Only Pleasure (26 page)

She had been sick, and no one had wanted to see it. No one had loved her enough to try to stop her.

And Kia didn't understand that demon of fear inside him because he hadn't let her see it. He couldn't blame her for her anger or her own demands. It was his decision to place that distance between them and he didn't have the right to be angry now.

But he wasn't angry with Kia. He ached for her. Hungered for her. And he hated himself every second for it. Because he knew he wouldn't be able to stay away from her. He knew he would go to her again, and again, and he would destroy them both in the process, because she didn't know how to handle a man who couldn't bear to hold her in the dark and let her go at the sun's rising.

He turned back to the whiskey, poured another shot, and tossed it back. It wasn't going to happen. He wasn't going to let her go. He would have her again, or he just might die from the need.

Two days later Kia sat behind the desk she hadn't occupied in five years and stared at projections she had come up with for several major accounts at her father's logistics firm.

There was a lot of open space in company warehouses and wasted resources in other areas. She'd been going over two of those accounts since yesterday morning when she walked into her father's office and negotiated her pay.

Whoever could have suspected she would have to fight her father to get what she thought she was worth? She thrilled inwardly at the thought. She had gotten less than she wanted, but more than he'd thought he would get by with. Never let it be said her father wasn't a smooth negotiator.

And he was a tough boss. She had been in his office for hours these two days going over the projections. The logistics firm provided service both nationally as well as globally, and some of the larger accounts seemed to be slipping in areas of delivery and efficiency.

Unfortunately, the person who acquired the accounts and provided the less than sterling projections on them was none other than her former friend, Rebecca Harding's husband, Marion.

Marion was a nice enough guy. Smooth, definitely. Charming and sociable, if a little quiet. He always seemed to fade into the woodwork whenever Rebecca was present. He was an excellent associate with the company, though, and had brought in several major accounts.

Unfortunately, two of those accounts were about to be adjusted. The adjustments would save the company and the client a hefty amount of money. She doubted Marion was going to appreciate it, though, once he found out about the changes that would be made.

Which would have been close to an hour ago.

She glanced at her door at the sound of her secretary's voice rising and grimaced just before her door jerked open and Marion stalked in.

Kia leaned back in her chair and watched as he stamped to her desk. She couldn't say she had ever seen Marion angry. Until now.

"Would you like to tell me what the hell you're doing?" He slapped the files down on her desk, leaned forward, and braced his hands on the desk.

His hazel eyes glared down at her through the lenses of his glasses and his thinning brown hair had a decidedly mussed look. Which wasn't Marion at all.

"I think the files are self-explanatory," she said carefully. "As was the message that we could discuss them, Marion. You didn't have to burst into my office and cause a scene."

She rose from her desk and moved to the door, closing it gently as her secretary watched from her desk. When she turned back to Marion, it was to see his mildly handsome face screwed into a frown.

She had always liked Marion. He was nothing like his wife, and normally hard to upset.

"I didn't cause a damned scene," he responded irately. "You've been here two days, Kia, and you decide to start looking over
my
shoulder? If this is turning into some kind of vendetta, then let me know now, and I'll hand my damned resignation in."

She shook her head as she moved back to her desk and sat down.

"I don't do vendettas, Marion. You and I always got on well when I worked here before. These accounts are two of the largest Rutherford has. Once I clear these up, I'll start on two more." She stared back at him firmly. "This is my job, to look over your shoulder and run your projections. Remember?"

His lips tightened. "Look, I know you and Rebecca had a hell of a falling out, and whatever she did, I'll apologize now."

She raised her hand. "This has nothing to do with your wife and everything to do with your projections. If you'll sit down, we'll discuss them."

"You haven't been in this office in five years and you think you can walk in here and know everything we do as though you never left?" He stared at her incredulously. "Where the hell do you get your nerve?"

Timothy Rutherford opened the door silently as Marion Harding's question exploded into the room. His brows lifted. Two days, and already his senior sales associates were screaming? He wanted to smile as she glanced toward him before shooting Marion a warning look. That was his girl. All teeth. She'd been a hell of a worker before that damned Drew Stanton convinced her to quit.

"She gets her nerve from my side of the family, I believe," Timothy said as he closed the door behind him.

Marion flinched before straightening slowly and turning toward him. His jaw clenched and a flush of anger worked over his cheeks.

"Timothy" He nodded shortly. "You didn't warn me Kia was coming in here to tear our accounts apart."

"Kia's been tearing accounts apart since the day she left," he informed the other man as he moved to his daughter's desk. "Just because she didn't hold the title didn't mean she wasn't going over accounts, Marion."

He laid the file he carried on Kia's desk before turning to face the other man. "Are you going to have a problem working with her?"

Marion's lips were a taut, thin line. "My projections on that account are excellent, Timothy, and we both know it. You and I went over them ourselves. She hasn't been here two days and now she's moving everything around?"

Timothy nodded shortly. "Expect it. Are you going to have a problem with it?"

"Dad, this is the wrong time," Kia said quietly. "Marion and I can work this out."

Timothy restrained the urge to fire Harding on the spot.

"I asked you a question, Marion."

"If she's going to start nitpicking my accounts because of her problems with my wife, then you're damned straight. We're going to have problems," Marion shot back.

Marion was a good man, but that wife of his made Timothy wonder at her parents' parenting skills.

"Excellent. We have no problems then." Kia leaned forward. "You can leave now, Dad."

He glared down at her. "I want to sit in on this meeting."

"Too bad." Her eyes narrowed back at him. "We had a deal, remember?"

Damned girl. Her and her deals
. He shot Marion a warning glance. "Fine. But we'll discuss this later."

"Later suits me." Kia hid her smile as her father stalked from her office. She turned back to Marion. "That wasn't wise. Daddy isn't nearly as neutral as I am where the damage Drew and Rebbecca caused before the divorce is concerned. Do you think I fought him for six months to preserve your and Drew's positions and reputations in this company so you could blow it all to hell by challenging my father now?"

She rubbed her hands over her face before pushing back from the desk and rising from her chair to glare back at him.

"Rebecca can take a flying leap into hell for all I care, Marion. Right along with Drew. I wouldn't have fought my father over Drew's position if I meant to walk in here and threaten yours." She flattened her hands on her desk now. "You can work with me or you can walk out that door right now and we can turn this into a feud. We worked well together once, Marion. Surely we can again."

They glared at each other before he eased back and narrowed his eyes, and, for just a second, a reluctant smile tipped his lips.

"You have teeth," he finally grunted.

"A full set." She flashed them at him.

"Dammit. I busted my ass on those accounts." He finally threw himself into one of the chairs in front of her desk. "You're kicking the hell out of my pride."

She shook her head. "Fresh eyes, remember? Those accounts are your babies, not mine. I can look at them with greater detachment and that's what I've done. Now, would you like to discuss how we can solve the problems?"

He narrowed his eyes back at her. "Would it do any good? If I disagree, your father's just going to make sure you get your way."

At that Kia breathed out roughly. "Five years ago you called me an arrogant upstart over another account. Told me I didn't know my ass from a hole in the ground. Do you remember that, Marion?"

He winced.

"You showed me where I was wrong, and I listened, and I learned. I'm willing to do so again. If I'm wrong, prove it."

He watched her for long, silent moments. "You know, Kia, it's getting damned hard to imagine you letting Rebecca do what she did to you two years ago when I see you here." He waved his hand around the room. "Would you like to explain how she survived it?"

Kia tapped the table with her fingernails. "She might not have been my friend, but it wasn't entirely her fault." She shrugged. "It was mine as well. And I refuse to discuss it further. We can discuss these accounts, though."

He shook his head and rubbed his neck wearily. "Okay. Fine. Show me what you found and I'll show you where you're wrong."

Four hours later he walked out of the office, disgruntled. He wasn't exactly right, but there had been places where Kia hadn't been entirely right either. They had ended up with four other associates in the office, a pot of coffee, and, at times, loud arguments.

They both had work to do over the next few days, but Marion swore it was the most productive meeting the department had had since she quit five years earlier.

Kia stacked her files before she checked her watch, grabbed her cell phone from her purse, and rushed from the office.

"Where are you?" her father barked as he answered the call.

"I'm running late. I'll meet you at the dinner club in a few hours."

"We were going for drinks first," her father grunted. "You'll miss that."

"Can't be helped, Dad." She waved a cab down as she exited the office and gave him her address quickly. "The meeting ran over and now I'm rushing."

"The dinner club then. We're meeting Cameron Falladay and his fiancée as well as the Sinclairs to discuss the sale of that warehouse Sinclair owns. I was hoping to pick Cameron Falladay's brain on a security issue as well. I want you there."

"I'll be there. I promise." She prayed Chase wouldn't be. "Two hours. I promise."

"Two hours," he snapped. "If you're late, I'm docking your pay."

The call disconnected before she could argue. She should be late just for the hell of it after that comment, she thought. Minutes later, the cab pulled up to her apartment building.

She rushed inside, calculated the time, and figured she'd be at least a few minutes early.

The good thing about working for her father again was that she didn't have time to miss Chase as she would have had otherwise. The bad thing about it? She didn't have time to. miss Chase as she knew she would have.