slightly as he inhaled the same tantalizing fragrance that she’d worn at the interview. He seldom made mistakes, but this time he had made a big one. He definitely should have listened to Joe and not brought her into his office, but not for the reasons Joe had presented. Bryce’s reasons were far more personal and definitely involved his libido. He took another sip of wine. “I can’t think of any reason to waste all the time it takes to fly to London when we could be accomplishing something worthwhile.”
Accomplishing something worthwhile. Paige turned his words over in her mind. Was his definition of worthwhile based on how much money it made him? “What do you believe makes an accomplishment worthwhile? Is it based on ethical considerations or monetary results? What criteria do you use for judging it?”
He leveled a serious gaze at her. “That sounds like a loaded question. Why don’t you tell me what’s really on your mind?”
An uncomfortable shiver moved through Paige’s body. Bryce seemed to be reading her mind. She should never have said anything about ethics. The words had just sort of slipped out before she could stop them. She took a deep breath and slowly expelled it before responding, but it didn’t stop the nervous tingle.
“I didn’t have anything particular on my mind,” she said. “I guess I must have worded my question badly. I was only wondering if you were talking about your business activities or your charitable concerns.”
“Why do you think there would be any difference in the way the two areas are handled?” he asked. “Ethics apply to both circumstances, and monetary results are simply a way of measuring business success, but it’s not the be-all and end-all of everything. I like to think that I treat all situations with the same consideration, the same rules applying regardless of the type of project.”
“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to imply that—”
“Forget it, Bradford.” He clipped his words. “No harm done.” Bryce rose from his chair and took two dinner trays from the refrigerator and put them into the microwave.
When Paige had gotten up this morning from a good night’s sleep, she’d had no idea that she would be on her way to London in a private jet before the day was through with the very man who had been the focus of all her energy for the past six months—the man she had sworn would pay for what he had done to her father.
She sipped her wine while she watched Bryce locate the silverware and napkins and some place mats for the table. He seemed to be pure nonstop energy. Paige couldn’t imagine how many things must be going around inside his mind at one time. She considered that maybe she could just ask him about what happened between him and her father, but immediately dismissed it as being a totally unacceptable idea. There was no way that she trusted him to be honest with her in spite of his little speech about handling all things in an ethical manner. Maybe that speech fooled some people, but not her.
She knew if she even alluded to who she was, it would put him on his guard, then she would never be able to dig out the truth. He might even end up destroying some of the evidence she needed. She had maneuvered herself into an excellent position to find out what had really happened. It was better to simply continue with the plan that was already in place.
The image of her father slumped over his desk with the gun still in his hand had been burned into her memory. He had left a hand-written note that said:
I’m sorry, Paige. There was no other way. Please forgive my weakness.
She had found a partially destroyed file folder smoldering in the fireplace. What remained of the file made no more sense to her than her father’s suicide note, but she had saved it anyway. She was shocked to find that her father’s company was in such deep financial trouble. That he had long ago cashed in his life insurance. That even his house was mortgaged to the hilt. She sold the house and what little money that remained was barely enough to pay for his funeral.
Everything would have been all right if Bryce Lexington hadn’t suddenly cut off negotiations with her father for the purchase of Franklin Industries. The worst part, and the thing that had aroused her suspicions, was that he managed to gain control of her father’s company anyway and at a fraction of the original price—literally pennies on the dollar. What would happen to the people who depended on Franklin Industries to support their families? Would he throw them out like yesterday’s newspaper? The fate of her father’s employees was a situation that bothered her a great deal. So far the company was still in operation, but for how long? Somehow she had to find a way to ensure that their jobs were protected, but she didn’t have a clue how…yet.
Since then Paige had made finding out everything about Bryce Lexington her number-one priority. He was thirty-eight years old and stood six-one. He possessed a genius IQ, graduating from high school at the age of fifteen. By the time he turned twenty-one he had earned a bachelor’s degree in history, a second bachelor’s degree in fine art and a master’s degree in business administration. Certainly an unusual combination of educational interests and pursuits. He spoke fluent French, German, Italian and Spanish. What she had not found was any record of him ever being married, something she thought very odd.
Bryce seemed to have fooled everyone into believing he was quite a remarkable man, but she knew better. One way or another she intended to get the proof she needed and prove his responsibility in her father’s suicide.
Paige slowly shook her head from side to side. In spite of all the information she had gathered about him, he was not what she had expected. She caught herself just in time. For a moment she had been about to admit that she was impressed, that there was a little bit of admiration on her part, but that would never do. She needed to keep herself focused on her true purpose. She had to find proof that his unethical business practices were responsible for ruining her father and do what she could to protect the jobs of his employees. She took another sip of wine as her gaze wandered back to Bryce.
The intensity of his eyes and the concentrated energy of his stare startled her. Her swallow of wine went down the wrong way, causing a choking cough.
He took the wineglass from her hand and set it on the table, a look of genuine concern crossing his face. “Are you all right?”
“Yes…” She pulled in a deep breath, then another. “I’m…I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes…thank you. I guess the wine just went down the wrong way.” Why had he been staring at her like that? Had she done something wrong? Had her thoughts somehow managed to slip out as spoken words? Was he suspicious of her? If he was on to her real intentions, she would never be able to find the answers she needed.
The timer on the microwave signaled that the meals were ready. He took out the trays and placed them on the table. “Dinner is served.”
“It smells good.” Paige picked up her fork and took a bite of the baked chicken.
Bryce explained the details of his business to his new assistant while they ate, making a concentrated effort to keep his tone and manner impersonal and not stray to other topics. It took more diligence than he had originally anticipated. Paige had managed to capture his senses and captivate his desire quicker than any woman he had ever met. He desperately wanted to reach out and stroke her hair, touch her flawless skin…and taste her lips. It was an urge he fought off. It would never do, putting himself at risk that way when there was so much at stake.
Her comments about ethics and money continued to nag at his consciousness. It had been an odd exchange of words, almost as if she had been challenging him based on some hidden information. Could that have been part of her
