Tempted By Her Tycoon Boss

If the nursery played its cards right, it might get a yearly event out of this. She would definitely hold more balls for special occasions...weddings. The possibilities were endless. Cecilia couldn’t help but feel a little excited about the doors this first event might open up.

‘It sounds as though you have things well under control.’ Linc murmured the words as he sat down to recommence his review.

Cecilia laughed. She didn’t mean to, but the sound escaped her. ‘All except the fact that Valentine’s Day is about to erupt onto my work horizon, whether I feel ready for it or not—and I’m leaning somewhat towards the “not” side of that particular equation right now.’

As Linc turned his attention to his work—with numerous interruptions on his cell phone, despite his desire for a clear run at the review—Cecilia refocused and settled in to finalise stock orders for Valentine’s Day.

She worked hard, but she had to admit—to herself, at least—that Linc’s proximity was corroding her concentration. He was just so there.

And she was so busy. Every time she tried to work on her orders, the phone rang again or a supplier called through directly on her cell phone. There were cancellations of previously established orders, stockists informing her that they’d oversold to other buyers and couldn’t fill her order, asking if other blooms could be substituted.

Cecilia’s answer was always the same. No, they couldn’t!

This happened every year—it was part of dealing with this particular day on the nursery’s calendar—but that didn’t make it any less busy or any less challenging for her to ensure she reached her necessary stock levels.

On top of that the floor staff came in more often than usual, with odd questions that simply couldn’t wait. The more that time passed, the busier it became.

‘Linc, I’m putting this call on speaker. I’m sorry if it disturbs your concentration.’

She tried not to let frustration colour her tone as she jabbed at the settings on her cell phone. Once she had placed it atop the filing cabinet in the corner of the room, she began to riffle through the cabinet’s contents.

‘It’s fine. I can see you’re under pressure.’

Linc’s words were calm. He had fielded numerous distractions of his own since he got here today, and he seemed quite unfazed. As though he didn’t find Cecilia’s presence and nearness at all disturbing.

Not that Cecilia felt agitated due to his presence. Certainly not in any personal kind of way. She’d had that conversation with herself earlier. She simply had to get over the nerve-racking, overalert, oh-so-conscious of him feeling.

And she was over it. She 100 per cent totally was. Her consciousness could just catch up with that attitude right now!

‘Mr Sampson, I have your previous delivery docket, your invoice and a receipt showing a nil balance in front of me.’ She gave the reference number, speaking towards her phone. ‘If funds are outstanding to your company, they aren’t owed from here.’

After a moment the man discovered a mistake at his end. He agreed to finalise Cecilia’s order for the next day and ended the call.

With Mr Sampson sorted out, Cecilia replaced the file in the cabinet and returned to her desk.

Time passed. And when a customer phoned with a special request for a particular style of repurposed item, and Cecilia happened to be able to match it, she decided to take the opportunity to head to the repurposing shed to collect the piece.

She replaced the desk phone in its cradle. ‘You’ll be okay for a few minutes, Linc? I’ll put the phone through to Jemmie, out front.’

‘Leave it. I believe I may just be able to manage without you for a little bit without having to disturb Jemmie.’

His wry smile brought out every gorgeous manly feature. It also undid every bit of Linc-ignoring effort Cecilia had put in today.

Before she could stop herself, she smiled back. A big, wide, pleased-with-the-world smile that brushed across her face and made Linc grow still before an enigmatic veil came down over his eyes.

Her breath hitched, and just like that it was all there again. The awareness. The interest.

She drew in a slightly shaky inhalation. ‘Okay. I’ll...ah...I’ll leave the phone. I’d better go take care of this.’

Before she did something she regretted for the second time since knowing him.

Cecilia exited the office and gave herself a good talking-to while she was at it. She wasn’t interested in Linc. Such an interest wasn’t something she could allow to exist. Just because her boyfriend had dumped her when her issues with her sister had hit crisis point, it didn’t mean she should try to pick up the next available—

Oh, get over yourself, Cecilia. And get over Hugh, too.

As if Linc would participate in that possibility, anyway. He was a millionaire, for crying out loud, so successful in life. And he’d already rejected her once before. Was she trying to line herself up for a second shot at that humiliation?

She wasn’t. She just hadn’t expected to feel this attraction to and interest in Linc again. It had surprised her. All she needed to do was adjust to that surprise factor and she would be fine.

In minutes she was back at the office.

‘Item retrieved and left with the front staff ready for collection.’ She spoke as she stepped over the threshold of the office space.

‘Great.’ Linc was in the process of putting down the office phone extension as he responded. ‘I’ve taken a couple of messages. You’ll know what to do with them.’

He didn’t break into a big smile. She didn’t, either. That earlier moment of blinding connection had passed. So why could she still not seem to be able to tear her gaze from him? And why did he gaze so intently at her? And had she not taken any notice whatsoever of her earlier warnings to herself?

Immersed in those thoughts, she was slow to realise that her cell phone had started to ring.

When she did realise it, she barely gave the caller’s identity a thought. It would be some supplier again. However, she wasn’t sure where her phone actually was.

Cecilia patted her pockets. Her gaze searched the desk. Then, without any warning whatsoever, the worst possible thing happened for her privacy, and perhaps the most heart-wrenching yet hope-inspiring thing for her emotions.

The phone’s voicemail picked up automatically, went straight on to the speaker setting she’d left it on and a tinny prerecorded message from the caller’s end began to play out into the room.

‘Are you willing to accept a call from the Fordham Women’s Correctional Centre? Your sister, Stacey Tomson, wishes to speak with you... ‘

The revealing words blared across the room as though trumpeted through a megaphone by the world’s largest elephant.

‘If you do not want to accept this call—’

She’d left the phone on the filing cabinet. She had received only two other calls like this, and questions filled her mind.

Why had Stacey chosen now to phone? Did it mean their rift might be ending or would they argue again?

So many emotions swirled inside Cecilia in that moment. Hurt. Frustration. Disappointment. Love.

Cecilia quickly crossed the room, grabbed up the phone and fumbled to take it off speaker.

One glance at Linc’s face told her it was way too late to try and hide this, but she managed to change the setting and get the phone to her ear. She wasn’t sure if he’d heard her sister’s voice or not, but when she started towards the door, to leave the room, it was to realise Linc had beaten her to it.

The door clicked shut behind his receding back, and Cecilia could acknowledge both the joy and the pain of finally receiving this call when she hadn’t known when or even if she ever would.

She said hello to her troubled, incarcerated twin.

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