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Oh, yeah, that was a good one.
Unless you were the CEO’s son.
The payout Patrick Conroy had had to make to Sarah to ensure her silence was now held as ransom over Ronan’s head.
You’ve lost sight of what this business is all about. His father’s words rang in his ears. How can I put you in front of the board as the future leader of this organization when you still behave like you’re twenty-five and sowing your wild oats? Go to Australia and get this right. Do you good to get back to basics and remember why you’re in this business in the first place.
Patrick Conroy had offered an opportunity for redemption—in reality, a demeaning punishment. His old friend, Graham Taylor, needed a favor. One of his businesses in Australia was at a turning point; Graham had courted a multinational conglomerate interested in expanding in Australia—starting with purchasing his top-performing chain of fifty-seven retail furniture stores. All the stores would be rebranded, global purchasing power would provide a more competitive edge and the local management would no longer be required. They were prepared to pay Taylor a bucket load of money, so as far as Ronan could see, it was a no-brainer. But for some reason, he wanted a Conroy Corporation report on the state of the business before he signed on the dotted line.
Ronan had been given a careful brief by his father. He was to do a thorough investigation, without revealing his true purpose to any of the local management. Along with confirming Taylor’s decision to sell as the correct one, Ronan had to prove that he didn’t need an army of business analysts and auditors to do a proper scoping exercise. Prove that he was worthy of Conroy Corporation. Prove that his error of judgment in New York was just a blip, not a symptom of a more serious problem.
Ronan twisted in bed and punched the pillow again.
The whisky burned in his gut.
Of course, the staff of Country Style had no idea why Ronan was really there, no suspicion of the possible merger. It wasn’t the first time Ronan knew more about people’s future than they did and it wouldn’t be the last. It was part of the job—part of the challenge of being a management consultant. Sometimes the recommendations he had to make affected people’s jobs. Sometimes he had to conceal that from them until the time was right.
Cassie Hartman, for example, thought he was there to review a document she’d created proposing a restructure of the business. Putting herself in charge, as CEO. The irony was, her report was probably what had prompted Taylor to think about selling in the first place. Her document was competent, and she clearly had a thorough understanding of the business she ran, but if things went as Taylor hoped, she’d not only not be CEO, she’d be out of a job.
Ronan checked the clock, the red numbers burning brightly in the darkness of the room. Only ten minutes had passed since he’d switched off the light. This was going to be a slow and torturous night if he couldn’t somehow make himself sleep.
There was one thing he hadn’t tried yet.
Grasping himself, Ronan cast around in his mind for images to accompany this last shot at overcoming his sleeplessness. He wasn’t proud, but it would only be a few hours before his alarm clock would go off and he’d be heading for the airport to catch a plane with Cassie Hartman.
Cassie Hartman.
He wasn’t surprised when his body responded to the thought. She possessed an intriguing combination of control and vulnerability, one moment smoothly professional, the next delightfully awkward. But it was the brunette curls she tried hard to restrain that spurred his physical response. Even the boring tortoiseshell clip that held the mane at the back of her neck wasn’t enough to fully hide the thick, shiny strands. He remembered his first thought when he’d seen her—what would her hair look like loose, swinging over her shoulders? He wondered how long it was—would it cover her breasts when she was naked? Maybe it would just reach the tips, letting her nipples peak out from between the curled ends.
He groaned.
That uniform she wore was utilitarian, another of her intriguing contrasts. All buttoned-up and proper on the outside, all lush curves and full breasts underneath. He wondered what she wore under her uniform. White cotton or white lace…
Ronan’s pulse picked up and he stroked himself more firmly.
Her breasts were large; they’d fill each hand and maybe then some. She had a sweet smile, too. She’d been nervous today, he could see that, but also determined to stand her ground and exceptionally proud of her achievements. He got the impression she was shy and not very confident around men—unlike that assistant of hers, she’d not once even attempted to flirt with him. And when he’d taken off his jacket and tie, he’d been sure she had blushed.
He could just imagine the blush on her face, that sweet smile, looking up at him as he touched her, as he moved over her, as he took her body, when she—
Ronan swore, released himself and flopped back on the pillows in disgust.
Hadn’t the experience with Sarah Forsythe taught him anything? Was his father’s impression of him right? Was he a player who could never take anything seriously?
Fantasizing about Cassie Hartman was about as wrong as it was possible to get. The very last thing he could afford on this job was another romantic entanglement with the client.
She probably had a boyfriend, he told himself. That was why she didn’t flirt. It didn’t matter anyway—she was so far off-limits she might as well be a nun.
Thinking about Sarah and the situation he was in was enough to kill any arousal. He’d just have to lie there until the alarm sounded. If necessary, he’d sleep on the plane.
He yawned.
This was going to be one damned long week.
CASSIE’S INSTINCTIVE RESPONSE to flying was filed under T for torture. But a career that often demanded her presence interstate meant she’d had to reconcile herself to filing it under N for necessary evil instead. If there was any way she could avoid stepping on another plane in her life, she’d take it.
It wasn’t that she was scared, exactly. No, terrified would probably be a more apt description. A shame, since she was sure her enthusiastic amateur-pilot father was looking down at her and shaking his head sadly at her phobia. He’d done his best to instill his own love of flying in her and she’d adored pretending to be his copilot—until the accident that had given her a fear of anything that went faster than her zippy, if dated, little hatchback.
It was mainly the takeoff and landing that were the problem. Once she was up in the air, she was better. As long as there were no bumps. Or strange noises. And God forbid that the cabin crew look nervous in any way.
But she couldn’t afford to let Ronan McGuire see it. It wasn’t a weakness that affected her ability to manage Country Style, but it was still a weakness. Cassie was determined not to let him see anything other than the person who was the obvious choice for leading the business into a new realm of success.
Calm. Control. The words had become her mantra.
“Are you a nervous flyer?”
Damn. Those blue eyes peered at her as they fastened their seat belts. Since they’d met in the airport, conversation had been restrained and polite. He’d seemed distracted and had opened up his laptop as soon as they’d been settled in the lounge. Cassie had done the same—she had plenty to keep her busy, anyway. There was still a great deal of work to do to finalize the details for the store opening on Monday.
“No, I’m…fine,” Cassie replied, trying for a relaxed smile.
Ronan nodded, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
He was laughing at her! Get a grip, Cassie. She peeled her fingers from the armrest and folded them neatly in her lap, wishing she’d thought to bring a book with her so she could sit there and pretend to read. Even better would have been a set of those massive, noise-canceling headphones, so she could block out the plane and Ronan’s annoyingly seductive voice. Leaning forward, she scrambled in the seat pocket in front of her for the airline magazine and stared blankly at a random page, figuring it was better than nothing.
She heard a low chuckle beside her.
With a blush heating her cheeks, Cassie turned the magazine the right way up and studied the article about resorts in Bali as if her life depended on it. The safety demonstration started and she half watched from behind the magazine—usually she paid rapt attention, but again, she didn’t want to give away her nerves to her seatmate.
As the plane’s engines fired up for takeoff, Cassie couldn’t help the panic that rose inside her. Memories threatened to overwhelm her, of the time when flying had been exciting, the little tilts and loops of a plane thrilling, her father at the wheel, turning to grin at her in shared exhilaration. That had been before. Before life had changed permanently.
She closed her eyes as the wheels left the ground, her teeth gritted as the plane dipped and righted itself. Then the wind caught them. The plane veered sideways, leaving her stomach somewhere near her throat. Cassie’s hand shot out, reaching for the armrest, and she twisted her feet around the seat in front of her as makeshift anchors. The magazine fell with a rustle of pages to the floor.
“Hey, it’s okay.”
Instead of cold metal, her hand met warm flesh. Fingers that interlaced with hers and held on tightly. Reassuringly.
“It’s just a little turbulence.”
Yeah, that’s probably what they said before every plane fell out of the sky.
“It’ll even out as soon as we get higher.” Ronan’s voice was low and gentle, that accent of his reassuring.
The plane dipped again. Cassie screwed her eyes shut even tighter and squeezed his hand hard enough to make her knuckles ache. Blood pounded in her ears and her calves began to cramp from her ankles’ awkward grip.
“Breathe. In and out.”
She made an effort to take in some air.
“That’s better. See? We’re smoothing out now. Nothing to worry about.”
Nothing to worry about? This was the worst flight she’d ever been on. Surely when she opened her eyes there’d be chaos, people screaming, children crying, panicked flight attendants running down the aisles.
She cracked an eye. Everything looked…normal.
The businessman across the aisle nonchalantly turned the page of his newspaper. The child in the seat in front of her yawned and dropped his half-chewed apple on the floor. The women behind them continued to talk about the shoe and handbag shopping they’d done in Melbourne’s famous laneways.
Cassie sucked in a deep breath and opened both eyes.
The breath froze in her lungs.
Ronan McGuire was twisted in his seat, his face just inches from hers. He clasped her hand in both of his, stroking the inside of her wrist with one thumb, seemingly unconcerned by the death grip she had on him. He was peering at her, and those calculating blue eyes of his were filled with concern and compassion and—around the edges—amusement.
As her eyes met his, a slow smile spread across his face. “So you don’t like flying much, huh?”
Cassie swallowed hard and had to force her voice not to waver. “It’s…it’s not my favorite activity.” His research clearly hadn’t covered her family background.
“And you’ve signed us up for a week of travel?”
That devastating single arched eyebrow again. Thankfully this time Cassie was too wound up to let it affect her. Much.
“I’ve never let my little problem interfere with my job.” Cassie bristled at the insinuation and it helped to dampen her fear. The plane had leveled out and a loud ding sounded as the seat-belt sign went off.
Ronan’s thumb was still stroking the inside of her wrist. It had been comforting before, now it was…now it was…
She loosened her fingers from around his and gave him a tight smile, tugging her hand free of his grasp.
It took him a moment to release her. His thumb paused against her pulse point, his eyes still locked with hers. Something flashed there, an awareness, and Cassie hoped like hell he couldn’t read her mind. Not only was she grateful for his calm support, but more than anything she wanted him to hold her hand for the next four hours. Forever, if possible. And that stroking thumb of his? She was absolutely not thinking about what it might be like if it explored her arm, her shoulder, her breast, lower…
“I’m sure you haven’t,” he drawled as he settled back in his seat by her side. “You’re far too professional for that.”
Cassie drew in a breath, not sure whether to be thankful or disappointed that he’d let her go. To cover her confusion, she was about to launch into a review of all the work-related travel she’d done for Country Style, when he leaned forward, pulled out the laptop he’d slid under the seat in front before they’d taken off, opened it and appeared to get to work.
Cassie closed her mouth with an audible snap.
He didn’t so much as look up from the screen, and Cassie had the strange feeling she’d been dismissed. Fine. It was for the best. There was no point entertaining thoughts about Ronan McGuire, his strong fingers and lush mouth. It had been enough that ideas like that had kept her awake most of the night before.
Besides every other logical reason she had not to encourage this crush she seemed to have developed, guys like him didn’t go for girls like her. He was suave, sophisticated, experienced. And she was…the opposite. Plain. Inexperienced. Nervous.
She didn’t want a guy like him, anyway, she told herself for the billionth time. A jet-setting playboy, he probably had a girl in every port and his closest relationship was with the air hostesses he met as he flew between them. He would think Cassie’s ideas of stability, work, home and family old-fashioned and boring. God forbid he ever hear about her Plan-with-a-capital-P. He’d laugh until his sides split.
Cassie pulled out her own laptop, ignoring Ronan’s dismissal. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have enough to do—there were still the hundred or so things to be done before the Hawthorn store opened and then there were the notes she needed to make for each of the store managers they’d be visiting.
The rest of the flight passed without incident. Occasionally, Ronan had popped his head up to ask Cassie something and a couple of times those questions had led into discussions about the operations of Country Style.
They talked briefly and politely when the flight attendants brought around a morning snack and they had to momentarily each put their computers away, but otherwise he paid her little attention—peering at his laptop and typing furiously right up until the plane was about to land.
As the flight attendants made preparations for landing, Cassie could feel the familiar panic begin to build. She knew it was irrational, and she wasn’t proud of her fear. It was just something she couldn’t control. Crashes happened, as she knew all too well. And although the odds weren’t high—especially on a large passenger jet—it was still possible.
She screwed her eyes shut again in an attempt to block everything out. Hopefully Ronan would think she was taking a nap.
“Cassie?”
She silently cursed her traitorous responses as a shiver went through her at the sound of her name on his lips. Would he hold her hand again?
“Yes?” she answered. It was too late to try to hide her terror from him, but she still tried her best to sound calm. She opened one eye.
He gestured to a hard copy spreadsheet he’d pulled out when he’d been forced to pack away his laptop. “I’ve noticed an anomaly with this supplier, Brentons. They seem to deliver late, almost every time.”
Cassie blew out a breath. Of course he’d noticed that. She opened both eyes to look at the report he referred to.
“Yes,” she said, nodding slowly. “They are unreliable. But the cabinets they make are one of our top sellers.” Beautiful timbers, handcrafted and hand painted, Brentons made mini works of art, not just furniture.
He frowned. “But not one of your most profitable.”
“No. But they pull in traffic—all our managers know if they’re having a slow week, put a Brentons cabinet in the window and they can double the passing trade.”
“So they’re a loss leader for you?”
“We don’t make a loss, but you’re right, they’re not especially profitable. And when they’re late with deliveries, it does make our lives difficult.”
His lips tightened in thought. “So why not pull them into line? They’re a boutique supplier—Country Style must be their biggest customer. Have threats not worked?”
Threats? Cassie shook her head in disbelief and a mounting sense of anger. “No, it’s not like that.” She shifted to face him, memories of her last conversation with the owners of Brentons fresh in her mind. “Brentons is run by a couple—it’s a family business, like ours. They’ve had a rough year—their daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. She’s only seven and understandably her treatment has interrupted their time with the business. They’ve worked very hard to fill our orders, but I’ve let it slide when they’ve occasionally delivered late.”
“Occasionally?” An eyebrow quirked as he ran a finger down a column that Cassie knew was showing him that the Brentons had consistently run late—very late—for the past year.
“Okay, so more than occasionally. But I decided to cut them some slack, given the circumstances.”
“Can Country Style afford for such personal concerns to take precedence over efficiency and reliability? Surely you can find another supplier who’d make something comparable? And probably cheaper. What about sourcing a similar product overseas, say in China?”
Yesterday Ronan’s questions had been gentle, probing; more like suggestions, really. Apparently he’d just been letting her in easy, preparing her for the onslaught. Once again, Cassie had to tell herself to be on guard at all times, no matter how charming and good-looking he was. Despite the lack of pocket protector or bow tie, he clearly had a heart made of spreadsheets and calculators instead of flesh and blood.
“Yes, we probably could get a cheaper product overseas,” she answered, her tone betraying her outrage at his callousness. She couldn’t help it. “Although I doubt we would find the dedication to quality and craftsmanship that Brentons pride themselves in. But more important the Brentons have been valuable partners to Country Style for a number of years—as our business has grown so has theirs. I felt that given what was happening to Molly—that’s their little girl—they deserved some compassion and leeway.”
His eyes met hers and he nodded. “Fair enough. I probably would have made the same call.” And then he smiled, something Cassie didn’t understand until the announcement came over the PA.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Perth. Please remain seated until we have come to a full stop at the gate and the captain has turned off the fasten-seat-belts sign.”
Comprehension dawned.
“Did you do that to distract me?” A wave of irritation flooded through her, although she wasn’t sure why. She should probably be thankful—but that idea grated.
The slight smile tipped into a cocky grin. “Not entirely. I did want to find out the official story.”
“Official story?”
“In the warehouse yesterday I commented on one of the Brentons cabinets. Beautiful pieces of furniture, by the way—you’re right about the craftsmanship. The warehouse manager told me all about the late deliveries, and about Molly, and even some of the fundraising Country Style has done for children’s leukemia charities.”
“That is the official story.”
