The Secret Heiress (6 page)

“We have to stop.” She pushed against him.

“Why?” His eyes trailed over her body, consumed with desire.

Why wasn’t their business relationship an issue for him? “You have two hundred guests upstairs and my company is asking you for funding. It crosses all sorts of professional and ethical boundaries.”

“You are too uptight. Sex is physical, not professional. We can feel free to enjoy ourselves and then move on.”

He was okay having sex with her tonight and then moving forward in a business relationship tomorrow? “I can’t do that. That’s not how I conduct myself. I can’t separate the two. It’s getting to the point where I’ll have to resign from Gala & More or look for another investor.”

She was uptight but in a sexy, intriguing way. He would make love with her tonight if she were willing to let her guard down, but she was going to require more patience. She was right: they should take care of the business aspects before indulging in more physical pleasures. “All right. I’ll agree to keep our association strictly professional until the deal is finished. Does that work?”

Her flushed skin and her tongue darting out to moisten her lips told him that she felt desire for him. He could barely rein in his physical response and moved away from her as she said, “Yes. I can’t think properly with the attraction between us.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “I’m not sure if you should admit that. It gives me the advantage.” He straightened his bowtie.

A flurry of emotions crossed over her face. He had upset her. But in some ways that would help them keep a reasonable distance until a decision was made. He was complicating the entire scenario for himself and breaking his own rules to have her. He believed in keeping business and his personal life separate. It was one of the reasons he stopped seeing Brenda Waterman.

Her expression was downcast and Alistair wanted to see her smile, but he held back. She said, “I shouldn’t keep you from your guests. I’ll see you Tuesday?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Yes. The reveal for the streamlined Gala office.”

He followed her up the stairs and his desire skyrocketed watching her long, shapely legs navigate the steep staircase.

The deal couldn’t be signed soon enough. They weren’t asking for too much investment and they had the talent and the contacts to grow the business. It was a no brainer for him, but for some odd reason he wanted to have an inside view of her building the company. He didn’t want to give them funding and walk away. He wanted to see how it would all work out.

He led her to the entrance foyer and said, “Goodnight, Anna.”

For a brief moment, he considered kissing her on the mouth without a care for what his guests thought, but he decided to respect her boundaries and smiled at her.

She responded only with, “Thank you for inviting me.”

Turning away from him, Anna reminded herself to breathe. The atmosphere in the wine cellar remained with her. He was immensely attractive, but at the same time she worried if she could handle the professional pressure. How could she possibly come up with a celebration that would please him? His expectations were insane. The guests would expect a tremendous amount from an Alistair Martin event. Not only did everyone who was invited attend, but many of the guests also asked to bring others. His event coordinator had to turn people away.

He was a mystery. His castle was modernized yet authentic and marvelously maintained with formal gardens, elaborate furnishings, and all of the modern conveniences. But why would a single man choose to live on a country estate instead of in London?

The valet handed her keys to her rental car and she barely registered him. Alistair’s event was weighing heavily on her mind. How would she find the perfect setting? How would she hold him off until the deal was finished? If he rejected the business deal, would she be just as enamored of him? Her body didn’t care if he rejected the deal or not. But was it wise to agree to leap into an affair with him? He was not interested in any type of permanence. But maybe she needed to let go of her worries and enjoy herself for once?

Driving home, her mind tried to make sense of the evening but for some reason she kept thinking about her desire for him. If she were being practical, she would sprint in the opposite direction. But how could she?

Anna rescheduled a day of appointments and worked forty hours between Sunday and Monday, along with Elyse and Katie, to transform the office space. They hired a handyman to keep removing trash, odd items and other unwanted paraphernalia throughout the two days. They had also coaxed him into helping them move the furniture into a new configuration.

She and Katie had gotten rid of the makeshift eating area and decided to order out for coffee when they needed it. She hired a cleaning crew to steam clean the carpets and wash the walls, woodwork and windows that evening. She would hire a painter to fix the ceiling next week.

Walking into the revamped space on Tuesday morning, Anna relaxed slightly. She had bought flowers and plants that morning and then found a few lamps and pieces of artwork from her storage unit to decorate the revamped office.

She spent time arranging the plants and flowers and then hanging the artwork.

Arriving just after ten o’clock, Katie and Elyse came in with coffee and pastries. The three of them spent a few minutes looking around the space.

Elyse pointed at the floor. “I didn’t know the carpet was an off white. I thought it was brown.”

“Having art on the walls gives the space a more finished look.” Anna gazed at the pieces that had been in her previous flat. Most of them were bright, modern paintings. But it worked.

“What is Mr. Martin looking for?” Katie asked.

“He wants to see Gala & More in action. So relax and go about your normal routine.”

They looked at her blankly. She explained, “Answer incoming calls, reach out to clients, and do research on the internet.”

Elyse said, “I don’t know where anything is now. It was a disaster before, but I could find things.”

Anna made an effort not to roll her eyes. “We put files inside the desks along with all the office supplies. Just sit at your revamped workspace and see if you can establish a routine.”

Katie and Elyse took their coffee to their desks and began to pull out files and turn on their computers.

“So when is our hot new investor arriving?” Elyse asked.

Anna crossed her arms and said, “I don’t think you should refer to him in that manner. He is a professional and we are lucky he’s considering a large investment into Gala & More.”

“Anna, he is gorgeous. I don’t know how you think about business when you’re with him,” Katie chimed in.

Anna fidgeted with her necklace. There was no way she was going to tell them that she was contemplating having a wild fling with him. They would need to be careful or her reputation would be in tatters. “It’s important to keep any interaction on a professional level.”

“Really?” Katie questioned her.

She rolled her eyes. “Never mind. Let’s get started with our day.”

Opening her laptop on the conference room table, Anna began to organize her thoughts. She had considered different venues for the Martin event while she had been cleaning out and organizing the office. Taking out a pen, she began jotting down a few ideas.

At eleven o’clock, Alistair rang the buzzer. She saw him through the front window and pulled open the door.

“So you are a bit of a miracle worker?”

“Good morning, Mr. Martin. Please come in.”

Katie and Elyse came forward. Anna introduced them to Alistair.

He smiled and shook each of their hands. “It’s lovely to meet both of you. I’ve been to some fabulous events organized by Gala & More.”

After a few minutes of small talk, Katie and Elyse went back to work and Anna brought him to the conference room. After hesitating briefly, she closed the door.

Alistair took a seat opposite her. “Do you bring clients here?”

“You are the first, I believe.”

“You may want to consider a white board and project management visuals or photographs of events you have managed. The artwork is nice but is more suitable to a luxury flat.”

She put her pen down. He must know she had spent tons of time cleaning the office.

“I’ll take that under consideration. Maybe we should discuss your event.”

He leaned back in his chair. “Tsk. Tsk. Remember I’m not just a client but your potential investor.”

Her hands clenched briefly. He could be infuriating. She made an effort to relax and said, “Gala & More could survive without your funding. It may take longer to build and expand, but I feel the need to inform you that I’m not interested in your business advice.”

Alistair stood up and moved to the window. “Be careful. If you’re not interested in my business advice, then I don’t know how this deal could move forward.”

Why did he have to be so impossible? They didn’t need his business advice. He had built an empire but not in event management. Running a vineyard and managing a slew of breweries was completely different from an event management company.

She needed to backtrack. “I’m not saying that I’m unable to hear constructive criticism.”

A quiet settled over the space. She met his gaze and Katie’s earlier words came back to her. It was hard to concentrate with the sparks flying between them. He was captivating and intriguing in equal measure.

“Gala & More has some redeeming traits. The clients have raved about the service. But the internal business practices need improving. You would be smart to take advice.”

“I am open to new ideas for improving the company.” Her voice was neutral and calm.

“But not from me?” Alistair leaned against the wall.

She placed both of her hands on the conference room table and stood up. “You must realize I’ve spent the last forty-eight hours reinventing this space. I’ve barely taken a breath. Instead of acknowledging the progress, you are looking for new hurdles for me to jump through.”

He sat down again and leaned back in his chair. “If you intend to build a business worthy of investment, you need to keep pushing forward. It’s not enough to get to a comfortable place. If you want success, you have to keep challenging yourself.”

She needed to stop resisting and allow herself to take criticism. She was used to knowing everything and working without oversight. Having to consider Frances, the staff, and now Alistair was too much. She would need to become more of a collaborator.

She took a calming breath and settled back into her chair. “Agreed. I have a few ideas for the wine launch and would love your feedback.”

Alistair met her gaze. “I’m all yours for another hour.”

She would love an hour with him but made herself banish the provocative thought. Instead she pulled up his client file and turned her laptop towards him.

Anna picked up the remote to advance the slides and began pacing the room. It would have been easier to wear flats, but her heels were comfortable. Her pencil skirt and tailored silk shirt kept her body in an elegant line.

“I’d love to find a venue tied into the wine industry. But I know it is tricky to bring two hundred guests to a working vineyard. I’ve found a few public gardens with extensive grape vines and all the amenities needed to host a large event.”

She clicked through various slides showing the gardens and open spaces.

Alistair frowned. “Your concept is to set up elaborate tables among the gardens?”

Anna could feel herself beginning to sweat and took in a deep breath to slow her heartbeat. “Yes. But I realize there will be some complications. The public gardens have ample parking, modern bathrooms and access to water and electricity. There are a dozen or so gardens within driving distance from London. I’ll visit each one and narrow down the selection to the best two or three.”

“Martin Enterprises typically makes use of one of our breweries or a luxury hotel for a launch.”

She kept her voice neutral. “This would be a departure from the normal event, but it would create interest and excitement. Many of your guests have been to the same event countless times.”

He crossed his arms. “I understand your thinking, but there would be complications to manage.”

Anna continued to pace. “Another selling point is that many of the public gardens are in desperate need of funds. By hosting your event there, you would be creating positive buzz by giving back.”

“I like the concept.” He checked the time on his phone.

“When would you like to meet again?” Anna turned her laptop away from him and accessed her calendar.

He watched her closely. “I’ve blocked off the next few Wednesdays at four o’clock if that works for you?”

She nodded. “Perfect.”

“I’ve had a chance to look over your financials and have a few thoughts.”

Glancing at him, she could only imagine what he would say. Frances didn’t have a head for numbers and their accounts were in poor shape. Vendors hadn’t been paid and many clients were late paying their bills to Gala & More. Frances didn’t go back and charge for add-on services, causing many of the events they managed to lose money. She was beginning to see that Frances was a pushover and clients knew it.

Anna tapped her pen on her notepad, looking down at it. Whenever she glanced at him, her mind would lose focus. “I’ve been analyzing the financials and adjusting the contractual process.”

He said, “In working through the financials, you’ll have to be careful not to disrupt your central selling proposition. Gala & More has been drawing clients in and you wouldn’t want to adversely affect that.”

Anna sat back down. “Being the low bidder has an impact on the bottom line. Gala & More will either need to pull back on offering so much or charge more. In a small shift, I’ve developed a process to charge for add-ons and insisting on a higher deposit.”

“Those adjustments will help. You will also need to find a better location for your offices.”

She shook her head. “We can’t move without a substantial investment.”

Alistair stood. “I’d like you to visit Martin Wineries next week for a couple of days.”

Why would he want her to? She had so much work to do. “As a day trip?” The vineyard was a few hours by train.

“Seeing the operations firsthand will give you a better sense of the business. I’m heading down there next Wednesday afternoon through Friday and would like you to come with me.”

Her mind went into overdrive. It had to be business. He couldn’t be suggesting a romantic getaway. They had agreed to wait.

“It will hard to take time off.”

He smiled at her. “It’s not really taking time off. I would think your most important client is Martin Wineries.”

She needed his investment. How difficult could it be to walk around a vineyard?

“I’ll clear my schedule.” Anna stood and held her hand out to him.

Alistair reached forward and enfolded her hand in a warm caress. She could feel her body begin to heat and stepped back.

“Thank you for coming.” She walked him to the door and took a deep breath as he left.

Katie and Elyse followed her back into the conference room.

“Did it go well?” Katie asked.

Anna took a sip of her cold coffee and made a funny face. “We are still in the running.”

“He is a catch for some lucky girl. His stamina must be off the charts,” Elyse said.

Katie laughed. “I wouldn’t mind trying him out.”

Anna threw away her cup. “Keep in mind, he is a client and you are both happily married.”

Elyse said, “Don’t be so buttoned up. He is drop dead gorgeous. How can you spend time with him and not incinerate?”

Anna wanted to tell them the truth but it was better that she kept her feelings to herself. In the end, it was impossible to predict how everything would turn out. “He has a razor-sharp intellect and asks tough questions. It would not serve Gala & More well if I lost my head.”

“So you haven’t noticed how hot he is?”

“I met him years ago. His close friend is married to my sister, so I’ve seen him occasionally at social gatherings.”

“I hope he decides that Gala & More is worth the investment,” Katie said.

Anna looked out the window. “It won’t be easy. He has many hurdles for us to jump over. We have to be careful quoting new projects and make sure each one comes in on budget. He also wants less artwork and more business stuff.”

“This place is so much improved, but we could use a white board and photographs of different venues we recommend,” Elyse suggested.

“I agree. But we may want to rent a different space first. Closer to the business district.”

“If we spend more on rent, won’t that impact the bottom line?” Katie’s husband was looking for work and she had a nine-month-old son.

Anna straightened the files on the table. “Yes and no. This space can’t be used for client meetings. Most clients would worry about parking their car. We have been getting hired in spite of it. And think about how nice it would be to be closer to some of the rental places, florists and hotels?”

They spent the next few hours planning out events and creating task lists. Anna relaxed as she realized that Katie and Elyse were both competent and resourceful. The tiring work of cleaning out the office had made them more of a team.