by Carole Dean
Seething inside, she kept her voice level when she answered, “If you prefer to delay the meeting until you are both in Vancouver, no problem. It would be better if Mr. Dorado met with Jayne Kingway anyway,” she said. “Plus it will give the four of us a chance to leave early and miss the weekend traffic.”
Darlene looked surprised at Nikki’s easy compliance, almost suspicious. Nikki guessed that most of the women executives at Prisma would fire-walk for a private meeting with its president. “You’re sure it’s all right?” Darlene asked, frowning now. “I know Michael would suffer through the meeting rather than hurt your feelings.”
“Well, we really wouldn’t want Mr. Dorado suffering in any way, would we?” she said, smiling through gritted teeth. “Not to worry, Darlene. I don’t mind a bit. I’ll let Jayne know the ball’s now in her court. Tuesday then?”
“Yes. Tuesday. Thank you again, dear. You’ve been most cooperative. Michael will be so pleased. I’ll be certain to tell him how understanding you’ve been.”
Nikki didn’t give a damn what Darlene told Michael, but she planned to confront at least one irritation directly before this conversation ended.
“Darlene, considering my favor to you, would you mind doing one for me?” Nikki’s voice was sweet.
“Of course.” Darlene looked wary.
“Don’t call me, dear.”
***
At eleven-fifteen Darlene knocked on the door of the meeting room attached to Michael’s suite.
“Come in.” He turned from the window, his face taut with anger. He expected the caller to be Nikki. That it was Darlene only doubled his annoyance.
“Sorry to interrupt, Michael. I brought the sales figures for the Eastern United States. I thought you’d want to review them before lunch.”
“Fine.” His answer was curt. “Have you been in the meeting rooms recently?”
“Yes, I just came from there. Why?”
“Did you see any of the people from Kingway?”
“No. They left for the city before lunch.”
“They what?” Michael was stunned, then angry. “That includes Nicole Johnson, I presume.”
“Yes. They were traveling together. Is there a problem?” Darlene asked innocently.
“She was supposed to be here for a meeting at eleven o’clock.”
“I thought she’d told you.” Darlene was arranging the reports on the table, apparently engrossed in the task and not looking at him.
“Told me what?”
“When I went to confirm the meeting, she said she’d had second thoughts about the meeting today. She seemed to think corporate plans would be better discussed with Jayne Kingway. She was anxious to miss the weekend traffic, get an early start home. I hope there was no misunderstanding. I assumed she’d let you know.”
“She didn’t, as you can see.”
“I can’t imagine why not. Of course, I’ve felt from the beginning that she’s a bit full of herself. Still, I can’t believe she stood you up like this. How thoughtless, how—”
Michael glared and cut her off. “It’s possible there was a misunderstanding. Perhaps she didn’t realize the importance of the meeting.” Michael felt called upon to defend Nikki even though her actions left him baffled and her lack of professionalism surprised him. Did she think she could treat him any way she pleased? If so, she’d learn quickly who was in control.
“Whatever the reasons, I don’t think you should let her get away with this. She should be made to understand it isn’t Jayne Kingway who runs things anymore. I think you should speak to her and—”
“That’s enough, Darlene.” He slashed through the thickness of his dark hair with an impatient hand, determined to hold his temper. It wouldn’t be fair to take it out on Darlene. It was Nikki who had stood him up.
He was a fool to let her get under his skin, but she did. He should forget her. God knows, she’d made her feelings plain enough last night, though the heat in her kiss belied them. He remembered her body, flush against his, and those blue eyes of hers misted with passion. Why was she fighting it? Should he believe her determined words or the telling rhythm of her body?
Nikki, it seemed, was determined to prove her words. Why else would she ignore this meeting. He threw down a half-read report, would have cursed aloud if Darlene weren’t there. If her job was so damned important to her, she should be here. Did she think he was going to seduce her over a meeting table, for God’s sake! She was acting like a child.
And you, Michael, what are you acting like? The answer—a dumb, infatuated fool—did not please him.
Darlene interrupted his thoughts. “... if you don’t set the right tone from the beginning, you’ll never get the upper hand.”
“Darlene.” He said her name with threatening softness. His eyes did the rest.
Darlene compressed her lips, as though she had lots more to say and was royally ticked at being silenced. It occurred to Michael that perhaps she didn’t like Nicole, for reasons of her own. If so, that would be unfortunate for both women.
Michael didn’t deny Darlene’s intelligence, her organizational ability, or her loyalty to Prisma, but she had an edge to her that grated on him. Ever since he’d taken over the company, she tried to take him over. Early on, he’d put it down to insecurity. Now he wasn’t so sure. He wondered how a new Prisma president would handle the indefatigable Darlene. How would Michael handle her if she hadn’t been a long-time friend of his mother’s?
“Let’s have a look at those numbers,” he growled, tired of the whole messy business—and still confused about Nikki.
Darlene focused on him from under narrowed eyelids, smiling coolly. “Yes, let’s,” she said. “Between you and I, I’m sure we’ll get the job done, Michael.”
***
The Kingway group made the trip from Whistler to Nikki’s home in North Vancouver in under two hours. Nikki was silent for most of the drive. When she told them the meeting was canceled because Michael had changed his mind, preferring to meet with Jayne in Vancouver, they accepted it. She said no more. No need for them to know how carelessly she’d been brushed off.
By the time she reached her apartment complex on Capilano Road, she was bone weary. The stress of the weekend had taken a toll, both physically and emotionally. When she took her suitcase from the back of John’s station wagon, she could scarcely lift it.
“You okay?” Amy asked as she watched Nikki pull her bag from the open tailgate.
“I’m okay. Just tired. More than tired—exhausted.” She closed the tailgate and moved to the side of the car.
“Thanks for the ride, John. See you all tomorrow.” Nikki lifted her hand to wave. As she did so, she saw Amy say something to John and get out of the car. She came toward Nicole.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk? I could come in for a minute.”
“Talk? Talk about what?” Nikki feigned innocence.
“Not what. Who. Specifically, one Michael Patrick Dorado, a mutual friend of ours if I read you correctly.” There was empathy in Amy’s eyes, as though they shared a secret. “I think I know what you’re going through. Maybe talking about it would help?” Amy’s face held that wistful expression Nicole had first seen when she saw Michael in the Whistler meeting room.
“What do you mean, mutual friend?” Nikki asked.
“I mean I understand what you’re feeling right now. I felt the same way when I was in Ireland.”
Was Amy saying what she thought she was saying? That she, too, was attracted to Michael? Nikki remembered Michael kissing Amy at the base of the mountain, their promise to get together and catch up, and Amy’s evasive words when Nikki first asked her about their meeting. A shard of jealousy pierced her newly sensitized heart. Her feelings perplexed her, but she was too tired and confused to think about it. She didn’t want to think about it, and she certainly didn’t want to talk about it.
“I’m bushed,” Nikki said. “All I want is a deep, hot bath and my own bed. How about t
omorrow?” She forced a grin. “We’ll do lunch, okay?”
“I’ll hold you to that. You know, Nikki, even if you don’t need to talk, I do. Friends shouldn’t have secrets. I should have told you mine two years ago. Tomorrow, then.” She got back in the car and the threesome drove off.
Nikki’s head was spinning. She didn’t want to believe it. Amy and Michael! And Amy still carrying the torch.
By the time she opened her front door, warm tears rolled unchecked down her face. She closed the door behind her and sniffed defiantly. “Cut it out, Nicole Johnson.” She sniffed again, louder this time, and gained a measure of control. She dropped her bag and headed for the kitchen. “It’s gonna be a long night, Miss Career Woman,” she muttered aloud, “a very long night.”
***
By six in the morning, Nicole had fought getting up long enough. She’d been awake since four and slept precious little before that. She might as well have slept with him, she thought in frustration. He’d kept her awake all night anyway. She turned to the undisturbed pillow beside her, wondering what it would be like, to wake up and see his dark head resting there. She remembered the feel of his thick hair, the cool, firm skin of his neck. Her own flesh warmed as her thoughts moved to the seductive smile, traced the line of his mouth—
“Enough already!” she railed to herself, leaping from the bed as though it were a burning pyre and heading for her bathroom. “This may be the first time I start the day with a cold shower,” she muttered to herself.
Hoping to find Jayne Kingway, she arrived at the office by seven-thirty. Jayne was usually in by seven. Nicole looked forward to an early cup of coffee and talk with her about the weekend meetings. Jayne would want to know about Michael’s idea for a planning session. Nikki was disappointed to find she wasn’t in her office.
Nicole looked around Jayne’s vacant office, surprised to see the pictures gone from the wall. She smiled to herself, realizing that Jayne was more impatient to leave than she had thought. Her personal stuff was already gone. Nikki’s chest tightened. She was going to miss her, now more than ever, since she’d seen firsthand the kind of organization Prisma was.
Michael breezed unbidden into her muddled mind. She shoved him aside. Let Jayne deal with him. As for her, she was going to work, work, work, and if that didn’t keep her head free of him, she’d work some more. She headed for her desk to put her plan in action.
***
“Morning, Nikki.” John stood in her office doorway. “I’m going to get a coffee. Want one? If you’ve got a minute I’d like to talk to you about the Walker account. I’ve got an appointment with their buyer at ten.”
Nikki glanced at her watch. It was eight forty-five.
“Coffee would be great, John. Thanks. Bring your own back here and we’ll talk. And would you check and see if Jayne’s in yet.” Nikki smiled up from her desk. “It looks as if she’s already started her retirement. This is the first time since I’ve been here she hasn’t been in early.”
“Done. I’ll be back in a minute.”
As John left her door, the phone rang.
“Nicole Johnson,” she answered, grabbing at a pen rolling to the edge of her desk.
The deep, compelling voice on the other end was the last voice she expected to hear. “This is Michael Dorado.”
As if she didn’t know. She swallowed hard. The cool, in-charge Nicole Johnson could not find her voice.
“Nicole. Are you there?”
“Yes. Yes, I’m here. Just a little surprised, that’s all.” She hoped the words weren’t as squeaky as they sounded in her head.
“I expected you would be.” There was an unmistakable chill in his voice, Nicole realized as her brain finally kicked in.
“Is there something I can do for you?” If he wanted chilly, he’d get chilly.
“No. There is nothing you can do for me, but there is something I was intending to do for you—had you the courtesy to keep your appointment with me yesterday.”
“Me keep the appointment?” That was a squeak, she was sure of it.
“The truth, Nikki. Was it really that you wanted me to meet with Jayne Kingway, or were you afraid I’d mount a full scale sexual offensive and irreparably damage your budding career.” The words were cruel and sarcastic.
Nikki was stunned. “Didn’t Darlene tell you—” she started.
“Darlene told me you were anxious to beat the traffic home. I believe those were your exact words.”
“She told you that? And you believed her?” Nikki was both shocked and angry. She’d been torpedoed—by a master. Darlene had done a first-rate job. What she could not understand was why.
“It doesn’t matter what I believe,” he snapped back. “What matters is that both you and I have a job to do. My job is to ensure the merger of Kingway into the Prisma organization goes smoothly.” He paused. “Yours is to do what I say. That is if you intend to stay with the company. I assume you don’t want to sacrifice your precious career at this early stage?”
“No, of course not, but if you’ll listen to me for a minute, I can—”
He cut her off. “I would prefer you to listen to me. I’ll be in Vancouver tonight by seven. Arrange your schedule so that you can have dinner with me at eight. I’ll meet you in the lobby of the Bayshore Hotel. We’ll go over everything then.”
“I’m not sure I can do that.” Nikki was enraged by the dictatorial tone. “I see no reason why any meeting between us can’t take place in the office during normal business hours. Aside from that, any kind of corporate planning meetings should be with Jayne Kingway.” Her voice was stiff with conviction. She could hear a sigh come through the phone line. It was both frustrated and resigned.
“You may have noticed Jayne is not in today,” he went on, “nor will she be in tomorrow, or the next day. Jayne is gone. Please keep that in confidence until our meeting tonight. I’ll see you at eight.” A solid click told Nikki the line was dead.
Nikki stared at the receiver in her hand. What was he talking about? Jayne couldn’t be gone. She had a six-month contract. She reconnected the phone line and dialed Jayne’s number. No answer. What was going on here?
“No sign of Jayne yet, but here’s your coffee.” John placed a steaming mug in front of her. “Ready to go over the Walker account.” He looked at her as he took the chair in front of her desk. “What’s the matter, Nikki? You look weird.”
Weird was a good word, she thought. It described exactly how she felt.
“Just a little preoccupied.” She covered her unease and smiled at John. She picked up the papers he’d put on her desk. “Let’s get busy.”
Nikki stayed busy all day. When Amy came for the promised lunch, she begged off. She couldn’t risk a cozy lunch hour with Amy without talking about Jayne’s unexplained absence. It was the hot office topic of the day. Michael, damn him, hadn’t told her enough to stem the rumors, and she didn’t want to fuel them. Besides, he’d asked for confidentiality, and she’d respect his wishes.
She tried Jayne’s home number all day without success. By five o’clock, she was a believer—Jayne was gone. There was no question now about her meeting Michael tonight, and her sense of anticipation wasn’t rooted solely in solving the mystery of Jayne’s disappearance from Kingway. Despite his arrogance, his lack of understanding, and his heavy-handed summons, she couldn’t wait to see him.
Chapter Ten
Nikki left the office before five to avoid any after-work gossip or speculation about Jayne. She was home by five-fifteen. With two and a half hours before the meeting, and a growing anxiousness about what that meeting would reveal, she couldn’t settle down. She decided to complete some unfinished work. Briefcase in hand, she went to the spare bedroom she used as a home office and tried desperately to concentrate. After an hour or so, she gave up.
She was determined to calm down and approach her dinner appointment with Michael cool and unruffled. One long, relaxing bath later, she stood in front of her closet, undecided.
In the end she chose a figure-hugging ivory wool dress with a high neck and long sleeves. A bit short perhaps, but otherwise perfect. She replaited her braid and lifted it up from her neck. A dash of makeup and she was ready.
He was in the hotel lobby when she arrived. Nikki frowned. Darlene was with him. She was talking intently to Michael, and he was giving her his full attention. Whatever she said didn’t seem to please him. He rubbed the back of his neck distractedly with one hand, keeping the other in his pocket. Was she imagining things or did the angry look lift when he caught sight of her coming toward them. He moved the hand from his neck and gave a curt wave of acknowledgment. He did not smile.
Nikki clutched her purse a little tighter and walked toward the pair, praying Darlene wouldn’t be joining them for dinner. She would not be able to tolerate the woman’s presence, at least not in silence.
“Nicole.” Michael gave her a casual nod. Without waiting for her reply, he turned back to Darlene. “Do you think we could finish this discussion tomorrow? There’s damned little we can do about it tonight.”
“Of course.” Darlene’s smile was silky when she glanced toward Nicole. “I’ll see you first thing in the morning at the Kingway offices.”
“After lunch, Darlene. I want to make a few phone calls, gather a bit of first-hand information.”
“Does that mean you’re questioning mine?” Darlene’s face tightened. “Because I can assure you I’ve gone over the problem thoroughly.”
“I’m sure you have.” Michael’s words placated, his sharp tone did not. “And I’m sure my phone calls will only confirm what you’ve told me. In the meantime, let’s call it a day.” He nodded toward Nikki. “As you can see, I have a dinner meeting.”
“As you like.” Darlene turned to Nicole. “How nice to see you again,” she said, her smile pure polyester. “Enjoy your dinner then.” She nodded to both of them before wafting regally across the lobby.