Something else to blame on dear old Dad. He fucked us up so much that I have no idea how my brother feels about the fact I’ve got the job I always wanted.
“Yeah, drinks are on me,” he said.
“Great. I’ll pick you up at seven. Where are you staying?”
Marcus gave him the name of his hotel as his office phone buzzed. Sure enough, it was four thirty exactly, and Angel Moore was right on time. He said goodbye to Jake and told Laura to send her in. Then he settled back in his chair.
She’d no doubt be wearing a suit. Probably a navy one, with a scarf tied around her neck. Matching high heels. No pantyhose, not in the middle of a sweltering Sydney summer. Hair in a tight bun. Glasses? Yeah. He’d give himself ten points for each thing he’d guessed right, so that would be seventy points if he got them all. If he got less than forty, he was losing his touch.
The door opened, and Angel Moore walked in.
Whoa.
Then a second later, I was right. No, wait. I was completely wrong.
Angel wore a black suit instead of a navy one. He would have given himself half the points anyway, but instead of a blouse, the only thing peeking out from under her low-cut jacket was a tantalizing glimpse of lace. Her cleavage was impressive, the swell of her breasts enhanced rather than tamed by her suit.
When he managed to drag his gaze up to her face, he saw stylish, shoulder-length dark hair framing eyes so intense they threatened to swallow him up.
Marcus sat up in his chair, all thoughts of points fading.
Fuck me, the woman is hot.
Angel hesitated before sitting, her eyes wide. He obviously wasn’t what she’d expected either. Most CEOs of large corporations were a lot older than thirty-three, and the official email announcing his appointment hadn’t included much of a bio.
She recovered quickly though, settling back in the chair and crossing her shapely legs. Marcus knew women hated guys who didn’t focus on their faces, but he couldn’t stop his eyes from dipping to take in her slender calves.
He cleared his throat, fighting to slip a leash on his libido. “Ah. Ms. Moore. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Call me Angel.” Hell, even her voice was sexy. He’d gotten so used to the New York accent that her Australian one seemed almost musical. And her full lips were painted a shade of dark red which sent his blood pressure rising. “I believe you have my CV, Marcus?”
The way she said his name sounded delicious. What wouldn’t he give to hear her scream it as she came? Calm down, idiot. This is a job interview, not a date. He cleared his throat for a second time, painfully aware his professionalism had slipped. “I do, and it’s impressive.” He glanced down at it. “You graduated with honors, and from there you could have done anything. So why not go into banking or high finance? Why be a property manager?”
She answered without hesitation. “Because I want to buy and sell buildings, and Cross Corp is one of the biggest players in the property market.”
He frowned. “Property managers don’t get to make purchasing decisions.”
“Becoming a property manager was just the first step.”
“Even the General Manager doesn’t get the final say in which properties we acquire.”
She nodded. “But the CEO does.”
Marcus raised his eyebrows. She was even more ambitious than he’d imagined. If only she knew how controlling the board of directors was, maybe she’d think twice about wanting to take his job.
He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “Tell me why you should be Sydney’s General Manager, Angel. You’ve never managed any staff, so why would I put you in charge of forty-eight people?”
“Because I can lead by example. I have the best stats in the office, and I can lift performance across the board.”
“How would you do that?”
“With the same creative thinking that’s made my properties buck the downturn. I have fewer vacancies than the other managers, and I’ve even managed to increase profits.”
She spoke confidently, without any sign of interview nerves. Better than her forty-year-old boss, Bruce, who’d lounged in his chair and cracked inappropriate jokes. Bruce had also made a point of asking after the chairman of the board, who was apparently his uncle. The connection probably explained why he was working for Cross Corporation in the first place.
“I’ve proposed new initiatives which have saved the company a lot of money,” she said. “I’m good at coming up with solutions to things other people haven’t even realized are problems.”
Great demeanor. She sounded self-assured but not arrogant. “Go on.”
“I’m young. You might see that as a negative, but it’s exactly what this company needs. Fresh thinking, enthusiasm, and energy. If I get the position, I guarantee I can lift revenue. I’ve already come up with a five-step plan for reducing our costs.”
Clearly she was implying Bruce would just carry on doing the same things they’d always done. But even if Bruce would never set the company on fire, he had the support of the board. The old General Manager had retired three months ago, and Bruce had stepped into the role on an interim basis. His interview had been just a formality, and Marcus would have confirmed the appointment without bothering with a selection process if Angel hadn’t sent in her surprise application.
Angel tilted her head, appraising him in a way that made him suddenly conscious of his entire body, from his head to his feet. And definitely of the very interested part of his anatomy that was halfway between.
“In fact, I’m sure the board of directors hired you as CEO for just that reason. With the same kind of fresh, young energy here in Sydney, Cross Corporation would be unstoppable.”
Marcus gave a single nod, acknowledging the compliment. Inside, he winced. If only she knew the truth. When he'd started at Cross Corp, he’d discovered the board members were conservative dinosaurs, reluctant to look at investments that didn’t fit their regular profile. It had taken a lot of convincing before they’d approved the shopping complex he’d recommended, but it had shown promising early returns. Until that damn flood. Now the board was stomping on the brake again, and it was frustrating as hell.
“It’s easy enough to claim you’ve got good ideas.” Marcus fired a test shot at her. “Harder to prove it. Tell me your best one.”
“Sure.” She shifted forward on her chair, as though eager for him to hear what she had to say. “To maintain our buildings, we work with the same large building, electrical, and plumbing firms we’ve been using for years. They get steady revenue from us, but the so-called 'special rates' they give us are laughable. And at least two of them keep overcharging because we never question their invoices.” Her fingernails were painted red, and he watched their elegant movements as her hands emphasized her words. “A lot of smaller companies would kill for our business. Getting quotes from them could slash our maintenance bills. And if we had a proper auditing system, we’d pick up any discrepancies.”
Marcus frowned. Didn’t they have an auditing system? Why wasn’t Bruce doing a better job of monitoring their invoices?
He had to admit, his first impression of Angel was that she was far more capable than her boss. Maybe he should promote her instead. But the board had final approval, and with the new proposal he was about to start fighting for, he couldn’t afford to distract them with a hiring decision they’d oppose.
If he couldn’t promote Angel, he wouldn’t string her along. The HR department was all about making the process seem fair, but she deserved the truth.
“That’s a good idea, Angel, and I like the way you’ve put yourself forward. But the board of directors expect Bruce to take over, and frankly, they’re not as open to fresh ideas as you think.”
“So you’ve already decided to give Bruce the job?”
He inclined his head. “If your stats check out, I could offer you a higher-level portfolio of buildings to manage, with a small pay rise. But Bruce will become General Manager.”
Marcus frowned. “Does it look like I’m ready?”
“Might miss happy hour, is all.” Bruce’s eyes flicked to Angel and he let out a strangled cough.
Angel’s cheeks flushed bright red. She shifted in her chair, angling her body away from Bruce. Interesting. Something going on there?
“I’ll…ah… leave you to it, then.” Before he shut the door, Marcus caught a flash of Bruce’s grin.
Angel pressed her lips together for a moment and took a deep breath as though getting her composure back. Then she leaned forward. The amount of cleavage he could see made all the blood rush to his groin.
“Thank you for your honesty, Marcus. But I’m the best person for the job, and I won’t give up trying to convince you of it. You’ll be in the office tomorrow?”
He forced his eyes back to her face. Had she flashed him on purpose? An invitation? “That’s right.”
“Spend some time with me tomorrow. Let me take you through my processes and show you how I work.”
He considered it. Sure he needed to review next year’s budgets with Bruce, but he could spare a little time. Especially if he was right, and she’d extended him a subtle invitation. Not that he’d ever have sex with an employee, but her ambition impressed him, and she had a determined edge he liked. Besides, parts of him were curious to know how far this might go.
He nodded. “Nine o’clock. I’ll give you an hour.”
“Thank you.” Angel stood up. “Until tomorrow then.”
She offered him a handshake, and when he reached out and grasped her slim fingers, he leaned forward to take in her perfume. The spicy scent was almost as intriguing as she was.
3
Angel leaned back in her office chair and sighed. Everyone else had left ages ago, and all she could hear was the endless hum of computers. Even the air-conditioning had been switched off for the night. Angel often worked late, but tonight she’d mostly been staring into space. A small promotion was no good; she couldn’t keep working for Bruce. There had to be a way she could change Marcus’s mind, but she was finding it hard to concentrate.
Thing was, her thoughts kept drifting back to the moment she’d laid eyes on him and realized he was one of the best-looking men she’d ever met. And the way he stretched his words out, his Australian accent tinged with a hint of sexy American drawl? She’d practically melted.
If only he hadn’t sounded so adamant that he couldn’t give her the job. Just spending an hour with him tomorrow probably wouldn’t be enough to change his mind. She’d barely be able to give him an overview of the things she’d achieved, let alone explain the way she’d change things if she were in charge.
Restlessly, Angel got up and paced across the room. Bruce was probably buying Marcus drinks and kissing up. Her boss thought asset management meant pinching the waitress’s butts at The Playhouse, so why did everyone assume his seniority entitled him to step into a job she’d be far better at?
Screw it, she could do with a drink herself. She headed into Bruce’s corner office in search of the whisky she knew he kept in his bottom drawer. Bingo. A mostly-full bottle of Jack.
Angel poured herself a generous glass before going back to her desk and staring gloomily at the job-search site she’d been browsing earlier. Becoming CEO of a major property investment corporation was her dream, and Cross Corp was the biggest. It was the reason she’d started here, intending to work her way up. As if Bruce will ever let that happen, especially now he’s seen me wearing something low-cut. She’d count herself lucky if he didn’t give a detailed description to every male in the office. And supply full-color diagrams.
To distract herself, she pulled up a fresh tab on her browser and Googled Marcus Bolton. An article in Business Weekly was the first hit. Young Hot Shot’s Surprise Appointment To Top Job. There was a photo, and Angel’s heart sped up as she stared at it. Critically speaking, his face had a few small imperfections. His mouth was a little lop-sided with his smile higher on one side. But all that did was make him sexier. Definitely the best-looking man I’ve ever seen.
Angel gulped her whisky, coughing a little when it burned its way down her throat. Then she got out her phone and called her grandfather.
“Hi, Pop.”
“Angel, honey. How’d the interview go?”
“Not so good, but I’ll get another chance tomorrow. Did you see the knee specialist today?”
“All that money, and I was in his office for five minutes. Seven, tops.” Her grandfather harrumphed. “What a racket. At least he booked me in for the operation next month. The twenty-fourth.”
“Good. I’ll arrange some time off work to look after you.” Her stomach tightened a little at the thought. She hadn’t taken a single day off since she’d started at Cross Corp, and with the General Manager job up for grabs, now wasn’t the ideal time. But no matter what, Pop came first.
“No need, honey. The nurses here can check on me.”
She snorted. In his dive of a retirement home, all he’d get from the nurses was a daily dose of neglect. “Do you have an armchair you’ll be able to get in and out of? And I’d better get you a decent TV. You won’t be able to move around much at first.”
“You don’t have to—”
“If I get this promotion, it’ll come with a big pay rise. So don’t worry about me, okay? Let me take care of you.”
“Worry about you?” Her grandfather laughed. “Honey, you’re the last one I worry about. You’ll be running that place soon enough.”
Angel smiled. She could always count on Pop to believe in her. “Damn right I will.”
“That’s my girl.”
After she hung up, she got the whisky back out of Bruce’s drawer and poured herself another glass. Marcus and Bruce were getting drunk together, so why shouldn’t she? Besides, the whisky was giving her an exhilarating light-headedness. Easing her troubles, if only for a few hours.
With the air-conditioning off, it was even hotter in the office now than it had been during the day. Angel took another sip of whisky, then unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it off. What the hell, nobody’s here. Her blouse was still in the bathroom, but wearing nothing but her skirt and her lucky bra made her feel sexy.
She stopped in front of the glass wall of the General Manager’s office, staring at her reflection. How many times since she’d started working here had she wished she were a man so she’d be taken seriously? After she’d given up complaining to HR, she’d started wearing shapeless, buttoned-up tops in the hope they’d notice the work she was doing instead of her figure. But no matter how they forced her to strip away her sexuality, her reflection spoke the truth. Angel was all woman.
Why should he have to hide who she was? She hadn’t wanted to hide in front of Marcus. The opposite. For the first time in forever, she’d been grateful for every curve. And dammit, she liked being a woman.
She wouldn’t let them take that from her.
Angel put the hand that wasn’t holding the whisky on her hip and struck a pose, lifting her chin and angling her torso to accentuate her hourglass silhouette in the glass. Was it the whisky or being in the office practically topless that was making her heart race? She felt powerful. As though she could do anything – have anything – she wanted.
If only Marcus would give her a chance to convince him she was the right person for the job. The more time he spent with her, the more he’d realize she could do it. On paper she might not have the experience, but she had a bigger vision for this office than Bruce had ever dreamed of.
All she had to do was make Marcus want to spend time with her.
Seduce him?
A tingle ran down her spine. The idea sent a rush of warmth deep into her belly. Warmth that had nothing to do with the whisky, and everything to do with the way Marcus’s mesmerizing eyes had made her pulse flutter.
She raised her glass in a toast to her reflection
and drained it. Hell. What did she have to lose?
4
Marcus wasn’t just tired, he also didn’t like the bar they took him to, and it didn’t take long before he was heartily sick of Bruce’s bad jokes. He downed a couple of drinks and left. There were taxis outside, but his workout schedule always suffered when he traveled, and the short walk was a chance to stretch his legs.
His cellphone rang on the way to the hotel. His assistant, Laura. Shit. The last thing he felt like hearing was more bad news, and there was no other reason she’d call him so late. He’d brought her to Sydney with him on the company’s Learjet but she’d bowed out of joining them for drinks, claiming exhaustion.
“Yes?”
“Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Bolton. I’ve just found out the chairman’s brought the board meeting forward. He’s scheduled it for next Friday. I thought you’d want to know right away.”
“Fuck.” Marcus rubbed his temples. “Has he made any changes to my agenda?”
“He’s added the shopping complex as the first topic for discussion.” She sounded apologetic.
“Right.” Marcus held onto his cool with an effort. “Thanks for calling.” Hanging up, he spit out a string of curses. What a fucking disaster. If the board got stuck talking about the problems with the complex, they wouldn’t approve the new purchases he needed them to agree to.
Pushing his phone back into his pocket, he realized his hotel room key wasn’t there. He must have left it at the office.
He almost kept going to the hotel, where he could get another key from the front desk. But the office was just a block out of his way, and the extra exercise might help his mood.
When he reached Cross Corp’s office tower, he swiped his borrowed security card in the door and caught the elevator to the twelfth floor. He’d expected it to be empty, but the alarm wasn’t set and some of the lights were still on. No need to disturb whoever was working late. He’d just grab his key and take off.
The Rich List Series: Contemporary Romance Box Set (Millionaire, Billionaire, CEO) Page 38