With his millions, he’d also bought a private jet, which he piloted himself. He’d been irritated by the lack of functionality of the flight-management systems on smaller aircraft, so in 1986 he decided to start up his own company to create something better. Soon the company had diversified its product line and began taking in engineering and manufacturing work from other avionics companies. Thus Synergy Technologies was born.
It was company tradition for Synergy employees to bring their families to join in on the picnic and festivities at the mansion. Attendance was nearly one-hundred percent, and this year was no exception. Fortunately, the Seattle weather cooperated today, with sun and a perfect eighty-two degrees. To increase the odds of good weather, the picnic was held on the third weekend of July. Gran always joked, “The first day of summer in Seattle starts on the fifth of July.” Sadly, that was usually the case.
“Wow, don’t you look all elegant.” Aleks gave Jade a big hug. “I don’t want to smoosh you.”
Jade laughed. “Thanks for coming.”
“I’m so glad I could finally make it this year. I can’t wait to see you all CEO-like.”
“This is a family barbeque. You won’t see me very CEO-like.”
“Uh-huh,” Aleks murmured while looking around. “I can’t believe how many people are here. There must be like hundreds.”
“At least. We have over two hundred employees, and they bring their families or guests. Luckily, they don’t all show up at the same time.”
“It makes you realize how big your grandmother’s place really is.”
“Gran was lucky Granddad bought it when he did. You can’t get this much land on the lake anymore. Several developers tried to convince her to sell it so they could break it up into smaller lots. She wouldn’t budge.”
“Can’t blame her. It’s so beautiful.” Aleks turned toward the lake, where families were kayaking, swimming, and jumping on a huge trampoline in the water. Others were sitting by the boathouse visiting with one another. “Ooh, let’s go sit over there.” Aleks pointed to the white gazebo perched over the edge of the lake.
“That was one of Gran’s favorite spots.” Jade greeted many of the families as they passed.
“How do you know so many people?”
“Most of our employees have been with the company for decades. I grew up with them.” Jade scanned the gazebo. It was full.
“You can sit here, Jade.” Jason stood.
“Oh no, I’m fine.”
“We were just eyeing the kayak that freed up.” Jason linked hands with a woman she didn’t know and walked off toward the water.
Aleks sat down next to Jade. “I’m eyeing that trampoline myself.”
“Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. I can’t today, but it’ll be a different story if you come back tomorrow.”
“You are so on.” Aleks giggled. “Ooh, who is that?”
Jade’s heart skipped a beat. “That’s Bryce.”
“You were right. He’s a total hunka hunka.”
“Shh.” Jade nudged her. “He’s cute. But you haven’t met his temper yet.”
“Temper or not, he can drop crumbs in my bed anytime.”
“Aleks!” Jade always laughed at the stuff she came up with. “Do you want me to introduce you to him?”
“Oh, yeah. Well, that is, if you can get through his harem.”
Three women were crowded around him. Bryce didn’t seem interested, but they were doing their best to get his attention.
A woman with striking red hair walked up to Bryce. She was gorgeous, and she seemed familiar to Jade, but she couldn’t place her. Bryce put his arm casually around the redhead, and the other women walked away pouting.
“Oh darn. He has a girlfriend,” Aleks said, her shoulders slumping.
Jade bit her lower lip and pressed a hand to her abdomen as her stomach clenched. Bryce had a girlfriend?
Aleks tapped Jade’s leg. “The hunk and his girlfriend are headed this way.”
“Let’s go meet them.” Jade pasted on a smile when they reached him. It had been completely stupid of her to assume a man like Bryce wouldn’t already have a girlfriend. “Bryce, I’m glad you could make it.”
“I haven’t missed one yet.” His smile was heart-stopping, the kind of smile that halted a woman midsentence, the kind that made a woman feel like she was the only one, the kind that slowly heated a woman’s insides until nothing remained but a puddle at his feet.
Jade focused on the dimple in his right cheek. That didn’t help.
Aleks nudged her in the ribs.
“Uh, Bryce, I’d like you to meet my friend Aleks.”
Bryce lifted a brow at her name and held his hand out to her. “Alex… short for Alexis, I assume? It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Actually, it’s Aleks with a ‘k,’ short for Aleksandra. My mother’s side is Russian.”
He smiled politely when Aleks took his hand and didn’t let go. “Kenzie, this is Jade. I believe you two have met.”
“Yes, we met briefly at the hospital,” Kenzie said.
“Oh, you’re the nurse who helped with my IV.” Jade didn’t recognize Kenzie with her hair down and a small diamond stud in her nose.
Kenzie smiled. “And you got eleven stitches when you were in again recently, if I remember correctly.”
“You do.” Jade laughed. She didn’t want to like Kenzie, but the facts were the facts: Kenzie was pretty, nice, and helped people for a living. Jade was no match for this woman. “So, you’ve been to the barbeque before?” Strange I don’t remember her.
“I’ve been to the past two.”
That explains it. Jade had missed the past two… intentionally.
“I’m really sorry about your grandmother,” Kenzie said.
Jade’s smile faded. “Thank you. I’m glad you had the opportunity to meet her.”
“She was a strong woman, as I’m told you are.”
Elation filled her chest. Jade looked at Bryce. Did he say that about me?
“I’m sorry to bother you, dear.” Grace walked up to Jade. “Dinner is about to be served.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Jade literally had to pull Aleks’s hand away from Bryce’s. “Follow me. One good thing about being the CEO’s guest is, you get to eat first.
“Did you see the way he looked at you?” Aleks said once they were out of hearing range.
“Who?”
“The hunk.”
“Bryce? He was just looking for me, that’s all.”
“You didn’t see the way he looked at you when he first saw you. You were too busy talking to everyone. There was heat. Man, I wish a guy would look at me that way.”
“He has a girlfriend. I can’t possibly compete against her.”
“Then why is he still looking at you?”
Jade resisted the urge to look back. “Is he?”
“That man is so totally into you, it’s not even funny.”
“He is not. Come on, let’s eat.” Jade took the head of the line, where the others waited for her. When she spared a glance at Bryce, her eyes locked with his. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t look away. They were thirty feet apart, yet heat radiated between them. Why is he looking at me that way? What does it mean?
“Uh, Jade, you need to start moving.” Aleks gave her a nudge and pointed to the impatient people behind them.
Okay, whoa. Jade took a deep breath to get her heart rate down and grinned. Maybe he does have feelings for me.
But what about Kenzie?
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? Why was he continuing to react this way to Jade? It was one thing when his crotch was rubbing against her backside. Hell any sensible man would get turned on in that situation. But from thirty feet away?
Dammit.
Bryce slipped his arm behind Kenzie’s back and guided her to the end of the long line, which was a good thing as his appetite had vanished. He couldn’t be hungry when his stomach was bunched into a fist.
He couldn�
��t like Jade, not in that way anyway. They weren’t compatible. Sure, she had moments of brilliance, he respected her for trying to turn the business around, and he loved how her feisty nature echoed Gloria’s. He couldn’t deny that Jade was beautiful and that her scent did unholy things to his insides, but she was too young for him, too immature, and often infuriating. Not to mention she was his boss.
She’s Gloria’s granddaughter, for crying out loud. What would Gloria say if she knew?
The thought made his hands sweat.
Perhaps it’s just the wine…
It had absolutely nothing to do with Jade’s dress, which exposed her delicate shoulders and highlighted the green flecks in her eyes. Her long bare legs ending in opened-toed sandals would call out to every single man here, perhaps the married ones too… right?
And damn if the pearls her grandmother had given her didn’t hang gracefully along her slender neck, coming to rest slightly above the curves of her breasts.
Surely I’m not the only man here who can’t help staring.
Bryce scanned the crowd. Everyone’s focus was on the food table.
Damn.
He couldn’t deny he’d been thinking about her. How frail she’d felt in his arms when he’d carried her to the car, how his body had felt against hers when she’d been bent over the sink, and how she filled that dress to perfection.
Tomorrow would be a new day. Away from the alcohol and the heat, he wouldn’t have this kind of reaction to her.
I damn well better not.
JADE COULDN’T STOP THINKING about Bryce at work on Monday morning. She stood to stretch her legs. She’d been sitting at the computer for hours wondering if Bryce had feelings for her. Why else would he look at me like that? Aleks was never wrong about these things. Oh, stop thinking about him.
Grabbing her purple and gold UW mug, she headed to the break room and waited in line for the hot water behind Jason.
“You should have seen Bryce. He is pure genius,” Jason said to Sara.
Jade sighed. Why did he have to bring up Bryce?
“What’d he do this time?” Sara filled her cup.
“McPherson wouldn’t budge. He said he was going to look for a new supplier.”
“We lost a customer?” Sara asked.
That grabbed Jade’s attention.
“No, that’s the genius part. Bryce offered a forty-percent discount to get him to stay on board and he took it. It could lead to future business. Bryce signed the contract today.” Jason beamed.
He wouldn’t. Jade’s ears grew hot.
“Uh, hi, Miss Buchanan.” Sara’s cheeks reddened.
“Hello, Sara. Will you excuse me?”
“Uh-oh, she’s mad,” Sara whispered as Jade turned to leave.
Mad is an understatement.
Jade walked straight to Contracts and asked for the new McPherson contract. She reviewed the addendums. There was nothing in the contract indicating any future business, but there sure as heck was a forty-percent discount.
How could he stoop this low?
She marched into Bryce’s office, ignoring Marge sitting across from him. “You had no right signing the McPherson deal without my consent.” She threw down the contract in front of him.
“Thanks, Marge. Sorry for the interruption. I think we were done anyway. Why don’t you have a seat, Jade?”
“Don’t you patronize me, Bryce Radisson.” Jade put her hands on her hips. “I’ve had enough of you acting like my father.”
Marge closed the door behind her, and Bryce rose. “And I’ve had enough of your childish tantrums. As COO, I have every right to sign contracts and make deals.”
“Not when you’re giving them a forty-percent price reduction without speaking to me about it first.”
“I gave McPherson that deal because he’s concerned that we can’t ship our products to him on time. If he’s happy with the way we turn the deliveries around, it’ll lead to a five hundred unit per month deal, which will gross over one hundred million in sales over the next six years.”
“That’s beside the point.” Heat flushed her cheeks. “Addendum C, financial provision 2.2.f doesn’t say any of that in the contract. Your ‘deal’ for future business is verbal only. You should have consulted me first.”
Bryce walked around the desk. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stood with his feet apart. A small vein pulsed in his forehead. “I earned the respect of your grandmother, who was confident in all the decisions I made regarding deals with our customers. Now that I’m COO, I expect to be given the same, if not more authority.”
Jade walked to the door. “That contract, or any other, is not to go to the customer until I’ve signed off on it. You haven’t fully earned my respect yet. If you can’t respect my authority as CEO, then you know your way out.” She yanked the door open and motioned for him to leave.
Bryce caught the door and slammed it closed. His arms flanked either side of her. “Are you trying to fire me, Jade? Is that how you handle things when you can’t take the heat? Are you going to fire everyone who disagrees with you or doesn’t run everything past you first?”
“No, of course not.” Jade was pinned to the door. Heat pulsated off his body. Fury emanated from his eyes, fury and… something else. Her heart sped to double time, the air thickened, and she swore it was getting difficult to breathe.
“Dammit. You need to trust the people you work with to do their jobs. We’re not a bunch of incompetent idiots.”
“I didn’t say you were incompetent, I—”
“So you think your grandmother was?”
“No, I—” She needed fresh air. He was too close; she could smell fresh soap and his musky scent.
“Your grandmother handpicked us, and we’ve dedicated our lives to this company.”
“I realize how hard you work.”
“Do you?” Bryce grabbed her by the shoulders. “You don’t seem to care. You just throw people away when the whim suits you.”
Jade pushed against his sculpted chest, which did nothing more than send flutters down her belly.
Bryce reacted by pulling her into him. “Dammit, Jade.”
She barely registered her shock before he crushed his lips to hers and attacked them with an ardor that seared through her. She parted her lips, unable to resist his assault. Instead of pushing him away, she fisted his shirt in her hands and pulled him into her, as if it were possible to get any closer.
His tongue demanded hers, onslaught after onslaught. One hand grabbed a fistful of her hair, causing her to stifle a moan. When he clasped her hips against his body, a fire ignited deep within her.
With a tug at the blouse neatly tucked into her skirt, he exposed her back. Glorious heat radiated from his impatient hands. They were rough, forceful.
He drove his tongue deeper, demanding she give him more. Another moan escaped her lips. She needed this; she wanted this more than anything.
As quickly as he pulled her into him, he shoved her away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
You’re sorry?
Hurt stung her eyes. He thought he could kiss her, then take it back? I don’t think so. She gave him the most devious smile she could muster. “I fight back, Bryce, and don’t you ever forget it.” She opened the door. “See you at the meeting tomorrow, eight a.m. sharp.” She walked to her office, not caring who saw her mussed clothes and hair or what they thought about it. That was their problem.
She collapsed into her chair and couldn’t help but laugh at the way Roz’s mouth had dropped open when she’d walked by with her shirt rumpled and her hair out of place. She couldn’t imagine what Roz must be thinking. Would she know Bryce had just kissed her to the far reaches of the world?
Jade ran her fingers along her bruised lips. Bryce had just apologized for kissing her into oblivion. Didn’t he feel it too? Of course he did. He’d reacted strongly to her when she’d responded to his kiss. No, he was probably feeling guilty about cheating on his girlfriend. An
d dammit, he should be. Sure, Jade wanted him in a bad way, but not when he was involved with someone else. It was good that he’d backed off. She sure as heck wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing how that kiss made her feel.
WHAT HAVE I DONE? Bryce sank into his desk chair and picked up the phone. “Marge, cancel my two o’ clock.”
“I’ve already rescheduled it for tomorrow. If the door slamming wasn’t enough to convince me, your raised voice was.”
“Sorry about that.” Bryce hung up the phone and stared at the ceiling.
What have I done?
The way Jade had responded to him, he’d had to stop, stop before he lost all control. He’d gone too far. When he’d pulled away from her, he knew he’d be sorry. He’d never been so right. Her smoky eyes were full of desire and her red lips were smeared from his assault. She was stunning, he wanted her, and he immediately regretted it. Gloria would be ashamed of him.
Gloria doesn’t play fair.
On the one hand, he was relieved that Jade hadn’t really fired him. He’d poured his sweat and blood into this company, he’d worked late, he’d wooed customers. Gloria had spent a considerable amount of time preparing him for this. He loved this company, and dammit, he deserved this position. When Jade had told him he could walk out the door, when he realized she could fire him, fear took over, quickly replaced by anger. Gloria had set up the contract for his two million shares to come with a price.
Just one price.
Under no circumstance could he agree to side with the board to terminate Jade. A few minutes ago, he’d understood for the first time that her shares didn’t come with the same guarantee. That changed things. He would have to tread more carefully.
But that didn’t really matter right now. What mattered was how he’d treated her. He’d never been so rough before. Shame seeped deep into his bones, down to his very soul. He loved women, respected them.
How could I grab a woman, barely out of girlhood, and force myself on her?
It was something he was sure neither of them could forgive.
Synergy: New Adult Romantic Suspense (U-District, #1) Page 13