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Victoria gave a nonchalant shrug. “I have no idea. All I know is that they arrive today.”
Morgan grabbed his cup and took a sip. “I’ll listen to what they have to offer, but if it’s not up to our standards, the ones you set, I’ll send them packing.”
Victoria rose from her seat and smiled. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. Now, let’s go.” She reached for her hard hat.
Morgan stood. “Where are we going?”
“To talk to some of the line staff. It’s been a while since I’ve been out here. I’d like to see a few people. Just deliver me to Adrian, and you can wait for our guest in his office.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Morgan offered her his arm, and they walked out of the office.
* * *
Kathleen arrived at the Kingsley plant close to ten, much later than she would have liked thanks to an unexpected traffic jam on the freeway. She was impressed by the level of security just to gain entrance to the property and the plant itself, although part of her wondered if that was a sign that the Kingsleys were trying to hide something. Kathleen exited her vehicle, pulled out her roller bag and purse and made her way to the guard’s stand.
“Good morning, ma’am. May I help you?” one of the three guards greeted.
“Yes.” Kathleen pulled out her ID and flashed it to the guard. “I’m Kathleen Winston from OSHA, and I’m here to conduct some training sessions.”
“One moment.” The officer reached for his phone at the same time Kathleen’s rang. She checked the screen and saw that it was her father calling. Instead of answering she sent him to voice mail.
The guard handed Kathleen a visitor’s badge. “You’ll need to keep this on you at all times. Please follow me. May I help you with your bag?”
“No, thanks. I have it.”
Kathleen followed her escort over to a small truck. He handed her a hard hat. “You need to put this on.” He gave her the once over, and the corners of his mouth turned down as he nodded.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes, ma’am. It’s just most of our female visitors don’t think to wear sensible shoes like the ones you’re wearing.”
Kathleen looked down, past the conservative black suit and white blouse she wore to the black leather loafers on her feet, and laughed. “This isn’t my first time working in a plant.” She got in the truck and watched the guard load her things while she put on the hat. Kathleen was glad she’d remembered to put her hair in a low, tight bun when she got dressed.
“My name is Van, ma’am,” the guard stated as he got in the truck behind the wheel.
“Pleased to meet you,” she replied, smiling.
Van gave Kathleen a map of the plant in the form of a brochure before giving her the layout as he drove around the outskirts. He highlighted the major points of interest. Van explained that she’d have to have an escort to each location.
“Will you be that escort?”
“No, ma’am. That will either be the plant manager, Adrian Jones, or someone he assigns.”
Kathleen had done her research and she knew all the names of the key staff and the positions they held at the plant; however, several of their photos hadn’t been available. She especially found it surprising how little she was able to find out about the Kingsleys. Yes, there was a great deal of detail about their recent troubles, their financial fortune and of course their family’s matriarchs, but minimal information beyond tabloid gossip was available about the personal lives of the heirs.
They drove toward a large one-story white building with the Kingsley name on it. “Is that where I’m going?”
“At some point I’m sure. That’s the administrative building where you’ll find the training center. However, I was told to bring you to the plant manager’s office.”
They rode in silence through the middle of the plant on what was a main street, and Kathleen was surprised to see a five-story glass office building surrounded by several other equally impressive buildings of varying sizes positioned in the center of the plant. Wow. You can’t judge a book by its cover but this place is pretty great. “This plant is like a small town.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet. The Kingsleys take good care of their people.” They pulled into an assigned parking space and exited the truck.
I’ll keep that in mind.
Kathleen collected her things and followed Van into the building where another security guard met them. Before the guard could offer a greeting, a tall Hispanic man wearing jeans and a white button-down shirt with Kingsley Oil and Gas monogrammed above his left shirt pocket said, “Good morning, Ms. Winston. I’m Paz Villarreal, operations manager.” He offered her his hand.
“Pleased to meet you,” she replied, accepting his callus-riddled hand, and smiled.
“Thanks, I got it,” he told the officer from his building as he patted him on the back. “Thanks, Van, I got it from here. You can get back to your post.”
He nodded. “Thank you, Van,” Kathleen said.
“No problem, ma’am.”
“May I help you with your bag?” Paz offered.
“No, thank you. I’m fine. We passed your training center coming in. Will I not be working there?”
“Eventually.” They walked over to the elevator and took the short ride up to the fifth floor. He led her past a small waiting area and down a long hall with offices on each side. They came to the end of the hall and stood in front of a door with a sign that read Operations Administration. Paz opened the door and stood aside as Kathleen entered. It wasn’t at all what she’d expected. The waiting area had two low-back leather sofas sitting against the left and right walls with framed blueprints of the plant hanging above them. An expensive Persian rug covered the slate floors, and a long fish tank filled the back wall.
“Very nice.”
Paz laughed. “You haven’t seen anything yet. Follow me.” He led her toward a door in the corner.
Kathleen’s forehead creased. “No receptionist?”
“It’s not necessary. You can’t get up here without an escort unless you’re an employee or a Kingsley.” He led her through the door.
Time to get to work. “I was wondering, are they here often...the Kingsleys?” She gave him a half smile.
“Sure.”
“How involved are they with the staff? I mean, do they spend much time with the employees? What do they do while they’re here?” Kathleen tried not to sound like she was going down a checklist but she knew she was failing in that effort. She prayed her face didn’t show how unsettled she was. It was not as if this was the first time she had to come into a facility incognito to find out what was going on, but something felt different about this one. Her boss was right—the Kingsleys were a big deal—and she couldn’t mess this up. Kathleen knew the outcome of her investigation could have far-reaching ramifications.
Paz looked at Kathleen as if she was speaking a foreign language and he didn’t understand a word she was saying. “They work just like the rest of us,” he replied, frowning.
They walked down another corridor, passing several more offices until they made it to the large double doors at the end of the hall. “You can wait in here, and Mr. Jones will be right with you.” Paz opened the door, and Kathleen walked in, stopping before she could get more than a foot into the room.
“Back again, Adrian?” a baritone voice said, sending an unfamiliar chill down Kathleen’s spine. The sound came from a olive-skinned man with a short haircut and a fine beard. His long jean-clad legs were propped up on the desk, and he was reading through what appeared to be a report. When he raised his head, and Kathleen caught his gaze, his hazel eyes rendered her mute. Kathleen’s throat was suddenly dry, and she blinked rapidly. The short-sleeved white shirt he wore with the company’s logo on the pocket accentuated his wide chest and big arms.
“Oh my,” she whispered to herself. Kathleen had seen handsome men before, but this man was unlike any of those. The ruggedly handsome gentleman sitting before her looked like someone from one of the old black-and-white Westerns she and her mother used to enjoy watching together. Her mother would tell Kathleen, “That’s what a man’s man is, darling,” when one appeared on the screen. Today was the first time she’d seen one in person, and the thought made Kathleen smile.
* * *
Morgan slowly lowered his papers to the desk, brought his feet to the floor and stood. He felt like his whole body was moving in slow motion. Morgan had seen beautiful women before, but the exquisite creature standing in front of him was different. Her heart-shaped face and flawless skin was mostly makeup free. She appeared to be a foot or so shorter than Morgan; her smile was faint but stunning, and while she tried to cover her perfectly shaped body in conservative clothes, Morgan could see that she had curves in all the right places that called out to him, and his body was responding. It was something that never happened by the sight of a woman.
Damn!
Paz stepped forward. “This is Kathleen Winston. Kathleen, this is—”
He raised his left hand and waved him off. Morgan hadn’t heard anything beyond her name. What he didn’t recognize were the emotions she had provoked in him. He felt warm, he couldn’t seem to focus and he had a sudden desire to touch her. He’d heard about this happening before, only he was usually watching from the sideline of his brothers’ lives.
Morgan quickly righted himself. “You must be the trainer from OSHA,” Morgan forced out, extending his hand. “I’m—”
“Yes,” Kathleen interrupted, offering her hand.
Morgan felt a spark as he gave her small, delicate hand a shake. Get it together. “Excuse the calluses.”
Kathleen smiled, sending another spark through his body, the sweet scent she was wearing attacking his senses. “No problem.” She freed her hand.
“May I?” She gestured toward one of the two large leather wingback chairs that sat in front of the mahogany wood desk.
“Please.”
Morgan returned to his seat and watched as Kathleen quickly removed four medium-sized binders from her bag and placed them on the desk. He told himself he would listen to what she had to say, but he would send her away as soon as she read her last page. There was no way in hell this beautiful woman could teach anything to his men. They wouldn’t be able to concentrate. He sure as hell couldn’t right then.
Kathleen removed her electronic tablet from her bag and turned it on. She handed Morgan a binder and said, “I’ve taken the liberty of highlighting a few deficiencies in your training program.”
“Deficiencies?” Morgan sat forward and opened the binder, feeling annoyed by her assumption in spite of being so turned on by her presence.
“The first tab has my résumé and all my credentials and certifications. If you look behind the second tab, you’ll find my recommendations for improvement,” Kathleen explained.
“That was mighty presumptuous of you, considering the state uses our material as part of its training program.” He hardened his expression as he glanced down at the pages.
“Not really. It’s my job to ensure all safety protocols are adhered to regardless of whose name is on the building.
“I—”
“Look, I’m sure you’re loyal to the Kingsley family.” She shook her head as if that was the most ridiculous thing she’d ever heard.
“You have no idea,” Morgan replied.
“However there are some things where loyalty isn’t a part of the equation.”
That was when Morgan realized she had no idea who she was talking to. He remembered that she’d launched into her presentation before he had a chance to introduce himself. She’s arrogant and another know-it-all when it comes to my family. “In my mind and my family’s, loyalty is everything.”
“This isn’t about you or your family. Making improvements to your systems is about protecting you and your coworkers. Shall I continue?” Kathleen’s eyebrows stood at attention.
The girl’s got spunk. The way her eyes bored into him was wreaking havoc on his system. Morgan folded his arms across his chest. “Please.”
Chapter 4 (#ua6d577af-6ea2-5bd9-8aca-d2027141437c)
Morgan sat back and watched Kathleen make her presentation as he flipped through the pages of her binder ahead of her. He tried to focus on her words, but her green-gold eyes and luscious lips scrambled his brain. Only a few phases broke through the fog of annoyance and attraction, one of which he had to address.
“Wait, did you say we need to switch from our computer-based training program to a more group-based, interactive one?” That’s not going to happen. “The industry, the world for that matter, is moving more toward digital and you want us to pull back.”
“Yes, statistics show people respond better in a working group setting like the one I’m recommending. They learn from their peers, and it strengthens relationships between coworkers.”
Morgan dropped his hands. “My team already works well together. They don’t need a feel-good session to make them better at their job.” He closed the binder. “Stick to the regulatory updates, and I’ll make sure our systems are brought current based on those changes.”
Kathleen raised her chin and held his gaze. “While I appreciate your opinion, it doesn’t count, Mr. Jones.”
“What do we have here?” Victoria asked as she entered the office with Adrian on her heels. She placed her hat back on the desk.
Morgan and Kathleen got to their feet. “Victoria Kingsley, meet Kathleen Winston, the trainer OSHA sent.”
Victoria extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you, and welcome to Kingsley Oil and Gas. I take it things are going well.”
“Not exactly,” Morgan stated.
* * *
Unfortunately, thanks to Mr. Tall, Handsome and Too-Damn-Sexy-for-His-Own-Good.
“Miss Winston seems to think we should abandon our tried-and-true computer-based training in favor of her more interactive-type program,” Morgan explained. His jaw tightened.
Kathleen glared at Morgan before turning her attention to Victoria. “It’s not my program, and I didn’t suggest you abandon your computer-based training altogether—just adjust it a bit.”
“A bit.” Morgan pointed to the binders that sat on his desk. “According to the data in your unnecessarily long, although well-put-together, presentation, you recommend we cut our program by fifty percent.”
“And replace it with a more productive method of training,” she countered.
“Says you.” Morgan crossed his arms.
“Says several experts. How did you even see that? We haven’t even gotten to that section yet.” Kathleen made her annoyance clear. She thought he was acting like a petulant child.
I bet you stomp your feet and hold your breath, too, if a woman doesn’t drop to her knees on command. Oh, my goodness. Where the hell did that come from, Kathleen?
“I’m good at multitasking, and I pay attention to details.”
Another warm sensation ran through her body. “I bet you do,” she murmured.
Victoria laughed as she reached for her buzzing phone. “Well, I see you have everything under control, son.” She started reading her incoming text.
“‘Son’?” Kathleen’s forehead creased; she was clearly shocked by the revelation. “I thought you were the plant manager.”
“No, that would be me,” another man replied, raising his right hand.
Victoria placed her hands on her hips. “Morgan Kingsley, did you not properly introduce yourself to this young woman?”
“I tried, but she launched right into her presentation. I think she was a bit awestruck.” Morgan smirked.
Kathleen’s left eyebrow rose. “As were you,” she snapped back before she could stop herself.
“Touché,” Morgan acknowledged.
“Enough.” Victoria picked up her bag and hard hat. “I have to get back to Houston.”
