"I do not," Hayden exclaimed, standing in the hot tub.
When she did so, Blake caught sight of her revealing bathing suit for the first time. His eyebrows went up. "I seem to remember asking you to dress more modestly."
"We’re at home. You said I couldn’t go out wearing skimpy clothes any more. Besides, this covers as much as Jill's bathing suit does, but you don’t mind that, do you?”
"She’s not my little sister."
"I hate this. I wish we could live at the ranch all the time. You're nicer to me there."
"I wish that too, but I have a business to run and you have school. Speaking of which, didn't you tell me that you had a lot of homework to do before school tomorrow?"
Hayden made a growling sound in the back of her throat as she sloshed through the steaming water and got out of the hot tub. "You're not fooling me any. You just want Jill to yourself. Good luck with that—she's too good for you."
And on those words, she stormed off into the house. Her fiery exit made the silence in the courtyard that much more palpable. Jill leaned her head back against the tiles and looked up at the stars which she could only barely see through the lights around the pool area. They were just starting to glow against the darkening night sky.
"Well, that was relaxing." Blake ran his wet hand through his hair, spiking it up in crazy directions. Jill watched with interest as he rubbed his forehead. His jaw and shoulders looked tense. "It almost makes me look forward to going in to work tomorrow. It can't be much more stressful than this."
"Maybe not for you," Jill said. "I, on the other hand, have to figure out why one of your companies is struggling so I can save them from the ax."
"Oh yeah? Which one?"
"Gourmand's."
Blake looked at her with a steady expression for several moments before saying, "Is that why you’re spending so much time with Trevor Walton?"
“Yes, and I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.” But suddenly this whole conversation felt really awkward. “My instincts tell me something isn’t quite right there.”
“Okay. I’ll fire him.”
Alarmed, Jill shook her head. “No. I might be completely wrong. I’ll figure it out before I make my recommendation about what you should do with the business.”
“I don’t like to have people working for me that I can’t trust.”
Jill folded her arms across her chest. “You’d prefer to fire someone with no more than vague concerns to go by? That’s not right.”
Blake’s jaw clenched as they stared each other down. “Are you sure you just don’t want to lose your favorite lunch date? Not that you’d have a hard time finding someone else to flirt with.”
Jill wanted to slug him. Every time she started to think that they were getting on a good footing, he said something to rile her up. Deciding to teach him a lesson, she drifted closer to him so that her leg brushed his under the water. She leaned close and rested her hand on his chest. He turned his head down to meet her eyes and she saw them darken with exactly the kind of reaction she'd hoped for.
Moving even closer, her legs gliding against his, she whispered, "When I flirt, and I admit I do, it always has a purpose."
Jill pushed off of his chest lightly and stood staring down at him as the water ran down her body. With one last sultry look, she got out of the hot tub and wrapped a towel around her.
"So why do you flirt with me?" Blake's voice was deep and rough, full of annoyance and authority and something else Jill couldn't label.
She shrugged. "To put you in your place."
Chapter Eight
The next day, Blake still hadn't shaken the sight of Jill standing like a goddess in his hot tub with the faintly blue lights from his landscaping glowing off of her wet skin and her eyes boring into his. Perhaps because he had dreamed the scene over and over again all night long, making a wretched night's sleep for him.
Unfortunately, his whole day was one meeting after another. This is what came from taking an extra and unexpected day off work. He was tense and on edge. And from the way his employees were acting around him, he knew they sensed it. He hated that but he wasn't quite sure how to fix it.
The last thing he needed to do was to spend time around Jill, but, unfortunately, that was exactly what he was going to have to do. He had a meeting with her right after lunch. As he sat at his desk, scowling at his agenda for the day, Ivey came in. He glanced up at her tall, striking form, distantly aware that she always managed to drape it in a suggestive pose when she sat across from him in the privacy of his office.
Normally, he flicked it away like an annoying fly, but today he took more notice. He wasn't sure if his frustration with Jill had made him more aware of the flirtations going on among his employees, or if Ivey was just being more overt with the amount of leg she was showing as she crossed them.
"It's nice to have you back today," Ivey said, tugging on one of her blond curls.
"Is it? It seems to me that everything runs efficiently whether I'm here or not."
Ivey shrugged. "Not with Jill here upsetting the balance of everything."
Blake sat back in his chair and studied her. He thumped the pen he held in his hand against his desk as he tried to untangle Ivey's possible motivations for such a statement. "What do you mean, exactly?"
"Oh, you know. She visits with your secretary, she brings cupcakes into the break room, and stands around talking to anybody who makes eye contact with her. Especially if it's someone with a Y chromosome."
"And what’s your assessment of her job performance?"
"It seems utterly impossible, but I have to admit that she knows her stuff. She doesn't spend much time at her desk, but somehow, I've never caught her at a loss for data or knowledge of any business situation that arises. She’s like that smart kid in school who is always messing around when they got bored. She disrupts everyone who isn't as quick as she is."
"Well, she won't be with us forever. If she does the job she's here to do, I'll be perfectly satisfied. Speaking of which, I won't have time to get lunch before the meeting."
"I'll get something delivered," Ivey said, standing and walking around to the front of his desk.
He watched her with surprise, especially when she leaned against the edge of his desk less than a foot away from him. He decided to play it cool, just in case his suspicions about her motives were wrong. "Just get me anything. You know what I like."
"Yes, I do." Ivey's voice had a subtle but undeniable tone of seduction to it. "I needed to talk to you about the banquet at the end of the month. I know you still need to find a date, but I wasn't sure who you wanted me to go with."
"I haven’t thought about it at all, actually," Blake said. His eyebrows rose slightly in question.
"I thought it would be more convenient for you to take me."
Blake pushed his chair back to put more room between them. "Continue."
Ivey reached out and picked up the pen he had dropped. She clicked it open and closed a few times as if she was nervous, though he never would've guessed that from the cool expression on her face. "I know you hate to lead a girl on, so set-up dates are always a risk. Since you aren't in a relationship and have no feelings involved, it makes this just a matter of business, doesn't it?"
"I wouldn't say that, precisely. But there is some merit to what you say."
"It's just that I would never get the wrong impression."
"I’ll consider it and let you know. I'll be in the conference room when you have my lunch. And please join us for the meeting in case there are any notes I need you to take."
Ivey straightened and took her time leaving the office. Her hips had an extra wide sway as she left, and Blake wondered how he had managed to get himself into this situation. He didn’t think he’d done anything Ivey could have possibly misconstrued as interest. She was an excellent assistant, and he hated the thought of losing her, but this could not be allowed to progress any further.
When he made his way
into the conference room later, it was empty. He glanced at his watch, irritated, and saw that he was five minutes early. Since it was right after the lunch hour, he wouldn't be surprised if some of the people invited to the meeting were late, but that didn't mean that he was going to be happy about it.
He sat in his chair at the end of the table and got out his phone to catch up on emails while he waited. A few minutes later, Jill and Trevor walked in, looking as if they’d gone to lunch together. His eyes automatically measured the distance between them and he judged that Jill was much closer than a normal personal bubble should allow.
When their eyes met, she paused, looking surprised and uncomfortable. He wondered if the scene from last night had affected her as it had him. Had she felt anything being so close to him, alone in the darkness with so little between them? Had she felt the same electric current race through her when she touched him?
Jill was too hard to read for him to guess. Her shoulders straightened, and a cool, detached expression swept over her face as she went into business mode again.
“Thank you for coming, Mr. McDaniel. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it. Ivey told me that you might be too busy.
"There are very few things that would keep me away from a meeting with you," he said letting her know with the faint mockery in his voice that he was more than prepared to play her game. "You are, after all, looking after the future of my company."
Jill sat down across from him and smiled while fluttering her eyelashes. "I'm sure that's the reason."
“What else would it be? I hope you don’t mind if I eat lunch during the meeting. It’s the only way I could squeeze both in.”
“Not at all. This will be short and informal.”
Trevor, who had been standing awkwardly during this exchange, moved to find a seat, looking between the two of them with a displeased expression. Blake didn't care. He didn't have to excuse his interactions with other people to someone like him. Let him think what he wanted.
Ivey came in then with a bag from his favorite sushi restaurant and a cold bottle of San Pellegrino water. As she spread it out in front of him on the table, Marty Dunn came in as well. This didn't surprise him, but when the redheaded kid right out of college came in, Blake raised an eyebrow and flicked an inquiring glance at Jill.
She saw but didn’t respond, so Blake shrugged and broke apart his chopsticks.
Jill set her phone on the table and said, "Thanks for coming to this meeting, everyone. It's going to be quick. I just wanted to let you all know that I, along with Camden, will be touring the facilities of Gourmand's and Elysian. I want to get a better picture of your businesses than I can from reports.”
Marty Dunn nodded, looking pleased. Blake didn't fail to notice, however, that Trevor Walton looked gray and uncomfortable. But there was one part of her announcement that had him floored. "You’re taking Camden?"
Camden's cheeks turned red, which wasn't surprising considering his fair coloring. "Yes, Jill asked me to come along for IT support."
“He’s a wizard, and I need someone to help compile data and keep me connected in the rural areas we’ll be going through.”
Blake realized he must look foolish holding his chopsticks in the air and put them down with a soft clatter. “Where all are you going?”
“Let’s see… we have four stops planned with Elysian Ice Cream—a factory, a dairy, a store, and their corporate office. All of these are in Tennessee. Then we'll be driving down to Mississippi to tour the facilities of Gourmand's fine candy. Trevor and Marty, you will, of course, meet me at your facilities and work with us. I've emailed both of you the full agenda, but stay in contact with me in case of delays or changes."
Blake agreed this was the best way to review these businesses, but he was annoyed that she’d planned an extended trip away from the office without discussing it with him. He reminded himself he only cared on a professional level, but his irritation seemed disproportionately high for that to be the case. Perhaps that was why he felt an urge to go with her.
"Will you please send me the agenda as well, Jill?" Blake picked up his chopsticks. As an afterthought, he added, "I'd like to compare it to my schedule and see if I can make it to some of these tours."
Jill looked up at him, clearly surprised. "I will, of course, send you the agenda, but don't feel like you need to be there. This is what I'm getting paid for. You can leave it safely in my hands."
He hated that she didn’t want him to come. "I never questioned that," Blake said while carefully choosing a slice of spicy tuna roll. "Just like you never questioned whether or not I would like to come."
Jill opened her mouth like she was about to say something then closed it again. She was clearly debating in her mind what she should say to this but before she could come up with a response, Marty spoke up.
"For my part, I'd love to have you come, Mr. McDaniel. I was disappointed that you didn't personally inspect our company before you purchased it. I would appreciate the opportunity to show you what we do.”
Blake looked at the older man, pleased with his assurance and his championship of the company he led. And he was right. Blake should have looked into it more carefully.
That, combined with the fact that Trevor was again looking uncomfortable, drove Blake to make a knee-jerk decision. After swallowing the bite he had just taken, he said, "You know what? I'm going."
Both Ivey and Jill asked, "What?"
"You don't have room in your schedule for a trip like that," Ivey said. "It's impossible."
"It isn’t necessary that you come, sir," Jill said, with a heavy emphasis in her voice when she said sir. “And I already have hotel reservations in places that you wouldn’t be comfortable in.”
“You know what I require for comfort?”
“I just mean that you won’t get silk sheets or world-class sushi on delivery."
Blake narrowed his eyes at her opinion of him, but maybe she didn’t know he was able to rough it as well as the next man. An added bonus to him going on this trip would be making sure Jill got to know him better. "I assure you, Ms. Harris, even though I enjoy some of the finer things in life, I can certainly do without them. You don’t need to worry about my comfort.”
"If you ask me," Trevor said, "she seems a little overly concerned about your sheets as well." He snickered in an abrasive way but stopped when he received a death glare from Jill.
Trying to distract himself from punching the guy square in the face, Blake reached for his bottle of water and opened it.
Jill glanced at the expensive sparkling water and raised her eyebrow. "If you think you have the time, it would be helpful for you to be there. You may want to pack a few of your favorite luxury items, though, since they may be hard to find in small-town gas stations and restaurants."
"Believe me, you underestimate my ability to get whatever I want when I want."
Jill stood, and he noticed that her fists were clenched. "Considering our current setting, it would be best if I didn’t respond to that statement. I'll send you that agenda, Mr. McDaniel."
Chapter Nine
Wednesday morning, Jill dressed in black, capri-length pants and a loose cream blouse, hoping to keep as comfortable as possible while traveling in the summer heat. When she walked into the main house with her bags to meet Blake, however, she couldn’t help but laugh. Blake wore his usual chinos and black t-shirt.
“What’s so funny?” Blake asked, looking up from his tablet.
“I should have remembered you always wear black. It looks like we coordinated on purpose.”
“Only a woman would even care about that,” he said, shrugging.
“Why do you always wear black shirts?”
“It’s efficient. I never waste time deciding what to wear. I just grab a shirt and go. You’ll be happy to know I didn’t eat the last cranberry-orange muffin. I know they’re your favorite.”
Surprised, and oddly pleased that he had noticed, she said, “Thanks.” She filled her mug w
ith coffee, and feeling a strong need to make everything more professional, less…intimate, she said, “I’m ready to go when you are.”
Blake looked up, and she got caught in his expression like she’d fallen into quicksand. Her heart pounded as she concentrated on breathing normally. In that moment, she actually longed to be working with Señor Patena again with his greying hair and middle-age paunch. Everything had been so straight-forward and uncomplicated. But that line of thought also made her realize how quickly her time here would end, and that bothered her.
Standing up, Blake broke the quiet moment between them. “Let’s head out then.”
Jill grabbed her bags and followed him to the front door. Outside, Rick added her suitcase to those already loaded in the trunk of the car, and in no time, they were on their way to pick Camden up at the office.
"I feel guilty that we’re not using the tickets I bought for Camden and I.” Jill said, taking a chunk off of her muffin and popping it in her mouth. “Maybe we should have met you down there.”
"I don’t care about the cost of the tickets. I’d rather all four of us traveled together.”
"Four people?
"Yes, didn’t I tell you Rick was coming along for security?"
"No, you didn't. It’s going to be impossible for you to be inconspicuous with muscle following you around.”
He raised his eyebrows. “And you think I need to stay inconspicuous?”
“It's going to be hard enough getting people to interact with us naturally without knowing that the billionaire who bought out their company is standing right in front of them. A lot of them aren’t exactly excited about that, and even for those who don’t care, you’re very intimidating.”
“Huh. You’re never intimidated by me.”
Jill didn’t think there was much point in telling him precisely how often he made her nervous. “People are going to be uncomfortable if they realize who you are.”
“I see your point, but Rick is coming.”
Jill sighed, but she had already become familiar with the tone in Blake’s voice that meant he wasn’t going to change his mind, so she called out to Rick, “Just try not to look too intimidating, okay?”
The Truth about Billionaires (Southern Billionaires Book 2) Page 6
