by Desiree Holt
Noah moved next to her. “Carmen, is everyone here?”
She flashed a grin at him. “They sure are. Buffed and polished, you might say.”
“Good. Thank you.” He took Taylor’s arm again. “Best to get this over with first.”
The executive staff. Hope their knives are sheathed.
Carved wooden doors opened to expose the largest conference room Taylor had ever seen. At their entrance everyone in the room turned and stared blatantly at Taylor. The expression on their faces was very clear. Who is this interloper? What the hell is she doing here?
“Let’s see some of that fire, little girl” Noah whispered, bending to her ear.
The name galvanized her as she was sure he knew it would. Taylor moved forward to the empty seat at the head of the table, placing her briefcase next to the chair.
Noah stood beside her. “I think we’re ready to begin.”
No one was smiling. Taylor thought she’d never faced a more hostile collection of faces that somehow reminded her of her grandparents. The expressions were curious, defensive, even antagonistic but none of them the least bit welcoming. She was the interloper, the stranger who held their fortunes in her unfamiliar hands. And for at least two of them, the possibility of an uncertain future. They wanted to take her measure and decide whether she was in control or they were.
This was not going to be fun. Noah had suggested introducing her but she wanted them to know she was in charge from the get-go. Despite his alpha pride, she had to establish that he was the fallback, not the primary. My, how things had changed in a little more than a month.
She swept her eyes over the table, her client smile firm on her lips. “Thank you all for coming today. I know I must be a shock to all of you. The recent turn of events has been a surprise to me, also.” She drew in a steadying breath, let it out. “I was not fortunate enough to know my father, Josiah Gaines, in life but he has placed a great deal of trust in me in his death and I don’t intend to disappoint him.”
Taylor didn’t think the silence in the room could get any thicker but it did. Then someone began to clap politely and the others joined in, although with a noted lack of enthusiasm. She cleared her throat and plunged ahead. “I want you to know this is as much of a shock to me as it is to you. I’m only sorry that my father and I were not able to establish a relationship before his death.”
A dark haired man in an impeccable blue suit straightened in his chair. “What are your plans for Arroyo, Miss Scott?”
“I think it’s a little premature for me to discuss that right now. I plan to review everything about the corporation, including the subsidiaries and meet with key executives, before coming to any decisions at all. I’ll be doing that over the next couple of weeks.”
“You think two weeks will give you enough information to make decisions for a corporation as large and diverse as Arroyo?” A heavyset man at the far end of the table leaned forward. “What qualifies you for this, anyway?”
“I assure you I have the qualifications but since you ask, an MBA degree, a major in accounting and several years as an associate in a major investment firm have given me the background I need. I’m not a novice coming to the table.” She gestured toward Noah. “And Mr. Cantrell will be helping to bring me up to speed.”
“You sure ran yourself up the flagpole, Cantrell,” another man at the same end of the table said bitterly. “Got yourself a nice cushy place next to the new boss, right? Anything going on there we should know about?”
Noah started to reply but Taylor put her hand on his arm. “That is a completely inappropriate remark and one I won’t tolerate. Mr. Cantrell’s position was dictated by my father, whose judgment I’m sure you all admired. We will be putting things in place together. If any of you have a problem with that, or with our relationship, I’d like you to let me know now. I’ll be happy to provide references and a severance package.”
Shock waves rocketed through the room. Beside her she could feel Noah tense, then relax. Always show them you’ve got your hands on the controls, Paul Clemens had drilled into her. The good ones will hang with you. The others you don’t want.
“Well?” She let her eyes roam around the table. “Anyone else? This is your opportunity. Today is just supposed to be show and tell but if anyone’s unhappy I won’t stand in the way of their leaving.”
A man two seats down from her, medium height with gray hair almost the color of his suit, broke the silence. “I don’t think anyone is running out the door, Miss Scott. We’re all a little stunned but more than happy to abide by Josiah’s wishes.”
Yeah, right. In a pig’s eye. She felt Noah’s thigh move against hers and she forced herself to relax. “And you are?”
“Sorry. Paul Hunter. Corporate counsel.”
The weasel.
The woman next to him leaned forward. “Kate Belden. Executive Vice President.”
Taylor took a moment to imprint the woman on her mind. Blonde hair cut fashionably short framed a smooth, pale complexion. Ocean blue eyes had the hardness of diamonds. The long slender hands resting in front of her were steady as a rock. The erect line of her body had a touch of arrogance. Her red power suit said it all.
The ice queen bitch.
Taylor inclined hr head. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’ve been the de facto head of Arroyo for the past four weeks. I hope you’ll arrange an opportunity for us to meet as quickly as possible.”
“Of course. I’ll have Carmen call you with a time.”
Kate Belden’s eyes narrowed the muscles of her face tightened, barely perceptible signs that she’d expected a better response than this.
Did she really think I’d just let her go on running the company?
Taylor nodded her acknowledgement and her eyes traveled to the next person. As they went around the table, Taylor mentally catalogued them. Her inborn ability to remember names and faces had been a valuable tool in many IPO negotiations and would stand her in good stead now, when so many were thrown at her at once.
Introductions over with, someone threw out a question and suddenly she was hit with a barrage. Everyone was stepping on everyone else’s voice, no one leaving any breathing room. They all seemed to have a question they wanted answered right now.
Noah’s hand rested on her shoulder and squeezed once, gently. An unaccustomed sign of reassurance. Taking her cue from him, she was as noncommittal in her answers as possible. To each person she said Carmen would be calling them to schedule appointments.
Finally Noah cleared his throat. “I think that will do it for the day. Miss Scott will be in the office tomorrow and we’ll begin the process of letting her know what we do here. Thank you for welcoming her into the company.”
Welcoming! What a laugh.
“I appreciate your time,” she told them.
They were nearly to the door when Kate Belden rose from her chair. “Miss Scott.”
Taylor turned. “Yes?”
Kate gestured at those still seated at the table. “I think everyone here will agree with me that Josiah depended on me a great deal. I functioned as his second in command. I hope to have the privilege of doing the same thing for you.”
Taylor had to swallow a laugh. Could the woman be more obvious? Noah’s hand pressed on her arm. She gave Kate back stare for stare.
“As I said before, I’m not ready to make commitments to anyone until I have a complete picture here. I’ll be meeting with each of you individually and making my own assessments. That will be plenty of time to discuss future roles with Arroyo.”
Kate pressed her lips together, biting back anything that might be inappropriate.
But Taylor could feel the invisible knife sliding in between her ribs and forced herself not to shudder. She took another step toward the door when she felt a hand close over her arm. She jerked, startled.
Paul Hunter had disengaged himself from the group rising from the table and moved quietly to her side. “I don’t know what your schedu
le is like, Miss Scott but it’s imperative that you and I meet.” He glanced at Noah. “Privately.”
Taylor looked at him with a mixture of disdain and apprehension. She didn’t need a sign to tell her Josiah had stopped trusting this man. Did he still retain him as corporate counsel on the theory you kept your friends close but your enemies closer?
She pulled her arm from his grasp as politely as possible. “As I said before, Carmen will be setting up appointments for me with each of you. And Mr. Cantrell will be participating in all of them. I’m sure you won’t have a problem with that.”
You bitch, his eyes seem to say but he kept his face bland. “You may want to reconsider. There are things that I’m sure Noah isn’t privy to that mandate we discuss them alone.”
“Mr. Hunter.” She wanted to smack his supercilious face. “If there are things Mr. Cantrell doesn’t know, it’s time to bring him in on them. Carmen will be in touch. Now please excuse me. I have a busy day.”
I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.
Carmen opened the doors to the hallway and Taylor swept out, Noah right behind her. To every eye scrutinizing her in her new power outfit that she was sure cost more than she used to make in a week, she was in charge—sure, confident, in command. Inside she was quaking, drained by the control she’d exerted. But she was proud of her performance. The new Taylor wouldn’t let anyone kick her to the curb. Or bend her to their will.
Except in bed.
She stamped out the thought as soon as it intruded. Not now, she told herself.
Tomas, who had been a silent presence in the room during the meeting, ever vigilant for the slightest indication of anything out of the ordinary, looked at her with a new respect in his eyes. He dropped in behind her as they moved down the hall.
Taylor looked straight ahead as she followed Carmen through the outer office and into her private one, posture erect, steps sure, knowing eyes were tracking her progress. When the door was closed she placed her briefcase on the desk, dropped into the chair and let out a long breath.
“Well, that was fun.” She looked at her watch and realized almost two hours had passed. “I could almost see the vultures circling and feel the swords of the gladiators.”
Carmen grinned at her. “I think you’re not quite what they expected, Miss Scott.”
Noah studied her with a strange expression on his face. “Josiah would have applauded.”
Carmen laughed. “At least they won’t have to wonder what they’ll be dealing with.”
“Set your meetings with Kate and Paul right,” Noah advised her. “You’ll get a better sense of them one-on-one and maybe a hint as to what drove Josiah that last day or two. And the sooner the better.”
“But if either of them is involved, won’t they be trying to hide it?”
Noah actually smiled. “Yes. And it’ll be damned entertaining to watch you catch all the nuances of the conversations.”
“I told everyone you’d be sitting in. Was that too presumptuous of me?”
“Is that a question or an order?”
For a moment her temper flared until she realized he was trying to lighten the atmosphere with subtle humor.
She relaxed the tiniest bit. “Oh, a question by all means.”
He almost smiled. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Good.” She turned to the woman beside her. “Carmen, can you make that happen? Late tomorrow morning, I think. Let them stew a little.”
Carmen nodded and handed her a pile of message slips. “Calls to return. I arranged for lunch to be brought in for you and Mr. Cantrell. Perhaps after that, before the board meeting, we can go over them as well as some of the files Josiah left.”
Taylor flipped through the message slips, a hopeless expression on her face, then handed the pile back to Carmen. “Please call everyone back and let them know I’ll be returning their calls as soon as possible.”
“Clip notes to the ones that need immediate attention,” Noah added. “Miss Scott will get to them as quickly as she can.”
Taylor worried her bottom lip. “I keep going over in my mind what you told me about Josiah’s trip and the shooting on the way home from the airport. I still think we need to take a closer look at his last day here. Occam’s Razor, you know.”
“When everything else is wrong, what remains must be right,” Noah recited.
Taylor’s eyes widened a fraction.
“I’m not a completely uneducated savage,” he pointed out, his irritation at her surprise evident in his tone.
“I never thought for a moment you were,” she snapped back. “Carmen, will you double check everything Josiah did? And can you call the pilot and get the log for the flight?”
“Yes. I can do that while you’re at lunch.”
“Start with Mr. Rivas. Something could have happened at lunch.” The mind that had been trained to analyze detail through six years of college and an equal amount of time at Clemens Jacobs was clicking into operating mode, much as the gears of a car click into place when the clutch is engaged. Discipline had taught her analysis. Paul Clemens had marveled had how she could dissect stocks and market trends with the clinical precision of a surgeon performing a delicate heart transplant. With nothing else to fasten on in this situation, her mind grasped Josiah’s last day and his activities as the only place to begin a search. Regardless of the fact nothing had turned up so far, they still needed a starting place and Howard Rivas was it.
“Of course. What shall I ask him?”
“If there’s anything that stands out from his lunch with Josiah. Anything at all that might seem the least bit out of the ordinary.”
“The police checked with him,” Noah interjected, “and got nothing.”
Taylor narrowed her eyes. “Forgive me but they may not even have known what to look for. Not to pat myself on the back but my mind has been trained to evaluate the most minute pieces of information and process them. So let’s just see where Josiah was headed and what, if anything, Howard can give us, okay?”
Noah shrugged but his eyes were shrewd, calculating. “Then let’s go for it.”
“I’ll get right on it.” Carmen hurried from the room.
Noah took Taylor’s arm. “By the way, I meant to tell you I had Tomas sweep your room for bugs.”
“Bugs?” Her mouth dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Not for a second. So at least there’s one place besides this office, which we check regularly, that I know is secure.” He led her to the wall behind the desk. “Come on. Lunch is waiting.”
“Where are we going?”
“My office. My very private one. No one will bother us there.”
“What about Tomas?” She realized he’d left the office when Carmen did.
“He can get his own lunch. Besides, he has work to do. Let’s go.”
He pressed a button in the wall, a panel slid open and they stepped into a hidden elevator. Seconds later they were in a large room that looked more like a den than an office and which seemed to have no doors to it.
“Hidden.” Noah anticipated her question. “Just like the elevator. My real office is through another door that slides into that wall.” He gestured with his hand. “Shall we?”
In the center of the room a round table had been set with a white linen cloth, china and crystal. A rolling table at the side held covered dishes. Taylor inhaled the mouthwatering aroma and started forward but Noah’s hand on her shoulder held her in place.
“No.”
She looked up at him and frowned. “No?”
“No. Not yet.”
He turned her to face him and bent until his lips touched hers. She was frozen in place, held captive by the sensual touch of his mouth, the caress of his tongue against the seam of her lips, the heat of his body pressed against hers. Where almost every other kiss had been brutal and demanding, this one was tender and teasing. Seductive. He nibbled at each lip in turn, licking their softness in the wake of his teet
h before insinuating his tongue inside.
This is crazy! Not here, not now. But somehow, the moment he touched her, she gave up control to him without a whimper. So much for being in charge.
They were taking a terrible chance succumbing to their need here in this place where every stranger was a potential enemy. If anyone at all discovered this her newly acquired position would be compromised. Noah had to realize that even more than she did. So why did this keep happening? Why didn’t she just tell him to go to hell and keep his hands to himself?
The threads of sexual desire tightened around them more and more each time they were alone. She felt as if she’d suddenly stepped into quicksand. Noah was right. This thing between them was a wildfire, burning out of control. All they had to do was look at each other and they ignited. Greedy tentacles of flame wrapped around them whenever they were alone. Burning them alive. If they couldn’t control it—or extinguish it altogether—they’d be reduced to ashes. But instead of extinguishing the flame with an excess of activity they were only building it higher. Resisting him just didn’t seem to be an option. The feel of his hard muscled body against hers, the grip of his fingers, the scent and taste of him made her head swim.
“I know I said the next time I planned to take my time with you,” he breathed into her mouth. “But I hadn’t planned on being so hard just from watching you work that I can hardly walk.” He lifted his head. “Take off your clothes.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Your clothes, Take them off.” He brushed his lips against hers again, a gentle touch but his voice was firm. Commanding. In his mind there was no choice. “Don’t want to wrinkle them before the board meeting.” His hands were already reaching for the fabric of her jacket. “Want me to do it?”
“Noah, we can’t keep doing this.” It was a token protest and they both knew it.
“You’re right. We have a board meeting we should be focusing on. And I don’t like quickies with you. I told you that.” He rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks, staring intently into her eyes. “But if I don’t get rid of this hard-on you give me all the time I won’t be able to go anywhere. Certainly not to a board meeting.”