Come Home Again (The Donovans) (2 page)

Delilah grinned. “I'll sleep when I’m running this place and have minions.”

“Do I get minions too?”

“Of course. Minions for all.”

Willow grinned. “Jake said he wanted just the two of you in this meeting to start, so in the meantime, I’m going to see what else I can dig up on Chase Manning.”

“Thanks, you’re the best.” Delilah headed for the conference room. Through the opaque glass, she could make out several figures in the room. No doubt, Chase had brought a team of lawyers with him. Before she opened the door, something caused the hair on the nape of her neck to stand at attention. Surreptitiously, she glanced around as if the boogeyman were about to jump out and say hello.

There was no one there.

“Get it together, Dee.”

As she stepped into the room, she immediately schooled her expression. Ugly purplish bruising and swelling marred the normally stunning tableau of Chase Manning’s face. She’d seen enough photos of him to know what he really looked like.

Her boss’s voice was smooth and relaxed as he introduced her to the parties in the room.

Chase stood smoothly, as did the other man with him. His companion had longish, dark brown hair paired with piercing green eyes. Like Chase, she recognized him from magazine covers. Lachlan Murphy.

“Mr. Manning, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She shook hands with Chase then Lachlan. “Mr. Murphy. It’s a pleasure.”

Both Lachlan and Chase gave her the once over. She met their gazes directly like a dare. She was used to men not taking her seriously. Jake started the meeting, and Delilah tamped down the compulsion to take over. This was normally her job.

“Now, Chase, why don’t you tell us what you’re looking for?” Jake’s voice was smooth and practiced.

“I want a full CEO makeover. I need you to help convince the board and the public that Synth Games’s CEO is viable, stable, and in charge.”

Delilah frowned and asked, “Pardon my confusion, but aren’t you the CEO? From what I've read and studied, you've kept the company’s earnings way above the projections each quarter. Why would there suddenly be a crisis of confidence?” She held her breath and waited for Jake’s response, but he nodded and leaned back, waiting for an answer.

Chase sighed, and his eyes went grave. “I'm a compulsive gambler. I'll be heading to an upstate rehab facility tomorrow. My interim CEO has a month to convince the board that he has the chops, or I'll lose my company to one of the vultures on the board.”

What
? Delilah clamped her jaw tight to keep it from hanging open. He was worth half a billion dollars. She slid a gaze to Jake, but he nodded at her, encouragingly. When she finally was in control again, she asked. “My first question is, how long will you be in rehab?”

Chase met her gaze directly. “Sixty days inpatient, then a thirty day outpatient.”

“What prompted the need to check yourself in?”

He hesitated, but she prompted. “If we’re to protect your interests, I need to know what I'll have to deal with. What prompted the rehab?”

He sighed, and for the first time, she realized how weary he looked, as if he'd been up all night. “Last night, some associates of a bookie thought it would be nice to tune me up.” His glance shifted to the man at the window.

“Why?”

“I’d been a week late with a payment of half a million dollars.”

Delilah blinked. Why would he owe anyone that kind of money? She cleared her throat. “And this bookie, who is he? Is this an establishment that will come out and attempt to tarnish your reputation?”

A frown marred his handsome face. “A back room game in the city. Invite only. Hole in the wall place. He won’t be going public with anything. It’s not in his interest to do so.”

Jake piped in. “They’ve been paid in full and will not come after you in the future?”

Chase shook his head. “No. I'm covered. But I understand your job will be difficult. Synth is already drawing a lot of media coverage because of the release of the new game.”

Delilah sat forward. “It’s timed with the movie release, right?”

Chase nodded. “Yes. Normally this wouldn’t be such a big deal, but the game and movie combined are projected to do a hundred million in the first week of release.”

Jake nodded enthusiastically. “We’re on it, Chase. We know how important this is.”

Delilah quickly made a note for Willow before looking back up. “We’ll do what we can to keep your recent run-in out of the news. We’ll populate some misdirecting stories if anything should arise. In the meantime, we’ll also start to draft the releases about your temporary step down. They’ll go to the majors. We should also plan for your return and the interviews following. We’ll want the important morning shows and outlets, like Anderson Cooper and Piers Morgan. I have a contact at Oprah’s Network too. We’ll see if we can get you on one of her shows.”

Quickly and efficiently she went through the plan for keeping his recent run-in with meaty fists out of the media. She also ran through the plan of communication to the public and shareholders. Of course, every part of the plan boiled down to the final most important piece. “And what do you plan to do about your company while you’re away?” She glanced briefly to Lachlan.

Chase leaned forward. “We’ve called an emergency board meeting for tonight. I can suggest a replacement, and the board will choose. With the voting members present, it should be no problem making sure it goes my way. The crux is, in another thirty days, the board can keep or replace.” He glanced around. “It is in my best interest if the CEO I pick stays.”

Delilah studied the man seated next to Chase. Lachlan Murphy was great CEO material. Honestly, this job would be a walk in the park with him. There wouldn’t be much to do. “I assume you’ll be stepping in as Mr. Channing’s CEO, Mr. Murphy?”

Lachlan’s eyes widened. “Me? Uh, no. And call me Lach. There would be a conflict of interest with my other business interests. I will only be acting in an advisory capacity, that’s all.”

Jake frowned. “I don’t understand. Who will be your replacement?”

Chase gave them a sheepish smile. “I’d hoped he’d be here by now. He was taking care of a quality assurance problem with one of our games. He’ll be here shortly.”

Delilah chewed her bottom lip. What were the chances that whoever Chase had picked would be as easy to mold and work with as Lachlan Murphy? She slid a glance at Jake. His lips were pressed into a thin line.

She licked her lips. “Okay, then. What will we need to know? Where will we need to focus my attention? What’s his background, what are his strengths?”

Chase and Lach exchanged a quick glance. Lachlan spoke first. “He’s loyal.”

Chase continued. “He actually designed a good portion of our games, so he’s familiar with the technology.”

Delilah read between the lines. Games programmer usually meant awkward nerd type. She’d have to roll up her sleeves on this one. “What else?”

“He has an MBA, he’s smart, and he’ll keep my company afloat.”

Delilah studied Chase carefully, unsure how to get the honest truth out of both men. They were giving her the guy’s resume not the overall feel of him. She sat back and asked, “What are we missing here? What is it you don’t want to tell us? We need to know what deep dark skeletons we’re going to have to incinerate so the public never finds them. Or at least doesn’t find them until you’re back in your rightful seat and your profit margins are up.”

Chase squirmed in his seat. Lachlan wouldn’t meet her gaze and suddenly seemed to find his phone very interesting. Abruptly, Chase sat straighter. “Looks like he’s here. You can ask him yourself.”

Through the opaque glass of the conference room, a tall figure loomed at the door. Broad shoulders. There was an air of confidence about him. She could work with that, but even as she stood, the fine hairs on her arms stood at attention.

When the door swung open, Delilah catalogued him in an instant. She caught sight of his Nike Air Force Ones first, then dark jeans. His hands were big. Like they were made for playing basketball, not coding video games. But they were unadorned with jewelry. His leather jacket was expensive, well made and well worn. He didn’t wear it for fashion, rather for necessity. Under it, he wore a black T-shirt that stretched over a well-defined chest.

Oh hell yes.
She could certainly work with this.

Her long dormant libido woke up and stretched languorously. It wasn’t until she managed to drag her eyes from his defined pectorals that her brain stuttered. A shadow of blond hair dusted his chin and strong jaw. Longish blond hair curled at his nape. Lips shaped like a bow with a fuller lower lip. High cheekbones. A slightly crooked nose that had been broken at least once. Deep-set, aquamarine eyes framed by thick, sooty lashes.

A face she knew well. One that had haunted her for seven years.

All air whooshed from her lungs as if she’d been hit in the solar plexus.

Chase’s voice sounded like a distant echo. “Jake, Miss Donovan. Allow me to introduce you to Nathanial Williams. He’ll be stepping in as CEO while I’m gone.”

Oh. Hell. No
. Her heart hammered, and her lungs refused to operate properly.
This is not happening to me.
Not him.
Anyone
but him.

Her gaze collided with the man she’d thought she once loved, and her stomach pitched. The last time she’d seen Nate was her sixteenth birthday. The night he’d betrayed her family and broken her heart.

F
uck
.

Knees locked, muscles bunched, teeth clenched, Nate Williams’ whole body tensed. His mind refused to believe the sight in front of him.
Delilah
.
His
Delilah.

So much about her was familiar, from her wide brown eyes to her full, always smiling lips, honey-brown skin, and her sweet and spicy scent. His blood ran thick, and his pulse thrummed through his skull like the beat of a bass drum. His throat constricted.
Say something, you idiot
. Right. He should form words. Appear intelligent.

Her wide-eyed, panic-stricken expression guided his decision. Nate stuck out his hand and shook the dark-haired man’s hand first as he muttered, “You must be Jacob Park. Chase speaks highly of you.”

“Pleasure.” The guy gestured toward Delilah. “This is Delilah Donovan, she’s one of our best associates.”

Nate marshaled every ounce of control he possessed and turned to Delilah. “Miss Donovan. It’s a pleasure.” Except, it was a disaster.

When Chase had reached out to him, calling in an old debt, Nate should have known it wouldn’t go smoothly. Nothing with Chase ever did. But he couldn’t exactly say no. Back in college, Chase had used his connections to keep Nate’s punk ass out of jail, and Nate knew he owed him big. Though he paid his debts, he was hesitant about this particular gig. It would require more of a public persona than he was looking for. And having Delilah involved added a complication he certainly wasn’t prepared for.

Eyes wide and unblinking, she woodenly placed her hand into his. The brief charge of electricity almost felled him. He withdrew his hand as quickly as he could. The jolt seemed to drag her out of her trance as well, and she hastily sat down.

Lach furrowed his brows and assessed Nate. Chase smirked.

Asshole
. Nate ignored his friend and said, “So sorry I’m late. We were having problems with the current game’s release. So I figured it was a better idea to stay and deal with that.”

Jake’s smile was understanding, though, it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Of course. Of course. We understand. And call me Jake. We’re a family around here.”

While Jake tried to catch Nate up on the meeting’s proceedings, Nate tried to stay focused, but his eyes kept drifting to Delilah. But she never looked at him, instead, kept her eyes on her laptop and typed furiously as her boss spoke.

His memory served him well, but some things about her were different now. Her wild curls were gone, replaced with a sleek bun. The air of laughter was gone too. This version of her was more muted. And of course, his body hadn’t missed the obvious physical changes. Last time he’d seen her, she’d been petite and thin as a reed. Seven years later, and she’d certainly filled out in all the right places.

She wasn't a kid anymore, tormenting him with glimpses of her honey-brown skin in her red, polka dot bikini. With her dark hair tucked into a neat bun and her conservative, though tailored, skirt and blouse, she was all woman and barely resembled the girl he’d known. Although, for all the things that were different about her, her lips, full and ripe and always hinting at a smile, still had the power to make him forget rational thought.

When Jake turned his attention to Delilah, Nate clenched his jaw.
Please, just look at me
.

“Delilah, you’ve worked several image campaigns—why don’t you share some preliminary ideas with us.”

Her eyes widened, and Nate could tell she’d been put on the spot. It made him like Jake a whole lot less. She licked her lips, and he bit back a groan while shifting in his seat and scratching at his stubble. Delilah and Jake might have missed his discomfort, but both Lach and Chase stared at him, complete with raised eyebrows.

She slid a glance in his direction, and heat trailed over his skin. “I’d do the usual image package for starters. But the look isn’t the main concern. We can dress anyone up and call them a CEO. The important thing will be to make everyone believe it. We’ll want community initiatives as well as perception initiatives.”

She turned her attention to Chase and Lach. Nate didn’t like it. He leaned forward, intent on drawing her in. “I’m sorry, can you go to the part about the usual image package. What does that entail, exactly?”

Jake waved his hand as if to dismiss the question. “Oh, it’s nothing really. Just making you look the part.”

Nate pinned Jake with a glare. Yep. No, he really didn’t like the guy. “I’d rather Miss Donovan tell me exactly what she plans, since it was her idea.”

Jake stuttered. “I-uh—” He turned to Delilah.

She dragged her gaze back to Nate’s. Oh yeah. This was all kinds of a bad idea. Working with Delilah Donovan would be an exercise in torture. Maybe he was a masochist.