Her eyes widened. Had he returned to the office last night to put this together? The man was superhuman.
‘Yesterday, Elise confirmed what we’ve all suspected for the past few days. The Ishikawa Corporation is considering another player for the merger. What the report doesn’t say is that player happens to be my brother.’
Elise tensed at the icy chill of his tone as shocked murmurs went around the table.
‘Your brother?’ Wendell echoed.
Alejandro’s eyes hardened a touch. ‘Yes. He’s CEO of Toredo Inc. That fact shouldn’t alter our strategy. At least not yet. Elise believes Kenzo Ishikawa and the proposed relocation of the factories is the bone of contention fuelling the sudden switch in their end goal. We’ll concentrate on that instead.’
Wendell frowned and glanced at Elise. ‘Their grandfather? Are you sure?’
She nodded. ‘As sure as I can be without hearing it straight from his mouth.’
Alejandro levelled a hard stare at him. ‘Do you have a problem with that assessment? If so, prove it wrong,’ he bit out.
Wendell’s eyes widened. ‘Umm...no, I believe her.’
‘Good. I want a preliminary report of what it’ll cost to relocate fifty per cent of the factories and leave the remainder in Japan for the next five years. That will be all.’
He rose, signalling an end to the meeting. A few steps from the door, he looked over his shoulder. ‘Elise?’ Her name was a terse command.
She rose, aware of the speculative glances she drew.
Wordlessly, she followed him into his office, the door swinging shut behind them. The familiar-looking coffee cart stood beside the sofas. Alejandro strode to it and poured himself an espresso.
After taking a healthy gulp, he faced her.
‘Are popularity contests your thing?’ he enquired. His tone would have been cordial, but for the deadly bite threading it.
Elise frowned. ‘What?’
‘You walk into a room and instantly feel a burning need to make sure everyone likes you, is that it?’
A quiver of anger, and something else she couldn’t define, shot through her. ‘The only thing I’m sure of right now is that I have no clue what you’re talking about. Wait, maybe I am sure of one thing. You definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed.’
His mouth twisted. ‘You’re assuming I went to bed at all.’
‘Well then, that’s your problem right there. Grumpiness due to sleep deprivation is a common ailment. And I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘I could’ve defended my findings to Wendell. You didn’t need to lumber in.’
Green eyes narrowed. ‘Watch it, Elise. You’re in danger of forgetting who’s boss.’
Another shiver passed through her, but it was in response to the sparks arcing through the air. And the fact that she wasn’t shying away as she’d promised herself last night she would. In truth, the opposite seemed to be the case. Something inside her relished it. ‘I haven’t forgotten. But I appear to have done something specifically to annoy you between last night and right now. Something I have no clue about—’
‘Unless I haven’t been paying attention to my team, Wendell Grant hasn’t lost the use of his limbs. Is there any reason you felt the need to fetch him coffee?’
Her snort escaped before she could stop it. ‘You’re annoyed about that?’
His brows clenched in a frown. ‘I don’t wish to set a precedent,’ he snapped. ‘Or breed an atmosphere of sexism at the workplace.’
Elise took a deep, bracing breath. ‘So why didn’t you just say that? Why go with the popularity angle? And yesterday it was about me flirting with Oliver.’
‘You’re making my point for me.’
‘Am I? Or are you going out of your way to find fault with me because you have a problem with me?’
His jaw tightened. ‘I assure you—’
‘No. Let me assure you. I’m familiar with a work environment where it’s believed that throwing your weight about and reminding those around you who’s boss every minute of every day is the way forward. Both times you’ve bitten my head off, your employees have seemed surprised. Which tells me you don’t normally do that. Your problem is with me specifically. So I’ll explain myself in the hope we can start another day with a clean slate, shall I? I met Wendell on my way up. He told me he’d recommended you to use Jameson. We joked about what his reward would be. I got him the coffee as a thank-you. End of story.’ Realising she’d delivered another diatribe, Elise heaved in a breath.
Alejandro stared at her for several beats without speaking. Eyes still fixed on her, he drained his espresso, set down the cup on his desk and prowled to where she stood.
‘As I said...you want to be liked,’ he taunted, her ramble clearly having had zero effect.
‘Are you serious—?’
‘So, what about me?’ he inserted. ‘Do you like me, Elise?’
‘I... What?’ She exhaled.
He shrugged, piercing green eyes examining her face in rapt detail before they locked on her mouth. ‘Grant merely recommended you. There were two other candidates I could’ve gone for. I chose you. So, tell me? How will you thank me?’
Electricity stormed the air. Invisible sparks flew, crackling thick and volatile charges between them. Her mouth tingled, her throat growing dry as she tried to swallow and speak. The first few attempts, words failed her, her senses swimming as she tried to step back from the edge of the dangerous abyss that suddenly loomed before her.
She shook her head. The movement was jerky. Uncoordinated. ‘I’m not falling for this,’ she said, her voice a croak above a whisper.
‘Falling for what, Elise?’ he asked, his tone containing an unfamiliar pulse that sent more shivers chasing through her body.
‘For whatever trap you’re setting for me.’
‘You’re far too fixated on traps,’ he drawled, his gaze still glued to her mouth.
‘You’re far too adept at laying them.’
‘I’m waiting, Elise.’
She licked her lips. It was a quick lick, a desperate act to stop the insane tingling. But his eyes darkened dramatically, and he exhaled a breath that sounded pent-up. Aggravated.
What was happening—?
No. Whatever was happening here didn’t require fathoming. She knew first-hand how quickly things could escalate from seemingly tranquil to potentially life-scarring. She’d been wary before Brian Grey had taught her a salutary lesson last year. But that incident had only tripled her efforts to stay away from emotional and sexual pitfalls.
Granted, Alejandro evoked an entirely different sort of apprehension from the sensations Brian Grey had produced in her. But they were all equally dangerous. Even more so this time, because her emotions weren’t as non-receptive as they’d been with Brian.
The realisation troubled her enough to propel her one step back. Then another.
Do you like me, Elise?