprised, and just a tiny bit thrilled, at the annoyance in Jeremy’s voice.
“When I first came to Asia, my father had me followed—by that man. For two years, he shadowed my every move, then he disappeared. I figured my father was satisfied that I wasn’t going to make a mess of things. Now he’s back again. That either means John thinks I’m about to screw up again or...”
“Or it’s a coincidence,” Jeremy said. She glanced at him. His brow was furrowed, his eyes narrowed. He didn’t seem convinced by his own hypothesis.
“Yeah, because lots of locals come to the Botanical Gardens wearing suits.”
Jeremy tilted his head to the side, studying her. “How do you know it was your father that had you followed?”
She couldn’t tell him about the file in her dad’s home office. “Because I challenged him on it when I returned to the UK for a board meeting a few years ago. Daddy said he was watching out for my best interests. But when I returned, the tailings stopped.”
Jeremy scanned the other visitors to the gardens. “Maybe he’s following someone else?”
“Let’s go to the Singapore Flyer and see if he shows up there,” she suggested. She hurried out of the nearest exit and hailed a cab. Despite the sweat-inducing heat, a cold chill swept down her spine.
***
Twenty minutes later, ensconced in a capsule on the giant Ferris wheel with several tourists, Jeremy stood as close to Lalita as possible. Her perfume filled his head. The warmth of her body melted his resolve not to touch her.
She pointed out the floating stadium and Esplanade. But he found it difficult to take his eyes off her and focus on the view. She’d relaxed somewhat, and he even caught her smiling now and again at some of the other passengers’ comments.
As their capsule came closer to the ground, she scanned the crowds waiting below.
“Damn, he’s down there.” She pointed at the man she’d seen in the Botanical Gardens. “So much for your coincidence theory.”
“What happened to those two guys who broke your heart in University?”
“They didn’t break my heart, just dented my pride. I thought I was in love, but according to my sisters, I didn’t moon over them enough or shatter into a million pieces when we broke up.”
“Okay, but what happened to them?”
“I’m not sure. Eamon, the first guy, left uni shortly after we parted, I didn’t keep in touch. It was a bit odd as he was there on a scholarship and kept saying how his degree was going to set him on his way to riches. From the first date, he kept asking to meet my family.”
“And the other guy?”
“Dustin was American. When we dated, he always wanted to know if there were any positions available in the company, I expected him to apply for a job after graduation. Instead, he returned to the US. Neither Eamon or Dustin ever tried to call or see me again, at least not as far as I know.”
“Do you think your father had a hand in their disappearances?” Jeremy shifted his weight from one foot to the other and moved a few inches away from Lalita.
“At the time I didn’t think about it, I was concentrating on getting on with my studies. But now ... probably. Daddy can be overprotective. And if he thinks one of his daughters is threatened, he can be a bit ruthless. But I don’t understand why he’d have me followed again.”
“I don’t remember Robert or Wesley saying they were tailed when dating your sisters.”
“For some reason, Daddy’s always been a bit more concerned about me, as if he was waiting for me to screw up. Jane and Jessica never really gave him any worries. Their boyfriends were always deferential. I tended to go for wilder guys, more worrisome for my father.”
“Well, we’re not doing anything that would warrant a report back to your father, so relax. Where are you taking me for dinner?” Jeremy put as much confidence into his words as he could muster. Being followed irked him more than he wanted her to know. Clearly, John Evans would make good on his threat if Jeremy made a move on Lalita.
“To experience the real Singapore, you have to eat at a hawker centre.”
“What’s a hawker centre?” Jeremy resisted the urge to take Lalita’s hand when they exited the capsule.
“It’s like a giant food hall. You get a table, then go around all the stalls deciding what to eat. After they cook it, it’s brought to your table.”
“Sounds interesting. Do you think our shadow will follow us?”
“He will if he’s hungry. Maybe he’ll hold our table while we choose what we want to eat.”
Jeremy forced his shoulders to relax as Lalita hailed a cab. He wouldn’t give the investigator anything to report back to his boss.
Singapore was just the first stop in their Asian tour. There’d be other opportunities to get her alone, far from the prying eyes of her father’s spies.
He could hardly wait.
Chapter 5
“Gentlemen, are there any questions?” Jeremy addressed the boardroom full of men in dark suits. It was his third presentation in China in an equal number of days, and he was tired of hearing his own voice.
He scanned the room, noting the glazed looks in some of the managers’ eyes. Lalita conducted most meetings in the language of the office she visited. For them to listen to him non-stop for over two hours in English had probably taxed their brains.
“Why don’t we take a brief break, say fifteen minutes, then reconvene?” Lalita offered from her position at the foot of the boardroom table. Although Jeremy had said her attendance wasn’t required, she had sat in on each presentation, offering a word or two in translation when confusion had reigned. Aside from that, she’d kept silent, sometimes working on her laptop, other times sitting back in her chair, watching him.
At the start of their tour, he’d found her continual presence a distraction and his first presentation was not one he wished to remember. But by focusing on the task at hand and drawing on all his professionalism, he’d been able to block out Lalita’s mesmerizing charisma. Well, at least deal with it so he didn’t stumble over every word.
Now, observing as she chatted to the office manager in what appeared to be fluent Chinese, Jeremy allowed his professionalism to take a short break and he admired the woman at the other end of the room. Dressed demurely in a light grey trouser suit, her low heels put her on height level with most of the other men.
He could imagine the prejudice she must have encountered when she first took up the role of DAO—a young, foreign woman in a cutthroat, male-dominated industry. Many would have thought she was only there because her last name was Evans. But Lalita had proven them all wrong. She was not just capable, she excelled, earning the respect and admiration of all.
After excusing herself from her discussion, she approached him. He lost himself for a moment, entranced by her hips as she moved toward him.
“Jeremy, great presentation, as always. However, Jin, the head of the office here has pointed out some areas where the Chinese culture may impact the success of our efforts. I suggest that we spend the next hour discussing how we can modify your approach in light of these issues. Would you then be able to summarize the results at a dinner meeting tonight so that everyone is clear on the way forward?”
“Of course, I expected that the marketing materials may need to be tailored for each country based on the prevailing culture,” Jeremy replied.
“Excellent, let’s get going then.” Lalita turned back, all business. Jeremy gave himself a moment to imagine what it would be like to have all her focus turned on him, all her passion directed at him. Pulling himself out of that delicious reverie, he opened a blank page on his laptop and prepared to make notes of the ensuing discussion.
Business first. Pleasure later. He hoped.
***
Lalita sat and called the group to order again. After a few opening remarks, she returned the meeting to Jeremy’s control and resumed the role of spectator. She enjoyed watching him. His charm and charisma weren’t reserved only for the ladies. He treated everyone with respect and listened to their opinion without ever losing the reins. His relaxed manner put all at ease.
She let the discussion flow over her as she imagined what it would take to make Jeremy lose control, make him call out her name because it was the only word he could think to say.
Problem was, he hadn’t made a single move on her since they’d arrived in Asia. Even when they’d gotten close during her kidnapping, he hadn’t done anything. Lalita gritted her teeth and wondered what he’d do if she threw herself at him the next time they were alone together. Which, according to their punishing travel schedule, was next to never.
Her mobile phone vibrated on the desk in front of her and she glanced at the caller display, intending to hit the cancel button. Unbidden, her hand snatched up the phone, knocking over her glass of water in the process.
“Oh, excuse me. I have to take this call.” She thrust her chair backward with such force that it toppled over. Without stopping to pick it up, she dashed for the door. Her foot caught on a power cord, pulling the sales manager’s laptop and a pile of papers off the table. Lalita could feel the various shocked stares on her back as she scrambled from the room, leaving a trail of devastation in her wake.
***
“Sorry I’m late,” she said as she rushed into the boardroom. She took her seat at the opposite end of the table to Jeremy and ran a shaking hand over her hair. Raising her eyes, she met his concerned gaze and did her best to paste a reassuring smile on her face. Conversation buzzed around her as she stared out the window. When she noticed a prolonged silence, she pulled herself back to the present. Twenty pairs of eyes stared at her.
“Ms. Evans? I asked if you wanted to make any final comments before we wrap up?” Jeremy repeated.
“Oh … ah … just to thank everyone for their cooperation and hard work in making Evans International a success. In my discussions with the CEO last week, he indicated that we are on track for a record-breaking year and that Asia is leading the corporation in both new products and new partners. Thanks to you!” Lalita concluded with a round of applause and hoped her smile reached her eyes.
Taking her words as dismissal, the men and women gathered around the board table stood, some bowing, some waving to her in farewell. The room cleared, and Jeremy perched one butt cheek on the table in front of her. His long, muscular leg blocked her escape.
“Tired?” He searched her face.
“A little after three nights with meetings running to after ten, then up at dawn to catch the regular European and American conference calls. Thankfully, tomorrow is a slow day, no meetings or calls and we fly to Manila at four in the afternoon.”
“Is there any chance you’ll actually rest tomorrow?”
“Oh, there’s always a chance,” she replied, trying to laugh off Jeremy’s concern. She pushed back her chair and stood to put some distance between them. The heat radiating off his body made her blood to simmer. His spicy aftershave lured her to lean in closer and see if he tasted as fabulous as he smelled.
Jeremy reached out and grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving.
“Seriously, Lalita, I’m concerned. You’ve been late for two meetings and left in the middle of three others. You’re distracted and anxious. Is there something happening at head office?”
“No, nothing, everything is fine. And you’re doing a very good job. I expected some resistance to your new ideas, but you present them in such a way that everyone is straight on-board.”
“Nice try, but you can’t deflect my concern. We’re talking about you, not me.”
“I apologise if I’ve been a bit preoccupied. I’ll try to behave in a more professional manner.”
“I don’t care if you lead the next round of managers on a naked conga line through the offices. What’s upsetting you? Surely we’ve spent enough time together that you know you can trust me?”
He ran an agitated hand through his hair and she just barely resisted the urge to smooth his tousled locks. One touch was not going to be enough to quell the aching desire that rose in her every time he was near. So instead, she went on the offense.
“Can I? Trust you? You’re the Director of Marketing. Spin is your game.”
“Spin is my job. I’m your … friend, Lalita. Anything you share stays between us. Please, I want to help.”
She stared into his blue eyes for a long time, trying to decide if he was genuine. Jeremy was always on show, his charm entrancing everyone he met. But deep down, she did feel she could trust him. In the two weeks they’d spent
together, he’d shown real concern for her. And not just the regular gentlemanly things like holding doors and offering to help her with her bags. He also shortened his stride when she was wearing heels and walking with him, positioned himself so she didn’t get jostled in a crowd, and made sure her water glass was always topped up when she chaired a meeting.
“It’s nothing, just a minor personal problem. It will be resolved in a few days. I’ll try not to let it disturb the rest of your presentations.”
“A personal problem? Are you okay? You’re not ill, are you?”
“I’m fine. Everything is fine. I plan to sleep in tomorrow, shall we meet for lunch?” Lalita scrambled to redirect the conversation. Jeremy stared at her as if he could see into her soul.
“You are the most frustrating woman I have ever met. What will it take to get through that thick, ultra-professional skin of yours?” Jeremy pulled her toward him. Off balance, Lalita put her hands on his chest. Looking up to see what he was about she had just a millisecond before his lips descended and took hers in a rough, passionate kiss. Despite his boldness, she sensed he held back, prepared to end the embrace if she showed the least bit of resistance. She didn’t.
With a mind of their own, her hands crept around Jeremy’s neck and buried themselves in his hair. The kiss became gentler, teasing, tempting. He plundered her mouth with his tongue, seeking out the inner essence, her secrets. He wasn’t asking for surrender, he challenged and taunted until she kissed him with every ounce of her strength and passion.
Her self-control sputtered once before spiralling to its demise. Jeremy pulled back a fraction, his breathing as ragged as hers. Sipping at her lips, he then trailed small kisses across her cheek to her ear. He nibbled at her earlobe, his breath hot against her skin.
“That answers one question, at least,” he murmured.
Lalita’s overheated brain tried to make sense of the words. “What question?” she managed at last. Her voice seemed drugged even to her own ears.
“The question of whether or not I had built up our previous kisses in my mind. Whether the passion of five years ago was something I’d over imagined. Or whether it’s true—that one touch from you and my blood turns into molten lava, consuming all rational thought in its path.”