“His father wanted him to have the title and pay.” Iris swung her right calf in short, stiff movements. “And to take the credit.”
“Unbelievable. What did you do?”
“That’s probably where the claims of unethical behavior come in.” Iris didn’t hesitate. “I told them in anatomically correct terms what they could do with their offer and how they could do it. But I didn’t give them the chance to fire me. I quit. I can show you the email if you doubt me.”
Tyler’s eyebrows leapt up his high forehead. “You responded in an email?”
“Maybe that’s how Pete Kimball got the idea that my behavior was unethical.”
“Who mentioned Pete Kimball?” Tyler’s enigmatic expression didn’t fool Iris.
“It’s simple deduction, Sherlock.” Iris stopped swinging her leg. “Pete Kimball wants your account. And he knows I have it.”
* * *
The marketing consultant was on to him. Tyler looked away. He wouldn’t—couldn’t—lie to her. And he was glad she’d stopped swinging her leg. He’d been distracted by those shapely limbs in the faded, red leggings. About half of his bluster had been his attempt to mask his reaction to them.
His fingers twitched, itching to remove the clip binding her sable tresses. But the style emphasized her elegant, warm-honey features: high cheekbones, long nose, that Cupid’s bow mouth. He could blissfully drown in her wide, coffee eyes.
Tyler pulled his gaze from Iris’s face and let it roam over her living room. The decor reflected the woman: modern, well put together, bold; from the large emerald sofa and matching love seat, to the sterling-silver-and-onyx entertainment center and matching coffee table. Three of the walls were painted pure white. The wall behind the entertainment center was deep red. The lamp on the silver-and-onyx corner table was carved from stone. The beige wall-to-wall carpet must have come with the townhome.
“I’m sorry I accused you instead of asking for an explanation.” Tyler’s attention dropped to the magazine spread open on her coffee table. It was the latest issue of a computer gaming publication.
“Corporate espionage is a hot-button issue in the gaming industry.” Iris shrugged. “Being told you’ve hired an ethically challenged consultant probably didn’t sit well with you.”
“I appreciate your understanding.”
“Now that we’ve gotten that straightened out, I’m going to settle in for the evening.” She stood, unfolding her arms. “I’ve got a lot of work to do to prepare for your executive team meeting Monday morning.”
I’m being dismissed. Tyler suppressed a smile as he rose from Iris’s sofa. “Of course. I’m sorry to barge in on you at home.”
“I’m glad we talked it through.” Iris led him to her door. “Once you get to know me, you’ll realize you can trust me. I understand and respect your need for confidentiality.”
Tyler jerked his attention from her hips. He shouldn’t be checking out his consultant. “Thank you.”
Iris opened her front door, pulling it wider as she stepped back. “Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”
Tyler stepped over the threshold, then looked back at her. “Should we get together to discuss the agenda for Monday’s meeting?”
Her winged eyebrows knitted. “We already discussed most of it when we met this morning.”
“All right. Good.” He hadn’t felt this awkward around a female since puberty. “One thing we didn’t discuss, though, was where you’ll be working.”
She frowned. “I usually work out of my office.”
“I think it would better for you to work out of ours.” Where had that come from?
“Why?” Iris looked as startled as Tyler felt.
“You pointed out yourself that we’re on a tight schedule, which is even tighter since you insist on an internal launch.”
“The internal launch is the right thing to do for your employees.”
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