“It’s him,” Denora said in a hushed whisper.
“Who?” Grace asked, looking around.
“Over there.” Denora nodded towards the far right side of the room.
Grace gasped. “Holy shit. It’s Max isn’t it? He looks so much hotter than in the picture. What’s he doing here?”
“I have no idea. We should go in,” Denora said, noticing that most of their co-workers had already filed into the room.
She threw a furtive glance at Max as she walked in and sat at the far end of the table. He was talking quietly to Darren but he noticed her as soon as he turned around. He grinned at her, without an ounce of surprise on his face.
A cold feeling suddenly ran through Denora as she remembered what he’d told her.
I’m here on business. I’m thinking of buying a few companies here
“Oh no,” she whispered, staring at him. His mouth curved in a smirk as he sat at the head of the table, next to Darren.
“What?” Grace hissed.
Denora leaned over to talk to her but at that moment, the meeting started. She willed herself to try to focus on what Darren was saying but her eyes kept darting back to Max. He idly flipped through some papers, looking supremely unconcerned. An interested buzz went through the room and she tore her attention away from him to concentrate on Darren.
“And so, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me an immense pleasure to introduce Mr. Max Greenheart, the new owner of World Insight.” Darren finished with a flourish.
There was a surprised silence and then the room broke into scattered applause. Denora heard Grace say something but she ignored her best friend. A strong feeling of betrayal rose in her as Max started his speech. She couldn’t register a single word of what he was saying and she was the first to stand as soon as the meeting ended.
“Dee, wait.” Grace stood up, but Denora shook her head.
“I’ll talk to you later,” she said, rushing out of the room.
From the corner of her eye, Denora saw Max look at her but she ignored him as she rushed out of the conference room, her face tight with anger. She walked past her cubicle and made a beeline for the mess room. She needed somewhere quiet and empty to clear her head.
“Denora! Hold up.”
Her body tensed at the sound of his voice but she didn’t turn around. Without thinking about where she was going, Denora darted past the mess area, heading straight for the ladies’ room. But he quickly caught up with her in the long, narrow corridor that led to the restroom. A furious snarl escaped her lips as he grabbed her wrist and spun her around.
“Care to explain what this outburst is all about?” His dark blue eyes flashed angrily at her. “I should be in the conference room with the guys right now. Do you know how bad it looks that I had to excuse myself while Darren was introducing me to the staff?”
She scoffed. “Feel free to go back in there, Max, because you and I have nothing to talk about.”
His fingers tightened around her wrist. “Damn it, will you just tell me what’s wrong!”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were planning on buying this company?” She wrenched her hand free. “You knew perfectly well I work here. And you didn’t say a word.”
“The subject never came up,” he said calmly.
“Yeah, right. Look, Max, I can tolerate a lot of things but not lying, alright? I don’t do lies and secrets or any of that melodramatic shit. So, please, just stay away from me.”
Denora turned around again and was just about to step into the restroom when he spoke again.
“At least let me explain,” he said.
She furiously whirled around to look at him. “No! You should have told me you were planning on buying the company.” Her brow furrowed. “Is this why you asked me out? To find out more about the company?”
He scowled. “What? Denora, don’t be ridiculous. I asked you out because I like you. You’re beautiful, intelligent and fiercely independent. What’s not to like?”
Denora’s eyes narrowed. “Do you realize that you’re now my boss?”
“So?” He gave her a small smile.
“Yeah, I’m glad you find it funny,” Denora snapped. “Look, you may be rolling around in billions but I worked hard to reach where I am today. I worked my ass off and I never, ever mix business with pleasure, do you hear me?”
“Pleasure?” His eyes darkened as he slowly walked towards her. Her back hit the cold tiled wall as she backed up. She instinctively started to move away but in a swift move, he caught her wrists and pinned them to the wall above her head.
“Let me go,” she hissed, throwing a panicked look down the corridor. It was thankfully still empty.
“I will,” Max promised. “But not before you hear me out first.”
“Look, it’s over, alright?” she snapped, trying very hard not to notice how her breasts brushed against his chest as she tried to wriggle out of his arms. “I had a nice time with you but now that you’re my boss, I’m afraid I can’t go out with you again.”
“And why is that?” he asked softly.
“Because it would be unethical. And wrong. On so many levels.”
Max finally released her and let out a loud sigh. “You’re being ridiculous, Denora. So what if I’m your boss?”
She pushed him away and stormed away from him. “You lied to me, Max.”
“I didn’t lie to you!”
“Yes, you did!” Her eyes shot daggers at him as she turned around to look at him. “You lied by omission. You kept it a secret from me and, frankly, I’ve had enough secrets to last a lifetime! So, please, do me favor and don’t talk to me again unless it’s work related.”
Max started to speak but she turned around and walked out of the corridor, her heels clanking loudly on the marbled surface. His hands clenched in two tight fists as he watched her leave. He’d been too impulsive. Heck, he’d been observing her for weeks. He should have known how she would react to the news.
“Are you okay, sir?” A woman looked at him in alarm as he furiously walked back to the conference room.
“I’m fine,” he replied curtly.
Somehow, Max managed to keep a polite face as he shook hands and made small talk with everyone Darren introduced him to. After an hour of mindless handshaking, Darren gave him the tour and finally showed him to his office.
“Thanks, Darren,” Max said, ushering the other man out of the office. “I’m afraid I have a few calls to make. I’ll see you later.”
“Uh…yes, of course. Please let me know if you need anything.”
“Sure.”
Max slammed the door behind him and walked over to the water dispenser. He knew he was being rude, but right now he couldn’t bring himself to care. Besides, it wasn’t like he really needed to get into the good graces of his staff. He’d only bought the company because of Denora.
He ran himself some ice cold water and tossed it back in a quick swallow. He set the glass down on the table and loosened his tie in an agitated gesture. He’d been working on this plan for so long and he’d come so freaking close. And now he could lose it all. All because of his stupidity. He cursed under his breath as he walked over to the desk and turned on his laptop. He went straight to the folder marked “Articles” and clicked on it. Max’s eyes narrowed into slits as he went through each file, committing each painful detail to memory. His fingers shook as he closed the folder and opened the autopsy report.