he felt a stab of satisfaction. She had got under his skin; now he had not got under hers, And he was going to make sure it stung.
‘I gave you a budget—a very generous budget—and I see no reason to increase it on the basis of some whim.’
Nola glared at him. ‘This is not a whim, Mr Walker. It is a response to your email informing me that the software launch date has been brought forward by six weeks.’
Had he stuck to the original deadline, the new system would have been up and running for several months prior to the launch, giving her ample time to iron out any glitches. Now, though, the team she’d hired and trained for RWI would have to work longer hours to run all the necessary checks, and overtime meant more money.
Ram leaned forward. ‘I run a business—a very successful one—that is currently paying your salary, and part of that success comes from knowing my market inside out. And this software needs to be on sale as soon as possible. And by “as soon as possible” I mean now.’
She blinked trying to break the spell of his eyes on hers and the small taunting smile on his lips.
Taking a breath, she steadied herself. ‘I understand that. But now changes things. Now is expensive. But not nearly as expensive as it will be when your system gets hacked.’
‘That sounds awfully like a threat, Ms Mason.’
She took another quick breath, her hand lifting instinctively to her throat. Feeling the blood pulsing beneath her fingertips, she straightened her spine.
‘That’s because it is. But better that it comes from me than them. Hackers break the rules, which means I have to break the rules. The difference is that I’m not about to steal or destroy or publicise your data. Nor am I going to extort money from you.’
‘Not true.’ The corner of his mouth lifted, as though she had made a joke, but there was no laughter in his eyes. ‘Okay, you don’t sneak in through the back door. You just give me one of those butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-your-mouth smiles and put an invoice on my desk!’
‘I can protect your company, Mr Walker. But I can’t do that if my hands are tied behind my back.’
He tilted his head, his expression shifting, his dark gaze locking onto her face. ‘Of course not. But, personally, I never let anyone tie me up unless we’ve decided on a safe word beforehand. Maybe you should do the same.’
There was some nervous laughter around the table. But before she could respond, he twisted in his seat and gestured vaguely towards the door.
‘I need to have a private conversation with Ms Mason.’
Stomach churning, Nola watched as the men and women filed silently out of the room. Finally the door closed with a quiet click and she felt a ripple of apprehension slither over her skin as she waited for him to speak.
But he didn’t say anything. Instead he simply stared out of the window at the blue sky, his face calm and untroubled.
Her heartbeat accelerated. Damn him! She knew he was making her wait, proving his power. If only she could tell him where to put his job. But this contract was not only paying her and Anna’s wages, RWI was a global brand—a household name—and getting a good reference would propel their company, Cyber Angels, into the big time.
So, willing herself to stay cool-headed, she sat as the silence spread to the four corners of the room. Finally he pushed back his seat and stood up. Her pulse twitched in her throat as she watched him walk slowly around the table and come to a halt in front of her.
‘You’re costing me a great deal of money already. And now you’re about to cost me a whole lot more.’ He stared at her coolly. ‘Are you sure there’s nothing else you’d like, Nola? This table, perhaps? My car? Maybe the shirt off my back?’
He was looking for her to react. Which meant she should stay silent and seated. But it was the first time he had said her name, and hearing it spoken in that soft, sexy drawl caught her off guard.
She jerked to her feet, her body acting independently, tasting the sharp tang of adrenaline in her mouth.
Instantly she knew she’d made a mistake. She was close enough to reach out and touch that beautifully shaped mouth. In other words, too close. Walk away, she shouted silently. Better still, run! But for some reason her legs wouldn’t do what her brain was suggesting.
Instead, she glowered at him, her blue eyes darkening with anger. ‘Yes, that’s right, Mr Walker. That’s exactly what I want. The shirt off your back.’
But it wasn’t. What she really wanted was to turn the tables. Goad him into losing control. Make him feel this same conflicted, confusing mass of fear and frustration and desire.
His fingers were hovering over the top button of his shirt, his eyes holding hers. ‘You’re sure about that?’ he said softly.
The menacing undertone beneath the softness cut through her emotion and brought her to her senses.
At the other end of a table, surrounded by people, Ram Walker was disturbing, distracting. But up close and unchaperoned he was formidable.
And she was out of her depth.
Breathing in sharply, she shook her head, her pulse quickening with helpless anger as he gave her a small satisfied smile.
‘And I thought you liked breaking the rules.’
His eyes gleamed and she knew he was goading her again, but she didn’t care. Right now all she wanted was to be somewhere far away from this man who seemed to have the power to turn her inside out and off balance.
‘Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?’ he asked with an exaggerated politeness that seemed designed to test her self-control.
He waited until she shook her head, and then, turning, he walked towards the door.
‘I’ll speak to the accountants today.’
It was with relief bordering on delirium that she watched him leave the room.
* * *
Back in her office, she sat down behind her desk and let out a jagged breath.
Her hands were trembling and she felt hot and dizzy.
Leaning back in her chair, she picked up her notebook and a pencil. She knew it was anachronistic for a techie like herself to use pen and paper, but her mother had always used a notebook. Besides, it helped her clear her mind and unwind—and right now, with Ram Walker’s goading words running on a loop round her head, she needed all the help she could get.
But she had barely flipped open her notebook when her phone buzzed. She hesitated before picking it up. If it was Ram, she was going to let it ring out. Her nerves were still jangling from their last encounter, and she couldn’t face another head-to-head right now. But glancing at the screen, she felt a warm rush of happiness.
It was Anna.
A chat with her best friend would be the perfect antidote to that showdown with Ram.
‘Hey, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. Why
