Falling For The Enemy

“Amazing, isn’t he?”

A female voice cut into Paige’s thoughts. She turned toward the sound, then glanced at the closed office door once more before giving her full attention to the woman approaching her. “I have to admit that was the oddest interview I’ve ever had…and certainly the shortest.”

The woman extended her hand and a warm smile. “We haven’t met officially. I’m Eileen Draper, the office manager.”

Eileen handed Paige a sheet of paper containing the information about the location of the company jet. It also contained all pertinent names, addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers of key personnel. Paige noted in amazement that her name had already been added to the list.

“You’ll be staying at the corporate flat in London. The address and phone number are listed.” Eileen glanced toward Bryce’s closed office door, then lowered her voice. “In case you haven’t guessed, he’s a true workaholic in every sense of the word, but he doesn’t expect any more from others than he’s willing to give himself. Right now he’s in the middle of several very big deals, so things are more hectic than usual. Just keep calm and try not to let him muddle your head with too many things at once. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to stand up to him if he starts driving you crazy. Underneath he’s really a very caring and considerate man, straightforward and honest.”

Eileen offered Paige a confident smile. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

Paige headed for the elevator, her thoughts not as positive as Eileen’s words had been. Straightforward and honest…hmmph! That’ll be the day. She took the elevator to the first floor and exited the building. She paused on the sidewalk and glanced up toward the third-floor window of Bryce’s office. Pretty soon everyone will know the real truth about you, Bryce Lexington, and your underhanded business tactics. She continued toward her car.

Bryce watched from his office window as Paige walked down the sidewalk. As soon as she was out of sight he picked up the phone and called Joe Thompkins. A minute later his security chief arrived in his office. Bryce settled into his chair, leaned back and propped his feet up on his desk. He listened intently as the forty-two-year-old ruggedly handsome man opened a file folder and gave him a quick rundown.

“Paige Bradford, maiden name Franklin. Thirty-two years old. Daughter of Stanley Franklin, founder of Franklin Industries. Mother deceased. Following a divorce one year ago from Jerry Bradford, Paige moved from St. Louis back to her father’s house in Los Angeles. She’s the one who discovered his body after he shot himself. That was six months ago. It was shortly after that when she began tracking down information about you.”

Bryce took the folder from Joe and looked over the contents as he slowly shook his head. “If she hadn’t tried to pass herself off as a writer doing an in-depth biography of me, then called one of my business associates, Herb Fenwick, to set up an interview with him we probably wouldn’t have known about her activities. Fortunately, Herb called me after she’d contacted him.”

Bryce scanned the folder again. “I’m not sure what type of person I was expecting, but she certainly wasn’t it. I wonder what she wants with me. It can’t have anything to do with my purchase of Franklin Industries. Surely she knows about her father, what he did and why the deal went down that way.”

“The real kicker was her procuring a job right here in corporate headquarters with access to your entire computer network. You have a copy of her personnel record, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Bryce reached in a desk drawer and withdrew another file folder. He looked through the pages, his gaze lingering for a moment longer than necessary on the photograph that did not do her justice. It did not show her beautiful smile or her sparkling hazel eyes. He let out a sigh of exasperation. “I suppose the sensible thing to do would have been to just ask her what she was up to. There could be a perfectly logical reason for her running around prying into my life and business.”

“Oh, really?” Joe’s expression and tone of voice said he found Bryce’s suggestion totally ludicrous. “And just what do you suppose that perfectly logical reason might be?”

Bryce shot him an exasperated look. “All right, let’s say she does have some sort of ulterior motive for her actions. We don’t want to make any accusations without some type of proof.” Bryce suddenly sat up straighter, his tone of voice taking on a sense of urgency. “She hasn’t done anything detrimental to the company, like compromising sensitive corporate information, has she?”

“Not that I’m aware of. Her investigations seem to have been limited to publicly available information…so far.”

Bryce studied her file a moment longer, then closed it with a finality that said the discussion was finished. “I’ve transferred her to my personal staff as my administrative assistant effective today. According to her file she’s fully qualified for the job. That way I can keep my eye on her until we figure out what she’s up to—if she’s up to anything at all—and she won’t know we’re suspicious of her. I don’t want to tip our hand and frighten her off before we find out what this is about.”

“I don’t like it, Bryce. She seems to have some sort of personal agenda she’s pursuing and you can bet it’s not to your benefit.”

Bryce opened the file and stared at her photograph again. “You know—” he flashed a grin “—it’s worth a little bit of inconvenience to have someone around who looks like this. Eileen Draper is a dear and I couldn’t get along without her management skills, but she is old enough to be my mother.” He stole a guilty look toward the office door, then turned a sheepish expression to Joe. “And don’t you dare tell Eileen I said that.”

Bryce closed the folder and tossed it onto the corner of his desk, his manner once again turning to serious business. “I’ll play it by ear, take it one day at a time. We’ll see where things progress from here.”

“You want her working directly with you where she would be free to pursue whatever she has on her agenda up to and including doing you physical harm?”

“In all fairness, Joe, we don’t know that she has anything in mind that’s damaging to me or to the corporation.”

“That’s your final decision in the matter?”

“Yep. That’s the way I intend to play it.”

“I want to go on record as being dead set against this, Bryce.”

“Your objection is duly noted.”

Joe returned to his duties, leaving Bryce at his desk. Bryce’s thoughts returned to his brief encounter with Paige. He was pleased that she did not seem afraid of him. He knew his position and manner were often intimidating to others, but he was a busy man and didn’t have the time or desire to deal with unnecessary pleasantness. More than once he’d been told his handling of the social graces was occasionally less than adequate. He knew how to play the game when he needed to, but he felt that all the pretenses were a waste of time and definitely not his style.

He thoroughly disliked the little mind games of one-upmanship and psychological power control, both in business and in his personal life. He didn’t understand why people couldn’t be honest with each other. It would certainly save a lot of time and make life much easier.

A stab of guilt provided him with a sharp reminder of the blatant dishonesty and subterfuge he had perpetrated not half an hour ago in his office. He was not pleased about it, but the circumstances were unique. The necessity created by the situation overruled his displeasure and eased his pangs of conscience.

Bryce found all the little dating games and rituals a waste of time, too. He suspected it was one of the reasons it was so difficult for him to develop a personal and lasting relationship with a woman. An errant thought crept into his reality as he wondered if he would ever be able to find the right woman.

It was not as if he was asking for the moon. All he wanted was an intelligent woman with a sense of humor who also possessed a healthy dose of solid common sense and was able to stand on her own two feet. Someone who was gentle and compassionate, but could be tough when the situation called for it. Someone well-read, with an appreciation of the arts, who also liked outdoor activities. Someone honest and forthright whom he could trust and with whom he could share. Someone he could give his heart and his love to.

No, he wasn’t asking for the moon—just the entire solar system and all the stars beyond. He knew his requirements were impossibly high. With each passing year he came closer to the sad realization that his chances of finding someone he could love without reservation were growing more and more remote. Eileen had told him on more than one occasion that he worked too hard and had closed off his life to everything but his business interests. Bryce didn’t want to believe her, but he knew deep down inside that she might be right. What he did not know was what he could do about it.

Was this the one thing that the man who had been dubbed the master of the golden touch would find too elusive? His business holdings, no matter how lucrative, could not keep him warm at night. They could not help him celebrate his successes or grapple with sorrow at sad occasions. They could not share his dreams. They were only material possessions, nothing more.

Bryce tried to sort out his impressions of Paige Bradford—she had definitely made an indelible impression on him. She wore her auburn hair swept up on her head. Her hazel eyes sparkled with intelligence and confidence. He recalled the way her hand felt in his, the subtle fragrance of her perfume, the tailored lines of her clothes and the way they fit her body. He frowned as another image presented itself—the way she stared at him, as if trying to get inside his head and read what was going on there.

He rose from his chair and headed toward the office door. A twinge of uncertainty pricked at his consciousness. Maybe Joe had been right. Perhaps hiring Paige Bradford had been a really bad idea.

Paige stared at the clothes hanging in her closet as the time grew closer and closer to the moment of departure. She didn’t have a clue about what to pack for five days in London, or what type of situations she would be encountering. She didn’t want to look foolish by overpacking, but didn’t want to be caught unprepared either.

She shook her head as she frowned. Even though she thought she’d studied Bryce Lexington so thoroughly that she knew him inside out, she had been totally unprepared for the man who had greeted her when she walked into his office. The photographs she had seen of him depicted a handsome man, but she could now say with complete confidence that the camera did not do him justice. His dark hair was thick and tended toward the longish side. He had a deep golden tan. And those eyes—they weren’t blue, they were the most incredibly brilliant turquoise.

She had also been surprised by the way he was dressed. As the head of a corporate conglomerate with international holdings, she had just assumed Bryce would wear a suit to the office, especially to conduct a job interview. Instead, he wore jeans, a pullover shirt and running shoes. The shirt accentuated his broad shoulders and strong arms without the effect seeming to have been his intention.

And it was not just his physical appearance that had captured her undivided attention, either. His commanding presence had filled the large office. It was an intoxicating combination of power, wealth and confidence, yet did not present itself in the form of an inflated ego or arrogance in spite of his somewhat brusque manner. At least not yet, she cynically reminded herself. She knew a man like Bryce Lexington would soon show his true colors, and when he did she would be there to capitalize on it.

Paige dismissed any further speculation. She finally packed one suitcase, her decisions dictated more by the necessities of the tight time frame he had given her rather than practical considerations.

She barely had time after packing to stop at the post office to make arrangements to have her mail held. She didn’t dare be late meeting her new boss at the airport. She knew a man like Bryce Lexington would not tolerate being kept waiting. It would not be a good start to their relationship and would hinder the next phase of her quest, searching for the information she needed to exact her revenge and expose him to the world.

Paige snorted in disgust. The word relationship usually pertained to something positive, to something good. But not in this case, not when the relationship in question was between herself and Bryce Lexington. She mentally steeled herself against the difficulties she would need to endure along the path she had chosen. She turned the corner and pulled her car into the parking lot at the company hangar.

Bryce was waiting for her and hurried her onto the private jet. Precisely on schedule, as was everything that surrounded Bryce Lexington, they lifted off into the evening sky. To her surprise, as soon as they were airborne he went to the small galley, opened a bottle of wine and poured two glasses. She had assumed he would have hired someone to handle these chores.

“Here, Bradford.” He set the glasses on opposite sides of a table. “We’ll have something to eat then get right to work.”

“We’ll be working during the flight?” She heard a hint of irritation in her voice, but hadn’t been able to stop it. That possibility had not occurred to her. It had already been a long, full day.

He cocked his head and stared at her. “Do you have a problem with that?”

She quickly regained her composure. “No…of course not. This just seems like an odd place to try to get some work done, not really a business setting.” She tried to offer a smile that said she was not upset by his long workday, but she wasn’t sure how successful she had been.

“I do very little work at the Santa Monica corporate offices. I doubt I’m there more than two or three days a month. I prefer to work in more comfortable surroundings. I maintain a full office at my home, where I usually work when I’m in town.”

Bryce toyed with his wineglass, running his fingertip around the rim, then turning the stem between his fingers. It was not so much a nervous habit as an effort to focus his attention on the business aspects of what was happening and away from his very personal thoughts about the attractive woman sitting across from him.

His nostrils flared slightly as he inhaled the same tantalizing fragrance that she’d worn at the interview. He seldom made mistakes, but this time he had made a big one. He definitely should have listened to Joe and not brought her into his office, but not for the reasons Joe had presented. Bryce’s reasons were far more personal and definitely involved his libido. He took another sip of wine. “I can’t think of any reason to waste all the time it takes to fly to London when we could be accomplishing something worthwhile.”