Taking On The Boss

She crossed her arms over her chest, resisting a reaction to his casual friendliness, his supposed humility in the face of his superior position, the ease with which he brandished the coffee pot as though it was natural to him to make his own.

Tahlia stiffened. ‘How would I like it?’ Pretending to be just another workmate was not going to get him anywhere with her. ‘I think honestly and straight down the line,’ she said evenly. ‘No sugar-coating or fluffy padding would be nice.’

‘I meant your coffee, but okay…’ He smiled, his blue eyes gleaming at her.

Tahlia swallowed down the flutter in her belly. Snap out of it. So he was in a kick-arse deep blue suit that hugged his body like silk to pillows. So his eyes smiled as sexily as his mouth. She was not going to make any mistakes today. ‘Black, no sugar.’

Darrington nodded. ‘I need to know all about my staff. My team. I’m reliant on them to make or break this company,’ he said, splashing the coffee into her mug and sliding it down the bench to her.

She halted its progress, cupping the mug in her hand. ‘It sounds like you’re aiming at Raquel’s job next,’ she said slowly. He couldn’t take that off her too… ‘A little ambitious for the first week, aren’t you?’

He put the coffee pot back, poured some milk in his mug and added three spoons of sugar. ‘I like to aim high. I like to push my staff to their potential and I like to succeed.’

She nodded tightly. WWW Designs sure needed that sort of attitude, that optimism and drive…but from her, not some interloper!

Case Darrington sipped his coffee. ‘So what do you have to offer, Miss Moran?’

She paused, her nerves rippling their response down her spine and settling deep in her belly. ‘My track record speaks for itself, Mr Darrington,’ she bit out. She’d be damned if she was going to spell out her worth to a man who had undermined it.

He leant against the counter, his attention fixed entirely on her. ‘I want to hear it from you.’

Tahlia took a deep breath. ‘Well, that’s all well and fine but I’m a busy woman. I really don’t have time to list my skills, my achievements and my worth to this company to somebody who can’t be bothered reading my file.’

His mouth fought a smile. ‘You’re not scared of me?’

She took a gulp of the coffee and looked pointedly at her watch. ‘No.’

‘Not even wary?’

‘No.’

He crossed his arms over his wide chest. ‘Aren’t you worried I’ll fire you for your lack of respect for authority?’

Tahlia shrugged. ‘If you can’t see my worth from reading my file, by what I do around here, then I’m better off somewhere else.’

He nodded slowly, his mouth fighting a smile. ‘You are absolutely right.’

She met his sapphire-blue eyes warily. ‘I am?’ What was he up to? It had to be something…

‘Yes.’ He picked up his mug and walked to the door. ‘Maybe we can discuss any ideas you have…over lunch some time?’

‘Ye-es,’ she said slowly. She had a lot of ideas to improve the place that Raquel hadn’t seemed to want to hear despite numerous discussions, letters, memos and slip-anonymous-suggestions-on-to-her-desk attempts.

It would be nice to have someone who was actually open to improvement rather than just wanting to keep doing things the way they had always been done because it was her way.

Tahlia surveyed the man in front of her. Did the Rottie have any idea what this new guy was up to? She couldn’t wait to see her face when Darrington brought her his recommendations to change her system.

She caught herself. Darn it. He wasn’t meant to be like this, all competent and businesslike and friendly. He was meant to be an insensitive jerk who didn’t really care about anything but his own career.

He was…nice, and behaving like one hell of a good boss—if she could trust him. Huh. Like that would ever happen. Tahlia Moran was never going to trust a man.

She wasn’t about to weaken, not when so much depended on her being strong, sensible and in control.

‘So I’m guessing you’ll want to meet to discuss new markets, existing clients and what my team’s ideas are to advertise our services?’

Case Darrington shook his head. ‘Not a priority for me just now,’ he offered casually, and left.

Tahlia stared after him. Not a priority? He didn’t want to know about it? What on earth was wrong with the guy? Didn’t he have any idea what his job was?

She swung to the sink and tipped the rest of her coffee down the drain and rinsed her cup. This was such a stuff-up!

How could he have been put in that position, her position, if he wasn’t going to do what was needed?

She strode to the door, her blood hot, her body tense.

This wasn’t her failure; it was Raquel’s. She was the right person for the job…a mistake had been made. She just had to prove it.

So the new guy thought he was God’s gift to the office with his smooth deep voice, friendly act and dazzling blue eyes? So he enjoyed toying with her and watching her embarrass herself?

So Case Thieving Darrington liked playing games? She could play a few of her own to find out what she needed.

He wouldn’t know what hit him.

CHAPTER FIVE

They say it’s lonely at the top.

I say it can be lonely anywhere.

CASE glanced at his watch. What time did they take lunch here? He ran a hand through his hair. He had no idea.

He’d tried to play it cool by waiting, taking his time, attempting to talk himself out of taking the woman to lunch over the last two days, but it was impossible. Everyone he talked to had something to say about Tahlia Moran’s dedication and commitment to her work…

He’d cracked and sent an invitation to lunch to her this morning.

He had to know more about her than the snippets he’d picked up in conversation around the office.

It wasn’t enough.

There was enough information to go either way. Her dedication to her work intrigued him, her confidence teased him and her beauty tortured every inch of him. But he could be wrong…like with Celia, his ex…and Tahlia’s dedication could well border on obsession, her confidence narcissistic and her beauty only skin-deep.

Tahlia’s reluctance to pander to him or his ego fascinated him. Her forwardness, her bluntness, her total lack of pretence appealed to something in him. What, he didn’t know…

He couldn’t afford another mistake. For his parents’ wavering belief in him as much as his own reluctance to go through anything like Celia ever again.

So what was he doing? Playing with fire…

He stood up and strode to the floor-to-ceiling window and stared out at the Yarra river and Melbourne’s city sprawl on the other side.

Hell, he needed a breath of fresh air in his life. He deserved one after what Celia had put him through.

Celia had been amazing in the beginning, sweeping him off his feet with her calm assurance and big smiling eyes into a whirlwind marriage that had torn through his savings, his illusions and his heart.

He could have gone on for years, trying to make it work, pushing her to see a counsellor with him, attempting to recapture the magic of those early days. Her spending hadn’t mattered. He had been making enough to fund her passion for designer clothes, shoes and jewellery.

All he had wanted was for her to love him again.

He hadn’t known what he’d done wrong.

Hadn’t known what to do next.

He’d gone home early that day to beg for her help in saving their marriage, rekindling the magic, sharing in finding the solution that eluded him. What he’d found was Celia sharing herself with some bronzed stud in their bed.

Case closed his eyes, the image scored in his mind. He was a fool. Even then he would have tried again, would have burdened the blame, just to get her to want to save their marriage as much as he had wanted to.

She hadn’t. She’d wanted a divorce, half of what was left of his assets and to be rid of him.

Thanks to several savvy lawyers involved in their pre-marital agreement, she’d only got two out of three.

Case ran a hand through his hair, cringing. It was nearly a year since the divorce had finally been settled. Logic suggested it was long enough to get on with life, but the wounds he bore still ached deep in his chest.

The betrayal was going to take longer to get over and he was strong enough to ignore Tahlia’s lush peach lips, those dazzling green eyes, her sweet voice and intriguing focus on business.

The knock startled him. Case turned. Tahlia Moran stood at his door in a short black skirt that showed just how long and shapely her legs were, the slight curve of her hips and her narrow waist.

Her hands were on her hips, her lips pursed. ‘Ready, Mr Darrington?’ she lilted, her voice sweet as apple blossom.

Maybe not. Case swallowed hard, pulling at his tie and straightening it, his blood roaring hot and fiery through him.

He couldn’t deny he was attracted. But he didn’t need to take any risks. He could keep it light. Keep it simple. Get to know the woman, with no strings and no complications.

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