want to go on record as being dead set against this, Bryce.”
“Your objection is duly noted.”
Joe returned to his duties, leaving Bryce at his desk. Bryce’s thoughts returned to his brief encounter with Paige. He was pleased that she did not seem afraid of him. He knew his position and manner were often intimidating to others, but he was a busy man and didn’t have the time or desire to deal with unnecessary pleasantness. More than once he’d been told his handling of the social graces was occasionally less than adequate. He knew how to play the game when he needed to, but he felt that all the pretenses were a waste of time and definitely not his style.
He thoroughly disliked the little mind games of one-upmanship and psychological power control, both in business and in his personal life. He didn’t understand why people couldn’t be honest with each other. It would certainly save a lot of time and make life much easier.
A stab of guilt provided him with a sharp reminder of the blatant dishonesty and subterfuge he had perpetrated not half an hour ago in his office. He was not pleased about it, but the circumstances were unique. The necessity created by the situation overruled his displeasure and eased his pangs of conscience.
Bryce found all the little dating games and rituals a waste of time, too. He suspected it was one of the reasons it was so difficult for him to develop a personal and lasting relationship with a woman. An errant thought crept into his reality as he wondered if he would ever be able to find the right woman.
It was not as if he was asking for the moon. All he wanted was an intelligent woman with a sense of humor who also possessed a healthy dose of solid common sense and was able to stand on her own two feet. Someone who was gentle and compassionate, but could be tough when the situation called for it. Someone well-read, with an appreciation of the arts, who also liked outdoor activities. Someone honest and forthright whom he could trust and with whom he could share. Someone he could give his heart and his love to.
No, he wasn’t asking for the moon—just the entire solar system and all the stars beyond. He knew his requirements were impossibly high. With each passing year he came closer to the sad realization that his chances of finding someone he could love without reservation were growing more and more remote. Eileen had told him on more than one occasion that he worked too hard and had closed off his life to everything but his business interests. Bryce didn’t want to believe her, but he knew deep down inside that she might be right. What he did not know was what he could do about it.
Was this the one thing that the man who had been dubbed the master of the golden touch would find too elusive? His business holdings, no matter how lucrative, could not keep him warm at night. They could not help him celebrate his successes or grapple with sorrow at sad occasions. They could not share his dreams. They were only material possessions, nothing more.
Bryce tried to sort out his impressions of Paige Bradford—she had definitely made an indelible impression on him. She wore her auburn hair swept up on her head. Her hazel eyes sparkled with intelligence and confidence. He recalled the way her hand felt in his, the subtle fragrance of her perfume, the tailored lines of her clothes and the way they fit her body. He frowned as another image presented itself—the way she stared at him, as if trying to get inside his head and read what was going on there.
He rose from his chair and headed toward the office door. A twinge of uncertainty pricked at his consciousness. Maybe Joe had been right. Perhaps hiring Paige Bradford had been a really bad idea.
Paige stared at the clothes hanging in her closet as the time grew closer and closer to the moment of departure. She didn’t have a clue about what to pack for five days in London, or what type of situations she would be encountering. She didn’t want to look foolish by overpacking, but didn’t want to be caught unprepared either.
She shook her head as she frowned. Even though she thought she’d studied Bryce Lexington so thoroughly that she knew him inside out, she had been totally unprepared for the man who had greeted her when she walked into his office. The photographs she had seen of him depicted a handsome man, but she could now say with complete confidence that the camera did not do him justice. His dark hair was thick and tended toward the longish side. He had a deep golden tan. And those eyes—they weren’t blue, they were the most incredibly brilliant turquoise.
She had also been surprised by the way he was dressed. As the head of a corporate conglomerate with international holdings, she had just assumed Bryce would wear a suit to the office, especially to conduct a job interview. Instead, he wore jeans, a pullover shirt and running shoes. The shirt accentuated his broad shoulders and strong arms without the effect seeming to have been his intention.
And it was not just his physical appearance that had captured her undivided attention, either. His commanding presence had filled the large office. It was an intoxicating combination of power, wealth and confidence, yet did not present itself in the form of an inflated ego or arrogance in spite of his somewhat brusque manner. At least not yet, she cynically reminded herself. She knew a man like Bryce Lexington would soon show his true colors, and when he did she would be there to capitalize on it.
Paige dismissed any further speculation. She finally packed one suitcase, her decisions dictated more by the necessities of the tight time frame he had given her rather than practical considerations.
She barely had time after packing to stop at the post office to make arrangements to have her mail held. She didn’t dare be late meeting her new boss at the airport. She knew a man like Bryce Lexington would not tolerate being kept waiting. It would not be a good start to their relationship and would hinder the next phase of her quest, searching for the information she needed to exact her revenge and expose him to the world.
Paige snorted in disgust. The word relationship usually pertained to something positive, to something good. But not in this case, not when the relationship in question was between herself and Bryce Lexington. She mentally steeled herself against the difficulties she would need to endure along the path she had chosen. She turned the corner and pulled her car into the parking lot at the company hangar.
Bryce was waiting for her and hurried her onto the private jet. Precisely on schedule, as was everything that surrounded Bryce Lexington, they lifted off into the evening sky. To her surprise, as soon as they were airborne he went to the small galley, opened a bottle of wine and poured two glasses. She had assumed he would have hired someone to handle these chores.
“Here, Bradford.” He set the glasses on opposite sides of a table. “We’ll have something to eat then get right to work.”
“We’ll be working during the flight?” She heard a hint of irritation in her voice, but hadn’t been able to stop it. That possibility had not occurred to her. It had already been a long, full day.
He cocked his head and stared at her. “Do you have a problem with that?”
She quickly regained her composure. “No…of course not. This just seems like an odd place to try to get some work done, not really a business setting.” She tried to offer a smile that said she was not upset by his long workday, but she wasn’t sure how successful she had been.
“I do very little work at the Santa Monica corporate offices. I doubt I’m there more than two or three days a month. I prefer to work in more comfortable surroundings. I maintain a full office at my home, where I usually work when I’m in town.”
Bryce toyed with his wineglass, running his fingertip around the rim, then turning the stem between his fingers. It was not so much a nervous habit as an effort to focus his attention on the business aspects of what was happening and away from his very personal thoughts
