by Blake, Nina
“I don’t see what’s so funny,” she said. “I wasn’t joking. I didn’t want to stay and take you up on your little offer.”
Daniel looked her in the eye. “You’ll change your mind.”
She leaned back in her chair and took a sip of white wine. “I’m sure you’ve come up with that line many times before. You should hear yourself. You have no idea how conceited you sound.”
“Perhaps.”
“Perhaps you’ve used that line before or perhaps you’re arrogant?”
He shrugged. “I don’t care if I sound conceited.”
“So you think nothing of just telling me I’m going to end up sleeping with you. That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?”
He leaned forward. “I’m not being mean, Kate. Just honest, probably more honest than any man you’ve dealt with before.”
She knew about at least one past business discrepancy which wasn’t completely honest but this wasn’t the time for that, not when she was getting so much out of their little discussion.
Shaking her head, she said, “Daniel, this is not a done deal.”
“Isn’t it?”
Kate nearly choked on her wine. “Of course not. You can’t make me do something I don’t want to do.”
He smiled. “Oh, I won’t be forcing you.”
One thing was for sure. If she ever got together with this man, it would be on her terms. She would be in charge.
“I’m surprised you manage to get any woman into bed if you talk like that,” she said.
He held her gaze. “I’m very frank when it comes to business but I don’t normally talk this way out of the boardroom. You must be bringing out the worst in me.”
Perhaps he was right. She recalled the words he’d said to her when they first met. Before they met, in fact. What else would explain that particular outburst? But she didn’t want to bring that up again.
“You’re very successful at what you do,” she said. “But if that’s the way you talk in the boardroom you must really have rubbed a few people up the wrong way.”
“I hope that’s not what I’ve done to you. Upset you.”
“Actually, I’m made of fairly sturdy stuff.”
She hadn’t always been. Her upbringing, though wonderful, had been quite sheltered. She’d been a good student at school, always had lots of friends and got on well with her older sister. Her parents, both teachers, had a loving relationship, the kind she wanted.
Kate only wished she’d had a relationship that had gone nearly as well as that of her parents’. She seemed to have got off to a bad start at university when she’d chosen a boyfriend who ended up telling her she was boring, then followed up with a series of other lousy choices.
She could really pick them. Still, the experiences had hardened her, made her determined with what she wanted out of life.
“So, tell me, what happens in the boardroom?” she asked. “It’s a callous business you’re in.”
He shrugged. “I’m always getting someone’s nose out of joint. It happens when you’re the one who wins the deals. One person wins and someone else loses. But I don’t believe in being underhanded. I think if you do that, it always comes back to bite you. I just tell it the way I see it. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
She wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily. Mark had told her bits and pieces, and she’d worked out that Daniel was the kind of man who didn’t care who got in his way, didn’t care who he had to tread on to get what he wanted. There was the Mills building for one thing, a recent purchase he’d won through ruthless tactics.
“So everything you do at Webb Corp is one hundred percent honest?” she asked.
“It’s all above board, all legal.”
“Legal is one thing, and honourable is another. I’m sure you have a team of lawyers finding loopholes and other ways of helping you along. I just don’t see how you could have got so far ahead in business with honesty as your motto.”
“Getting ahead was never the problem. That’s easy once you’ve got started. I had a helping hand.” He shrugged. “I’m not ashamed to admit it. I still had to make something of myself after that.”
Kate thanked the waiter who delivered her soup, then waited while Daniel’s first course was placed in front of him.
She was intrigued. “Go on.”
“My father is an entrepreneur, a property developer. Always knew how to spot a good opportunity and make the most of it. That’s one thing I got from him even though he was never much of a father to me.”
“You said your parents were divorced?”
He shook his head. “They never officially divorced but they haven’t been together for decades. Dad left when I was nine. Went to live in Singapore and we barely saw him. Then, a few years later, he noticed all his children were growing up and he didn’t know them any more. For whatever reason, he decided he wanted to do something for the kids. So he did.”
Kate already knew he came from a wealthy family. “Half your luck.”
“But I didn’t get anything. I’ve got four sisters, all much older. They received millions. They were set for life. I was twelve, just a kid. I got zilch.”
“How can that be? You were his child too.”
“I was a kid. That’s how he saw it. But I wouldn’t let it rest and I gave my father a big human rights speech about how I wasn’t a second class citizen and he finally agreed to give me something. A child’s share because I was a child.”
Daniel quoted an amount which, though significant, didn’t seem like much for a millionaire father to be giving his child.
She wasn’t sure what to say. “And that…was it?”
“It doesn’t seem like much now but twenty-two years ago that was enough to buy a small piece of land. Just a block, no house. So when I was thirteen I bought my first real estate.”
Kate looked at him. “You were thirteen? Who’d sell property to a child?”
“I was six foot two even then and no one questioned it at the auction. I needed the signature of an adult so I raced home as fast as I could. I’ve never pedalled so hard in my life.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You rode your bike to a property auction?”
He shrugged. “It was either that or walk. Then I had to do some quick talking to my mother to get her to countersign.” He shook his head. “I deal with some hard people in business but they’re nothing compared to my mother.”
This was such a strange story. “Didn’t she think there was something odd about a thirteen year old buying a piece of land?”
He laughed. “Not this thirteen year old. No, she wasn’t surprised. And that land went up in value astronomically. Money in the bank wasn’t going to do that. It was a good deal. Anyone could have seen that.”
Kate didn’t think it was quite that simple. If it was, everyone would be rich.
“Then what?”
“I sold that property when I was eighteen. To buy a piece of land at the bottom of the hill on the waterfront. It was one of the best little deals I ever made. It was a small block with one huge advantage. I knew it didn’t have any height restrictions.”
“How did you know that?”
“Boy scouts.”
Her brow crinkled. “What does that mean?”
“I used to ride my bike around doing odd jobs in the neighbourhood. Thanks to boy scouts, I knew every street, every house, everything that was going on.”
“Really?”
He smiled but she could tell he wasn’t joking. “Yes. After I bought the land, I went to the bloke who lived behind it and offered it to him first. He didn’t want anyone blocking out his views. I knew he’d buy it. The guy was loaded. Easiest money I ever made, my first million. I was still a teenager.”
“That’s some story.”
“A true story.” He shot her a look as if to say she shouldn’t doubt him. “I knew what I was doing.”
“I’m sure you did.”
“I always know exactly what I’m
doing.”
Having finished first course, Daniel pushed his plate away, his arm brushing against hers. It sent a tingle up her spine, putting her momentarily on edge. This shouldn’t be happening, but it was.
Minutes later, their plates were cleared and the main courses arrived.
Daniel cut into his fillet steak. “Your fiancé seems to be ignoring you tonight.”
She wished he wouldn’t use that word. Wished she hadn’t used it in the first place however that had been her decision. It made her realise she hadn’t given Mark a second thought since they’d sat down. Daniel had taken up her complete attention.
“I hadn’t noticed,” she replied.
“That’s not true and you know it.”
For once, he was wrong. She kept this small victory to herself.
“You’re not exactly being attentive to your date either, you know,” Kate said.
“Date?”
She nodded towards the attractive, well-dressed blonde sitting to his left.
“You’re mistaken, Kate. She’s with Sam, the man sitting next to her. They’ve only just started seeing each other and she’s completely besotted by him. She doesn’t want to spend the whole night talking to me.”
“So you’re here on your own?”
He nodded.
“What’s the matter?” She couldn’t help but smile. “Couldn’t get a date tonight?”
The question might have been cruel if it had been true but it wasn’t, and she couldn’t resist teasing him.
“Maybe I couldn’t get the date I wanted.”
Kate slid a prawn into her mouth and tried to concentrate on the sweetness, the taste, the texture, on anything but the suggestiveness of his words. She felt a warmth deep in her belly that had nothing to do with her meal.
She glanced across at him. “You shouldn’t want what you can’t have.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“You must be able to take your pick. You’ve said as much yourself. Surely it’s easier that way. Then you know where you stand.”
“I always know where I stand, one way or another. But I also like a challenge.”
He brushed his arm against hers and this time it was no accident. Another sensual shiver shot up her spine. It was as though he’d read her the first time and knew now he could get the same effect at will.
Pulling her hand back, Kate placed it in her lap as she ate. She wasn’t going to give up control so easily.
“Sometimes you can’t have everything you want,” she said.
“But you’re sitting next to me. Talking to me.”
“I’m sitting next to Mark.”
“And he’s ignoring you.”
“That might be true but it doesn’t worry me. I’m quite happy with things the way they are.”
“He should be taking better care of you.”
She looked him in the eye. “I can take care of myself.”
Daniel’s lips curled to a sultry smile. “I’m sure you can. I’m just saying Mark’s not acting very wisely. I certainly wouldn’t leave you to fend for yourself against a man like me. Not if you were my partner.”
“I’m not your partner so you don’t need to worry.”
But she was worried.
Very much so.
She didn’t like this little charade of pretending she and Mark were engaged, even though she was the one who’d started it. It hadn’t seemed so far from the truth when they’d been together.
She should tell Daniel the truth, that she and Mark had broken up, and get it over with.
But she didn’t want to do that and lay herself wide open. Not because of Mark’s career aspirations because she knew he’d recover one way or the other.
The problem was that if she told Daniel she was single, there would be nothing standing between them, no barriers.
Kate was anything but a pushover. Many of her friends would have a few drinks and let themselves get sweet-talked by a man they thought looked good at the time. Not her. She knew what she wanted, knew how to stand up for herself and say no to a man.
These days, she entered relationships with her eyes open. Sure, she’d made a few bad decisions in the past but they were her decisions. Now, she weighed up the facts, worked out what she wanted and acted accordingly. Above all, she always had control.
So why maintain the farce that she was unavailable when she was perfectly capable of turning down Daniel Webb if that was what she wanted?
That was the problem.
She didn’t want to say no.
Chapter Four
Daniel watched Kate spoon another mouthful of chocolate tart into her mouth. She looked despondent as a raspberry fell off the spoon and onto her plate so she scooped it up, staring at it as though the feat was a major success.
It was only dessert but she was taking it so seriously that it made him smile. Concentrating hard on her food, her expression earnest, there was a certain naivety about her which Daniel found appealing. It made an interesting balance to the Kate Henry who argued with him, refusing to let him get away with anything.
She looked gorgeous in that dress though he had to wonder if she knew just how alluring she was. He’d guessed the first time he saw her that she wasn’t the type to flaunt herself and with a body like that she didn’t need to.
The dress wasn’t exactly revealing. In fact, he wished it were more so. It was simply that the fabric and cut meant it clung to her every curve, highlighting her shapely figure without showing off any flesh.
And that only made him want to see more.
When she’d first entered the room and strutted towards him in those strappy satin heels, he’d enjoyed every step of the way. Every stride made the skirt of her dress skim her slender thighs, her hips swaying just enough for the fabric to slide against her waist. It had felt like she’d been walking straight towards him.
And if she hadn’t been? He didn’t care.
She might think she was taken but she wasn’t. Not as far as Daniel was concerned.
It’d be tricky but he’d have to make sure he saw her again, and next time there wouldn’t be so many people around. He’d make sure of it.
It occurred to him that she might be interested in a recent deal he’d made, that of the Mills Building. The previous owners had let it run down so Daniel would need to hire an architect to oversee the project. In fact, she might be extremely interested.
“There are some excellent restoration architects,” she said when he told her about it. “I can recommend some but the firm I work for doesn’t do that sort of work. We concentrate on new buildings with cutting edge design. A building like the Mills deserves a specialist in the field.” She pushed her dessert bowl away and looked at him. “I didn’t know you were interested in art deco. Is that why you bought the Mills?”
“Not quite. I knew it was a good deal from the start, even before the finance team did the figures on it.”
“How could you know that?”
“My gut is never wrong.” He didn’t want to talk about business or himself when he should be finding out more about her. “So, tell me, what do your instincts tell you about me?”
“They tell me I’m in big trouble.”
She covered her mouth but it was too late to hide her embarrassment. It seemed the words had slipped out before she could stop herself.
Daniel wasn’t going to let it ride. “What makes you say that?”
“It was just a figure of speech.”
Kate glanced up, probably trying to look off-hand as she spoke. Instead, she looked too damn cute for words.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I think that came straight from the heart.”
“And if I’d taken another second to think about it instead of speaking off the cuff, I’d have come up with a more appropriate answer.”
“More appropriate perhaps, but not as truthful. What other truths can you tell me about yourself? What have the other men in your life been like?”
She leaned back in her chair, flicking one hand into the air as she spoke. “It’s no secret I seem to have a knack of picking the wrong type of man. I’ve made some judgement errors in the past.”
“Like what?”
“Well, my first serious boyfriend at uni got an exciting job in New York and I haven’t seen him since.”
Daniel didn’t think that sounded so bad. “Sometimes people have to move on. It might have been too good an opportunity for him to turn down.”
“That wasn’t the problem. He didn’t go to New York on his own. He found someone else to accompany him, someone more spontaneous, someone who was the opposite of me.”
“Ouch.”
“It took me a while to get over it but I did,” Kate said. “Apparently, I was too boring, too safe. I didn’t know how to have a good time.”
“That’s what he said?”
She nodded. “Then there was Number Two. He worked at Trademark Advertising, a real high-flyer, always thinking of the next deal. He knew everyone in the business. Turns out, it was basically a repeat of the same situation. He said I was too boring but I think he had it the wrong way around. He was too out-there, too exciting.”
Like a lot of people, she’d been unlucky in love and she’d put it down to choosing the wrong kind of man. It helped Daniel see why she was looking for a man who was practical and dependable. After all, how much more reliable could you get than an accountant?
“Not all men are the same you know,” he said.
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you don’t always want more than you’ve got. Something drives you to make the next deal and it has to be bigger, better.”
“Business is one thing and personal life is another.”
“Really? I’m sure you like the chase. Then the novelty and the initial excitement wear off and you go on to the next challenge.”
“That’s not true,” he said. “I’ve had a couple of relationships that lasted longer. Things just didn’t work out.”
“They never will if you’re not willing to work at it.”
Did she think she was the only one who’d been hurt in love? It may have been ten years ago but he hadn’t forgotten the disappointment, the pain.
He’d thought Jane Simpson was the right woman for him but he’d been wrong. They’d been young and they’d had fun together. Jane was smart, sexy, from a good family. Everything a man could want. Or so he’d thought.