In Bed with the Boss

Chapter Four

She should have saved her money.

He was watching her closely. “You mean you thought that a pair of hot heels might make me reconsider pulling out of the investment? “His voice was soft and deadly. You might have interpreted my reputation incorrectly, Miss Bella. I keep my personal life and work apart. She was frozen in the lethal heat of his gaze when his attention turned to her. She was unable to talk or move. Her body felt as though it had become liquid, and a strange, foreign warmth began to creep across her pelvis.

His women.

She suddenly had a vivid vision of Lockwood Corduroy resting on white silk sheets, bare and bronzed, his body sweaty from excessive exercise, and a tired and ecstatically thankful girl curled up next to him.

She looked away for a time, focusing on the lush green of the jungle rather than the diamond-hard sparkle in his eyes as the vision startled and unnerved her.

‘Miss Bella?’ She froze at his sudden provocation and turned to give him a frantic look, cursing herself for contemplating what it would be like for those long, bronzed fingers to touch her skin. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t the kind of lady who instantly undressed men in her mind after meeting them.

Especially not men like him.

He wasn’t going to yield or compromise, she could see that. There was no mellowing, tenderness, or indication of warmth or humanity. She experienced a terrible moment where she felt her self-assurance eroding. She drove her nails deeply into her palms as the dreadfully familiar waves of panic began to envelop her. She then turned away from him and briefly stared at the woods as she battled to maintain composure.

You can do this, Maria, she told herself desperately. He doesn’t have to make things simple for you.

Since when had anyone ever made it easy for her?

She had battled to establish herself throughout her entire life, and she wasn’t anticipating this experience to be any different.

She spent a valuable thirty seconds centering herself before speaking. Fighting the increasing tenseness in the air, she responded calmly, “I wore the heels because they seemed right with the suit. ”And you owe me another minute.’

He leaned back In his chair, his eyes narrowed. ‘I do?’

Yes, considering how much time you just squandered discussing women’s clothing.

There was a long, pulsing silence and then he inclined his head. There are still eight minutes left.

Maria started to breathe again. ‘Good. I only need an opportunity to present the facts to you. I came here to influence your viewpoint.

She prayed fervently that he wouldn’t look at her, but because of his unwavering attention, it was difficult for her to focus. They had an electrically charged connection.

Did he feel it too? Did he feel the heat and the rising tension? ‘I’ve already told you that I don’t change my mind.’

You also mentioned wanting facts, which you still don’t have. Her heart was pounding so loudly that she was sure he could hear it.‘You promised me ten minutes, Mr. Corduroy. My ten minutes are still left. And she realized she was fumbling the whole thing. It was all very well acting assured, but her hands and legs were trembling, and she was saying all the wrong things. All it took was one commanding glance from those black eyes to convert her into a stuttering wreck. And he gave a silky smile, showing that he was aware of the impact he was having on her.

‘Nervous, Miss Bella?’

‘Of course, I’m nervous …’ She made a pleading gesture with her hands, pleading for him to show some clemency. “Don’t you think that’s understandable given the circumstances?”

He was in the driver’s seat, and she was waiting to be run over in the middle of the road.

‘Absolutely.’ His voice was as hard as his gaze was unsympathetic. If I were in your shoes, I would be quaking in my boots and would use every trick in the book to try to save myself, right down to the high heels, the innocent smile, and the glossy hair. Go for it, I say.’

‘I don’t understand what you’re implying.’ Did he realize how uneasy she felt wearing those shoes and those heels? Did he realize that she had been attempting win his favor?

“I’m saying that your company is in serious trouble, Miss Bella and I’m the only one who can save it, so I don’t blame you for trying every trick in the book to try and turn the tide,” she said. However, I should caution you that it won’t matter. I won’t increase my investment because, in my opinion, you deserve to have all that comes your way.

His callous lack of sentiment was like a vicious punch in the stomach.

‘How can you say that? How can you be so uncaring?’ She abandoned her intention to control her emotions. ‘This isn’t just about me. Numerous people will lose their employment if Cafe Brazil fails.

And you care about other people’s well-being, don’t you?

There was something in his tone that increased her feeling of unease. Why did she have the impression that two talks were happening here? One above the surface and one below. ‘Yes. I consider having employees a tremendous responsibility. You can’t just hire and fire people. I’ve been very careful not to add more workers until we were certain the company could support them.

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Verifiable, I’m sure. So, Miss Bella, what went wrong? If you’re so careful, then why are you here? Why isn’t your small business making money right now?

She candidly admitted, with a small grimace, “Our operating costs were higher than we’d estimated.” She had noticed the cynical sparkle in his eyes. Among other reasons, it cost more than anticipated to renovate ten of the coffee shops. However, it has been handled, and I have many plans for the future.

The tension between them Maria as he continued to observe her. ‘You’re very determined,’ he said softly. How desperate are you, exactly?

Maria stared at him, her mouth dry. What did he mean by that? I’m interested, Mr. Corduroy if that’s what you mean. She inhaled deeply and smiled shakily, refusing to be intimidated. I still have five minutes to convince you.