by Noelle Adams
From the corner of her eye, she watched him move up beside her, his gaze trained on the poster, hands in his front pockets. A crisp black dress shirt, silver tie, and pressed charcoal slacks enhanced his dark good looks—especially since he still hadn’t shaved his five-o’clock-shadow. It was a bit longer today, presumably to cover his bruises better than Saturday morning.
The sexy stubble brought back other memories of Friday night, at his beach house, on the deck, in the chair…
Oh, boy. Had someone turned off the air conditioning? Thank goodness she’d worn her hair up or she’d be fanning herself right now.
“Critics crucified this movie,” Zach commented.
“You know, I never understood that,” Sadie said, thankful for the generic subject. “Sexy movie star, funny sidekick, believable plot, great action and adventure—what’s not to like? The Panama scene is the best.”
“I agree. Though to be clear, sexy to me is Penelope Cruz, not McConnaughey.”
His humor brought a smile and relief. And the urge to apologize for how she’d left on Saturday morning.
Behind them, the phone rang at Tiffany’s desk and Sadie listened absently as the receptionist answered in a bright, friendly voice. As Sadie searched for words, she discovered wanting to apologize didn’t make it any easier. She took a deep breath and turned toward Zach, only to find his subdued green gaze already focused on her.
“What’s your angle, Sadie?”
“My angle?” Her stomach gave a sickening lurch until her brain made the connection. “You mean, for the interview?”
“Is there some other reason why you’re here?”
The subtle inference raised her defenses and tightened her tone. “No.”
“Then where would you like to start?”
Straight to business—exactly how she’d intended to begin the day. Which made the flare of disappointment completely irrational.
“Who’s been with you the longest?” she asked.
“Matt.” After a beat, he added, “And Kris.”
“Great. I’ll start with Kris.”
She thought she glimpsed another glimmer of humor in his eyes, but he shifted his gaze and motioned her in the direction of his office as he fell into step beside her.
Kris’s desk sat outside his office and as they approached, Sadie took note of the executive assistant’s navy slacks and white peasant blouse. The clothes accented her willowy figure to perfection and showed off the woman’s keen fashion sense. Slender features and salon-shiny shoulder length brunette hair made her beautiful hazel eyes all the more striking.
She cast Zach a quick glance before turning a cool, polite smile toward Sadie. “Ms. Barton. Nice to have you back.”
Like Tiffany, Kris’s tone said otherwise, and Sadie mentally prepared for a long day. But she’d told Gemma whatever it takes and if that meant dealing with veiled accusations and suspicion, so be it.
“Please, just Sadie.”
“Sadie’s conducting another interview, Kris. I’ve given her carte blanche, so feel free to answer whatever she asks.”
Surprise showed briefly in his assistant’s expression. “About you, or about the company?”
“Both.”
Elegant eyebrows rose, clearly questioning his response. Sadie herself was amazed he was still willing to offer such freedom. If he truly suspected her of ulterior motives, wouldn’t he establish limits?
Zach’s face remained unreadable, and when his assistant finally nodded, he turned to Sadie. Under his serious scrutiny, and his employee’s obvious dislike, she squelched the urge to start fiddling with something.
Maybe she should’ve started with Matt.
“Kris will take care of anything you need for now and once I’ve concluded my meeting, I’ll introduce you to my executives and take you on a tour so you can meet the department heads.”
Sadie’s “Thank you,” was lost to his back as he strode toward a door next to his office. His entrance offered a brief glimpse inside and revealed a long conference table occupied by a number of suited men and women.
“Tiffany didn’t say he was in a meeting,” Sadie commented as the door closed behind him. “Did he tell you he was expecting me?” She turned in time to catch Kris’s glare before the woman cleared her expression.
“He was as surprised to hear your name as I was,” the brunette stated as she sat back behind her desk, swiveled her chair, and began working at her computer. “I only interrupted to see if he wanted me to have security escort you out.”
“Ah.”
So, Zach had not expected her to show today. And when she had, he’d left his meeting to greet her instead of having her cool her heels in the lobby. Question was, had she demonstrated her resolve to fend for herself, or did her appearance support the theory she was simply working any angle possible to stay in contact?
Emotion tightened her chest with the thought that it was most likely the latter.
Determination to prove the former put her butt in the chair opposite Kris’s desk. She opened her bag to pull out a notebook and pencil, and laid the pad of paper on her crossed knees. When the silence stretched and the woman pointedly ignored her, Sadie tapped the eraser a few times while she contemplated how to proceed. Probably best to jump right in.
Writing the assistant’s name at the top of the page, she asked, “When did you start with MovieMail?”
The only sound was the clatter of acrylic nails on computer keys and muffled voices from the lobby area. A muted ding indicated incoming mail. Though she sat at an angle, Sadie saw her gaze dart to the corner of her screen. An irritated frown was underscored by the thinning of her lips as she moved her mouse to click the message away. She worked at a mechanical speed that suggested high efficiency—a skill Zach must appreciate.
“Do you enjoy working for Zach?”
Again, no response. Sadie contained a sigh of frustration and fortified her voice.
“Excuse me, but Zach agreed to this. In fact, it was his idea.”
“Good for him. He also said to feel free to answer anything you ask.” She faced Sadie, folded her forearms on her desk and said very politely, “I don’t feel free right now.”
Sadie leaned forward, mimicking the other woman’s pose and addressed the issue she imagined was triggering the hostility. “I didn’t write that article.”
“You just didn’t take credit for it,” Kris accused.
“My notes were in my work computer. The recorder belonged to the paper. When I refused to write the piece from the tabloid angle my editor demanded, everything was confiscated and I was escorted from the building and instructed not to return.”
Hazel eyes widened. “You were fired?”
“Yes.”
Her silky hair slid from her shoulder as she tilted her head slightly to the right. “So…you’re not here for that stupid little paper?”
“No. My plan is to sell this piece freelance.”
“Huh.” She straightened in her chair, eyeing Sadie for a quiet moment. “That clears a few things up. Last I talked to Zach Friday afternoon he was on his way to demand a retraction. I didn’t understand why he’d allow you back in after that trash in the first article.”
Sadie relaxed her confrontational posture. “I can see where that would be confusing.”
With another thoughtful little hum and a twitch of her lips, Kris returned her attention to the monitor and her fingers flew over the keys. After a full minute, Sadie pointedly shifted in her chair and picked up her pencil. Rapid tapping of lead and eraser did nothing to draw attention. When it appeared she’d been ignored once more, she did her best to control rising annoyance.
“So…unless there’s some other reason you don’t want to talk to me, can we be professional about this and get started?”
The woman made two more clicks of the mouse and then spun her chair to face Sadie with a friendly smile.
“Of course. But first…” She stood and stretched her hand across the desk. “Hi,
Sadie, nice to see you again. I’m happy to help you in any way I can, and I also apologize for Bitchy Kris.”
Wondering if she’d been transported into the Twilight Zone, Sadie shook her hand and hesitantly returned the smile. “Does that make you Kris the Good Witch?”
“Yes,” she agreed with a laugh. “Come on. Let’s go get some coffee and talk.”
“O-kay.”
Still wary, Sadie followed the brunette into a small kitchen/dining area complete with stove, refrigerator, sink, coffee and cappuccino makers, table and chairs. Dusty rose on the walls and cream on the ceiling made the ocean landscapes stand out with their striking colors.
“Would you like coffee or something else?” Kris asked. “Water, juice, soda?”
Seeing her making a cappuccino for herself, Sadie replied, “Whatever you’re having is fine.”
A dark burgundy couch and two forest green recliners were arranged near a wall of glass that gave access to a lush garden patio complete with waterfall landscaping and a Koi pond. She walked over to the window to see that past a line of potted divider plants and small trees, the patio extended the length of the building with a number of additional tables and chairs.
“This is beautiful,” she commented.
“Zach holds meetings out there sometimes. It’s very relaxing, yet always productive. To answer your earlier question, yes, I like working for him. Zach’s not an easy boss—he demands the best from his executives, all the way down to the mailroom. But in return, he gives back one hundred and ten percent.”
Kris came over to hand her a tall coffee cup and then pushed open the door and waited for Sadie to step outside. “I’ve been with him from the beginning of MovieMail. We went to high school together. Even dated once.”
“Really?” Sadie sat near the waterfall, wishing the trickling water would sooth the stab of unwelcome jealousy. Despite her sophisticated clothes, the woman was beautiful in a refreshing girl-next-door way that guys loved.
“Well, we’d been friends forever, and I’d had a crush on him just as long. After a late day at work, he asked me to dinner afterward, and I thought ‘This is it.’ You should’ve seen him all nervous, stumbling over his words, face all red.”
Sadie honestly couldn’t imagine self-confident Zach nervous.
“So what happened?” she asked, reaching up to tuck a loose curl behind her ear. And if she listened a little too anxiously for the answer to that question, she wasn’t admitting it to anyone but herself.
“The date went fine until he kissed me goodnight.” Kris’s nose scrunched up as she made a face. “God, it was like kissing my brother. Ugh.”
Again, Sadie couldn’t imagine. On her personal scale of one to ten, Zach’s kisses defied the numbers and shattered the ratings. She’d never had a hotter kiss—something else she kept strictly to herself.
“But the look on my face must’ve mirrored his,” Kris continued, “because we both started laughing and agreed to never, ever go there again. After I got a couple other boyfriends under my belt, I realized rather than physical, my attraction was admiration for the kind of man he was—and still is.” A mischievous glint entered her hazel eyes. “And it was certainly nothing like what you two had on film the other day.”
Sadie’s face heated and she took a sip of her cappuccino to hide her discomfort. Then she steered the conversation another direction. “Do you know how he came up with MovieMail?”
“It wasn’t so much a genius idea as he had the guts to know what he wanted and drive to make it work.”
“Determination is not something he seems to lack,” Sadie agreed.
“Very true. I can’t tell you how many no’s he heard at the beginning, but he kept going until he got the first yes. And the next one, and then he never looked back.”
“What about the genius idea?”
“That’s best told by Zach.” Kris balanced her cup on her leg, tapping her nails against the ceramic a few times before she met Sadie’s gaze. “I’m not sure how you plan to approach whatever it is you’re going to write, but I’ll tell you this. He started the company with about three hundred dollars of grass cutting money. A true business man from the start, he hired me to write up his business proposals to prospective investors, and once he secured startup money, he opened his first office in his parents’ basement. His younger brother Matt and I worked part time after school with him, processing memberships, filling orders, shipping movies.”
She paused for a sip of cappuccino. “The day we graduated, when everyone else was trying to figure out which party to go to, Zach signed the lease on his first office space and moved himself in with a borrowed pick-up truck. In less than three years he bought a building. Four years after that he had this one built.”
Sadie scribbled furiously. “What about his parents, didn’t they help?”
Her hair swayed as she shook her head no. “They said it was Zach’s project, his responsibility.”
Sadie thought about how her stepfather had used his wealth as a means of control over her and Gemma all through high school. It really pissed him off when she moved out the day she turned eighteen, and it got worse when Gemma followed in her footsteps. Instead of being proud of them for wanting to make it on their own, both Doug and her mom had predicted they’d come crawling back when they needed the money.
How had it felt on the other side? Wanting the funds to start a business, needing it, but not having that financial support.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Kris hastened to add. “His parents are great, and moral support was given in spades. The whole family is very close.”
Was that the truth or damage control?
“Any other siblings besides Matt?” Sadie asked.
“No, it’s just the two of them.”
Which made it even more understandable that Matt would be so protective of his brother. Not wanting to appear too interested, Sadie moved on to a question that would refocus the interview off of Zach personal to Zach business.
“What about college? Did he have any formal training to start the business?”
“Not to start. Eventually we all took some nighttime business and management classes, and we attend yearly corporate seminars, but none of us has a formal degree. Zach and Matt are naturals, and I learned from them.”
“Zach’s the sole owner?”
“Majority owner,” Kris corrected. “When he couldn’t afford to pay much at the beginning, he split shares between Matt and me. He retained fifty-two percent of the company and the CEO position and Matt’s his VP with twenty-four percent.”
“And twenty percent for you?”
“Yes.”
Knowing what MovieMail was worth, it didn’t take a genius to figure out at that percent the executive assistant was wealthy in her own right. “So at this point, you don’t have to work, do you?” Sadie asked.
“No. But having started from the very first mailing of the very first movie, I like remaining a part of the company, and like I said, he’s a great boss.”
*Inspires fierce protection and loyalty, Sadie noted with an asterisk.
“I have a question for you,” Kris said.
She paused, pencil poised above her notebook.
“You had an exclusive for that interview. No one else knew about the commercial. Why not use the inside information you had and write the article?”
The sharp speculation in her gaze had Sadie’s pencil tapping the paper again. “He asked me not to, and I had nothing without the commercial.”
“So you quit your job?”
“No, I told you, I was fired.”
Kris smiled as if she held a crystal ball of wisdom. “You can word it any way you want, but you chose not to write. I’m just wondering why? It’s not like you owed Zach anything.”
The truth fairly smacked Sadie and left a sinking feeling in her stomach. Friday she’d wondered if she had what it took to be the reporter she’d always wanted to be. Now it appeared that question had been answered befo
re it’d even dawned on her.
Now what the hell was she going to do?
“Sadie?” Kris prompted.
“I…”
The door pushed open, and Zach walked outside from the kitchen area, bottled water in hand. One look at him and something even more alarming than her monumental career failure stared her in the face.
Seventeen
Zach took in Sadie’s pale, shell-shocked expression and shot Kris a warning glare. “How’s it going out here?”
“Great.” The little grin on his assistant’s face was too…pleased.
Yeah, not buying it. She’d practically spat Sadie’s name through the phone line when she’d buzzed him in the meeting earlier. He’d felt bad leaving Sadie with the proverbial wolf, but she’d insisted she start with Kris, and after his initial knee-jerk departure from the meeting, he’d had to get his ass back in there. First time in years he’d let something personal distract him from business.
He shifted his attention to Sadie’s somewhat dazed expression. “Has she been nice?”
She damn well better have been after that instant message he’d popped onto her computer monitor from the conference room.
“Hey, I resent that,” Kris protested.
As if snapping out of a daze, Sadie straightened in the chair with a quick smile. One hand lifted toward her face but then abruptly switched direction and reached to grab her coffee cup. “Once we cleared the air, she was very helpful.”
He dragged a chair over to sit between them in the morning sunshine. “Cleared the air of what?”
“Life’s a Beach.”
He cringed slightly. “Sorry. It didn’t dawn on me until after I went back inside the meeting that I hadn’t told her what’d happened.”
Sadie shrugged as if no big deal.
“I’ve got it all straight now,” Kris assured him. Again with the grin.
Well good for them. But what did that mean for him? While twisting the cap off his bottled water, Zach leaned over and tilted his head to read Sadie’s notes, until he realized the writing wasn’t words, but shorthand. A full page of shorthand.
“Looks like you’ve got a good start. What’d she give you so far?”