Boardroom Proposal Read online

  “Why not ASAP?” he responded, shocking her.

  “You’re serious?” What was all this about? Did he want her right under his eye to stop any rumours circulating?

  “I’m always serious,” he maintained, letting her read into that anything she liked. “I assume you’ll have to give Pearce Musgrave the usual notice?”

  “As I said, they’ve been good to me.” Eve swallowed hard on the knot in her throat. She was completely taken aback.

  “They have a glass ceiling, that’s all?” he commented with sharp humour.

  “What I admire about TCR is, they don’t.”

  “One more thing in our favour.” He stood up, bringing the interview to an end. “Congratulations, Miss Copeland. I hope you’re going to like it here.” He came around the desk with the energy and grace of a trained athlete.

  It was becoming increasingly difficult for Eve to play it cool. She had never been affected in this manner. “I’m sure I will, Mr. Forsythe. I promise you won’t be disappointed with my capacity for hard work.”

  He gave her another one of those singular smiles. “A necessity, Miss Copeland, if you want to keep your job.” He stood motionless for a moment, staring down at her. An odd, intriguing girl. Too self-contained with reserve wrapped around her like a cloak. Why exactly had he hired her? She was a bit of a whiz-kid from all accounts. Decidedly in her favour. But maybe it was the delicate shadows beneath those extraordinary green eyes? The fleeting moment when he had seen a hurt child? Whatever it was, he was stuck with her. In the short term at least. Conscious he was staring, he made a movement towards the door. “You can let my secretary, Sara Matheson, know when you can start.”

  “Thank you, I will.” For the first time Eve smiled.

  Would you look at that! He had a hard time to not say it aloud. “You might want to use that smile more often,” he suggested.

  “You think I need to?”

  It was said with no hint of the coquettishness he invariably got from women.

  “Given what it does for you, Miss Copeland, yes,” he drawled. “If there’s any likelihood of bringing the starting date forward, I’d appreciate it. My father has a project very dear to his heart I’d like to get to work on. I considered keeping my present assistant on for a bit longer. He knows all about the way I work, but he deserves this promotion.”

  Eve nodded, while inside of her there was a certain turmoil akin to standing at the very edge of a high cliff. “I’ll discuss the matter with my boss and get back to you.”

  He stepped forward, held the door. “I’ll bet he won’t be too willing to let you go. But his loss is our gain.” His expression was warm, friendly, masculine. With that little edge.

  Eve was shocked she was actually feeling a little giddy. You fool, he’s trying to charm you. Can’t you see that?

  He could almost see the battleshields going up. Who had hurt her? Very obviously he was a man. “Welcome on board, Miss Copeland,” he said. “Or may I call you Eve?”

  “Eve is fine, Mr. Forsythe.” Actually, it was a problem. He had a wonderful sexy voice. She took his outstretched hand and nearly jerked it right back, perturbed by the flash of electricity on her naked skin. What was more humiliating was the fact he had gauged her reaction to the physical contact. She could see it in his brilliant mocking eyes, the jet black of the pupils lit by little sparkles. If only, if only she didn’t need this job. But she did.

  CHAPTER TWO

  EVE handed in her notice the same afternoon, on the one hand secretly thrilled to be taken on by TCR but left wondering if she had made the biggest mistake of her life. The money was great. It would make a difference to their lives even supposing she had to do something about herself like lifting her image. Lisa, the clothes horse, could help. But given her history, mightn’t she find it difficult to work closely with a man who was so unrepentant about breaking all the rules? Drew Forsythe’s private life had nothing to do with her, she inwardly argued, only she felt strongly a man’s private and public life were connected. Then again she debated seesawing between one line of thought and the other, prominent men were always getting themselves into woman trouble.

  Obviously most of them were of the opinion one woman was a woman short of the minimum. The wife and the mistress were necessary to ring the changes. She wondered if her father had had any little flutters over the past years or had he remained faithful to Cyclone Sally.

  Sometimes it grieved her terribly she and Ben had close kin they didn’t know; their stepbrother, Josh, about the same age Ben had been when their father had deserted them, and the little girl, Marilyn, now at school. Merrie she was called. Her father had told her that once as she tore away from him.

  “Darling, Evie, please, where are you going? Won’t you speak to me?”

  “I’m never going to speak to you. Or your kids,” she had yelled over her shoulder, her throat stiff and hurting from keeping back the flood of tears that, once started, she knew might never stop. Their father ought to leave her alone because it was she he always approached. He had made his decision years ago. The decision that had had their mother leaping in front of a car.

  “Damn you, Dad,” Eve gritted aloud. “And damn all you men.”

  Waiting for Ben to come home from his night-time shift at McDonald’s—the brilliant surgeon in waiting, making up hamburgers—she reflected very deeply on what she had seen. She had more than a decided tendency to come down hard on men, no doubt a subconscious desire to keep blaming her father, but she had to master it for her own sake. She needed to master it. Her once sweet mother had by the end turned very bitter. Eve didn’t want to believe the worse of Drew Forsythe.

  Or did she? She thought about it for a long while. He was far too compelling, too self-assured, too full of that sharp humour that glittered in his eyes. He had incensed her about her wardrobe. Not so terrible, was it? Though most of her colleagues spent far more than she did on dressing But then not a one of them was helping support a brother. Lisa had even told her she had to try for a sexier image. She could be a knockout if she tried. Words to that effect. The trouble was, she hadn’t the slightest desire to be a knockout; to draw men’s eyes. She wanted to be civilised and refined. She wanted to be as much in control of her life as she was of her outward appearance.

  Sort it out, Eve thought. Get it clear in your mind. If she were honest she’d admit she had a secret fear of men like Drew Forsythe. Hell, she was honest, wasn’t she? Staring out the window waiting for Ben to pull into the drive in his old Mazda, she managed to smile. She was happiest with a boss like the one she had. Jeffrey Ellison, fiftyish, balding, a good boss in his way, official, detached, given to the occasional act of kindness but essentially formal. The perfect banker. Drew Forsythe, for his part, was high octane. So much so it was a wonder there wasn’t general disruption among all the female staff at TCR.

  What had that look of Lady Forsythe’s meant? She didn’t look in the least arrogant, like some of the rich wives Eve had encountered. She looked... nice. Her eyes were lovely. Her smile had quivered with vulnerability. But God help us, couldn’t a man like that compel a woman to fall in love with him. He in fact had been the one to draw away, assuming yet another persona. Devoted stepson. He’d been comforting her. Lady Forsythe had worries.

  Didn’t everyone? Eve thought bleakly. She would have accepted comfort as the reason except for Forsythe’s blinding sexuality and the way Lady Forsythe’s dark head had been thrown back. Those tears on her eyelashes. Heck, she was stuck with the sight like it had been burned into her retinas. Surely there had been desire there? She was horrified yet fascinated, as well. Equally she was amazed that she had landed the job. Even with her qualifications it didn’t fully explain why he had picked her. Unless he was prompted by the nagging anxiety she might go about telling what she had seen?

  When Ben arrived home he found his sister in the kitchen preparing a light supper for him.

  “Hi!” He gave her his shining smile, picking up the cold
glass of milk she had poured him and taking a long gulp. “That’s good! What a scorcher! Worse tomorrow. So how did the interview go?”

  Eve, busy gently stirring scrambled eggs, looked back at him and smiled. He was so incredibly dear to her he squeezed her heart. “A lot better than I thought. I got it.”

  “Brilliant!” They came together for a moment and slapped a high five “I hope this leads to great things for you, Eve,” Ben said earnestly. “You deserve it. You’ve worked so hard. For Mum. For me. One day I’m going to make it all up to you.”

  “All right. Venice. Two weeks at the Cipriani or is it the Danieli? Just past the Doge’s Palace.”

  “You’re on!” Ben said cheerfully. “I’d like that myself.”

  “My greatest pleasure will be seeing you graduate,” she added. “Benjamin Kennet Copeland, M.D.”

  Eve put the plate of scrambled egg and two slices of smoked salmon in front of him, going to the toaster to take out the bread.

  “This looks good.” Ben forked into it hungrily. Astonishingly he wasn’t one for hamburgers. At twenty he was tall, over six feet, but still retaining much of the attractive gangliness of adolescence. Like his sister, his eyes were green but more into hazel, his sun-streaked hair several shades lighter. Both of them had their father’s fine regular features, the thin straight noses and the carved cheekbones, but both of them chose not to see it. Eve had their mother’s full heart-shaped mouth. Ben had her gentle nature. Outwardly they could have been twins.

  “So when do you start?” Ben asked, as pleased as punch she had landed the job.

  “I put in my resignation as soon as I got back to the office. Ellison wasn’t happy, he thought I was there for keeps. Forever striving, not really getting anywhere. He even offered me more money if I stayed.”

  “Why didn’t they treat you better when you were there?” Ben asked ironically. “For a clever girl like you, Evie, TCR is the way to go. Isn’t a woman a big shot there?”

  “Vice-chairman. Chairperson, whatever.” Eve pushed her heavy fall of hair away from her face. She never wore it like this to work. It altered her image too radically. Something about the hair and the mouth in combination. Lisa referred to it as her sexpot look. Eve knew she meant it kindly, even to flatter her, but somehow it hurt. A sexpot had ruined her family’s life.

  “So what’s the problem?” Ben prompted, recognising her ambivalence.

  “You read me too well.” Eve poured herself fresh coffee. She shouldn’t be drinking it this late but she loved the aroma, the rich taste, these companionable moments with Ben. They were becoming too few.

  “Drew Forsythe,” Eve answered bluntly, beginning to butter a slice of toast for herself.

  “Isn’t he a brilliant kind of guy?” Ben looked faintly aghast. “That’s all I read about him. No need for you to see too much of him surely. Isn’t he CEO?”

  Eve nodded. “I wasn’t aware at the time the position was his executive assistant.”

  Ben stared at her thoughtfully. “What a coup! Are you trying to tell me you don’t think you can work with him? It sounds like an experience you shouldn’t miss out on, to me. That Ellison took most of the credit for some of your projects, remember?”

  “Well these guys do it all the time.” Eve shrugged.

  “Come on, Evie. What’s worrying you? You should be on top of the world.”

  “I suppose I am thrilled in a way,” Eve admitted. “I could only ever say this to you, Ben.” Eve looked directly at her brother.

  “Evie, when have you ever known me to pass things on?” Ben asked.

  “It’s absolutely confidential.”

  “Good God, girl, spit it out.” Ben paused to savour the smoked salmon Evie was always coming up with some little treat for him. He realised how much he loved her. How much he owed her. But even with him Evie played her cards close to her chest.

  Eve began slowly, even now reliving it. “It was the strangest thing. As I was waiting for the lift doors to open I surprised Drew Forsythe in a pretty passionate clinch.”

  “Hey, hey, hey.” Ben threw up his sensitive long-fingered hands. “What’s so shocking about that? I’ve seen the guy in the flesh. I’d say most women would find him dynamite. The looks of a film star. A brilliant business brain. Heir to a fortune. Try to remember he’s divorced. I hate to say this, Evie, but you have a real downer on us guys. Don’t let what Dad did cut into your life.”

  “The woman he was with was Lady Forsythe,” Eve told him baldly.

  “What?” Ben looked uncertain whether to believe her. “The new stepmother?”

  “I didn’t want to talk about it. Even to you, Ben.” Eve looked troubled.

  “You could be wrong.” He grabbed her hand and shook it for a moment.

  Eve’s mind flashed back to the scene. “I think not.”

  “Don’t go all holy on us, Evie. Think again.”

  “I’ve been thinking about it right up until you arrived.” Eve swallowed another mouthful of coffee.

  Ben studied her face, seeing something of the old despair. “I can’t believe that he would do anything so damned dangerous. Why, he and his old man are supposed to be exceptionally close. People say Sir David fairly dotes on him. The apple of his eye and so forth. It doesn’t seem likely, Evie. Are you absolutely sure? I mean, what sort of a woman is she to be in something like that?”

  “A susceptible one,” Eve answered bleakly. “Perhaps captivated by his utter recklessness. Even now I can’t believe it. She looked so damned decent.”

  “They were kissing, right?” Ben shoved his empty plate away and leaned his elbows on the table.

  “Actually, they weren’t. They were in the act of springing apart.”

  Ben groaned. “Then it’s open to a different interpretation, sweetie. You’re making a snap judgment.”

  “I’m not a fool, Ben. You know that,” Eve said quietly.

  “I’m sorry.” Ben took her hand again and held it between his own. “But too much has been put on you, Evie. Too much responsibility. Too much pressure. I remember everything. The way Mum used to lean on you for God knows everything. The way she used to tell you never to allow yourself to trust a man.”

  Eve gave a little laugh to relieve the intensity. “I trust you with my life. You’re a man, aren’t you?”

  “And a fascinating one to boot,” Ben joked, “but you do see you might have been mistaken. Perhaps he was just hugging her. Can’t a stepson do that?”

  Eve responded flatly. “He’s the sexiest damned man I’ve ever seen in my life.

  “You can’t hang him for that.”

  “He said he was comforting her.”

  “Then it could have been just that. Not a sexual goings-on. Don’t ruin your chances, Eve, jumping to conclusions.”

  Eve didn’t want to. Nevertheless her arms tightened unconsciously around herself. “I think you might have felt differently had you been there.”

  Ben considered. “We can’t control people’s private lives, Evie,” he pointed out gently. “Did either of them act guilty?”

  “Surprisingly, no.” Eve shook her head. “She looked a little confused. He, of course, looked supremely self-assured. He’s very experienced with women. A great ladies’ man!”

  Ben stood up, started pacing. “Evie, be honest. You don’t know him at all.”

  “I know for a fact he divorced his wife. That’s a start. It wasn’t the other way around.”

  Ben laughed shortly. “Not everything Lisa tells you is true. People just love to gossip. Especially about the rich and famous. You can’t condemn him for being divorced. Catch up with the statistics. His private life is just that. Private.”

  “Not even the President of the United States can get away with it,” Eve reminded him wryly.

  “So how did you act during the interview?” Ben asked, looking at his sister closely. “Your face can be a dead giveaway.”

  “How’s that?” Eve looked up at him startled.

  �
�You can look very high and mighty at times.” Ben smiled. “It’s something to see.”

  “So you think I’m overreacting?”

  “I think you have a little bit of sensitive evidence but not enough to condemn the man,” Ben said gently, giving her a quick hug. “Don’t cut yourself off from this job, Evie. At this stage its far too early to throw away your chances. Only time will tell if you were right.”

  The makeover of her image seemed endless, though it took only a Saturday with the hyperactive Lisa—twice the winner of the “Fashion on the Field” competition—for guidance and support. Her hair first.

  “This is wonderful hair,” Lisa’s hairdresser said as he let a thick bouncy curtain flow around Eve’s face. “But we have to do something about the colour. You’ve let it darken, you naughty girl. Blondes have to look after their hair in a hot climate. We have to bring the sunshine back.” He snapped his fingers at an assistant who ran with a colour chart. “You would have been very blond as a child?”

  Eve nodded, glancing anxiously at the chart. Surely he wasn’t thinking of going for an ultra hip platinum. That wasn’t on. She didn’t want her own self to disappear.

  “Maybe hightlighting would do it?” Raymond considered, head on one side. “No, two shades lighter. I know exactly the effect I want.”

  While Raymond hurried off, not taking his commission lightly, Lisa of the dark snapping eyes and very short Raymond cut, gave Eve a comforting wink. “He’ll look after you, Evie, so you can take the look of alarm off your face. Raymond is a genius.” She leaned forward to catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror, well satisfied with what she saw. “After we’re through here, we’ll catch a cup of coffee as a booster, then on to makeup. I know you’ve got a beautiful skin but a light foundation will enhance it. We need eye shadow, mascara, blusher, a few lipsticks, the whole caboodle. ”Heck, I’ve just thought of something.” She broke off, rolling her eyes. ”If you do exactly what I tell you, you might be able to land the gorgeous Drew. He’s available.”