The Tycoon's Reluctant Cinderella. Therese Beharrie

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      ‘I’ll get you some more,’ she said, and placed her files and handbag a few seats away from his.

      This was their first official day of working together, and Callie wasn’t sure what it would be like to work with the boss. She was already distracted by being alone with him in the same room, she thought as she poured coffee into two cups that sat on the counter along one side of the conference room. The hotel staff had made sure that everything their boss could possibly need was in that room.

      She’d heard them whispering amongst themselves, and had taken it upon herself to defuse their curiosity.

      ‘We’re going to try and save the hotel,’ she’d told Kate, knowing her friend couldn’t keep a secret for the life of her, ‘and if we do things will stay the same for the foreseeable future.’

      Since she’d let that little titbit go, her colleagues had done everything in their power to make sure they had the fuel to save the hotel. And maybe the world, she thought, and wrinkled her nose at the extensive display of pastries that lined the rest of the counter.

      ‘How many people are eating this?’ she wondered out loud, and set the coffee in front of Blake.

      ‘Two today.’ He sighed as he sipped from the coffee. ‘It’s been like that ever since I started working in here. I think they think I’m a competitive eater in my spare time.’

      She laughed. ‘Or a man who needs as much energy as possible so that he can work to save their jobs.’ He frowned, and she elaborated. ‘People were getting restless about what you being here means. I told a friend, and she told everyone else. Trust me—it’s better this way. Otherwise they might have been planning to starve you instead of feed you.’

      She grinned, and felt herself relax. This wasn’t so bad. They were having a normal conversation. Just as she would with any of her colleagues. But then Blake smiled in return, and her heart thumped with that incredibly fast rhythm she was beginning to think was personalised for him. Like a ringtone.

      She cleared her throat. ‘How’s everything going here?’

      ‘Good.’ He took another sip of the coffee, and settled back in his chair. ‘I’ve created interest amongst my contacts by highlighting how beneficial it would be for them to be a part of my business, so we’re looking at a few potential prospects.’

      She stared at him. ‘You’re good.’

      He grinned at her. ‘Thanks. It’s going to be a lot easier for both of us now that you’ve realised that.’

      She felt her lips twitch. ‘It’s a good thing I have, then. Now, what do you need from me, Mr Owen?’

      ‘Blake,’ he said, and shrugged when she frowned. ‘I feel like my father every time you call me that.’

      ‘Fine,’ she said, and forced herself to say his name without feeling anything. ‘Blake, what do you need from me?’

      There was a pause as the question settled between them, and it made her feel as though she’d said something inappropriate. And the way he looked at her made her feel like she wanted to give him whatever he thought he needed from her—even if it wasn’t something that was strictly professional. She exhaled slowly, and hoped that the tension inside her would seep out with her breath. It did—but only because he finally responded.

      ‘Well, we need to start working on a proposal. But, since I’m still at the stage of securing possible investors, please start drawing up a list of places you think we can include in the tour portion of the proposal. Include your motivations for why you think we should visit them. We can take it from there.’

      ‘Okay,’ she said, and then frowned when he grabbed his coffee and hung the tie that had been carelessly thrown across his chair over his shoulder. ‘Where are you going?’

      ‘To work in Connor’s office for a while. Just so we don’t disturb each other while I’m busy with my calls.’

      He nodded at her, and then left her wondering why he had asked her to work with him in the conference room when he wouldn’t even be there.

      * * *

      ‘Welcome back,’ Callie said later, as Blake entered the room.

      ‘Thanks.’ He nodded, and opted for a glass of water instead of the coffee he knew he should take a break from. Especially since his throat was nearly raw from all the talking he had been doing for the last few hours.

      He had been successful—had spoken to many of the parties who had contacted him—and he could no longer justify staying away from the conference room. Not when he had insisted Callie work with him and that they should do things together.

      ‘What do you have so far?’

      Callie gave him a measured look, and immediately he felt chastised that he hadn’t made small talk first. But he didn’t trust himself to do that just yet. Not while he was still trying to convince himself that working with her had been a business decision, and had nothing to do with the way she made him feel. Especially after he had told himself that he would stay away from her.

      Even now, as she sat poised behind the table, her white shirt snug enough for him to see curves he didn’t want to notice, he could feel a pull between them that had nothing to do with business.

      And it scared him.

      ‘Well, I’ve done exactly as you asked. I’ve drawn up a list of must-see locations that I think we should consider for your proposal.’

      She stood and handed him the list, and he saw that her black trousers were still as neat as they had been that morning, when she’d first walked in. She looked pristine—even though, based on the papers in his hands, she had been working extensively on her planning.

      ‘You can have a look at them and let me know what you think, but I don’t think there will be a problem with any of them. I’ve also tentatively set up some tour ideas.’

      Blake struggled to get over the way her proximity threatened to take over his senses, but he forced it to the back of his mind and listened to her explain some of the ideas she’d had. As she did, his own began to form. A business proposal that would complement what she had in mind. But he didn’t know if it would work without seeing it first.

      ‘Okay—great.’ He put down his glass of water and gestured towards the chair where her jacket lay. ‘Grab your things and we can go immediately.’

      ‘What?’ Her eyes widened.

      ‘I want you to show me these must-see locations. I mean, what you have is great—theoretically—but I need you to show them to me so that I know they work in practice.’

      ‘And you want to go right now?’

      ‘Yes.’ He walked to the door and opened it for her. ‘The longer we wait, the longer we delay finalising plans. And that’s not the way I work.’

      Callie stood staring at him, as though at any minute he was going to say, Just joking! When she realised that it wasn’t going to happen, she grabbed her jacket and handbag and walked past him through the open door.

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