She balanced on her elbows, her torso straightened. Slim muscled legs slowly lifted off the floor, maintaining the perpendicular position for several seconds, before meeting in the middle in a sleek upside-down formation. Draco watched her stomach muscles delicately vibrate as she centred herself, her skin bathed in a sheen of sweat as her toned body achieved the perfect line.
As a former athlete himself, Draco appreciated the discipline it took to hone one’s body into the ultimate competitive instrument. And while part of him approved of the level of skill being displayed before him, the greater part was eyeing the delicate, muscled perfection of her body.
And detesting himself for it.
Whoever this woman was, she had no right to be here.
About to step forward and end this nonsense, he halted mid-step as she dropped one leg to the floor behind her. The sexy agility in her body arrested him, drying out every flaying word he’d meant to deliver as he stared.
Thee mou.
Anyone would think he hadn’t seen a female body before. He’d dated sportswomen at the peak of their careers and slept with more than his share of them. And yet something about this woman drew him as no other had done in a very long time.
That thought sent another bolt of anger through him. Rousing himself, he stepped forward, just as she lowered her other leg and straightened.
She wasn’t very tall, only coming up to his chest. But her deep blue eyes sparked with a fire and attitude that made her appear six feet tall. Her chin, pointed and determined, and her mouth, still curved in that sultry, albeit slightly wary smile, made him think thoughts that had no room in this space.
‘Now, where were we?’ she asked, her voice reminding him of smoky rooms in gentlemen’s clubs.
Draco dragged his mind from images of unwanted decadence to a far more appropriate ire. ‘We were addressing your unsolicited presence in my building.’
‘Ah, yes, you wanted to know who I was?’
‘I see you’ve skilfully avoided my trespass charge.’
‘That’s because I’m not trespassing. I have a right to be here.’
‘I seriously doubt that. Sanctioning half-naked women to perform acrobatics for my employees as part of their busy workday isn’t part of my business model.’
‘We’re talking about my supposed floor show, right?’
She glanced behind her. Catching sight of the group of men staring avidly through the glass from a few offices away, she smiled and waved.
A glowering look from Draco sent his employees dispersing, although a brave buck, Stan Macallister, dared to wave back.
Deciding it was time to bring this farce to an end, Draco strode to the desk of his AWOL CFO and snatched up the phone.
‘This is Mr Angelis. Send Security up to Daniels’ office. I have an unwanted guest who needs to be removed from the premises. And inform my head of security that I want a report on my desk as to why this breach has happened before the day is out.’
He slammed down the phone with more force than was needed.
‘Wow, was that really necessary?’
He turned to find her standing in the same position before the window, her hand on her curvy hips and her head tilted to one side. The loose knot of her silky black hair fell lopsided as she stared at him with one eyebrow raised mockingly.
‘I have a client meeting in less than half an hour. I’d throw you out myself but I don’t have time to take a shower before then.’
Her expression slipped at the thinly veiled insult. Draco felt childish satisfaction at scoring a direct hit. Absurdly, he’d been off balance since he’d seen her from his office next door. His need for transparency in all things had transmitted to his office layout, and with the open-plan setting and see-through glass windows across the floor he could keep an eye on most of his employees. Although he liked to believe it was unnecessary where his employees were concerned as he’d earned their loyalty, he’d learned the hard way that loyalty came at a cost.
The alternative career he’d had to choose was a cutthroat one at best. He’d made a few hard bargains along the way to get him where he was.
What he hadn’t bargained for today was seeing a decadently curvy woman on display on his CFO’s floor. He’d stopped an important call mid-conversation, a move he’d never made before. Now he had an irate, egocentric client waiting for him to call back. And a snarky stranger openly mocking him.
‘I hope you don’t feel too silly when you find out who I am,’ she said in that voice that snagged his senses, made him strain to hear her every word.
‘I’m not interested in who you are. My security will furnish me with that information if I need it. What I am interested in is you being escorted off the premises—’
‘Okay, this is getting ridiculous. My name is Rebel Daniels, Nathan Daniels’ daughter. I’m here to have lunch with my father. I forgot to sign in downstairs so Stan let me in. My dad wasn’t here. I assumed he was in a meeting or something, so I thought I’d wait for him. The yoga thing was just to relieve a little bit of stress.’
Several questions stormed through Draco’s mind. Was his security so lax that someone could just forget to make themselves known downstairs and still make it up here? She was Daniels’ daughter? Why was she stressed?
‘Your parents named you Rebel?’ Mildly disconcerted at the least relevant question that had chosen to fall from his lips, he watched a smile twitch at the corners of her mouth.
‘Hardly, although my mother did wonder why she hadn’t thought of that when I started using it at fifteen.’
Draco waited, wondering at the shadow that crossed her face a moment later. When she continued to stare at him, he pursed his lips. ‘So your real name is?’
‘I thought you weren’t interested.’ She turned and bent over to pick up her yoga mat.
He forced his gaze from her delectable behind to her bare feet, then away from her altogether when he realised he was even growing fascinated with her peach-painted toenails. ‘I’m only interested in you if it helps me locate your father.’
Her head jerked up, the rolled mat held against her body as she frowned at him. ‘What do you mean locate him? Isn’t he here?’
‘Did you have any reason to think he would be?’ he countered.
‘Of course I did. Why else would I have come here?’
Draco spotted two burly men rushing towards the office. His head of security looked extremely nervous. As he should be. He held up his hand when they reached the door. ‘When did you last speak to your father?’
Her gaze darted from the men back to him, a tiny flash of nervousness darkening her eyes. ‘Why, what does it matter?’
‘Because I would very much like to speak to him too.’
Her eyes widened, again a minuscule motion that he otherwise would’ve missed had he not been watching her closely. ‘So he’s not here?’ she pressed.
‘I think we’ve established that, Miss Daniels. Now are you going to answer me, or shall I hand you over to them?’ He jerked his head at the security men.
She frowned. ‘What exactly is going on here? If my father’s not here and you want me to leave, I will. There’s no need to throw your weight about. And I certainly don’t need to be escorted out.’
‘But you were in here on your own for over fifteen minutes. Who knows what information you’ve made yourself privy to?’
‘Are you accusing me of stealing something?’ she snapped.