Billionaire Bad Boys of Romance 1(177)

The elevator doors opened and she startled, smoothing her skirt again as Robert Carvel strolled towards her. His gray hair and beard and olive complexion reminded her a great deal of Sean Connery, although his accent was Italian instead of Scottish. She straightened, determined to make a good first impression.

“Hello, Mr. Carvel, I’m—”

He didn’t even stop to look at her, just reached for the doorknob and walked right into Kaiser’s office. Heidi moved to follow, but the door swung shut with a shuddering bang and she stood there blinking at it, unmoving, undecided. Surely she should knock, offer them some refreshment? But what if she interrupted something…? Maybe Roberto Carvel always made such an entrance.#p#分页标题#e#

Heidi’s anxiety was relieved when the door opened and Kaiser poked his head out. “Coffee, Heidi. Black.”

She nodded, but he cut her, “Yes, sir,” off with another slam of the door. The coffee was hot, and she’d just made a fresh gourmet pot. The beans were organic, imported and smelled so rich when she ground them—by hand, Kaiser insisted—they made her dizzy. And she didn’t even drink coffee. It was the definitive smell she had come to associate with Kaiser—that, and the scent of leather.

She held the full cup in one hand when she approached the closed door, raising her other to knock, but Kaiser’s impatient face appeared again, his brow immediately smoothing out when he saw her.

“Your coffee, Mr. Carvel,” Heidi murmured, setting the hot cup on a black leather coaster on Kaiser’s desk in front of the man. He glanced up at her just briefly, his only acknowledgment a grunt. There were designs spread out in front of him and for a moment, Heidi entirely forgot where she was, and who she worked for.

“Where did you get this?” She snatched one of the designs up and held it with trembling fingers.

The dress was sleek, sexy, form-fitted over the hips, slit high up the side, but it was the soft feather accents across the bodice and down the draped front that made it seem as if it could float off the page. The dress was hers—she had designed it two years ago and, although the original sketch had been stolen, she had recreated it as part of the portfolio she had presented when she applied for a job at Kaiser.

“Heidi!” Kaiser’s sharp admonishment brought her back and she swallowed, looking up at him, the drawing still clutched in her hand. “Put that down!”

“I’m sorry.” She did as she was told, unable to keep the pain and confusion from clouding her features. It couldn’t possibly be her design…but it was. She knew it. Roberto Carvel stared at her, aghast, and she flushed, apologizing again. “I didn’t mean…it’s just…”

“Clean up my table, Heidi,” Kaiser directed, pointing a finger toward the huge rectangular glass table by the window he had his papers spread out on. She hesitated, her mouth opening, unable to help herself, but seeing the look in his eyes stopped her again. Putting the design back on the desk in front of a stunned Carvel, she rushed over to do Kaiser’s bidding.

“She’s new,” Kaiser explained with a shake of his head as he took a seat behind his desk. Carvel just raised an eyebrow in response, picking up the design Heidi had been holding. “And a bit star struck, I’m afraid.” Kaiser chuckled.

“By me?” Carvel barked a laugh. “Well, she has good taste, anyway.”

“She does.” Kaiser agreed, looking at the design in the man’s hand. “As do I. Andrea Paxton is going to be a household name before the end of the year, I have no doubt.”

Andrea Paxton!

Heidi’s head came up sharply—she had been on her knees, rummaging for papers that had found their way to the floor—and she rapped it so hard on the underside of the table she briefly saw stars and wondered if she’d actually cracked the glass. She let out a little squeak of pain and both men frowned, turning their heads to look at her. Rubbing the bump already forming, she scrambled out from underneath the table and began shuffling papers together on top.

“She’s good, I’ll give you that,” Carvel agreed, flipping through the designs. “But inconsistent. Look, here…this design is amateurish, almost childish.”

“Ah, but this one!” Kaiser lovingly lifted the design Heidi had been holding. “Is inspired!”

And it’s mine! Heidi fumed, feeling her face flush as she watched Kaiser trace the dress’ lines with his finger.

“Everyone has off days, bad designs.” Kaiser shrugged. “I’ll take a few of those if a designer can also bring me genius.”