After that, Nathan had taken the fucking thing off almost every night when he got home from the office. Problem was, it was so useful that he missed it. “Who’s that with him?”
“Meredith Wolsey.” Cade took a drink of beer. “Heard he brought her to Connor’s reception.”
“What? Bonds was there?”
Cade nodded. “They stayed on the patio. Only a handful of people saw them. I wasn’t one of them, either. I heard about it from Sofia.”
“Sneaky bastard.”
Erin, a determined frown buried between her eyebrows, descended on their small group. “Dance with me.” Erin grabbed Nathan’s wrist and dragged him toward the front of the tent.
“I was just going to say hello to Julien and Meredith. Go with me? It’s been a long time since you’ve seen him, hasn’t it? Not since that night in—”
“Nathan, please,” she said.
“Can’t it wait?” He scowled.
Generally Erin was a great hostess, and he’d bet she’d chatted with everyone in attendance. But the way she pleaded and looked at him, eyes beseeching, he had no choice. She’d always been a pest, the little sister who could get her big brothers to do almost anything she wanted. After the death of their father, something that had devastated her and sent her to her room for weeks, she’d become even more indulged.
Cade shrugged as if to say better you than me.
“Now. Excuse us,” she said to Stormy and Cade.
Nathan put down his wine, and she was already tugging on him. “Stop dragging me,” he told her.
Her grip was desperate and her nails were digging into him. Despite the fact that he hated to dance, he went with her.
“Lead on,” he said.
On the floor, to the beat of the music, he led her into a two-step. “What’s the panic?”
“No panic.” She gave him a huge, sunny smile.
If he hadn’t noticed the way she glanced to the back of the room, at Julien and Meredith and their sudden mob of people, he might have believed she just wanted to dance. After all, she’d put her four-inch heels back on.
She lapsed into silence, and he let her, since that suited him, as well.
At the end of the number, she thanked him then excused herself before heading toward their mother, who was seated at a table with a few of her friends and his aunt, Kathryn…as far away from Stormy as possible.
When he reached Julien and Meredith, the enthusiastic greeting party had thinned, and they were standing with Cade.
Cade introduced Nathan to Meredith, an attorney he’d hired from a prestigious firm in Northern California. Julien’s hand rested on the small of her back, which Nathan recognized as a move of easy intimacy. To his eye, they were much more than professional associates. And since he suspected Bonds at least dabbled in BDSM, there might be some possessiveness there too.
They made a striking couple—Bonds with his tight, slim-fitting jeans, dress shirt, leather jacket, narrow tie and trademark hideous tennis shoes, and Meredith with her open-back black gown. As dark-haired as he was, she was his blonde counterpart. A recent celebrity magazine had called them the newest power couple.
“What do you think of my masterpiece?” Julien asked as they shook hands.
“It’s…” How did he tell the creator what he thought of the watch?
“You love it, don’t you? I still have a few things to work out with the hologram.”
“About that—”
“The tone of my voice isn’t quite right when I give the daily update.” He shook his head. “My engineers haven’t done the synthesizing correctly.”
“It’s supposed to do that?” he asked incredulously. “Tell me I need more sleep?”
Julien scowled. “Of course it is. That’s why people will buy it.”
“I see.” He actually thought some people wanted him to boss them around? Nathan wondered whether the man was certifiable or a genius.
“Overall?” Julien persisted.
“It’s fucking indispensable.”
Julien’s mercurial frown vanished and a slow smile spread across his mouth. “Indispensable,” he repeated. “Yes.” Then he touched the screen of his own device. His image popped up. “Use the word indispensable in the marketing materials.”
Julien’s image bowed toward him. “Yes, genius.”
The voice, the tone, was dead on.
Obviously the engineers had heard that term plenty.
Julien brushed the sapphire-glass surface and the hologram vanished. “Where were we? I wanted to congratulate the Colonel.”
Cade pointed out the table.
Before walking away, Julien said, “I’ll upload the latest software update to you next week.”
“You mean I need to download it?”
“No. It will happen automatically.”
“How intrusive is this thing?”
“Check your heart rate when you see a beautiful woman and ask me then.” Julien nodded politely before walking away.
“I think he wants to rule the world,” Sofia said, joining them. “I caught the end bit.”
“Rule it?” Nathan asked. “Dominate it is more like it.”
Cade shrugged.
The band segued into an up-tempo song and announced yet another line dance.
“Show me how it’s done, Mr. Donovan,” Sofia said. “The only reason I accepted this job was to see you line dance. Remember?”
Proving how besotted he was, Cade tipped his hat. “Anything for my lady.”
With that, as if there were no one else on the planet but the two of them, they headed toward the dance floor.
Nathan resumed his favorite position, an arm propped on one of the bar-height conversation tables.
A tall brunette wearing a sequined dress so tight it should have been impossible for her to move sashayed past him. She caught his eye and smiled. Everything about her was perfect—hair, makeup, shape.
She stopped long enough to accept a glass of wine and to look back at him, being sure he noted her interest.
Rather than engage, he checked his watch. And his heart rate.
Clearly Julien was wrong about the watch. It didn’t show any reaction to the bombshell who was telegraphing her availability.
He looked back up to note that she’d moved on to someone considerably more appreciative.
Which left him free to peruse his own thoughts. There was little Nathan enjoyed more than the strategy. Except the chase.
Chapter One
Juggling two venti mochas with extra whipped cream, her electronic card key, a purse and a bag stuffed with her workout gear, Kelsey Lane exited the elevator and strode toward the set of double doors at the end of the hallway. Since it wasn’t even seven o’clock, she had almost the whole building to herself, something she liked, especially on Monday mornings.
This early, if she drove, she typically didn’t have to fight traffic on Houston’s busy roads. If she rode the train, she could always find a seat. Regardless, she liked to get a jump on the week, organizing and preparing before the phone started to ring.
The lights were on in the office, so she tested the handle, hoping the cleaning crew was still there and that the suite was unlocked. Thankfully it was. “Good morning!” she called out so she didn’t startle anyone.
With her foot, she shoved the door closed behind her.
She moved through to her desk and put down the drinks and keys before dropping her purse and bag on the carpeted floor. Then she turned to open the blinds so that she could see the upcoming sunrise reflect off the nearby skyscrapers. This had to be one of the biggest perks of her job. A spectacular view of Houston, from forty stories up.
As she turned, she noticed a potted yellow hibiscus in the corner. It hadn’t been there when she’d left on Friday evening. While it was beautiful, it wasn’t something that Samuel Newman would have brought in.
“Hello.”
Startled by the very masculine, very sexy bass that sounded nothing like her boss
’s voice, Kelsey glanced up.
A man she’d never seen before filled the doorway and she sucked in a panicked gasp. His shoulders were unbelievably wide. He had on a white long-sleeved shirt with turned-back cuffs. A light gray tie was loosely knotted around his neck, and he stood with arms folded across his chest and a slight frown on his face.
Fear and uncertainty slammed her pulse into overdrive. “Can I help you?” She reached toward her phone so she could alert security about an intruder, though how anyone could have gotten past the guards in the lobby puzzled her.
“You’re Kelsey Lane. And I promise you, you don’t need to call for help.”
Kelsey scowled. “You seem to have me at a disadvantage. Mr…”
“Donovan. Nathan Donovan.”
She exhaled in a rush and moved her hand away from the phone. Of course. Though she’d never met any of the Donovan brothers, she knew their reputation. Cool. Fearless. Calculating.
Nathan, if she remembered correctly from the numerous articles she’d read in Houston’s weekly business newspaper, was the youngest son. He reportedly had an uncanny eye for numbers, for investments. As the financial brain behind the family dynasty, he’d ruthlessly acquired business after business, streamlined them, sold some of them off and made others operate on thin margins, exhausting the remaining employees while terminating the rest. But one thing they all had in common after he was finished with them was profitability.
“I see you’ve heard of me.”
“Who hasn’t?” she returned. He was rumored to be outwardly friendly in a way that disguised his true Machiavellian personality. He wasn’t a man to be underestimated. But the bigger question was, what the hell was he doing in Samuel Newman’s office before seven o’clock in the morning?
“Was any of it good?” he asked.
“Any of…?”
“The things you’ve heard about me.”
He looked at her through shockingly green eyes, and his gaze was so intense that she had to resist the impulse to squirm. His voice was a rich, deep baritone. Though she imagined his words were meant to keep things light and invite conversation, ribbons of unease gripped her stomach.
Rather than answer directly, she hedged, “Is Mr. Newman in there?” She leaned her head to the side, but she was unable to see past Nathan’s body and into the office beyond.
Nathan scowled. “I assumed you’d be expecting me.”
A moment earlier he’d seemed at ease, welcoming. But now he looked ferocious. His jaw was locked and he took a step into the room, narrowing the distance between them.
“He didn’t call you? Contact you in any way?”
She shook her head.
He cursed, low and vicious, making her wince.
“Newman was supposed to tell you,” he said.
“Tell me what?” Her legs no longer seemed able to support her and she sat on the edge of the polished desk.
“He no longer works here.”
“But…” She grabbed for her purse and dug out her cell phone. This simply wasn’t possible. “What do you mean he doesn’t work here? It’s his company.” Newman Inland Marine had been battling some legal and financial issues, but nothing insurmountable. Or so she’d thought. She’d stayed late on Friday going over some paperwork, and she’d told her boss she had no plans over the weekend and that he should feel free to call her if he needed help with anything.
He’d looked at her over the rims of his glasses and given a tight smile before sending her on her way. When she’d said goodbye, he’d given no hint that anything unusual was happening.
She keyed in her phone’s passcode then checked the display. There were no messages or missed calls.
Literally and figuratively, Nathan stood there, larger than life, giving her space to sort through things at her own speed.
“I’m afraid I’m confused.” She didn’t want to call Nathan a liar, but…
“Ask him.” He tilted his head, indicating her phone.
After nodding, she dialed the number. She reached Mr. Newman’s voice mail.
The recording was so loud she knew Nathan could hear the tinny echo. She left a brief message then followed it with a text. Not that Samuel would respond to that. He preferred to speak to people. More than once he’d said that texting and messaging were ridiculously impersonal, and he would never do business that way. He was proud of Newman Inland Marine for the way it treated its customers. Incoming calls were answered by real people, not a voice-mail system.
Which made his current behavior all the more puzzling.
“You should have been among the first people told.”
She put the phone on her desk. “Until I hear otherwise, Mr. Donovan, I’m afraid my loyalties are to Mr. Newman. And I’d ask you to stay out of his office.”
He gave a curt nod. “While you wait for him to call back, why not look at the sign on the door?”
After scowling at him, she pushed off the desk and walked toward the double doors. With every step, she was aware of Nathan Donovan watching her, studying her.
In the hallway, she looked at the brass plaques on the wall.
Breath rushed out of her lungs.
When she’d left on Friday evening, the wording on the top one had said Newman Inland Marine. It now read Donovan Logistics.
The second plaque—the one that had been engraved with her boss’s name—had been replaced with one that bore Nathan’s. The metal gleamed, new and promising.
Unable to help herself, she traced the capital D with a shaking finger.
Now what?
Everything Nathan had said appeared to be true. No matter how powerful they were, Donovan Worldwide would not have been allowed to come into the office building over the weekend, replace signage and access the executive office suite. It evidently meant nothing that Mr. Newman hadn’t spoken with her. And that shocked her. She was supposed to be his greatest confidante, privy to all the things that went on in the company. What else didn’t she know?
She pulled back her shoulders from their dejected slump. She had no choice but to face her future. But that didn’t mean she had to like it.
“Satisfied?” he asked.
He stood in the middle of the space—her space—arms folded over his massive chest. With his legs spread shoulder-width apart, he looked imposing, commanding, comfortable. As if he owned the entire freaking place. Which he appeared to.
“I’m perplexed,” she admitted. Sidestepping him, she hurried toward her desk, her shoes silent on the plush carpeting. Until now, she hadn’t noticed how small the area was. In her stiletto heels, not a lot of men had the ability to make her feel small. But with Nathan and his massive, more than six-foot-tall body in the center of the room, things seemed dwarfed.
Because she was a little uncomfortable, she sat in the custom, ergonomically designed chair behind her desk and reached for her coffee.
Then, because he stood in front of her and towered over her, she wished she hadn’t. “Do you mind explaining things to me?” she asked.
“Why don’t we go into my office?”
Her first instinct was to reply that it wasn’t his. The next was to say she’d rather stay here. Then curiosity trumped both thoughts.
Coffee in hand, Kelsey grabbed her cell phone and followed him.
The sight of the office made her gasp. In just two days it had been transformed.
Gone were all the framed snapshots of Samuel’s friends and family. The oversize picture of him and the governor of Texas shaking hands and grinning was nowhere in sight.
And that was only the beginning of the changes.
Shelf after shelf of knickknacks and memorabilia had been removed. On Friday, every key moment in Samuel’s life had been memorialized in some way, from newspaper clippings to trophies, certificates to awards.
And now… The bookcases had been ripped out. The cozy, inviting leather guest chairs facing the desk had vanished. A pair of low-slung, modernistic ones were wedged against a far wall, c
learly not inviting visitors to linger.
The blinds had been replaced by a privacy screen, and a minimalistic terrarium filled with cacti sat on the window ledge. Somehow, even the scent of cigar smoke had been obliterated.
The homey green walls had been covered in a no-nonsense steel-gray paint. And the words Donovan Logistics had been stenciled on the wall in bold, black lettering.
Every trace of Samuel Newman and his caring, effervescent personality had vanished.
Nathan pulled over a chair for her. “Please. Have a seat.”
She remained standing. That didn’t stop him from sinking into a space-age-looking chair, crafted of steel and covered in a breathable mesh fabric. His desk and matching credenza dominated the room. And that was the only word for it. Dominated. The pieces were massive. Nathan had dual, oversize flat screen monitors, all bearing the Bonds Electronics logo. His cell phone was propped on a phone stand so he didn’t even have to glance down at it when it rang.
This looked like a place from which Nathan Donovan could rule an empire.
He leaned back, silent, waiting for her decision.
Eventually, she sat. The chair wasn’t as uncomfortable as it looked.
She noticed the pile of manila folders on his desk. The top one was open, and she glanced at it. Her personnel record.
Her pulse skidded to a standstill. Until now, she’d only been concerned about Samuel. But she realized Nathan probably intended to replace her, as well. Of course, her résumé wasn’t up to date. She’d invested years into her current job, building the company and relationships. If she were honest, she’d probably sacrificed too much in terms of her personal life as well.
“There have already been a lot of changes,” he said when she met his resolute gaze. “And Samuel impressed on Donovan Worldwide how important you will be to the success of the takeover.”
He hadn’t said merger. Which meant things weren’t friendly. She exhaled.
“If you’d like to continue your employment, Ms. Lane, you’re my new assistant.”
“Your…” Kelsey wasn’t often at a loss for words, so she took a drink of her mocha to buy some time. “Mr. Newman is more than a boss to me. He’s a mentor. I interned here during my undergrad studies, and he hired me after I received my master’s degree. I owe him a great deal.”
Boss Page 2