He paused a few seconds remembering the ‘cold fish’ remark before heading for the elevators. I will enjoy seeing if there is any truth in that statement. Yes, definitely! A grin spread across his face. Yes, I do like a challenge. He pressed the up button.
Chapter 5
A scowl crossed Derek’s face as he watched the exchange between Maddy and Jason through the glass door of the conference room. At that moment, he took an immediate disliking to Jason Cornish. He had noticed the way Jason looked at Maddy during the meeting yesterday and just now. She however, had been totally oblivious to his wolfish stares. But on some level, it also bothered him why he should suddenly care.
Maybe it’s because you haven’t been able to get her to fall for you, his inner voice reminded him.
However, in the meeting this morning, when Cornish made a totally unexpected announcement that he had changed his mind and now wanted both Maddy and Derek to present their proposals to his board, her eyes had sought him out, not Cornish. The look on her face left him with no doubt that she blamed him for the turn of events. So, instead of looking as surprised as he really had been, he had stupidly grinned and winked at her. A juvenile thing to do, he had to admit, but he couldn’t help but take the opportunity to push her buttons just one more time. She just looked so darn cute as her eyes shot daggers at him across the table.
He waited several minutes after Jason had followed Martin to the elevator before pushing the conference room’s door open. A wistful mask settled over Derek’s face as he looked down the hall toward Maddy’s office.
Yes, Derek had done a very good job of making her dislike him from the first day they met. It would probably be more accurate to say that she hated him. He had been sure of that since the moment he grinned at her and jokingly asked, ‘What’s a cute little thing like you doing in an office full of men? Looking for a hubby, hmmm?’
Her beautiful smile had faded and her soft brown doe eyes turned hard. She had turned on her heel and walked away. Yes, she hated him; there was no doubt about it.
Wasn’t that exactly what you wanted? his inner voice questioned. He avoided contemplating the answer as he headed toward the break room.
But after Sharon had opened his eyes to just how much damage he had caused, his conscience begun to niggle him. He felt a little ashamed that he had been just as guilty as the rest. A sudden urge to protect her from the crass comments and innuendos of the other men in the office began to surface.
Reaching the break room, he cautiously entered. What he didn’t need or want right now was to run into one of the other architects. He had had enough of their smug congratulations after the meeting.
Stirring two spoonfuls of sugar into a cup of coffee, it suddenly hit Derek that he was very glad that Jason had changed his mind. The images his mind conjured up of Maddy and Jason together made his gut churn. Now he would be able to keep an eye on Jason.
Yes, he thought, Jason had the look of a wolf that’s just spied its next meal. Still, it confused him why seeing them together should bother him so much.
Sipping his coffee, Derek realized he had resigned himself to the fact that this time, Maddy was the better architect. After being delegated by Martin, over the strenuous objections of Maddy, to familiarize himself with her design, there was no doubt about it Maddy’s plans were phenomenal. However, Martin would never dream of admitting it. She had ideas that he would never have thought about, and he was just a little jealous that he hadn’t. However, he was beginning to wonder about the change of plans. He needed to talk to Martin and see just what the old boy was up to. In his gut, he felt that Martin had manipulated Cornish into changing his mind. But why?
Finishing his coffee, he tossed the Styrofoam cup into the trashcan as he left the break room on his way to find Martin. Derek went by the way of Maddy’s office in hopes that he could catch her and try to explain that he had nothing to do with the change. Her office was dark.
Must have left early, he thought, remembering the crushed look on her face after Jason’s announcement. Not that I blame her. I would have, too.
As Derek approached, he saw the door to Martin’s office was slightly ajar. He could just see Cornish standing with his back to the door, facing Martin, who sat behind his desk.
“Now, you listen to me, Cornish,” Martin was saying forcefully. “You’re going to steer your board in the direction of Derek’s proposal, if you want that bonus. I will not have the reputation of this firm hanging on a woman who may or may not know what she is doing. I know you like Maddy and all that, but she is not the architect that Derek is, and she never will be. His design is stellar. You can’t go wrong with it. You keep that in mind, boy, when you direct that board of yours how to vote.” Martin rocked back in his chair a smug look on his face.
Carefully examining his manicured nails, Jason asked calmly, “Then why did you allow her to submit a design if you thought her incompetent? And who I choose to like or dislike is none of your business. So butt out.” He lifted his head and glared at Martin. “Besides, I don’t like Derek’s design. It lacks that je ne sais quoi that Maddy’s has. She will give me what I want.” Jason moved closer to Martin’s desk and braced himself with his hands on the desktop. Menacingly, he leaned forward, staring into Martin’s eyes. “Your bonus be damned. If you want this contract, you go with my decision or not at all. Understood? I don’t know why I ever let you talk me into doing this in the first place.” He straightened up, adjusted his jacket, and turned toward the door.
“Wait!” Martin blurted out. “We can’t change the plans now. We’ve already made the announcement that both are leaving in the morning.”
Jason paused before turning back to face Martin. “Very well,” he said slowly, turning. “We will keep things as they are for now, but I will make sure the board picks Maddy’s plan. You can keep your bonus.” He turned toward the door and said as he walked out, “I will personally put Nichols on a plane back to New York as soon as the contract is signed.”
Martin glared at Jason’s back as he walked out, his anger obvious at Jason’s statement, as the pen he clutched in his hand snapped.
Derek barely had time to step around the corner before Martin’s office door swung fully open and Jason sauntered out. Derek waited until he heard the elevator doors open and close before stepping around the corner. He paused a couple of minutes before tapping on Martin’s door, clearing his mind of the vile things he would like to do to both men.
“Yes?” Martin stopped writing and turned his head at Derek’s knock.
“Hey, boss,” Derek said hesitantly. “I was just wondering what happened this morning. I thought everything had been decided yesterday. Why the change? Not that I mind, you know.” He walked in, smiling, as he nonchalantly draped himself into the chair in front of Martin’s desk.
“Oh, that,” Martin said casually, laying his pen down. He rocked back in his chair. “Jason got a call from his old man, and it seems he wants to see the designs for himself. Something about not trusting Jason’s decision. Just a formality, really.” He waved his hand to emphasize how insignificant the situation was. “You know how those things are when someone has been running a business for years and finally is forced to retire, but they won’t stay retired.” He smirked. “Well, Jason has that problem with his old man. Nothing’s changed except that you get to spend a week in Sydney on the company. A nice little perk; don’t you agree?” Martin chuckled. “Of course, if the board happens to pick your design, and who is to say they won’t, you will be there a lot longer.” He grinned.
“Yeah, that’s great,” Derek said lightly. “I’ve always wanted to go to Australia, and what’s better than having the company foot the bill?” He gave Martin a cheeky grin.
“I thought you’d agree.” Martin picked up his pen again. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have to sign off on these change orders before they get sent to the clients.”
“Yeah, sure.” Derek stood up. “Thanks.”
You lying sack
of garbage, Derek thought, walking away from Martin’s office. I’ll never trust you again, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on Jason. I don’t trust him either, not as far as I can throw him.
Chapter 6
The plane rolled to a stop in front of the arrival gate at the Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport’s terminal. Maddy stood up as soon as the “fasten seatbelts” sign went off. She was glad the twenty-nine-hour flight had finally ended. Twenty-nine hours in cramped quarters with Derek had been almost too much to handle. If it hadn’t been for the manners Grandma Lydia had taught her, she was sure she would have strangled Derek by now and been dragged away in handcuffs with no regrets.
Shaking her head to push that image out of her mind, Maddy watched the other first-class passengers begin to pull their carry-ons from the overhead bins and prepare for deplaning. Stretching her arms out in front of her, she resisted the urge to reach back and rub her bottom to get the blood circulating. Would her backside ever be the same again?
Suppressing a giggle, she watched Derek struggle to remove his heavy, over-packed carry-on from the overhead bin. The bag had barely fit, and if it hadn’t been for the flight attendant’s help, the bin would not have closed. With Derek’s final tug, the bag flew out and barely missed his head. Maddy giggled as he lost his balance and stumbled into the empty seat behind him. Thankfully, that passenger had moved forward down the aisle.
Serves him right, she thought, remembering the commotion he had caused before they took off in New York...
…She had been delighted when Jason sat down beside her, only to have her quickly-formed plan to discuss the finer points of her design squelched. Across the aisle Derek was making a scene about needing to sit in an aisle seat. Unfortunately, the woman in the aisle seat next to him refused to swap. It seemed she did not like the window seat either.
But Derek continued to insist, rather loudly in fact, that he absolutely had to have an aisle seat. Since the first-class flight attendant knew that Derek, Maddy, and Jason were flying together, she had quietly asked Jason if he would mind exchanging seats. Jason had looked over and glared at Derek, but smiled at the attendant and agreed to the exchange. Derek made a loud display of thanking Jason as they passed in the aisle. Embarrassed, Maddy scooted down as far as she could in her seat as the other passengers continued to gawk at the two men.
“That went well,” Derek mumbled under his breath as he slid into the seat next to Maddy. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said with a sheepish grin. “I just have this thing about sitting next to a window when I fly.”
“Well, you should have told the ticket agent that before we boarded,” Maddy sniffed. “I’m quite sure they would have accommodated your ‘thing’ about sitting by the window.”
“Yes, well,” he cleared his throat. “As you know, we didn’t make the reservations and we were already on the VIP pre-checked list, thanks to Jason. So you see, I really didn’t have a chance to do that.” He turned and gave her a toothy-grin and a shrug.
Maddy turned and stared at him for a moment, taking in his row of perfectly white teeth beneath his perfectly groomed mustache. “Well, I suppose you might be right,” she reluctantly agreed. “But, I think you could have been a little more discrete in making your request. You sounded like a spoiled brat.” she snapped as she turned on her overhead reading light and pulled a book from her bag.
Derek grinned at her assessment of his behavior as he adjusted his seatbelt. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back as the plane taxied to the runway.
Chapter 7
Passports cleared and bags collected, Maddy and Derek climbed into the Cornish International sleek black limo parked in the loading/unloading zone in front of the terminal. Jason stood on the curb, his cell phone clutched to his ear.
“This is great,” Derek said checking out the fine leather interior of the limo as he slipped into the seat beside Maddy. He took in all of the amenities the limo offered, including the wet bar that featured a wide selection of adult beverages.
“Honestly, what did you expect? That they’d make us take a taxi?” Maddy retorted stiffly, staring out the window at the busy airport traffic.
“Huh?” Derek turned toward Maddy. “Of course not,” he replied as her words registered. “Just sayin’ this lim-o-sine is great.” He smiled at her huffiness.
She avoided looking at Derek, who she knew would have that stupid silly grin plastered all over his face again. She didn’t have time to think about such foolishness like wondering why a storm of butterflies always erupted in her stomach every time she caught Derek watching at her. She refused to think about how she had dozed off on the plane and woken up with her head resting on Derek’s shoulder and his arm wrapped around her, or when he had jostled her elbow and caused her drink to spill and he had insisted on helping mop it up. She refused to think about how his hand had felt as he touched her. She refused to examine why she had spent fifteen minutes watching him sleep, or why she couldn’t help wondering what it would feel like to be kissed by those perfectly shaped lips beneath that impeccably groomed mustache.
No, she didn’t have time for such foolishness. Adjusting the purse on her lap, she gave her head a slight shake to dispel the images her thoughts were conjuring up.
Maddy felt Derek shift position, and she chanced a sideways glance under her lashes at him. She had to admit his profile was gorgeous. She guessed she could see why all the women fell for him. He did have those movie star good looks, and yes, she guessed he did look a little like Tom Selleck, but she refused to be drawn into that trap. She was not going to be another in a long line of broken hearts. Besides, she was much more interested in Jason.
Still, unable to stop herself, she tilted her head to sneak a quick glance at Derek’s mustache and thought, I wonder if that mustache tickles when he kisses. The idea came unbidden, and it frustrated her. NO! I am not going to fall for Derek Nichols! I have an office complex to build. I don’t have time for such foolishness.
Derek turned his head and caught her staring at him. She immediately turned away, sat up straighter, and clutched her purse tighter, her mind trying unsuccessfully to control the butterflies. Staring out the window, she tried to concentrate on the bustling airport traffic and hoped that Jason wouldn’t be much longer. She had had enough of Derek Nichols over the last twenty-nine hours to last a lifetime.
~~~
Derek watched Jason, still on his cell, pacing outside on the sidewalk. As he talked, his face changed to a deep shade of red. He looked angry, his free hand clenching and unclenching at his side. No, he looked more than angry. He looked like he would enjoy dismembering the person on the other end of the line.
Finally, the call ended. Derek could see Jason inhaling and exhaling heavily as he paced back and forth, presumably trying to get himself under control. He turned away from the window as Jason opened the door.
Grinning as though he hadn’t a care in the world, Jason said, “Well, let’s get this show on the road. I have arranged for both of you to stay at my residence. It’s just a short way outside of Sydney.” Turning to Maddy, he asked, “Do you like to ride? I have an excellent stable of Andalusians that I’m sure you would find most enjoyable.”
“Umm, yes,” she replied. “But, it’s been a long while since I’ve ridden.” Smiling, she remembered her last horseback ride. It was the summer she turned fifteen and over the loud objections of her father, Grandma Lydia had decided to spend a month in Milan, Italy, before traveling on to Monterra for the rest of the summer. There had been a riding academy near the villa where they stayed. Carlo, the son of the owner and the cutest boy she had ever seen, had shown her how to ride. It had been a fairytale summer, and Carlo had been her very first love.
“Not to worry.” Jason grinned. “It’s like riding a bicycle. You never forget.”
“I suppose so,” she replied slowly, pushing away the memories. “I guess I could give it a try.”
“That’s the spirit.” He reached o
ver and took hold of her hand.
A tingling sensation traveled up her arm at his touch. Her heart beat faster as she smiled sweetly at Jason.
Derek’s jaw tightened.
Chapter 8
The hustle and bustle of Sydney soon gave way to the rolling countryside. Maddy was surprised at how green everything was. Not at all what she had expected. As they passed a Kangaroo Crossing signs, Maddy expressed excitedly how she would love to see a kangaroo. She sat transfixed staring out the window in hopes of seeing one while Jason explained about the problems Australia had with them. She sympathized with the problem, but it still didn’t dampen her enthusiasm to see one.
The ride was pleasant in spite of Derek’s testy attitude. It suited Maddy just fine that he sat on the far side of the seat with his arms crossed, a sullen look on his face. It wasn’t going to spoil her enjoyment of the trip. Jason on the other hand, was an excellent tour guide as he expounded on the attributes of his ranch and Australia in general.
Jason helped Maddy with her luggage, leaving Derek to fend for himself. Jason made the introductions to his house staff then, whisked Maddy away up the staircase to show her guest room he had chosen for her, explaining on the way that the house boasted five guest bedrooms and this one he chose for her was his favorite. Leaving Madding at the door, he told her as soon as she had unpacked to change into something comfortable. They would be going for a ride. There was plenty of time before the evening meal.
The Royals of Monterra Page 3
