‘Sorry to keep you waiting.’
At the sound of Beckett’s voice, my blood turns to ice water.
‘You,’ I growl as I turn. The man has the audacity—the gall—to lean in and kiss my cheek as if the whole scene in the car never happened. ‘Er, no!’ And hell no, as I place my hand in the centre of his chest and turn my head. ‘I have no idea what this is about,’ I add quickly, turning and gathering my things, my frozen blood heated now by a million degrees. ‘And I really don’t care.’
‘Don’t you?’
My gaze whips to his sardonic one, and I notice today’s suit is a blue one worn with a matching baby blue shirt. A tan belt and tan brogues complete the ensemble. The devil in corporate clothing.
‘I don’t care to discuss what happened on Friday.’ I aim for an imperious tone and hope that I carry it off.
‘I can see how the evening may have left you feeling out of sorts, but I assure you, it has nothing to do with today’s meeting.’ His words are even, his tone oh, so reasonable, even if it’s all bullshit as he drops his jacket to a chair facing the wall of glass.
‘I really have nothing to say to you about any of it,’ I mutter, flinging my purse over my arm before rushing for the door. Belatedly, I realise the wall of glass is now opaque. But it doesn’t matter because I have a pretty good idea of where the opening was. ‘If anyone, anyoneelsein this company is seriously interested in E-Volve, they can call me.’ Hell, I’ll even take the janitor’s call over this face to face.
‘I’m afraid that won’t happen.’
‘I’m sure you don’t speak for everyone. Maybe I’ll just drop Mark Jones an email.’ I push on the door, but it doesn’t budge.
‘You either speak with me or discount JBW as a partner.’ That steel in his tone? That’s new. ‘The choice is yours.’
‘Fine,’ I throw over my shoulder. ‘You aren’t E-Volve’s only option.’
‘Aren’t we?’
‘Open the damn door,’ I grate out as steam begins to build between my ears.
‘It isn’t locked. You’re pushing the wrong portion.’
I make a noise through my nose that would best be described firstly as derisory and second as inelegant when I whip around to face him. ‘And you’d know all about pushing wrong doors’—and by that, I mean buttons—‘wouldn’t you?’
Leaning against the desk, he crosses his long legs at the ankle, making a show of folding his arms over his chest. His expression remains as blank as a mask. A devilishly handsome mask, but a mask all the same.
‘If you’re talking about Friday evening, you might give me a moment to explain.’
‘What makes you think I want to hear whatever sorry excuse you’re about to make?’
‘I wasn’t about to excuse myself,’ he answers as though the idea was ridiculous. ‘But I could explain. Or you could just leave.’
‘Yeah. I’ll dojustthat.’ I turn back to the glass wall.
‘A brave choice for someone with so few resources.’
This time, my head turns almost like a turret on a tank, and if I could, I’d blow off that man’s head.
‘What do you know about my resources?’
‘I know E-Volve has advanced solely due to your personal finances, that you’re paying for everything from the software to the salaries, and that your capital is rapidly drying up.’
‘That has got nothing to do with you.’ My words are as hot as my burning cheeks. How dare he go snooping, but more than that, how dare he make me feel like a fool. ‘That is a serious invasion of my privacy, morally reprehensible, and—’
‘And not quite as bad as ensuring E-Volve won’t gain finance.’
If it’s possible for words alone to stop a person’s heart, I think that’s what just happened. I turn slowly, pressing my back against the glass in case my legs give out.
‘You would do that?’
‘I would.’ With a ghost of a smile, he shrugs lightly. ‘But while you’ve made your thoughts on my character more than clear, I can confirm I am not on first name terms with Satan. Though if I were, I wouldn’t hesitate to use his influence to get what I want.’
