"You do look tired." Gloria narrowed her eyes. "What did you do this weekend, anyway?"
"Went to the Den."
"That explains it. I may have to go with you sometime. Sounds like a kick."
"Why not? Maybe you can find someone to keep you in line, finally."
"On second thought … " With that Gloria stood, creating a cacophony with her clanging metal jewellery.
Just then, David appeared in her doorway.
Maggie's breath vanished in a shocking rush.
He propped his shoulder against the jamb, and he filled the entrance. Damn. She'd spent all of yesterday trying to convince herself he wasn't one of the most handsome men she'd ever seen.
When she'd shut her eyes in bed last night, memories had tormented her. She'd tossed and turned before finally getting up and watching three hours of television.
And now … His dove-grey suit hugged his broad shoulders. His tailored pants snuggled his strong thighs. He had on a white shirt and a red tie with the knot tight. She would greet him, if she could make her tongue work.
"Ladies," he said.
"Good afternoon," Gloria said pointedly.
Since it wasn't even ten o'clock, Maggie winced. For the first time, she wished her mother would at least pretend to be cordial. If they could all work as a team, perhaps the business could reach his lofty goals. Everyone, including her mother, would benefit from that.
"I need you to sign a contract," Gloria continued.
"Put it on my desk. I'll handle it before anything else."
"But-"
"Put it on my desk, Gloria," he reiterated. He stepped aside.
All but flouncing, she brushed past him.
Without an invitation, he entered Maggie's office and took the seat her mother had vacated.
She wished he hadn't entered her domain. Almost every office on this floor was bigger than hers, and the conference room with its glass wall would be even better.
Here she was, very much on edge. His eyes were as blue as she remembered-intense and deep. That surprised her a little. She was certain her memory was tainted by the scene they'd shared. Surely no one's eyes were that penetrating. But his were.
His scent was slightly different today, though. He still smelt of masculine spice, but it was stamped with confidence that beckoned her to move closer, something she refused to do.
What in the hell had made her think that fucking him was a good idea?
She had to get him out of here, quick, before she asked him to bend her over his chair. "Did you need something … ?" Maggie hesitated. Calling him Mr Tomlinson would remind her of the Den. On the other hand, she had never addressed him David at work. Now that he'd compelled her to call her Mr Tomlinson as a term of respect rather than derision, he'd effectively changed the dynamic of their relationship.
He waited.
"Did you need something, David?" she asked.
"I'm in negotiation to acquire another company."
She sat up in her chair. With the solemn expression on his face, she'd expected him to mention what had happened on Saturday night. But he was talking business while she was all but obsessing about the time they'd spent together? Obviously he was better at separating events than she was. She gave herself a mental shake and forced herself to concentrate on what he was saying. "And you're telling me this, why?"
"They're a competitor of ours."
She let out a breath.
"If the deal goes through, it will impact you."
"How so?"
"Your role will grow. I'll need more time from you."
"Good God, no. You've got all you're ever going to get from me." She stiffened her spine.
He propped an ankle on the opposite knee. He looked so corporate, so unconcerned by her response.
"Hear me out," he said.
"There's not much reason for that. If you want to go around buying up businesses in your free time, go right ahead. You and I have a written agreement in place. I have eighteen more months that I'm obligated to help you. Then I'm a free agent. I'm not open to negotiation."
"Everyone has a price, Maggie."
Maggie. At work, he'd always called her Margaret. Until now. It seemed they'd both shown up with a new rule book today.
She twisted her fingers together on top of the desk. Then, seeing he was studying her, noting her betrayal of nerves, she pressed her palms together.
"I'll do whatever it takes to keep you and your talents on the payroll. Of course I'm hoping you'll stay with me because you want to, since we-"
"Excuse me?" Anger, hot, searing, embarrassing, blazed through her. Had he used her? "Was that what Saturday night was about? Part of your plan to manipulate me?"
He dropped his leg to the floor and leant forwards.
"Flog me and fuck me as a way to keep me working for you?" she demanded. "It wasn't enough that you tied my performance to my mother's financial security?"
"If you think that was about anything other than my desire for you as a woman, as a submissive, you're wrong."
His flat statement made her blink. He didn't meet her emotion, he defused it.
She collapsed back in her chair.
"Let's keep things straight, Maggie," he said softly. "When I saw you at the Den in that skirt and those shoes with your hair all around your shoulders … " He trailed off, reached for the door and, with a flick of his wrist, sealed them in intimacy.
She grabbed hold of the chair arms.
"I was intrigued," he continued. "When I saw your wristband, I had to have you. Honestly, I was attracted to you. I would have desired you even if we'd never met. Then with the perfect way you responded to my commands, the way you begged for my touch-"
"That can't happen again."
"It will," he said in a tone that left no other option. "And I'm going to make it very clear to you that fucking, beating, restraining you has nothing to do with our work relationship." He lowered his voice. "You want it too."
She hated that he was right. She craved his touch.
"We will discuss that in a few minutes. Here are the options. I want you to be very much involved in the acquisition of Around the World in Eighty Ways."
Her mouth dropped. As much as she believed that was a ridiculous name for a company, their strategy was similar to World Wide Now's, and they were a big competitor. For years she'd dreamt of putting them out of business. And he was offering her the chance to be part of that. She couldn't let him know how much the idea appealed to her. "That's ambitious."
"Everything I do is risky. When I see something I want, I go after it." He looked at her pointedly. "And as you know, I don't fail."
She tried to keep her mind on his new proposition, rather than allowing images of his naked body to fill her mind. "How will this affect my employment contract?"
"As I said, it will take a lot of work to get the deal done. We want to go through their books, assess their sales projections and year-to-date results. We have to perform our due diligence. Of course, both sides have signed non-disclosures."
She nodded. "And we have to keep this business running at an optimal level while you're distracted."
"Precisely."
"That's where I come in."
"Negotiating the deal is only the beginning."
How well she remembered from the way he'd taken over her mother's company.
"The first six months will be the most complicated. We may need to adjust the number of employees. I need someone who understands strategy and tactics. I need your cooperation and your brain."
"I'm already working enough hours for you as it is, David."
"And that's a hardship, is it, Maggie?"
A little thrill pulsed in her. At one time, it had been.
"As for your employment contract, it stays in place under the original terms."
When she started to speak, he raised a hand to silence her. Snarling against his unspoken demand, she fell silent.
"Unless you agree to my new terms."
"Which are?"
"The time remaining is unchanged."
Beneath her desk, she worried one of her cuticles.
"Assuming you meet the goals I set for you here, your mother's pay-out remains the same, but I'll give you a hundred thousand dollar bonus, after taxes."
She stared at him with open-mouthed shock.
"Interested yet? How about plus ten per cent of all profits of the combined companies?"
The offer was beyond anything she might have asked for. Still, if this worked, he would be the big winner. Of course, he was the one taking all the financial risk. "Gross profit," she clarified.