She tugged her tablet out of her handbag and found the right file, handing it to him. His large hand cradled the device, dwarfing an object that looked perfectly normal in her hand. Blunt male fingers swiped at the screen, and he read all the information with deliberate care. Her mind briefly flickered to the idea of those masculine hands running over her body, and her face heated, no doubt displaying her blush for the world to see. But that was nothing compared to the fire scorching through her body at the thought.
Her tongue darted out to lick her lips. Mandy shifted, banishing the erotic images from her mind.
Just in time.
Duncan’s gaze settled on hers. “Why did you leave your last job at—,” he glanced down at the tablet, “Lennox Industries?”
She deliberated her words carefully. She never knew how people would react when they found out she worked for her father. Often, it resulted in them thinking less of her, like she was coasting. But since her father being her boss had been irrelevant to her work—she would have put forth the same effort and commitment regardless of who she worked for—she usually chose not to mention the fact at all.
“I realised that my skills and interests did not align with those of the company.”
“But you think they’d align with my company?”
“I’d like to see your business plan first, but yes, it sounds like something I would be interested in being a part of.”
“This won’t be a charity,” he said abruptly. He must have gathered her interest in charitable work from her resume. “The people that would work for me would be employees, like any other. They wouldn’t be projects to be fixed, or objects of pity. They would do the work, like any other.”
“Of course,” she told him. From what he said, his aim for this business would be to give back injured veterans a purpose and employment that utilised their skills. It was an admirable cause, but not a charity.
He looked mightily tempted. He glanced down longingly at the stack of paperwork in front of him. Time to press her advantage.
“I love doing paperwork. I have a lot of money, and I know exactly what you need in order to open up a new business. Even beyond the initial startup, my name and reputation will likely create free publicity. I’d be perfect, admit it,” she wheedled as sweetly as she could.
But Duncan was frowning again. “I want to build our reputation the right way. Not through some association we might have. I want to be known for our work.”
Mandy sighed gently. “And that will come. But first you need to get the work. I can help with this.”
Blake spoke up. “Who are you, that your name and reputation would generate publicity?”
It was the obvious question, she supposed. “My father has a lot of money. It’s part of the reason I have so much money. Some people in the press consider me a socialite, and hence are interested in certain things that I do. A new business would be one of those things.”
Both men were silent for a moment.
Then, Duncan let out his breath in a heavy gust. “All right, we’ll go over my plans and ideas. See where it goes from there.”
Mandy resisted the temptation to throw her hands up in triumph. Instead, she settled for a pleased smile and a nod.
Blake stood. “Sounds like that’s my cue. For what it’s worth, I think you’d be a great addition, Mandy.”
Duncan glared at him as he waved goodbye. Mandy wanted to roll her eyes. The man was obviously contrary in nature. Despite how attractive he was, she told herself that she couldn’t stay romantically interested in a man like that. It would drive her up the wall. But that didn’t mean his business idea could be set aside as easily.
Besides, if they were going to work together, dating would be a terrible idea. It was just a shame he was so damn attractive.
He pulled out his notes, and their shoulders brushed as she leant over to look.
If she wasn’t so determined to involve herself in this business, she might have taken the frisson of awareness that leapt through her at the contact as a sign of a very bad idea.
Chapter 8
A few weeks after Duncan had been accosted by Mandy in the café, he had to admit to himself that she’d been invaluable. Only to himself, though.
She’d already done an analysis of all their competitors, the major one seeming to be a place called Beaton Security. She’d done a detailed budget plan, cost outlay estimates and potential income streams, marketing opportunities, the works. She’d filed all the paperwork, dealt with the IRS, and was generally an organisational machine.
Still, he hadn’t quite forgiven her for the way that she’d inserted herself into his business. She must have heard him explain that this venture was something personal, something he’d needed to have control over in order to do it right. And still she’d tried to take over.
Blake was no better. The traitor had guilted him into accepting her partnership, claiming that if he went about this wrong, they’d all be out of jobs and back where they started.
So, he’d showed Mandy his business plan. She’d made some heavy adjustments, but even he could see that they were improvements. She’d been more concerned about making a profit, whereas he had focused on getting his people meaningful work.
A week after they’d both finally approved the business plan, Mandy had surprised him with a contract for the two of them to sign. Though he hadn’t understood all of it, it hadn’t seemed to be nefarious. In fact, he could have sworn it was mutually beneficial. He suspected that she’d had it drawn up to appease him.
Still, he didn’t quite trust her. The way she occasionally looked at him, as if he disturbed her, was enough to put him on guard. He still didn’t know exactly why she was there. It almost seemed as if he had become a new project for her. That, he couldn’t abide.
But the plans were coming together. Much faster than he could have done on his own.
Now, it was time to gather the troops, see who he had, and actually get this thing moving.
After their last conversation, he owed Paul the first call.
“Hey buddy. How’s it going?”
Paul grunted. “All right. They said I’ll be out pretty soon.”
“That’s perfect,” Duncan replied, delighted for his friend. It was about time the man got a break.
“Yeah,” Paul said, but he didn’t sound as thrilled.
“What’s up? You’ve wanted this for ages.”
“I thought it would be different by the time I’d get out. That I’d be different. Better.” He sighed. “Stupid, really.”
Duncan’s chest squeezed. “You’re still good, man. Just a little banged up.”
“I’ve never been anything other than physically strong. It was the one thing I could be proud of. Like, I’m okay on computers and such, but few of my teammates could beat me at a run. But now...I have to start my life all over again. Which sucks, as an adult. It’s not as if I was unhappy, and needed a change. I was exactly where I wanted to be, but now I need to change anyway.”
Duncan heard the quiet devastation and longing in the man’s voice. He knew some of what Paul was feeling. He’d been through a less extreme version of it himself, they all had. And he knew that Paul needed a chance to grieve his loss.
“We’re here for you. Whatever you need. You know that, right?”
Paul cleared his throat, and when he spoke his voice was a little unsteady. “Yeah.”
Duncan took a deep breath. “So, listen, when you get out, you’ll have a job with me. If you want it of course.”
“Duncan, we already talked about this.”
“Yeah, but this time I’ve actually got a proper plan. I want to put you as our primary surveillance guy. Like you said, you’re pretty good with computers. And we’ll need eyes in the sky, and I want that to be you.”
“So, you’re relegating me to the office, ‘cos I can’t do anything out in the field?”
Duncan grit his teeth. He knew Paul was hurting, lashing out.
“I’m
not relegating you anywhere. I’m giving you an important job. One I know you’d be good at.”
“Look, I know you feel some weird responsibility to us all. But we’re adults. We aren’t your children, or even your team. We’re your friends. We don’t need you trying to fix our lives for us. I won’t be your charity case, Duncan. I deserve more respect than that.”
With a final resigned sigh, Paul hung up on Duncan, leaving him shell-shocked. He’d been so sure that Paul would come around.
Paul was wrong about him, wasn’t he? Was he as bad as Mandy, finding new charity cases to help? Surely not. He wanted to help the team, yes, but it wasn’t out of pity. It stemmed from frustration. The fact that the rest of society dismissed veterans. He wanted to prove the world wrong.
And he wanted to give them a chance that they might not get elsewhere. They deserved that, at least.
Shit, maybe a part of him was doing this for the wrong reasons.
He set his phone down on the tiny kitchen table in front of him and stared at it for a while. He could call this whole thing off. Forget about it and move on.
But then he thought of those he now considered his team. He hadn’t served with many of them. Yet they’d formed a bond just as close.
He wanted to do this for them. Needed to. Not out of pity, but because someone had to. And if not him, then who?
Chapter 9
After talking to Paul, Duncan called Sam. He knew she’d be as enthused about the idea as Blake was, and he suddenly needed the support.
“So, what do you think?” he asked after explaining the idea.
“I think it is exactly what we all need,” she replied. Her response was warm and enthusiastic, the exact opposite of Paul’s chilly bitterness.
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Paul wasn’t so keen on the idea.”
“Paul isn’t keen on much of anything these days. He’ll get over it.”
Duncan knew she was right. But he had the sneaking suspicion that Paul also wasn’t entirely wrong. At least, about him.
“So, when do we start?” Sam asked him.
“I don’t know. That’s going to be up to Mandy, I think. She’s doing some research into the market, trying to figure out where the best place to set up our new offices would be.”
“Mandy?”
“Oh, yeah, you haven’t met her yet. She’s my business partner.” He tried to stay cool, but the words still left a sour aftertaste in his mouth.
“You don’t sound so thrilled about her.”
“I’m…reserving my judgement,” he replied diplomatically.
“Why?”
“I’m still just not sure she gets it. That she’s doing it for the right reasons. She’s not one of us, you know?”
Sam was silent for a moment. “What do you mean, ‘one of us’?” she asked quietly.
“She’s a civilian.”
“That’s not a bad thing.”
“She’s a do-gooder. Takes on charitable projects a lot. I don’t want myself or my team to be one of them. We need to be treated like anyone else, or this isn’t going to work.”
Sam sighed. “Duncan, for as long as I’ve know you, you’ve been looking out for other people. It’s almost a compulsion with you. It’s why you were such a great leader. Maybe she’s the same way.”
There it was again, a comparison between the two of them. He wasn’t entirely sure why it grated so much for him to be compared to a wealthy socialite, but he couldn’t get the idea out of his head that for her this was just one of many projects. She was going to abandon this endeavour and move onto the next one. A large part of him would be thrilled by that arrangement, as he could then run the company the way he’d always intended. But a part of him was nervous about having to do this alone. She’d proven herself indispensable, and perhaps that was what frightened him the most.
“Just give her a chance,” Sam continued.
“I am giving her a chance. We signed a contract and everything.”
“Sounds like she’s been really useful.”
“I could have done it all myself, with enough time,” Duncan replied defensively. “It was just easier to let someone else handle that side of things so I could focus on the important stuff.”
Sam let out a thoughtful hum. “Is she pretty?” she asked slyly.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Is she pretty?” Sam reiterated with more force.
“She’s okay, I guess,” Duncan replied grudgingly, trying not to think of her silky blonde hair or long legs.
Sam laughed. “You’re as bad as Paul.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Duncan asked, immediately outraged but not entirely sure why.
“You both get so defensive any time you think people might be perceiving you as being even the slightest bit inadequate. I’m imagining it is worse when there is a pretty woman involved.”
In normal circumstances, Duncan liked Sam’s perceptiveness, and her lack of qualms about expressing it to people. When it was directed at him, he found himself having a great deal more empathy for people who had been through this before.
He considered denying it. He would have, if the truth of her words hadn’t sunk into him, revealing what he’d been denying to himself since the day he’d first encountered Mandy.
“You didn’t see the way she looked at us when she first met us in the rehab centre. It was like she was wondering what was wrong with us. As if we were a problem she could solve. I’m a man, not an invalid, or a charity case. Worse, then she took over my entire business idea, as if I couldn’t handle it myself. The whole reason I am doing this is to stop people thinking of us that way. But the person co-running the company is the worst of the lot. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Maybe you are underestimating her.”
“This isn’t the time for some woman-solidarity thing. You’re my friend.” The sour taste was in his mouth again. He knew his words were unfair the instant they came out of his mouth.
“Duncan?”
“What?”
“Get your head out of your ass.” With that parting shot, the phone clicked dead.
He knew he was being a bit of a jerk. But he had to protect his friends and his business venture. And if that meant watching Mandy closely, then that’s what he’d do.
Chapter 10
Mandy wasn’t stupid. She knew that despite Duncan’s public politeness, he was still hostile towards her. Just enough to concern her. What she didn’t know was why.
At first she’d thought that maybe he hated women in general. Except, on the brief occasions he talked of his mother, or his female teammates and friends, he spoke of them with nothing but respect.
She had to conclude that whatever it was had to do with her. Was he still bitter over her minor faux pas on the day they met? While she was normally the first one to dwell on her own errors, she thought that he was taking a relatively minor thing to the extreme if that’s what was upsetting him.
She eventually realised that if they were going to do this, he was going to have to trust her. He didn’t have to like her, but they needed to have each other’s back for the company’s sake if nothing else.
Her usual course of action would be to charm him into believing in her. Unfortunately, since Duncan refused to even tangentially discuss it, that was proving to be difficult.
So, she’d continued working, trying to prove herself, and had to hope he’d eventually come around.
In the meantime, she kept things formal between them. They still managed to work together well, despite the tension, and Mandy thought that was a good sign for the long run. But she couldn’t help but think that Duncan was dragging his feet on his side of things, delaying things, trying to push her out.
They met in the office space she’d found downtown. It was a three-story building, light and airy, with big windows and high ceilings. It had all the requirements that Duncan had requested. Separate offices and storage rooms, with lots of room for e
quipment she didn’t begin to understand. Direct access to the underground parking, which could only be accessed through the building, not from the street. A single entrance that would be easily monitored. The list went on.
It was slightly above Mandy’s price range, but considering that it met all of Duncan’s requirements, she figured it was worth it. Nothing else had been close.
“So, what do you think?” she asked as he surveyed the room that would became the entrance to the business. She held herself still, determined not to bounce on her feet to dispel her nervous energy. If he rejected this one, too, she’d have no other options.
“It’s okay,” he muttered.
“Only okay?” She blew out a breath. Still, it was a better reaction than the previous three locations she’d found.
“I don’t like the carpet.”
“We can change that. We can change anything we’d like.”
His head snapped up. “The landlord won’t cause a fuss?”
“Landlord? Oh, no, I’m buying it.”
His stare was fierce. “What?”
“Well, we wouldn’t be able to do all the changes you said were necessary if we rent a place. So, we’ll have to buy the building.”
“You’ll have to buy the building.” His voice was flat.
“Well, yes, I suppose.” Her fingers tightened on the tablet she was holding in preparation for any notes she might make. Stay calm.
His voice grew very quiet. “How much are you prepared to invest in this?”
Mandy blinked in confusion.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, no matter what you invest, you’re still only going to end up owning the same percentage of the company. You know that, right?”
She nodded, wondering where he was going with this.
“So, how much are you willing to invest?” He stressed each word with a subtle emphasis.
“I said I’d bankroll this, Duncan. I’m not going to back out. If I think it’s too much, I’ll tell you.”
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