Heart Matters (8 page)

“Hell!” Steven cursed loudly as he headed
hastily for the shower to cool his erotic thoughts. She was
probably in her lover’s arms at this moment responding in very much
the same manner as his imagination.

He cursed again and relished the jet of cool water
over his heated skin. You are behaving like a high school virgin,
Steven Hart, he told himself sarcastically; get her out of your
system before you burn yourself.

Jeff was relying on him and he wasn’t about
to mess it up because of his sexual fantasies about Jessica. He had
to make her trust him and he wasn’t going to be able to do it by
ogling at her. No. He had to be objective in his approach and trap
her as neatly as a spider trapped a fly.

Four days later, Jessica presented herself
at Steven Hart’s office well in time for their ten o’clock
appointment. She wore a chic, peach colored business suit with her
wild tresses pulled back in a stern chignon. Her makeup was light
as was her jewelry giving her an air of cool confidence. Her shoes
had medium high heels that gave her a couple of much needed
inches.

Steven’s secretary smiled at her when her
intercom buzzed and said, “You can go in now, Ms Cantrell.”

Jessica rose to her feet from the visitor’s
couch, her heart beating the tempo of a wild African drum. For all
her outwardly calm appearance, the very thought of meeting Steven
Hart was having a strange affect on her nerves. She opened the door
that bore his nameplate on it and stepped in, closing the door
behind her.

The interiors of the office were
breathtaking. Done up entirely in black and white, it spoke volumes
about the person behind it. Practical. No shades of gray. Yes or
No. No maybes. She was impressed. At least he wouldn’t lead her on
false hopes.

Her shoes clicked smartly on the patterned,
white tiles and she noticed Steven didn’t seem to be around. The
office was massive. It held apart from his working desk and the
usual visitors chairs, a more informal seating arrangement in one
corner, a well equipped bar complete with two stools, a home
theatre system and two doors to unknown destinations.

His desk was free of clutter apart from a
computer and phone. Behind it, large windows allowed filtered
sunlight to light the interiors through partially drawn venetian
blinds. The windowsill held several indoor potted plants that lent
relief to the otherwise serious interiors. She waited around
patiently for a while then out of sheer boredom dumped her purse
and the file she was carrying on one of the visitors chairs and
went closer to admire the potted plants.

She smiled at the fragile greens, stooping
slightly towards them. “You like plants?” his voice unexpectedly
sounded so close behind her that she spun around startled. He
reached out a hand to steady her and smiled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t
mean to startle you.”

Jessica managed a weak smile between the
deep breaths she was taking to steady her racing heart. He had
released her arm but her skin continued burn under the soft
material of her clothes. “I...was just admiring the plants. They’re
lovely.”

He looked past her at them as though seeing
them for the first time and gave a slight nod. “My secretary takes
good care of them. She says they make the place look alive.”

“They do,” she agreed, raising her eyes to
smile at him. Her heart jumped as she did so for nothing had
prepared her for the impact of the deep blue irises in broad
daylight. What shook her even more was the look they held. She
wasn’t exactly naïve to not recognize desire and it made her
fluster uncomfortably. The look left his eyes so abruptly that she
wondered if she had imagined it. Now they were etched with their
usual cynicism.

“You blush beautifully,” he remarked, moving
away to seat himself on his chair. He motioned her to take the
visitor’s and said quite openly, “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you,
Jessica, I couldn’t help myself. You are a very attractive
woman.”

So she
had
been right! Jessica’s
cheeks burned more furiously than ever. It wasn’t as if she was not
used to receiving compliments but coming from him made her feel
like a teenager receiving her first bout of flattery. She pulled
herself together roughly and smiled disarmingly just as the blush
was reaching the tip of her nose.

His eyes narrowed over her but he suddenly
looked away to boot his computer. “Now, shall we get down to
business?”

Jessica had gained control of her senses by
now as she leaned forward to place her file on his desk. She
briefed him about her proposal and then answered his questions
efficiently. After thirty minutes of discussion, he finally opened
the file to browse through. When he had finished, his blue gaze
rested on her once again. “Interesting facts. I like it.”

A rush of pure happiness swept over her but
she chose to remain calm. “So are you genuinely interested in a
partnership deal with ‘Jess-C Creations’?”

“Genuinely,” he repeated, smiling cynically,
“I like the way you put it. Yes, I am certainly interested.” He
paused watching her closely. “As you are aware Jessica, I run a
large empire and have a stake in various fields. Now I wish to
expand into the fashion industry. I want a well-established name
and yours fits the bill. I’ve seen your work. It’s got your mark on
it.”

“I beg your pardon?” she asked a trifle
confused.

“Your designs Jessica, they speak volumes
about your style. Defiant, bold and yet sensuous, bringing out the
woman behind the clothes. I especially like your blend of the
Western and Oriental designs.” He paused, having surprised her with
his keen observation on her. He had done his research on her and
had assessed her style accurately. “You have great potential,
Jessica and that’s why I’m willing to consider a business
relationship with you. Here’s my proposal.”

He moved his chair sideways, frowning
thoughtfully while keeping his eyes on her. “Let me be frank with
you. I believe in mergers. I want to make your company an integral
part of Hart Incorporated. You can retain your name but you will
essentially be a part of a larger group. I will finance the
production and the marketing. In return, you lend me your name,
your designing skills and of course, we share the profits. But I’m
concerned about one simple thing.” He eyes watched her closely.
“You have a lot of enemies in the business, Jessica, enemies who
are out to get you. What will happen if they strike again? I can’t
afford to lose out on investments that I make.”

Jessica felt a nervous gnaw in the pit of
her stomach but kept her chin up defiantly. “If you are referring
to the fire that gutted my manufacturing unit, I must tell you that
it cannot be ascertained to be deliberate. The short was a case of
human negligence.”

“It could also be made to look like human
negligence,” he observed astutely.

She nodded. “Yes but it has not been
proven.”

“That makes no difference to me. I’m sorry
if I sound like a pessimist but that’s the way I choose to look at
it.”

His resolute attitude annoyed her but she
struggled to keep her calm. “Well then you should know that’s why I
approached ‘Hart Inc.’ I have come to understand that your mere
presence keeps enemies at bay.”

Steven gave an involuntary smile that sent a
warm rush through her. “I seem to have quite a reputation, don’t I?
‘Mean Boy of a Mean Age.’ ‘Cross Your
Hart
and Hope to Die.’
Oh, yes, newspapers have coined some interesting phrases about me
but I stand unimpressed. I am not a vulture, Jessica. When someone
goes bankrupt, I get to shoulder the blame. I don’t forcibly take
over small firms. When their owners can no longer run them, they
come to me. I take a risk each time I buy one of these indistinct
names but I guess I’m always lucky. I turn them into successful
businesses and make a fat profit. That is what annoys my
critics.”

He shook his head absently as though
dismissing a vague thought. “However, I’m not invincible, Jessica.
And I’m certainly not stupid. I weigh my pros and cons before I go
through with a deal and hence this apprehension.” He leaned back, a
preoccupied frown on his face. “Did you have the fire
investigated?”

“Yes, of course”

“And?” he prompted.

“And they came up with nothing. There
weren’t any witnesses. It happened after two in the night. The
security men didn’t see anything suspicious.”

“What was the cause?”

“A short circuit in the pantry. Someone left
the hotplate on. The whole place went up in flames and was reduced
to ashes. The dress materials I use are expensive silks, organza
and satin. These materials light up easily and result in extensive
flames. The investigation team has proof of foul play. The
insurance company obviously thinks I had something to do with it.
But they don’t have concrete evidence.”

The frown on his face deepened. For a long
time he said nothing then queried slowly, “Do
you
suspect
someone?”

She shrugged noncommittally, wondering if
she should discuss her suspicions with him. After Jeff had sown the
seeds of doubt in her mind she had done some investigation of her
own and come up with one possible suspect. She looked at Steven
dubiously then decided to confide in him. After all if she wanted
him to accept her proposal she had to trust him. “I think ‘La Belle
Shari’ had something to do with it,” she divulged tentatively.

His brows rose in instant surprise. “Shari
Stanford?”

Jessica immediately realized her mistake.
The evening she had first met him he was with Niki and Shari was
Niki’s half-sister! Shari Stanford was also the owner of ‘La Belle
Shari’ and Steven obviously knew Shari personally. Rats! He would
probably throw her out right now.

But he went on calmly. “How did you arrive
at such a conclusion?” He leaned forward with an interested look on
his face.

Jessica swore at herself under her breath
but there was no turning back now. She had to be fair to herself
and not think that she was offending someone. “‘La Belle Shari’ has
been a competitor since the day I founded my company as a serious
contender in the fashion business. At first I was a small timer so
they didn’t bother with me but as I became popular, they resorted
to cheap tricks to slander me.”

“Such as?”

“Well, once they had my designs for a
particular fashion show stolen and they presented them as theirs.
Since at the time they were a bigger name, I was literally booed
off stage when my designs were presented. You see they had made
very minor alterations in my designs and presented them before
mine. So when my turn came, my designs looked like cheap imitations
of theirs.” She glanced at him for a reaction and found the same
intense frown as before. “Look, the point is that I have some
genuine basis for my suspicions but they don’t lead anywhere.”

“Which is to say your company still has a
reason to feel threatened,” he summed up, rubbing the cleft on his
chin absently. “I think, Jessica, if we be quite blunt about it,
you’re asking me to take a bigger risk than I intend to. My name
alone doesn’t guarantee a safe bet.”

“So what do you want me to do about it?” she
asked, her heart slowly beginning to sink.

“I need you to place some collateral on the
table for me so that in case of a loss I don’t stand to lose
everything.”

She stared at him bewildered. “You mean like
an asset that will be transferred to you?”

His mouth quirked faintly, betraying a trace
of amusement. “Yes, an asset, simply put a pledge.”

“But..I..don’t have anything to offer,” she
breathed, her temper slowly rising, “If I had some
asset
I
wouldn’t be here, would I?”

For a moment, he declined to speak, simply
watching her steadily as if to assess if she was speaking the
truth. Then he spoke curtly. “What about ‘The Cantrell
Residency’?”

The question took her by surprise. “How do
you know about that?”

He gave her a bored look. “Come now,
Jessica. Do you take me for a fool? I make it my business to know
everything about anyone who gains my interest.” His blue eyes
turned innocent. “And I must say; you have gained my interest
rather strongly.”

Annoyance rose within her but she refused to
let him unnerve her. “Well, then you must also know that I can have
rights over them only once I get married…”

“And I hear you’re getting married
soon.”

“Yes but I wasn’t planning right...”

“So what’s stopping you? You can draw papers
and pledge your ‘Residency’ shares to me so that once you’re
married the collateral is already in place.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “But why
would I come to you if I have my inheritance? I can easily revive
my company by myself when I get it.”

He smiled arrogantly. “Don’t forget the bad
wolves, Jessica. You need a larger one to keep them at bay. Besides
you can’t possibly believe Jeff will allow you to casually dawdle
away your inheritance do you?”

Indignant dark gray eyes held his narrowed
ones in silent battle. Steven Hart was proving to be a tougher
challenge than she had bargained for. But she wasn’t about to be
intimidated by him. “It’s quite clear I can’t give you what you’re
asking for right away. But I am willing to consider it. Can you
give me some time to think about it?”

“Sure,” he drawled, “Take all the time you
want. Just remember you have only a couple of months to bail
yourself out.”

Her startled eyes dilated. “You know about
the loans I have to repay?”

“Naturally my dear.”

She hated the way he said ‘my dear’ and
fumed silently. Condescending pig! “All right then, how long do I
have?”

“My offer stands open. It’s all up to
you.”

She rose to her feet smiling brightly.
“Fine. You’ll hear from me soon, possibly in the form of my wedding
invitation. Good day.” She didn’t fail to notice the fleeting look
of surprise that reflected in his eyes and smiled with satisfaction
as she left the building.