How rich? Like they invented money, rich?’
Jared pursed his lips to stop the smile from growing.
‘Oh, you are in such trouble, mister. Right, I need a complete etiquette run-down pronto. Make every word count or I’ll probably be thrown out the country before we even set down.’
Jared leaned forward in his seat, ‘You don’t need any kind of run-down. You’ll be absolutely fine. There are no mistakes you can make that could be seen as not done in King company because you are not there for the King family. You’re there for me. You don’t answer to anyone but me and if anyone upsets you or asks you to do something you feel isn’t appropriate you tell me and I will sort it out.’
From Amanda’s raised eyebrow he realised he may have gone a little over the top. Her large brown eyes bore into him and then slowly she reached out to get her flute of champagne. She took a long, slow sip and remained silent. A good tactic, he realised, as it made him feel as though he should explain himself.
‘Look. I just don’t want you to feel that all of the stuff that comes with the name is more important than it actually is, or that it’s designed as a way of intimidating a person.’
Amanda leant forward in her seat, her ringless hands dangling the champagne flute delicately in front of her.
‘Jared, why haven’t you seen your family for so long? If I don’t understand at least some of it how can I have your back? And that is, primarily, why I’m here, isn’t it—to have your back? I’m the extra eyes and ears. If you just wanted someone to make appointments for you, you could have brought over one of your lim—’ she stopped and brought the glass hurriedly to her lips.
‘One of my what?’
‘Limpets,’ she said defiantly.
‘You call my girlfriends Limpets?’ He didn’t know whether to be amused or horrified.
‘Don’t change the subject.’
Jared leant back in his chair.
How did one explain ten years of no contact or the ugly year preceding it? Badly, he guessed.
‘I haven’t seen my family since the day I was no longer considered King business material and as a consequence no longer considered King family material.’
‘The two are synonymous?’
‘Where my father’s concerned? Absolutely.’ He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. One look at her stricken expression and he wasn’t entirely certain he’d managed it.
Amanda gradually became aware her mouth was hanging open. ‘You were kicked out of your own family? I don’t get it; you have more integrity than any man I know.’ Had that been the wrong thing to say? Something fierce flashed in his eyes but then he blinked and it was gone.
‘I was a spoilt, irresponsible, selfish young man who bought shame on the family name.’
‘Baloney!’
‘There isn’t any one part of that statement that isn’t true.’
‘No way!’
‘No?’
She didn’t like the way he was so convincing and had a feeling that at any moment the shutters would fall. She took another sip of champagne and thought for a second before speaking.
‘Okay, well … so now you’re going back a changed man. A successful businessman with a reputation for being forward-thinking, shrewd, and above all, fair. What?’ she asked, taking in his half-smile, ‘so I did some research, read a few articles. The point is, even if what you say is true, and I don’t for one minute think it’s the whole truth, you’re now older, wiser and more mature. Your father will be proud.’
She wanted desperately to take that glint out of his eyes. The one that told her he thought she was being naive. She didn’t want to be thought of as naive by him. She wanted to be thought of as the voice of reason. But there was still so much she didn’t understand.
‘He won’t be proud of the fact that you went into the same line of business?’ She watched the quick shrug of his shoulders and couldn’t determine whether Jared didn’t care if his father was proud, or deliberately didn’t care that he might not be. ‘Well, isn’t it lucky for him that you did—the fact that he needs your help now—’
‘Oh, I doubt he even knows of Nora’s rescue mission.’
‘So, I guess this whole trip is going to be trickier than I realised, but you’ve probably been working on those plans of yours twenty-four-seven. I trust you.’ Her eyes bounced off the stack of documents between them and up to study the strong features of his face. She looked into his eyes and suddenly the atmosphere in the small jet felt charged, as if they’d passed through an electrical storm.
‘Are you sure you should?’
She watched him watching her as she brought the champagne hastily to her lips and took a healthy last swallow. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I trust you.’ Once again his green eyes sparked with something she didn’t understand, and quickly turned inscrutable. ‘Want to hear my plan?’ she said, aiming for some light humour.
‘Your plan?’ Jared mocked.
She tipped her head, touché. ‘Proposal then. I propose we land, settle in, you have a few deep-and-meaningfuls with the family, a board meeting is convened, you present your plan to save the company and then tomorrow? Well, I hear the shopping is fantastic.’
Jared was silent a moment. He swirled the remaining amber liquid in his glass, considering. In one smooth motion he downed the last mouthful and she distinctly heard the last piece of ice being crunched between his teeth. He grinned.
‘Do you know in all my figuring out the angles, that wasn’t the way I ended up going.’
‘It wasn’t?’ Why did she have a funny feeling? Her hand pressed gently over the butterflies flitting about inside her stomach.
‘Well for a start who said anything about saving KPC?’
The tiny air-pocket that the jet hit, causing Amanda to be lifted slightly and then set down abruptly in her seat, was nothing compared with the shock of Jared’s statement and the ruthless edge she didn’t recognise.
‘You’ve gone mad.’ Amanda accused, struggling to keep up with him. She barely registered the plush private airport lounge as they proceeded towards the exit at what seemed like a hundred miles an hour. ‘You’re out of your mind.’
‘Why? For putting a failing business out of its misery?’
‘But, it’s not just any business; it’s the family business. And it would be for all the wrong reasons.’
If she had thought
