Executive Mother-To-Be Page 4

  Hallie leaned forward as if about to impart a trade secret. ‘Because Manic Mondays are company policy. Everyone goes, from the janitors to the CEO. It really does keep everyone happy. The first drink is on the house, and if people want to stay around they do, but mostly everyone has a drink or a coffee, a bit of a chat, then heads home. It isn’t a super-late night, and the powers that be find it works as well as a bonus scheme for morale.’

  ‘Right,’ Kristen said, feeling like she was in quicksand and floundering.

  Since when did the powers that be sanction weekly social get-togethers for employees, let alone make it mandatory? And everyone had to attend?

  She’d have a chat to the CEO about this. Just as soon as she plucked up the courage to face him without wanting to fall into his arms.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  NATHAN sipped at his espresso, content to lean against the bar away from the RX crowd and watch. You could learn a lot about people by the way they interacted with others, and seeing his employees mingle and chat spoke volumes.

  Like Hallie, the young receptionist, whose bubbly personality won over everyone within two feet. And Alan, his second in command, who alienated everyone with his pompous ramblings, yet nobody moved away for fear of offending a bigwig.

  Then there was Kristen, a fish out of water if ever he saw one. The erect posture, the fixed smile, the glazed look in her striking blue eyes, and the fact she kept casting furtive glances at the door told him she didn’t want to be here.

  He’d picked her as a fellow loner in Singapore, but he’d expected a confident career woman like her to be more outgoing, more extroverted, yet right now she looked like she’d rather have teeth pulled than stand around and mix with her new workmates.

  Draining his coffee, he set it on the bar and made his way towards the door. He’d done his duty, putting in an appearance when all he’d wanted to do was head home and read the pile of reports tucked into his briefcase.

  However, getting to the door put him straight in the path of the one woman he’d rather avoid and had done a good job of doing so far.

  ‘Kristen.’

  ‘Nathan.’

  Their polite nods and flat tones grated on his nerves, especially when she’d previously called him Nate. In Singapore he’d shocked himself when he’d told her his name was Nate, when it had been an abbreviation reserved for Julia and close family, yet once it had slipped out he hadn’t minded. He’d liked how it had sounded on her tongue, how natural it had seemed, lending a familiar quality to what should’ve been a once-in-a-lifetime chance meeting.

  Instead, here they were again, trying their utmost to act like they hadn’t spent an incredible evening chatting and joking before indulging in the surprising passion which had consumed them both.

  ‘Heading home?’

  ‘Loads of work to do. You know how it is.’

  ‘I sure do,’ she said, a spark of understanding in her blue eyes creating an instant bond between them. ‘I guess we’re both finding our feet in a new job, huh?’

  He nodded, torn between escaping while he still could and staying a while longer in the hope of getting their relationship—their working relationship—back on an even keel. ‘It’s tough at the start, but I actually love walking into a new place and starting fresh. It’s a challenge.’

  Kris smiled, the first time he’d seen a genuine expression since their inauspicious beginning earlier that day. ‘And, let me guess, like any male you thrive on a challenge?’

  ‘Nothing wrong with that.’

  He returned her smile and their gazes locked. He should’ve looked away first, but he couldn’t, riveted by the tiny flecks in her deep blue eyes, remembering how they’d glowed and sparked when she’d been warm and eager in his arms.

  Thankfully, she finally broke the deadlock with a little laugh. ‘No, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a challenge. I’m all for it myself.’

  ‘The go-get-’em businesswoman, huh?’

  ‘That’s me.’ She raised her glass in his direction. ‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’

  ‘I stand duly warned,’ he said, looking forward to seeing what this dynamic woman could bring to his life. To his working life.

  She sipped at her drink, a teasing glint in her eyes as she lowered it. ‘Good. Because I intend to put in the long hours, do the hard yards, whatever it takes to take RX to the top, just as my pushy boss wants in his vision statement.’

  He chuckled. ‘So you read the documents already? I’m impressed.’

  ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet.’

  Suddenly, her smile faded, and he wondered at the turnaround, wishing he could recapture some of the easygoing camaraderie of the last few minutes.

  ‘It’s great to have an employee with a vision too. But won’t long hours interfere with your family?’

  Being involved with anything other than business came at a cost, and he should know. He was still paying a steep price.

  If her smile had faded moments before, the shutters well and truly came down now as her expression blanked. ‘I can’t remember if I told you in Singapore, but I only have two sisters. Carissa’s based in Stockton, just north of Sydney, and Tahnee’s in Sydney. They’re both overseas travelling with their families at the moment, so don’t worry, I won’t have any distractions.’

  ‘Sorry for being nosy,’ he said, the coldness in her voice sending a chill through him. So much for camaraderie. ‘Just trying to foster good employee relations.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it,’ she said, waving off his apology, but her flat tone told him he’d botched whatever inroads he’d made in getting her to unwind tonight.

  ‘On that note, I’m definitely heading off.’ Before he put his foot in it again, and this time set her off like the wild woman who’d stormed into his office this morning.

  ‘Actually, I think I’ll head off myself. If it’s good for the boss, it’s good enough for me,’ she said, her fragile smile creating a pocket of warmth deep within, and he fell into step beside her, heading for the door.

  She waved to Hallie, who cast them a curious glance, and he held the door open for her, savouring the light rose scent he remembered all too well. It had lingered on his sheets after she’d left his hotel room, just as imprinted on his brain as the memory of what they’d shared.

  ‘Would you like me to walk you to your car? Inner-city Melbourne can be a bit dodgy at night,’ he said, surprised by a strong surge of protectiveness.

  He hadn’t felt that way towards a woman since Julia, what seemed an absolute aeon ago now.

  ‘My car’s right here, so I’ll be fine, but thanks.’

  ‘Right. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.’

  She nodded and crossed the road, an elegant, tall figure in a fitted houndstooth suit, sheer black stockings and towering heels. Dressed for business, she looked incredible, but as hard as he tried he couldn’t forget how much more incredible her body was underneath the clothes.

  Blinking away that unforgettable image, he waited till she got into her snazzy two-door car, started the engine and pulled away from the kerb, returning her brief wave as she drove by.

  He watched till he could make out nothing more than her tail-lights glowing red in the distance, like two glittering eyes pinning him with an accusatory glare.

  ‘Kris, can you come in here now?’

  Throwing down her pen on the stack of scripts in front of her, Kris glared at the intercom phone on her desk, hating the thing more than her mobile phone, considering both had become an instant connection to Nate and his demanding ways.

  Sighing, she hit the answer button. ‘Be right there,’ she said, pushing away from her desk and grabbing her personal organizer, a writing pad and the latest updates on new shows, knowing that no matter how prepared she was her new boss would find something to faze her with.

  Heading down the long corridor to his office, she smiled at several co-workers, amazed that she’d only been here four days when it felt like a lifetime.


  Familiarity bred that feeling. It also bred contempt, which she was fast heading towards if Nate didn’t lighten up a bit.

  ‘Come in,’ he barked, a second after she knocked on his door and, fixing a sickly-sweet smile on her face, she strode into his office.

  ‘You wanted to see me, boss?’

  His head snapped up like she’d called him something far worse—which wouldn’t be entirely out of the question, considering how grumpy he’d been the last few days—and he frowned.

  ‘Take a seat. I need to discuss something with you.’

  ‘No problems.’

  She slid onto the chair opposite him, stacking her pile of paper on her lap, and doing her best to appear perky and upbeat, hoping it would highlight how grouchy he was being.

  Sitting back in his chair, he crossed his arms, and she struggled not to notice the way his biceps bulged beneath his pale-blue business shirt. In a way, having him act like a pain in the ass was better than having him joking around with her, like on Monday night when it had felt way too comfortable standing in a crowded bar with the man she couldn’t forget no matter how hard she tried.

  ‘I want to run an idea past you.’

  ‘Shoot,’ she said, clicking her pen and automatically sliding her writing pad to the top of the pile on her lap.

  ‘You remember we discussed a new travel show on Tuesday?’

  ‘Uh-huh.’

  How could she forget? They’d been holed up in his office talking over a few ideas for new shows and she’d pushed her own barrow, determined to impress on her second day on the job, well aware of her expertise in the travel-show area. However, what she hadn’t been prepared for was the host of memories which had continually scattered across her mind at the most inopportune moments, talk of travel resurrecting Singapore moments, Grand Hyatt moments, long, hot, exquisite moments with Nate…

  ‘I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I want us to run with it. See what you can come up with and we’ll meet to discuss it on Monday.’

  ‘Fine,’ she said, unable to keep a huge self-satisfied smile off her face, only to find him glaring at her like she’d just thrown a glass of cold water over him. ‘What time?’

  Reaching for his personal organiser, he keyed in a few numbers and frowned.

  ‘The earliest I can do is four-thirty. I’m in Brisbane till then.’

  ‘Sounds good,’ she said, making a show of checking her own gadget, but knowing she’d shift a meeting with Elvis himself to show her uptight boss what she could do. ‘Anything else?’

  Okay, so maybe she was laying it on a little thick with her sweeter-than-honey smile and saccharine voice, but the more intimidating he got the more she wanted to push him.

  After all, she did enjoy a challenge. And she had warned him!

  He stared at her, his dark eyes revealing nothing, but she could’ve sworn she saw the corners of his mouth twitch. But that meant he wanted to laugh, and there was no way her serious boss would actually crack a smile during work hours.

  Shaking his head, he said, ‘No, that’s it. See you Monday.’

  ‘Have a good trip.’

  Striding to the door, she put an extra swivel into her hips, grateful she’d worn her tightest black skirt today.

  If Nate wanted to treat his new exec producer with cold indifference, she’d give him a bit of a shakeup and show him that he hadn’t always been so impervious to her.

  Swivelling at the door, she caught him staring at her butt a split second before his gaze snapped up to meet hers, and his residual frown slipped into place.

  ‘Was there something else?’

  Fighting a triumphant grin and losing, she said, ‘Never mind. We’ll discuss it further on Monday,’ and sauntered out the door.

  ‘This is it?’

  Kris gritted her teeth to keep from snapping at Nate as he flicked through the documentation she’d prepared, his expression carefully schooled into a blank mask that gave nothing away.

  ‘That’s what I’ve come up with so far. I wanted to outline the gist of the show, run through a few preliminaries with you before getting too involved. What with budgets being the be-all and end-all, I’d like to see what you think before taking it further.’

  He nodded and rubbed his chin absentmindedly, flicking the last page shut and finally looking up at her.

  ‘It looks good. I particularly like the reality-show slant you’ve put on it. It’s something new, innovative and exactly the direction I want RX to be heading. Great job, Kris.’

  She smiled, instantly forgetting how less than five minutes earlier she’d wanted to pick up the fancy letter-opener on his desk and stab him with it, considering he’d been an hour and a half late, had waltzed in here with his usual sore head and proceeded to read her proposal in silence without giving her a clue as to what he thought.

  ‘I’m pretty excited about it, as you can probably tell,’ she said, pointing at the giant stack of paper she’d prepared to wow him with.

  Tapping his pen on the stack, he said, ‘I’m amazed you did all this since Thursday.’

  ‘Once I got going I couldn’t stop.’

  Wasn’t that the truth, considering she’d spent her entire weekend preparing this presentation rather than enjoying the Melbourne sunshine.

  ‘When you said long hours, you meant it.’

  He made it sound like a fault, and she bristled.

  ‘Of course. I’m a professional. I thought you’d gathered that by now.’

  A spark of awareness flared in his eyes as he registered her dig.

  ‘Your work speaks for itself,’ he said, staring at her for longer than was comfortable before slamming the stack of paper in front of him and making her jump. ‘And, speaking of which, I want to nail some of the prelims of this tonight. Are you happy to work back?’

  ‘Sure,’ she said, not happy in the least.

  Most of the employees had already left for Manic Monday at the local, and while Nate hadn’t given her the slightest indication he saw her as anything other than an employee—bar the butt-ogling incident, but she’d basically incited that, and he was only male!—the thought of being cocooned in his cosy office for the next few hours suddenly seemed too intimate when she’d rather keep her distance.

  ‘Good. I’ll order in dinner. Chinese okay?’

  She nodded mechanically, instantly transported back to that night in Singapore when they’d feasted on fried rice and other Asian delicacies, before feasting on each other.

  ‘Any preferences?’

  ‘I’m not fussy.’

  Taking a peek at him from beneath her lashes as he ordered, she wondered if he ever thought about that magical night. Though he was civil to her, he’d gone cold since her first day, almost as if he’d deliberately erected a barrier she couldn’t breach.

  ‘Right, that’s done. Let’s get to it.’

  They worked steadily for the next half hour, with Kris making frantic annotations on her paperwork as the ideas flowed between them fast and furious.

  She’d worked with some of the best around the world, but bouncing ideas with Nate took creativity to a whole new level, and Hallie’s knock on the door almost came as a welcome reprieve as her mind spun.

  ‘Hey, guys, your dinner’s arrived.’

  Hallie dumped it on the table, took one look at the stack of work in front of them and grimaced. ‘I take it you won’t be making it to Manic Monday?’

  ‘Afraid not,’ Nate said, leaning back in his chair, clasping his hands and stretching, the simple action creating a strange flurry in Kris’s gut and bringing a broad smile to Hallie’s face.

  ‘Well, then, I’m off.’ Hallie turned her back on Nate and sent Kris a huge wink as she headed for the door. ‘Don’t work too hard, guys. And don’t spend all night with your noses to the grindstone.’

  ‘I’m not that dedicated,’ Kris mumbled, the spicy aromas from the takeaway boxes making her nose twitch and her tummy rumble as Hallie closed the door, leaving her all too a
ware of exactly how good it was to actually spend all night with Nate.

  ‘I think you are,’ Nate said, gesturing towards her presentation. ‘And your boss is suitably impressed, but why don’t we take a break and dig in?’

  ‘Sounds good to me.’

  She placed her pen and pad on the table and worked the kinks out of her neck, surprised to find Nate hadn’t moved a muscle when she finally looked up.

  Instead, a slow-burning heat turned his eyes to molten chocolate as he smiled, the first time she’d seen him send her anything other than a frown for the last week.

  ‘What?’

  If his cold treatment left her flustered, it was nothing on how she felt basking under the warmth spilling from his eyes now.

  ‘We’re both very driven,’ he finally said, reaching for the takeaway cartons and handing her chopsticks, as if the loaded moment had never happened.

  ‘Uh-huh,’ she mumbled, shovelling Singapore noodles into her mouth with gusto.

  She’d skipped lunch trying to put the final touches to her presentation, and was now starving. By the hungry gleam in Nate’s eye and the way he kept staring at her, it looked like she wasn’t the only one. Though somehow it seemed she’d morphed from a professional employee, to be kept at arm’s length at all times, to an exceedingly tempting morsel.

  Okay, maybe that last part was in her own head, but it had a nice ring to it.

  ‘Good?’

  He’d barely touched his Kung-Po chicken, while her chopsticks were perilously close to scraping the bottom of her noodle box.

  ‘Fabulous.’

  ‘Almost as good as in Singapore?’

  Her heart skipped a beat. Surely Mr Professional hadn’t just referred to the one night they’d vowed to ignore?

  She could just take the easy way out and opt for a nice, safe answer, the type of answer he’d expect.

  But where would the fun be in that?

  ‘Nothing could be as good as that night,’ she said, staring him straight in the eye.

  He didn’t blink.

  He didn’t look away.

  Instead they sat there for what seemed like an eternity, the air crackling between them, bound by the same tension which had made them lose their heads that one magical, balmy night a couple of months ago.