What on earth was wrong with her?
Even before the incident that still had the power to make her stomach turn in sick horror, she’d never reacted this strongly to another man. Ever. She hadn’t allowed herself to even indulge in thoughts of the opposite sex since the incident. Sure, there hadn’t been a shortage of male attention despite her often blatant lack of interest. From those who wanted to date the boss’s daughter to further their own ends, to those who thought she would be accommodating with her affections because of the rumours surrounding her parents’ marriage. Each and every one of them had been firmly rebuffed.
Alejandro Aguilar hadn’t so much as flicked an interested eyelash in her direction. Yet her senses seemed poised on the edge of an unknown precipice, anticipating a sensation she couldn’t quite name.
The ping of an incoming email brought blessed refocusing. She read it quickly, then reached for her phone. ‘I need to make a quick phone call.’
‘Why?’ he asked without lifting his gaze from his document.
‘I want to confirm a few things before I present my findings. I still have five minutes left.’
He nodded to the state-of-the-art gadget crouched in the middle of the coffee table. ‘Use that phone.’
The bite of distaste stung deeper, prompting her to utter words she would’ve been better off stemming. ‘Are your trust issues as big as your caffeine problem?’
Glacial green eyes sliced into her. ‘You call them problems, I think of them as necessary tools that keep me at the top of my game. Your time is almost up. Use the phone or cut your losses and leave.’
Her hand tightened around her phone. ‘You’d toss me out before you hear what I’ve found out? Just because I state a few home truths?’
‘We met an hour ago. Are you naive enough to demand that I trust you in so short a time?’
‘Of course not. Nevertheless, I don’t appreciate being treated as if I’ve committed a crime or I’m about to commit one when all I’m trying to do is to help you.’
‘You take pleasure in debating non-issues when the only thing that should be important here is your service to me. Learning to give me what I want will go a long way to improving your chances of earning this contract.’
Her breath hitched as another voice surged into her head.
Stop playing so hard to get. Give me what I want and I’ll reward you...
The distaste of bitter memories made her snap, ‘I told you, if you’re looking for someone to lie down for you to walk all over, then I’m the wrong person for the job.’
He strolled the last few steps to the coffee table and dropped his papers on the gleaming surface. Regarding her with cold detachment, he drawled, ‘Lying down, in any shape or form, won’t be necessary. But once again we’re at an impasse, it seems. The next move is yours.’
Every atom in her body screamed at Elise to slam shut the laptop, get her things, and leave. She stayed put. Tried to get herself under control.
Yes, Alejandro Aguilar had done nothing but make demands that chafed, but they weren’t uncommon.
Sucking in a breath that didn’t quite rebalance her equilibrium, she set her phone on the table and, using Alejandro’s conference set, dialled the number she knew by rote.
When the familiar voice filled the room, Elise wondered for a moment whether she’d done the right thing.
‘Hi, Grandma.’
A furtive glance at Alejandro showed both eyebrows lifted in cold mockery.
‘Elise, my dear, what a pleasant surprise. I hope you’re calling to tell me you’ve finally found a young man worthy of your affections? I know half of them are dim-witted and the other half focused on the almighty dollar, but a beautiful, intelligent girl like you is capable of landing the right man. You’re not being too picky, are—?’
‘No, Grandma, I’m not... I’m calling about something else.’ Cringing and red-faced, Elise switched to Japanese, her chin lowered to avoid Alejandro’s drilling stare. ‘Something work related.’
‘Oh. Okay...’
Elise asked the questions she needed to, then a few more to verify she was on the right track, then quickly ended the call, unwilling to invite her beloved grandmother’s laser probing into her non-existent love life.
In the seething silence, she cleared her throat, momentarily gripped by embarrassment.
‘In the interest of getting this surreal hour over and done with, can we attempt to get past the fact that you blithely dropped your work to make a personal phone call?’ Alejandro snapped.
‘It...umm...wasn’t a personal call. At least not from my end...anyway.’ Elise stopped, smoothed her damp palms over her skirt, and tried to form coherent words. ‘My grandmother is Japanese. She lives in Hawaii now but she still owns several businesses in Kyoto. I thought she might have insights as to what’s stalling your merger.’
Alejandro returned her gaze, narrow-eyed, then took the seat opposite her. Wordlessly, he waited, his powerful arms braced on his knees.
Elise cleared her throat. ‘Kenzo Ishikawa, Jason and Nathan’s grandfather, started the company.’
‘I’m aware of that.’
Elise barely managed to keep her lips from pursing. ‘He’s old school. Traditional.’
‘I know what old school means. Explain yourself better.’
‘Kenzo has taken a back seat, but he’s still on the board.’ At his darker glare, she hurried on. ‘The company’s been based in Kyoto since it was created. Were you planning on moving any of their factories from Kyoto?’
Alejandro nodded. ‘Seventy per cent of them, yes. It’ll save millions of dollars in revenue and deliver a faster service if we relocate the factories and warehouses to Europe and the US.’
‘That probably doesn’t matter to him. Since this is a merger and not a buyout, they’ll still be associated with it. Kenzo won’t want to see everything he’s worked for moved to another continent.’
‘So your opinion is that this deal is stalling because of nostalgia?’
‘Sentimentality can be a strong motivator.’
‘I don’t have time for sentimentality. Or protracted delays. Sitting back while they grapple with their touchy-feely emotions isn’t cost-effective for me.’
‘Perhaps it hadn’t been a card they felt they could play and win,’ she ventured. ‘But now they do?’
His jaw clenched. One fist wrapped around the other, then he surged to his feet.
‘You know, don’t you?’ she queried.
‘Why the Ishikawas have suddenly gone dewy-eyed? Sí, I do,’ he breathed.
Elise
