Their fathers had been competitors before becoming business partners and eventually best friends. Alessandra had known Alek since they were children, although they encountered each other more as teenagers. As they moved into adulthood, she watched the surly teen grow into an arrogant and cocky man. His demeanor toward her had always been decidedly brooding, but bordered on hostile when he discovered they would run ADG together.
It’s been five years; does he feel the same?
She fought the urge to ask Emily if he was in fact in his office. The board meeting was tomorrow morning and she would undoubtedly see him then. Alessandra flipped her straight hair over her shoulder as she arched a brow and released a heavy breath. If he was still unwilling to accept her role in the company, then, like their offices, they would remain at opposite ends. The choice is his to make.
Sighing, she continued down the hall, her heels echoing against the marble floor. The glass door leading into the outer office automatically opened upon her approach. Unger Rawlings, her executive assistant, instantly rose to his feet and grabbed his iPad, but she held up her hand and softly shook her head to prevent him from following her through the open double doors into her office. “I’m fine for now, Unger,” she assured him.
“Yes, ma’am.”
He had been her right-hand man and dedicated employee since her first day at ADG. The tall and slender young man, who was just a little younger than her thirty years, knew all too well of her priorities. She could think of no one else to serve as her assistant, even if there had been a push for someone with more experience and qualifications. His professionalism and loyalty were significant to her.
“Actually, you can go to lunch, Unger,” she said.
“Would you like anything?” he asked.
She shook her head.
It was solace that she sought.
Alessandra paused in the doorway and took in the nearly 360-degree view of Manhattan through the three glass curtain walls of her office. The open floor plan was breathtakingly beautiful and sleek with over three thousand square feet, twenty-foot ceilings with skylights, private spa bath, small kitchen, exercise room, lounge area with a grand fireplace, library and an outdoor terrace. All was stylishly designed in luxury, but it wasn’t the grandeur of the space that caused her to pause.
Although the office had been updated and remodeled in the last five years, to her it was still her father’s space and he was gone.
“Deep thoughts?”
Alessandra froze. She didn’t need to see the face that matched the seductive, masculine voice. It had been years, but she knew it well. Hating the feeling of nervous anxiety that plagued her as his return became imminent, she stiffened her spine and prayed her makeup and hair were still flawless. Keep it cool.
“Welcome back, Alek,” she said coolly, slowly walking the length of the polished hardwood floors to reach her large desk. She turned to face him, leaning back against the edge of her desk and crossing her ankles.
There he stood in the open doorway in a designer suit and handmade shoes, looking every bit the man of power. Polished. Stylish. Tall, truly dark and unapologetically handsome. Black hair cut low, dark eyes, bronzed brown complexion. His groomed beard emphasized his high cheekbones and square jawline. He stood right at six feet tall with a strong, athletic build that his tailored suit couldn’t hide.
Alessandra’s eyes missed nothing, not even the small scar on his cheek that added a dangerous edge to his style. She had always considered him a fine-looking man, but the years made him more rugged...more handsome.
Sexy. Too damn sexy.
Alessandra had heard of and seen Alek’s personal life in the press, but the photos of him and his rotation of beautiful dates had not prepared her for all of him in person. Her facade was cool as she hid her pounding heart and racing pulse. Alek Ansah was pure, raw sex appeal.
Well, I’ll be damned.
“Alessandra,” he said, his voice deep and rich with that British accent.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom.
Alessandra’s heart betrayed her. She ignored the almost deafening pounding as she eyed him strolling into her office. He came over to stand at her window, his coal-black eyes locked on some spot in the distance. He had the kind of stride that hinted at his sexual prowess.
She looked back over her shoulder. Her eyes caressed his profile. Sexy arrogant bully.
Alek suddenly turned his head to eye her, as well.
Alessandra kept her face nonchalant. “Can I help you with something, Alek?” she asked, rising to come around her desk and pull back her chair to claim her seat behind it. Her hand was as unsteady as her pulse as she picked up her favorite Aurora fountain pen.
“There are whispers in the air that you are proposing working on a deal to shift the firm into shipping,” he said, moving over to stand in front of her desk.
Alessandra glanced up at him, purposely dismissing him with her eyes as she pretended to focus on the files and forms before her. “Whispers, Alek?” she said mockingly. “I would think a man like you was above listening to...whispers.”
“A man like me, Alessandra?”
She allowed herself a moment to close her eyes at how his tongue seemed to caress her name. Dropping her pen, she leaned back in her chair and looked up at him. “Your first day back and we’re picking—no, no, no—you’re picking up right where you left off,” she said with a disapproving twist of her lips.
“My feelings haven’t changed since my last day here,” he assured her, his eyes locked on her.
“Your feelings about me, I assume?” Alessandra rose to her feet, hating the feeling of him looking down on her.
“Exactly.”
She felt affronted. “And your issue with me is?” she asked, deciding to be just as bold as him.
“Your refusal to step down from a position not suited for you,” he instantly shot back with ease as if the words had been sitting perched on the tip of his tongue.
“It’s too bad you feel that way, Alek,” she said, her voice firm. “Because you’re mistaken.”
His eyes took her in. Her hair. Her face. The fit of the embroidered satin shirt she wore with a formfitting pencil skirt. A warm appreciation filled the dark depths.
In the years since she blossomed into a swan, she had learned to pick up on the unspoken cues of a man. She felt desired at his perusal, but his demeanor toward her was weakening her desire of him.
Alek reached across the desk dividing them to stroke her hair. “I like your new look. Playing dress-up?” he asked, slightly mocking.
She held his stare as she coolly raised her hand to brush away his touch. “Change is good, Alek. Particularly change of times. Why don’t you and your outdated chauvinistic thinking join the rest of us in the current year.”
“This should be fun,” Alek said, nodding his head and smiling.
“Games are not a part of my day, Alek,” she snapped. “I will not be undermined in this business by you and your return. I have earned my MBA from your alma mater. I have worked my way up inside this business. I have implemented deals that have generated ADG a steady influx of money. I have proved my worth. And, most importantly, Alek, I own the same number of shares as you. We are equals. And I’m not going anywhere.”
He wiped his mouth as he eyed her with a hint of amusement in his eyes. “We’ll see,” he said simply before turning to walk