Elise’s heart missed a beat. The reason behind it was puzzling. It’d come sooner than expected, but he would’ve needed to trust her with some details in order to secure her help. That he’d done so mere minutes into the interview shouldn’t trigger such a response from her.
Yet the tiniest sliver of warmth curled through her.
To counteract it, she nodded briskly. ‘Give me an hour to do a little research...I mean a more personal research, and I’ll see if I can come up with something.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘You think an hour is all it’ll take to fix my problem?’ he taunted.
‘I won’t know until I try whether or not I can help you, Mr Aguilar. Let me try.’
‘You have half an hour.’ He nodded to the far side of his office, where two stylish studded leather sofas faced each other across a smoked-glass coffee table. ‘I’ll have Margo set you up with a laptop—’
‘There’s no need. I brought my own.’ Elise held up her briefcase and attempted a cool smile.
His scowl deepened. ‘I’d prefer it if those confidential details we spoke about don’t leave my building. Pass the test, and we’ll see about redressing your security access.’
The warmth evaporated. ‘Oh, right.’ She was irritated with herself for feeling stung by the implication that she wasn’t trustworthy. But then hadn’t she experienced a similar feeling towards him moments ago? Wasn’t she even now kicking herself for continuing to be mesmerised by the sheer depths of raw sensuality oozing from him?
‘Is that going to be a problem?’ he enquired.
Realising she’d been staring at him for a fistful of heartbeats, she pinned on another smile and rose. ‘Of course not. I’m ready when you are.’ She headed for the sofa to the sound of Margo being summoned, but the tingle between her shoulder blades and down her back indicated he was watching her. Keeping her movements fluid, she set her case down and removed her jacket before choosing the seat farthest from his desk.
Only then did she risk another glance in his direction.
His head was bent over a document, two fingers tracing the words downward as he speed-read. As with everything she’d noticed about him so far, the action was unmistakably absorbing. To the point where she was in danger of appearing like a hormone-engorged groupie at a rock concert!
She exhaled in relief when Margo knocked and entered. The laptop she set before Elise looked custom-made and top of the line.
After she departed, Elise opened it and stared down at the wallpaper that depicted the majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range in Spain. In the middle of the screen, the SNV logo blinked its request.
‘Is there a problem?’ Alejandro asked coolly.
‘Yes. This requires a password.’
He rose with smooth animal grace, document in one hand and his tiny espresso cup in the other. Pausing at the tray, he refilled his cup, then crossed the room to her.
The notion that she’d unwittingly invited him closer sent equal amounts of chagrin and wariness coursing through her. Her senses jumped as he reached for the laptop. Elegant fingers flew over the keyboard and then he handed it back.
Expecting him to return to his desk, she stared dry-mouthed as he picked up the document and cup, relaxed against the sofa, and crossed one leg over the other.
Elise had always thought that men who sat that way were a little too in touch with their feminine side, but there was nothing even remotely feminine about Alejandro Aguilar as he lounged with almost predatory indolence and flicked through the papers in his hand.
‘Unless you intend to prise your answers from my subconscious, I suggest you get on with it, Miss Jameson.’
Heat flared into her cheeks for the third time in less than an hour, eliciting a thorough self-loathing for her inability to curb her jumpy reactions.
Dragging her focus back to the laptop, she settled it on her lap and went to work. Her initial searches produced run-of-the-mill information about the Ishikawa Corporation Alejandro most likely already possessed. She sent three quick emails to trusted sources in Kyoto and Osaka, delved deeper into the company history, then traced the genealogy of the founders.
Fifteen minutes later, a tiny spurt of excitement lanced her.
‘Found something you want to share?’
She looked up and found laser eyes trained on her. ‘What?’
‘You just made the universal feminine sound of excitement,’ he drawled, lifting his cup and draining it.
She tried to look away, but found herself unable to. ‘I’m not sure what that is, but yes, I may have found something.’
‘And?’ he pressed impatiently.
With effort, she refocused on the screen. ‘And I have another thirteen minutes until my time is up. So if you don’t mind?’
He made a sound beneath his breath, a cross between a growl and a huff, as he stood to refill his cup yet again. The sound rumbled along her nerve endings, causing her fingers to stumble over the keys.
God. What on earth was wrong with her?
Even before the incident that still had the power to make her stomach turn in sick horror, she’d never reacted this strongly to another man. Ever. She hadn’t allowed herself to even indulge in thoughts of the opposite sex since the incident. Sure, there hadn’t been a shortage of male attention despite her often blatant lack of interest. From those who wanted to date the boss’s daughter to further their own ends, to those who thought she would be accommodating with her affections because of the rumours surrounding her parents’ marriage. Each and every one of them had been firmly rebuffed.
Alejandro Aguilar hadn’t so much as flicked an interested eyelash in her direction. Yet her senses seemed poised on the edge of an unknown precipice, anticipating a sensation she couldn’t quite name.
The ping of an incoming email brought blessed refocusing. She read it quickly, then reached for her phone. ‘I need to make a quick phone call.’
‘Why?’ he asked without lifting his gaze from his document.
‘I want to confirm a few things before I present my findings. I still have five minutes left.’
He nodded to the state-of-the-art gadget crouched in the middle of the coffee table. ‘Use that phone.’
The bite of distaste stung deeper, prompting her to utter words she would’ve been better off stemming. ‘Are your trust issues as big as your caffeine problem?’
Glacial green eyes sliced into her. ‘You call them problems, I think of them as necessary tools that keep me at the top of my game. Your time is almost up. Use the phone or cut your losses and leave.’
Her hand tightened around her phone. ‘You’d toss me out before you hear what I’ve found out? Just because I state a few home truths?’
‘We met an hour ago. Are you naive enough to demand that I trust you in so short a time?’
‘Of course not. Nevertheless, I don’t appreciate being treated as if I’ve committed a crime or I’m about to commit one when all I’m trying to do is to help you.’
‘You take pleasure in debating non-issues when the only thing that should be important here is your service to me. Learning to give me what I want will go a long way to improving your chances of earning this contract.’
Her breath hitched as another voice surged into her head.
Stop playing so hard to get. Give me what I want and I’ll reward you...
The distaste of bitter memories made her snap, ‘I told you, if you’re looking for someone to lie down