A tentative knock on the door drove him from his musings. He turned in his seat, absently spilling more paperwork, as Kate peered around the doorframe.
“Enter.” Graciously, he waved her in, stooping to gather his fallen paperwork. Closing the door behind her, Kate moved across the room and knelt at his side. She shuffled and categorized the clutter of documents, sorting each numbered page with a shake of her head.
“Isn't this how we met?” She questioned.
He chuckled. “Are you attempting to salvage my honor and dignity, Kate?”
“Just as you saved mine?” She paused, granting him a warm smile. For a moment, he was star struck, staring into her soft eyes. “I suppose I am.”
“I'm eternally grateful.” He managed heavily, the true meaning behind his words unapparent.
She grimaced at the stack of papers she handed to him. Kate shook her head at the illegibly scrawled name across the top of the folder. “Are you visiting the new plant?”
He grunted, arranging the folders in a tidy pile on the floor as he responded. “I don't have much choice.”
She managed a small smile at his biting sarcasm. Kate assembled the last pile of fallen papers, returning them to the stack Dante created. Heavily, she sat down on the worn carpet, crossing her legs. Dante resumed his seat on the divan, running his hands through disheveled locks.
“I don't imagine your job is very easy.” She knew of the long hours he puts into the plant and at home. He looked haggard and a long yawn ungraciously escaped him.
“I never admitted it was.”
“You're right.” She frowned at the admission. “Despite the fact there's an immense staff, an able bodied board of directors, and managers at each of your plants, you overwork yourself.”
“I operate my company as I see fit.” He bristled, his eyes narrowing as he rested his head on the high back of the sofa.
Kate's smile was tight as she nodded “Is it the same as the reason you aren't photographed? It's as you see fit?”
“I am not photographed for purely personal reasons, Kate. It's neither my name, nor my face, selling the product.” He was silent, staring up at the dark ceiling, secretly chafing with the knowledge of his youth.
“Why?” She persisted, the words whispered beneath her breath.
“I strive to sell a product without my face or family name being attached. I don't manufacture the automobile, that's in the hands of the various plants. The recognition belongs to the facilities and the employees.”
“That's good.” She admitted honestly. “Although, others would sit around this house and let everyone else do the work, while they took the credit.”
“There are obligations attached to this job, Kate. I knew that, when I inherited. My father worked long hours and forsook many a holiday to bring the plant up to muster.”
“Was it in bad shape?”
“It was a struggling when my father assumed control from my maternal grandfather, with a plant here and another there.” He thought back, lowering his head to look at her. “BAI was wallowing in debt, having been a plaything for my grandfather. My parents had a difference of opinion over the genuine worth of the plant.” He hesitated, remembering elevated voices erupting from this very room. Frequently, his father's voice overshadowed the softer intonations of his mother, causing servants and the young Dante to shrink from the general vicinity.
“Apparently, your father didn't give up.” Her gaze moved to the shadowed image situated above the roaring fireplace. The resemblance to Dante was startling, but there was iciness evident in the other man's painted regard his son never obtained. Dante inherited the softer, more compassionate nature of his mother.
“My maternal grandfather was a shrewd man.” Dante allowed ruefully, his eyes flashing. “Afforded a hopeless task, a Ravensmoor will battle tooth and nail to prove he can accomplish the impossible.”
“Is everyone in your family so determined?”
“Tenaciousness has been the Ravensmoor middle name since Tarquin de Burroughs.” He smirked contemptuously. “Dare a Ravensmoor he can't follow through with the most elementary feat and he'll exceed expectations, to prove otherwise.”
“Evidently, your father did.” She responded with a smile. “You have Burton Automotive, one of the most powerful manufacturing plants in the world. That, in itself, isn't a small accomplishment.”
“You don't have to sell me.” He informed her, pleasantly surprised. “I know BAI is productive and has created many jobs. It isn't the facilities concerning me, Kate; it's the character of the people operating the plants that drives me insane.”
Kate was conspicuously mute.
“You, Kate, lack an opinion?” He laughed aloud. “Where is my Kate, the woman with an opinion about everything?”
Despite his possessive use of her name, she shrugged, wondering if he was criticizing her. “I really can't say much.” She provided, recalling her former employer at the Phoenix plant.
“That's where you're wrong.” He soothed, massaging his temples, as if warding off a growing headache. “Your opinion is valued.”
She nodded. “I suppose, sometimes, it's because one is dealing with so many different personalities on a day-to-day basis. They're bound to clash.”
“The equivalent, at times, of operating a primary school,” he rejoined perceptively.
“There are some people, I admit, who shouldn't have a position of power. It seems like the power goes straight to their head. Numbers are more important and the employees are forgotten.”
“Explain.” He urged, needing her insight.
“The guys with the degrees take the credit, while the clerk and the shop technician don’t get even a thank you.”
Dante remained silent.
“You know Moring was a bully.” She remarked bitterly. “He got the job without the approval of the other managers, including MacLean. Personnel posted the opening, ran the position in the papers, and interviewed numerous individuals, all more qualified. It was just a front. Everyone knew Moring was going to get the job and H.R. was just going through the motions.”
“How so?”
“Moring is the brother-in-law to the secretary in Human Resources.” She supplied informatively.
“Devon stated the position was adequately filled.” He paused, referring to MacLean. “He said Moring was dependable managerial material.”
“Actually, MacLean isn't involved in the overall hiring bit for the warehouse. The main offices are his thing, not the back.” She stressed. “It was a cut-and-dried deal that Moring would get the job. Nepotism is rampant in many facilities, you should know. Granted, he has an engineering degree but he'd been fired from another factory. I don't think Moring's dismissal was investigated.”
“Might it have been due to his general attitude?”
“I can't say.” She admitted. “I know, during the time Moring was at BAI, too many matters were overlooked.”
“Such as?”
“I was fortunate, since the threats didn't directly affect me. Adam was much older when our mother died so, when ill, he could tend to himself.” She reminisced. “I remember women at work whose small children would become sick. They feared taking the necessary time off from work to tend to their kids, since Moring would threaten them with the loss of their jobs.”
“This was advocated by the other supervisors?”
“Some supervisors made Moring look like a saint.” She mused tightly. “There was one who would time the numbers of occasions an employee went to the restroom, who they went to lunch with, when they were on the phone, and with whom they spoke. When reviews came around, he would make it a point to use the information as an excuse not to grant a pay raise. He encouraged the same behavior among other supervisors.”
“How?” Dante's head spun with the wealth of insight Kate was providing.
“There were five departments in the office.” Kate supplied. “Terminal and wire processing, die and mold orders, accounting, the shop, an
d engineering. This particular supervisor would take his department to an appreciation luncheon. The one employee he singled out, who was in his department, wouldn't know of the lunch until later. By then, it was too late.”
“Such childish behavior among adults!” Dante groaned in disbelief. He rubbed his face with his hands, shaking his head in disbelief. “Were there other matters?”
“Sexual harassment is another issue.” Kate continued, despite Dante's groan of disbelief. “If a sexual harassment charge was brought up, I overheard the employee being told it was all in their imagination. If you wanted to keep your job, you forgot the incident happened.”
“Sexual harassment is against the law and moral fiber of this company.”
“When a supervisor or manager oversteps their boundaries, it disgusts me.” She stated firmly, her repulsion evident.
Dante winced at her words. Frequently, he entertained graphic images of his secretary, firmly ensconced in the comfort of his bed, eagerly awaiting his touch. He would spread her fiery hair in a fan across the sheets, and the bare paleness of her petite form would be gracefully revealed to his hungering gaze, eager for the intrusion he offered. He shook the lurid visions from his mind.
“Jobs are hard to come by, Dante, especially well-paying jobs with medical benefits and pension.” She pointed out, not detecting the flush warming his skin. “An employee learns to shut their mouth, when that fact is consistently thrown at them.”
“I could have potential lawsuits threatening me at some hidden corner.”
“Not necessarily.”
“How do you propose otherwise?”
“Perhaps,” she continued tentatively, “You should find a way to become more involved with your plants.”
“How do you purport I accomplish that without digging my own grave?”
She ducked her head as he turned narrowed eyes to her, his hands falling limply to his lap.
“Until you came to the offices in Phoenix, I never knew you existed. You were a name on a letterhead and a signature, nothing more. To the plants overseas, you're an individual management doesn't feel they really have to deal with.” She paused and pulled a face, deep in thought. “Perhaps you should make it a point to inspect your own facilities and hold the managers liable for their actions.”
“You feel I should wield my power as supreme lord over the plants?”
“I think you need to be a bit more involved.” She grimaced, noting the exhaustion marring his features.
“Kate, if I were any more involved, I may resort to living at the plant.” He groaned exhaustedly.
“Maybe you can appoint someone you trust to a position in each of your facilities.” She provided tentatively. “Maybe you could have them do actual oversight and reviews, reporting directly to you. Maybe, you need managerial people more involved in the all over functions of each of the facilities.”
“Whereas I failed with Devon, I succeeded with Duncan?”
“Have you noticed a change in the operation in Phoenix?”
“There hasn't been any recalls.” He admitted sincerely, but with a pensive nod. “Performance has been optimum and the reports are delivered in a timely manner.”
She snorted gracelessly. “As if mine were late?”
He smirked at her defensive tone.
“Your reports were never tardy.” He conceded with a wry chuckle at her defensiveness. “I should attempt to be a more committed manager.”
“Yes and no.” She admitted then paused. “I don't think you should accomplish the task to the extent you're doing it now.” She expressed aloud. “You're working yourself into the ground, Dante.”
“I must….”
“When was the last time you had a decent meal?” She interrupted.
He scowled, attempting to form a reply.
“The way you eat, Dante, and you can't remember?” Kate shook her head. “With the amount of stress you have, Anne should be thankful you never took up smoking.”
“I abandoned the foul habit the day I turned thirty.” He admitted, stifling a chuckle as she shook her head in disgust.
“Then, does your coffee vein need a few drops of blood?” She fired back, recalling the amount of coffee he drank. He had an addiction to the brew, the aroma of freshly ground beans evident at all hours of the day and night.
“Perhaps, later,” he responded, the slight outline of a dimple more evident.
“BAI is eating you alive, Dante.”
“The company is my responsibility, Kate.” He stressed emphatically, the telltale dimple vanishing.
“It's not like the plant is struggling.”
“You're right.” Dante admitted, sighing heavily. He rose with a lazy and elegant grace from the couch. He bent to retrieve the stack of folders and placed them on his desk.
Dante turned, his height forcing her head to travel back as her eyes climbed the length of his body. Her perusal was slow and she took full advantage of the dim lighting, savoring the opportunity to view him. Her pulse thudded in her ears and she licked her lips, her attention riveted to his face.
“I've neglected my responsibilities, where others are concerned.”
“Such as Anne?”
He groaned aloud at the mention of his daughter's name and dropped to his haunches. He stared into her eyes, his breath warm against her face, the scent filling her starved senses.
“I'm amazed she hasn't assaulted me for my negligence.”
“You haven't been home enough for her to corner you.” Kate stuttered.
“No.” He exhaled, his shoulders slumping.
His gaze roamed her face before settling on her lips. Mistakenly, Kate assumed he was incapable of deciphering her unspoken hunger, as she looked him over. Years of sleepless nights trained his eyes to adjust to the darkness, and her need was evident. Drawn to the softness of her parted lips, he wondered if the risk were worth the moment, it would take to sample the petal softness.
“You can't continue to work like this, Dante.” She continued breathlessly, her body leaning unconsciously toward him. She flushed with desire, reading the unmistakable intent evident in the clarity of his gaze. The budding nipples of her breast tightened painfully and her gaze was languorous. “You know the expression, all work and no play makes….”
“A Ravensmoor a very, very dull boy.” A lilting voice finished ironically, the door of the study flying wide. Anne marched into the room, her expression determined.
Guiltily, Dante bolted upright and perched on the edge of the cluttered desk, affecting a deceptively placid image. Kate lowered her flaming face. Anne, appearing none the wiser, paused, clicked her tongue and surveying the room.
“Papa, must you insist on spending hours in this dark office?”
“My refuge, moppet,” he prompted, flinching as she flipped on the overhead lights, flooding the room with a brilliant and unwelcome glow. Dante grimaced, forcing his eyes to adjust and Kate rose from the floor, taking her customary seat on the sofa.
“You've been cornered.” She whispered and he bit back a smile, attempting to stifle the ardor coursing through his veins. He favored Anne with a forced grimace, waiting.
“Am I to understand you haven't told Kate about my birthday?”
Guiltily, Dante's attention leapt to his daughter and he cleared his throat.
“The event slipped my mind, Anne.” He responded bluntly, scowling as Anne stomped her foot. “I travel to Budapest, on Monday.”
“Budapest?” She echoed blankly.
“I have to inspect the new plant, Anne.” He supplied apologetically.
“I should have listened, Kate.” Anne groaned in dismay, turning toward the seated woman. Kate managed a noncommittal shrug and a wry twist of her lips.
“To what, Anne?” Dante questioned half-heartedly, nearly dreading the response.
“The male gender remembers only the things that entertain them.” Anne paused, intercepting the look Kate gave her father.
“Anne, you're si
mply horrible!” Kate straightened from her comfortable slouch and dealt Anne a dark scowl, causing the girl to chuckle.
“Papa, your secretary is acquiring the more unsavory Ravensmoor traits,” Anne observed, her hands on her hips. “See! She lifts her brows just like you, especially when you believe I inherited insanity from some defective gene in the family.”
Dante's brows rose at her observance. “Is that so?”
“She thinks I'm incorrigible.”
Kate grinned at the remark and gave her employer a long-suffering glance. She pulled a face and flashed Anne a wicked wink. “My one greatest fault, I have a face that can't tell a lie.”
Dante observed the play between the women and shrugged his shoulders in a semblance of defeat.
“I think Adam would absolutely adore you.” Kate announced aloud.
Anne blushed a brilliant shade of red.
“He'd think me an odd duck, buried in my antiques, history lessons, and dusty castles.”
“No, he wouldn't.” A knowing smile curved Kate's lips and she tapped her head with the tip of her finger. “In here, Adam's an old soul.”
Anne rolled her eyes in disbelief and looked at her father, blatantly ignoring Kate's comment. “Well?”
“What, Anne?” He postulated irritably and stood before Anne, his agitated fingers threading through his hair. “I mislay my own train of thought every time you leap from one subject to another.”
Anne sighed her frustration, and wearily shook her head. “Are you going to ask Kate to the party?”
The change in him stunned Kate. Underneath the duskiness of his tan, she detected the faint reddening of his cheeks and the hasty lowering of his bright eyes.
“In reality, I haven't considered the thought.”
“Well?”
Dante sighed and turned away, his attention straying to the book-lined shelves. He wondered what Anne was up to, with her skillfully placed innuendos before he turned toward Kate.
“Madam,” He began with age-old grandeur, bending at the waist and executing a deep bow with a great flourish. “Would you do me the honor and accompany me to my unmanageable child's birthday party?”
He rose slowly and watched Kate's face flood with crimson color. She pressed the tips of her fingers to her lips, shaking her head.
My Lord Raven (The Ravensmoor Saga) Page 12
