She also watched as he studied languages during long flights and could testify that he worked like a madman. Danielle made sure he knew what was on his calendar, went with him to the meetings he wanted her to attend and still managed to run the acquisitions branch of his business—all while hiding a side of herself most people wouldn’t understand. Happily, there was no need to let people in on what she did in her private time. It wasn’t like Justin would care, as long as she was there when he needed her. So, she usually scheduled her…events…when he took time off. At random times during the year, Justin’s calendar blanked, and he dropped out of contact. There was nothing to indicate where he went or what he did, so Danielle usually scheduled her more exotic activities around those dates. This trip was the exception to the rule.
Justin walked into the sitting area fastening his cufflink. She set his coffee by his plate and lowered into her seat. She watched him move across the room. He didn't walk so much as prowl. She cocked her head and allowed herself a moment to take in his pure masculinity. Her boss was breathtakingly sexy and completely unaware she desired him. She sighed to herself. That was for the best. She’d just end up dumped like the long list of women before her. Working for him after that? No, she couldn’t see it, so she kept her wants and desires to herself.
"What is the first order of business?" His words snapped her out of her moment of self-pity.
She cleared her throat, which hurt, and got up to grab her tablet because she had to have backup today. She should have familiarized herself with his schedule and the meetings, but there were things that couldn’t be put off if her after hour activities were going to be successful, and she’d been very successful last night. When he arched his eyebrow at her, she blinked…oh, right…schedule. "I believe we have a nine o'clock with the construction company contracted to reno the restaurant. At ten thirty we will be reviewing proposals for the design. There are three. At one, you have lunch with Klaus Schmidt, Franklin Hayes and Terrence Lloyd at Le Château."
"You will accompany me to lunch."
Danielle blinked at the interruption and lifted her eyes from the day's itinerary. "Why?" She had no reason to attend. Justin was hosting the luncheon to shmooze the affluent businessmen in the area. Besides, she had a few errands to run that couldn't wait.
"We'll leave from the restaurant. While I was running last night, I saw a piece of property I'd like to take a look at." Justin didn't raise his eyes from the tablet he was scrolling through.
"I have a few things I need to work; being at that meeting would be difficult." She cleared her scratchy throat and closed her eyes while pinching the bridge of her nose. Her head ached under her fingertips. She waited for his answer. When he didn't respond, she opened one eye and peeked up at him.
"How long have you been ill?" He leaned back in his chair and hit her with a taciturn stare.
Dani blinked in surprise at his question. She thought she'd concealed her mild illness well. She flicked her wrist and shook her head. "It's just a bug. I started feeling it last night. I'm good to go through the meetings this morning, but I'd rather pass on the luncheon. I want to get some things done that I couldn't do last night. I can meet you at the restaurant. Give me the address. I'll contact a local realtor and set up a viewing. Commercial or residential?"
Justin put his tablet down and lifted his coffee cup. "Never mind about the property. Go back to your room, Danielle. I don't need you with me today. I'll have Miranda fill in for you."
Her mind skidded to a screaming stop, and she paused with her coffee cup halfway to her mouth. Miranda Tschetter would not fill in for her. The woman had been on the hunt for Danielle's position with Justin for two years. Miranda was sickeningly sweet and a back-stabbing character assassin. Danielle had watched the manipulative witch slice and dice her way to the executive floor of JK Holdings. She shrugged. "I’m fine, Justin. I promise not to breathe in your airspace if you're worried I'll contaminate you."
Justin threw back his head and laughed. The action relaxed his features making him appear younger and carefree. His dimples queued up and dazzled at the spontaneous outburst. It was a good look on the serious work-a-holic. "I haven't been sick in years. I was more concerned about you."
"Not going to sideline me, boss. I’m going to get a good look at the growth and dynamics of the city. If it is as strong as the numbers suggest, another building in this area would be an investment worth researching. That is why I'm doing my thing while you wine and dine the locals. I'll meet you at the restaurant. Now, what was the address?" She took another sip of her coffee as Justin's executive assistant opened the door to the suite. The man pocketed his key card as he entered.
"Max, good timing. I need you to set up a Skype chat for me tonight. I need to close the deal with Chef Melvin Williams in London. If he is my guy, I want him in on the renovation and design of the kitchen here at the Perth location. Jorge and his team will oversee the front of the house after I choose a design. Which reminds me, make sure Jorge gets the information on the design firm we select today as soon as the ink is dry on the paper. He is going to be working behind the power curve on this establishment if we want to meet our grand opening date. I also need the quarterly reports for the franchises. Break them out by franchise and by country, please. The spreadsheets sent by accounting are too large. Make sure they get the memo to send them to me in that format. I spent entirely too much time trying to sort them and make sense of them this morning."
Max used his stylus and scribbled across his tablet. Danielle glanced at the man who’d been Justin’s assistant for as long as she’d worked for JK Holdings. The thirty-something man was attractive and professional to the point of being cold. He didn’t acknowledge she was in the room, but that was expected. She and Max had a love-slash-hate thing going on. He hated her, and she loved that her presence bothered the screwed-down-too-tight man. Ever since she’d started having breakfast meetings with Justin, Max had taken offense at her presence. So what if Justin had given her access to his calendar, and she briefed him on the day's schedule before Max could? Justin had told her Max was territorial. Danielle didn’t doubt it. From the way Max’s look lingered on Justin after he’d turned his attention elsewhere, she’d lay odds the man wanted more than control of Justin’s schedule. She got it. She understood what it was like to desire the man. However, she enjoyed pissing off Max. Honestly, in the beginning, she couldn't have cared less about Justin's uptight assistant, but now, doing things to spin Max just a little tighter had turned into a fun game. Besides, she coveted her morning meetings with Justin and because of those one-on-one hours, Justin had become...more. He was a constant in her life, and for someone like her, a constant was important.
Danielle tuned out as, for the next ten minutes, Justin went about the morning task of running his empire. When it was empty, she filled his coffee cup and added honey and cream, not that he noticed. He loaded Max with tasks and duties and sent him to his own suite to coordinate the efforts of the day.
Justin turned his attention back to her. "Are you sure you're well enough to work? You didn't even give Max the stink-eye this morning." Justin lifted the chilled glass dome off the fruit plates and served her a selection of her favorites along with a small bowl of yogurt. He added a bran muffin to his plate and a larger portion of fruit and yogurt.
"I don't know why he is so threatened by me. I've never been anything but supportive." Danielle tried to suppress the smile that turned the corners of her mouth up.
"Right." Justin laughed and shook his head. "Max is a control freak. It’s why I hired him, and why he is so good at his job. The fact that you've stood up in his canoe and tipped it sideways will always bother him."
"I could stop briefing you on your schedule." Danielle quipped before she dipped a small spoonful of yogurt. With her scratchy, sore throat, the thought of eating the fruit, no matter how ripe and luscious it looked, didn't appeal.
"I wouldn't allow it. What pretense would we have to continue
having breakfast every morning?"
Her head whipped up at his comment, but he was reading his tablet while eating his yogurt. She lowered her eyes to her yogurt dish and pulled the spoon through the smooth offering. He couldn’t mean it the way it sounded. Because it sounded like... It sounded like Justin enjoyed having breakfast with her as more than an employee? Could that be right? No, she was reading into his words and imagining things. Wasn't she?
She licked her dry lips and lifted her eyes from the yogurt to the man across from her. "I guess we would have to stop and return to the normal routine of discussing your acquisitions via email, boardroom meetings and video conferencing." She waited for him to respond.
He lifted his gaze to her. A puzzled look flashed across his face. "Excuse me? What did you say?"
"I simply stated that if I didn't give you a rundown on your schedule, there is very little we do at these breakfast meetings that couldn't be done via email or video conferencing." Danielle reached for the coffee pot, not because she wanted more, but because it gave her something to do while she waited for a reply.
Justin remained quiet while she added sugar and cream to her cup and stirred the mixture. She looked up at him as she leaned back in her chair.
"I enjoy these morning get-togethers. It isn't a stretch of the imagination to believe we get work done, because we do. I'm afraid I'm not willing to give up my time with you, so you'll have to endure giving me a personal briefing on my day for a while longer." Justin stood and glanced at his watch. "I ordered a limo. It should be outside. I hate to ask, but if you'll excuse me, I need to make a quick call back to the States, a family matter."
Danielle rose and pivoted on her heel to retrieve her purse and briefcase. "Of course, I'll wait in the car." She took four strides across the small sitting room before she stopped and rotated back toward him. "For some reason, I sense my comment upset you. Let me assure you I enjoy our morning interludes as much as you do." She gave into the desire to reveal exactly how much she enjoyed them by running her eyes down his sexy physique and back up to encounter his bemused smile. "I'll be waiting."
Danielle turned and let herself out of the suite. Outside the elevator, her heart bounced like a timpani drum until the elevator door opened and she walked inside. The polished brass doors reflected her wide-eyed shock at her own brazenness. "Chalk that up to being sick. Either that or I've lost my mind." Her words bounced around her in the tastefully decorated elevator car. She'd basically told Justin King that she liked him. Like a schoolgirl. As if. Her innocence was lost long before it should have been. Why in the world did she open her mouth? Her shoulders shook as she tried to stop a yawn. Because she was sick. That was her justification, and she was sticking to it.
Justin stared at the door. He'd crossed a threshold he never assumed he'd cross. Danielle had been a constant in his life for almost four years. She was a shrewd businesswoman. Her intelligence was second to none, and her work ethic mirrored his. They'd fallen into the comfortable habit of having breakfast together. It was the part of each morning Justin coveted just for himself. Danielle's off-handed remarks this morning had sliced through the professional veneer he'd placed on their time together. How would they disguise the time they shared if they stopped the pretense of business? Justin wasn't willing to risk losing his mornings with her. The time they spent together centered him, and he missed it when either one of them was traveling on separate business trips. Ice infused his spine, leaving him suddenly cold and uncomfortable at the thought of not having that time with her. The realization of how much he enjoyed his mornings with her should have sent up warning flags and alarms. It didn't. Which was remarkable.
The alarm on his tablet sounded again. Justin silenced it with an offhanded swipe at the screen. He went into the bedroom and retrieved his phone to call Jason. He was directed to Jason's office with smooth efficiency.
"How are you feeling? Better after a few hours’ sleep?" The gravel in Jason's voice rumbled over the connection.
"Who slept?" Justin walked into the sitting room and found his shoes. He sat down on the couch and tucked the phone to his ear, so he could tie the laces of his thousand-dollar Italian leather shoes. "Shame, but I think I found a solution to your medical problem. One of the doctors we do business with has the remedy. Well, they have been told the remedy has been obtained, but the medication hasn't been received."
Justin stopped tying his shoe. Interesting that another agency had gone after the same product as Justin. In the years he'd been working for Guardian he'd never had competition on a mission. He knew there were others used by the different agencies Guardian worked with, but actually being in the same location at the same time as another operative was...intriguing.
"Strange. We need to talk when I get back. It has been awhile." Justin wanted Jason to know he had concerns. If he knew his brother, and he did, Jason had already sorted out the why's of the snafu.
"That sounds good. Are you coming back to the States then?"
"I'll know more tomorrow morning. I'll throw you a text when I find out."
"Sounds good. I'd wish you luck in your meetings, but dude, you know with the Midas touch thing you got going on...you don't need it."
"That's right. Preparation and skill outweigh luck, every time." Justin laughed as his brother groaned and hung up. He might push them away, but he still cared for his family.
Chapter 3
The bell on the pharmacy door clanged loudly as Danielle opened it. She glanced at the signs suspended from the ceiling and zeroed in on the home health section. An attractive older man dressed in a summer business suit came in behind her. She smiled, apologized and stepped aside to allow him through the doorway. He gave her a curt, brief nod before marching to the side of the store. Her briefcase strapped over her shoulder, and her purse hooked into the crook of her arm, she made a straight line for the familiar and not so familiar boxes that hung from the metal pegs. She didn't waste time reading the boxes of the brands she didn't know. Instead, she swiped up two boxes of a worldwide brand, one for nighttime and one for daytime. She sent a silent prayer heavenward that the, “fights congestion, headache and stuffy nose, so you can sleep medication” would do a magic trick on her.
Four minutes later, she walked out the door and headed back toward the hotel. She'd had the limo drop her outside the pharmacy two blocks away. The heat of the summertime sunshine in December felt amazing, even if breathing wasn't as pleasant. Danielle glanced back when the door chimed. The same man followed her out. Danielle nodded at him and plunged her hand into the bag, pulling out the daytime medication. She unwrapped the cellophane from the box and pulled out a sheet of blister sealed pills. Popping out two, she made a last second decision to enter a small coffee shop. The line wasn't long, and thankfully within minutes, she had an iced coffee. She tossed the medication into her mouth and sipped her coffee chaser as she glanced at her Rolex with a sigh. She was late. Damn it. Grabbing an empty table, she pulled her phone out of the pouch and made her call.
"You're late." The grumbled dissatisfaction was expected.
" I know. Sorry, but I do have a day job." Danielle dropped her head into her hand and stared at the tabletop allowing the noises of the coffee shop to fall into the background.
"I don't need attitude, Danielle."
"Right. I know. Sorry." She took a sip of her coffee and glanced around the small cafe before she spoke. "I got the information and documents you wanted, although I really don't understand why you needed it."
"Since when do you question my intentions?" A hint of laughter tinted his voice.
"Umm...since forever?" She couldn't remember a time she hadn't.
"True. Suffice to say I need the information to secure my position and fortify it against any attempts to subvert my goals."
"Oh...cryptic. Nice, Dad. Did you watch a spy movie last night? I'm in a coffee shop right now, I can log onto the Wi-Fi and send it, unless you'd rather me encrypt it."
"If it is interce
pted, nobody will understand it without context. Please forward it now. I have a meeting in thirty minutes. I will need to look at it before that conversation." His voice sounded more tired than usual, although that was a measure of extremes.
"You're working too hard again." She said the words without thinking.
"I work to keep myself from going insane."
"I'm sorry." And she was. Their history had been rough.
"As am I, but we each do what we must. Your...activities, shall we say, are worse than mine."
Danielle leaned back in her chair and stared sightlessly out of the storefront’s large window. "We've agreed not to talk about that anymore. It just ends in arguments."
"That it does. Promise me that you'll take care of yourself."
Danielle smiled at the request. "I will if you will."
"No promises."
"As always."
"Send me the information, please."
"I'm taking my computer out now. Give me time to boot it up, and then I'll send it." The line went dead. She didn't expect anything less. They’d made a pact years ago to never say goodbye or actively mention their feelings for each other. They knew, and that was enough.
Danielle shoved her medication into her purse and pulled out her laptop. She booted up her computer and accessed the Wi-Fi using the password on the placard centered on her small table. She fished around for the thumb drives she'd thrown into her purse this morning and zipped the information into a compressed file before she signed into her internet account and sent the documents. She'd never use her JK Holdings account to send these. Justin King employed one hell of an IT team, and she couldn't afford to have him question her activities. Besides, they didn't affect JK Holdings, so no harm...no foul.
Justin Page 3
