5. Chapter Five
Chapter Five
L ate on a Monday evening a month later, Rowan sank into her office chair and pulled the pins from her loosely upswept hair. Shaking it out, she looked around an office she’d tried to make her happy place. Emersyn had offered her an executive office, but Rowan preferred to be nearer to the action so had moved into a bland, beige office near the rows of cubicles that were the main hub of the division. A couple of colorful art deco paintings hung on the wall over her credenza to offset the sterile atmosphere. Since she had a window, she’d wrestled several plants in. They were scattered around on her credenza and in floor pots. The palm thrived, as did her rubber plant, her dragon tree, and the philodendron she’d started when she entered college. She spent so many hours here; it made sense to surround herself with what made her happy.
It had been one hell of a first month managing this division. Two analysts quit her first day on the job. A third propositioned her twice—never mind the “no fraternization” clause Gerard Barrett had made sure she knew about. He quit rather than do the mandatory sexual harassment training.
Now, the office was pretty much empty. Everyone except Michael Wentworth, her second in command, had gone home to start celebrating tomorrow’s Independence Day.
It was nine p.m., and fatigue had taken over. Rowan wasn’t even sure she had the energy to go home. She kicked off her shoes, put her feet up on her desk, and crossed her ankles.
Michael poked his head in. The man’s suit was still as sharp as it had been at the beginning of the day. How did he manage that? By day’s end, she often felt like a rumpled Shar-Pei.
“Did you see the news about the Scatter bid going to Murdoch?”
Rowan nodded, frowning. Scatter had been one of the larger deals in the works when Rowan had first taken over, and she’d spent a good part of her first week working with Tom Masters finessing that bid. It grated that they’d lost out, especially to Murdoch.
“Yep. You saw. That’s the second one this quarter we’ve lost to our biggest competition.”
She’d read about the other one. Not as big as this, but it still stung. This one did too. Bidding was one of her strengths, and the bid she and her team put together had been spot on perfect. How had Murdoch managed to undermine Barrett? Some underhanded way if her instincts were at all accurate, and they generally were.
“Whose proposal was the first one?”
“Tom Masters.”
Was it coincidence that both bids had been his? One of the disgruntled, as Rowan had taken to calling them in her head. There were still a few oldies who didn’t like working for a woman. Never mind that a woman co-owned Barrett Investment Group. Rowan shook her head. “Good thing we have more bids to work on.”
“Yes. But not tonight. I’m heading out.”
“Go home. Forget about this place and enjoy your Fourth tomorrow.”
“I will if you will.”
Rowan laughed. That wasn’t likely. She lived and breathed her job. With a smile, she waved goodbye. Michael had great instincts and knew how to read a room or situation well. When he asked her out for drinks after the first week, she’d declined, explaining that she didn’t socialize with men she worked with. Plus, there was that no fraternization rule. That still galled her. Not regarding Michael Wentworth but because her boss had thought it important to mention. The only item in the employee handbook he’d brought up.
“I like that you have principles,” Michael had said.
That response, along with the fact that he’d graciously stepped back, had cemented the beginnings of their friendship, and she’d soon promoted him to the guy who answered questions in her absence.
The newness of finally getting an executive position had worn off over the past month. She was about as tired as she’d ever been. Proud, but tired. Rowan leaned back in her chair, head back, stretching her arms as far as she could.
“You’re working later than usual.”
The deep voice startled her. As she tried to right herself, she managed to take the chair beyond its axis and toppled over backward. Her head missed the credenza behind her desk. Barely. She hit the ground hard, shock reverberating through her body as everything stopped moving.
Rowan did a quick mental check of her body just as Gerard raced around her desk, alarm in his eyes. This was more emotion than she’d ever seen from the man. That he reacted now was absolutely hilarious. She couldn’t help herself. She laughed. Still in the chair, sprawled on the floor, she couldn’t stop. Mirth born of both humor and embarrassment rolled over her in waves, and she held her stomach, which had started to hurt from the hard laughter. All she could think about was the look on Gerard’s face and the fact that she was glad she’d worn slacks today.
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against her desk, scowling, until her laughter subsided to giggles. With one final hiccup, Rowan wiped at her eyes, more than likely smearing her makeup, and let out a long, slow breath.
“Done now?” Gerard asked.
“I think so.”
He held out a hand, which she grasped, grateful for the help, though the zing up her arm startled her. Was that from the fall or from touching the great Gerard Barrett? He lifted her too curvy body like she weighed nothing, which her scale belied on a regular basis.
Upright, Rowan pulled her hand from his with more speed than decorum dictated. Gerard cocked his head for a moment, then leaned down to right her chair. As he straightened, the tight confines behind her desk became even tighter. Rowan had forgotten just how tall the man was…and how imposing. Power emanated from him as he looked down at her, his eyes deep, unreadable, mahogany pools. His hair, even with the rush to help her, remained perfect.
Her gaze dipped to his lips. How long had it been since she’d been kissed? Way too long. His mouth opened slightly as his gaze drifted down her face, a hunger in his eyes that stole all the breath from her. Desire flared, deep and strong. When he lifted his hand and smoothed her hair back on one side, tucking it behind her ear, Rowan almost leaned into him, wanting the moment to go on forever. She must have moved toward him because he shifted backward, the look of confusion vanishing so fast, Rowan wondered if she’d imagined it.
The man who ran Barrett Investment Group was never confused and always seemed to know the where, when, why, and how of any situation. Now, he retreated to the other side of her desk, closing his mouth as if surprised he’d left it open. In moments, his features returned to the somber strength that most people saw. He cleared his throat. “Are you all right?”
Unable to make the change back to reality so quickly, Rowan didn’t answer right away.
One perfect, dark brown eyebrow rose as he waited for her to respond.
“Yes,” she said. “Sorry, but I’m fine.” She rotated her head and neck, then stretched her arms toward the ceiling, surprised when his gaze dipped to her chest before he caught himself.
Self-conscious, Rowan crossed her arms protectively.
“Are you sure?” he said, staring at her for a long moment. “You’re flushed.”
“Just the excitement of—the fall. Nothing broken except my ego.”
He watched her for a moment longer, then nodded as if making a decision. “Well, then, if you’re all right, I’ll be on my way.” With a frown at her desk—its usual mess—he turned toward the door.
“Was there something you needed?”
Gerard stopped, glancing back at her. “Since you were still here, I thought I’d go over the productivity report you sent. But it can wait until Wednesday.”
Now that their interlude was over, the man seemed more than ready to get as far away from her as he could.
“I have time if you want to go over it.” Rowan was nervous about how her first report would be received. Emersyn had granted Rowan autonomy to make whatever changes she wanted. She’d instituted flex time and offered a work-from-home day each week. The “no personal belongings” mantra had been turned into a “decorate your desk” contest. The winner got an extra day of paid vacation and over half the floor had participated. No one grumbled when Vivian Larson won with her tiki bar motif.
Now, Barrett Investment’s ninth floor looked festive and happy. Happy workers made for good workers, something she knew for a fact. Not all bosses remembered that. Another fact she knew from personal experience.
After three days of scrutinizing the productivity of her analysts over the past month, she’d found a decent bump in productivity, but being down three people meant the overall numbers were below the median line. Still, she’d stand by her numbers and her people. Burying her nerves, she raised her head and looked him in the eye, showing a bravado she didn’t quite feel.
“The division is more productive now, so I’d love to go over the specifics.”
He shook his head. “After the holiday is fine. Have a good Fourth, Ms. McCarthy.” Without waiting for her answer, he disappeared around the corner. Offices on this floor weren’t made of glass walls, and he quickly disappeared from her view.
Rowan sank into her chair, wondering what the hell had just happened. Had they had a moment? Almost positive she’d seen desire, then confusion in the strength of his gaze, she could not for the life of her figure out why. He ran toward lithe, blonde beauties. Not round, curvy, big-chested women like her. She’d seen the tabloid pictures.
Besides, he’d been very adamant about that no fraternization thing. Rowan shook her head, convincing herself that any emotion from the ice man had been her imagination, not reality.
She shut down her computer and glanced at the piles of paperwork. She’d been trying to figure out the cause for some minor negative shifts in their two biggest funds, but it would have to wait. Right now, she needed sleep. No more fantasizing things that weren’t there. She could take the work home, but she’d left her car at home and taken transit today. She’d attack her piles of paperwork tomorrow. She always got more done on holidays and weekends anyhow, and it wasn’t like she had a life outside of work. Holidays were for catching up, at least right now. Once she got more settled here, she’d find a life. Hopefully.
Pulling her light coat on against the June gloom that had descended—in July—on San Francisco, Rowan locked up and headed for the elevators. In the lobby, she said goodnight to the security guards and stepped out into the gray fog. She tried hard to be home before dark, but today’s sunshine had given way to dusk, making things seem more ominous than usual.
Walking to the BART train station, she had to hustle to catch the train out to Haight-Ashbury where her wonderfully eclectic condo was. Of course, the train was full of holiday revelers, and she had to stand. Her second leg of the trip home, on a bus, wasn’t as full, and the walk from her stop to the condo wasn’t far. Rowan was a lot less stressed taking public transportation than trying to drive, especially so near a holiday when parking was at a premium.
Still, exhaustion had taken over by the time she let herself in the building. She trudged up the stairs and opened her door by rote. Tossing her purse and keys on a nearby table, she dropped her bag in the middle of the floor, kicked off her shoes, and flopped down on the couch, not even turning lights on. She pulled up a blanket and let exhaustion win tonight’s battle.
Wednesday morning, riding up in the private elevator with Emersyn, Gerard tried to work through the problem he faced. After that overturned chair fiasco Monday night, he hadn’t been able to get Rowan out of his thoughts. Everything about her made his dick pay attention. Plus, she’d turned out to be competent at the job so far. More than competent, if he was honest with himself. It was a deadly combination, damn it, and he wasn’t hiding it well.
“You ready for the monthly meeting?” Gerard asked. It still galled him that his father had required monthly board meetings as a condition of handing over the reins to Emersyn and him. If the man’s health hadn’t forced him out, he’d still be leading this company. Thankfully, his health had stabilized. By that time, Gerard’s mother had decided she liked having her husband at home and put her foot down about him returning.
One more year and they’d finally get back to quarterly meet-ups. And less hands-on discussions. Which grated, too, that the board was involved in almost all major decisions. That his father didn’t trust him and had even required that there be no board changes during this time for consistency’s sake.
One more year of parent-induced probation. He could make it that long.
“Yep. I’m ready. Got my reports right here.” She patted her oversized pink designer bag. “And I’ve even got a little surprise.”
“What?”
She waggled her finger at him. “Not until the meeting.”
“You know I don’t tolerate surprises.”
Emersyn’s smile widened. The sparkle in her eyes always meant trouble for him. Younger sisters were such a pain in the ass.
The elevator door opened, and Emersyn pecked him on the cheek before stepping out. “You’ll just have to wait, brother dear.”
Gerard followed more slowly, musing over what kind of surprise would make his sister so giddy. This did not bode well for him. Not at all.
An hour later, at eight sharp, Gerard Barrett strode into the conference room, working very hard to keep his eyes off his newest employee. One he’d thought about—hell, he’d taken cold showers because of those visuals—the last two nights. The joy in her face as laughter bubbled out, the way her chest heaved, everything about the woman called to him.
Focusing on the meeting, Gerard dove right in so he wouldn’t think about what he’d rather be doing. “First order of business is the report from the Global MegaCorp Division. Ms. McCarthy?”
His gaze scraped her, his fucking heart quickening as their gazes locked, hers full of fire even as her eyes reminded him of deep, dark pools of coffee-colored lava.
“Yes, Mr. Barrett?”
“Looks like costs are up and assets are down?”
Nothing like stating the obvious. Everyone at the table had a copy of her report in front of them. “Well, yes, but—”
If he cut her a break, he’d never hear the end of it. As it was, he wanted to wipe the smug look off Emersyn’s face. How could she know he was attracted to Rowan? Shit. He focused on the woman hemming and hawing. “This is your first board meeting. We do not allow words like but .”
She bit her lip, and he suspected that was to keep a forbidden word from being uttered again.
“Try again,” he said.
The frown he caught on Emersyn’s face satisfied him. He needed to squash any ideas his sister had that he might want something more personal with Rowan.
Rowan stood, drawing his attention back to her. She didn’t just stay put; she began to walk around the conference table, causing everyone to crane their necks to follow her as she spoke, including the irascible Richard Silverman. Gerard hid a smile as the man scowled while he struggled to follow Rowan around the room.
Her ploy worked well. It focused everyone on her instead of their laptops or paperwork. Gerard had used that strategy himself and gave her props for it. No sign of nerves remained as she spoke, her voice steady and upbeat.
“Mr. Barrett, Ms. Barrett, and board members: As you know, change doesn’t happen overnight, and it takes money to affect change. You’ve validated your belief in that strategy multiple times, like with the Bonner deal.”
That had turned into one of the largest companies Barrett Investment had brought into the fold, and they’d spent heavily on promotion to get it. Rowan had done her homework.
“No insult to the current board intended, but when I took over management of the Global MegaCorp Division, I saw deflated and overburdened employees.” She’d come back around to her chair and leaned over to glance at her laptop, then straightened and began another round of the room. “Yes, I spent money. And no, we didn’t accomplish as much as we would have liked, bu—” She glanced his way, then began again.
“There were mitigating circumstances. If you look at the comparison on page three of the attached report—” Rowan paused both speech and stride while everyone opened the document and glanced at the page in question.
The woman had good instincts. Gerard’s admiration rose another notch.
Rowan picked up where she left off. “Pre and post numbers prove that productivity is up. And as soon as we are fully staffed, I project we’ll exceed your minimum requirements by at least ten percent.”
“That’s a pretty bold statement,” Silverman observed, interrupting Rowan. His deep, gravelly voice intimidated just about everyone he spoke to. Hell, Gerard had almost declined the position of CEO when his father retired solely because of his crony’s stalwart ideas and making sure things happened his way.
Rowan straightened, her expression seemingly neutral. Only those who knew her well would have recognized the hint of pride just below the surface. “I stand by my words.”
Damn. He admired her confidence and her attitude. She could hold her own with the likes of Richard Silverman. That was saying something. His internal caution light blinked, reminding him that her confidence could hide treacherous intentions. He needed to remember that. Keep it at the front of his mind so he wouldn’t get distracted.
What would she be like between the sheets with that attitude? His pants grew tight as the thought took hold. Focus, man. Trying to forget the vision of Rowan in nothing but a sheet, he watched Richard, who’d made it very clear that, in his opinion, neither Gerard nor Emersyn were CEO material. Ever since he and Emersyn had taken over, Silverman had fought every change they’d tried to institute. The man grew red in the face but kept his thoughts to himself. Never an easy sell, he’d be the hardest board member for Rowan to spin in her direction.
“I think,” Emersyn said, “that we need to give Ms. McCarthy’s plans some time to come to fruition. She’s only been here a month.”
Five weeks, actually. Well, almost. And that was five weeks longer than Gerard’s peace of mind could handle. Every time he saw her, he wanted to spend time with her. He’d avoided her floor and had handled as much as he could long distance. Rowan both tempted him and infuriated him. Each and every time he told her to do something, she came back with alternatives. Still, he’d seen small movements in the right direction, so he’d kept his distance and given her room. Either she’d succeed, or she wouldn’t.
Gerard glanced around the table. No one offered more comments. “When Ms. McCarthy was hired, she was given six months of autonomy to turn the Global MegaCorp Division into a cohesive unit and to show results. I suggest we give her that time.”
Everyone voted in agreement, some grudgingly, and they went on to the next item on the agenda.
“Has everyone reviewed the current status report?” Gerard asked.
“Another downturn, I see,” Richard said.
Leave it to him to state the obvious.
“Not by much, but yes. We still have a comfortable profit margin.”
Betty, the wife of San Francisco’s current mayor, tapped the report. “This has been happening for a while now. A couple years?”
“There’s been fluctuation, but not all downturns,” Gerard answered smoothly despite the turmoil churning in his gut.
After a lengthy discussion, where Silverman clearly voiced his disapproval of the joint CEOs handling of the company—more than once—they finally moved on to new business.
“I have a new item for the board to consider,” Emersyn said.
Here she goes, Gerard thought. His sister had something up her sleeve, and he knew it was about to fall in his lap like a chunk of cement.
Emersyn smiled at Gerard, a cat-with-cream-on-her-whiskers smile. Then she pointedly looked at every member of the board, nine-tenths of whom were male. His sister had fought like a banshee for respect from this group, and it had been hard won. In some cases, like Richard Silverman, the admiration jury was still deliberating.
“I have one word for you. Scott Cybersecurity. Well, okay, that’s two words.” Her grin increased.
Scott was the world leader in cybersecurity. They’d jumped into protection detail when the internet was in its infancy, learned faster than anyone else, and had grown exponentially ever since. Gerard had researched the company, but they’d never strayed from using Murdoch Financial as their money gurus.
“Why do you mention them?” Silverman said with a touch of spite in his voice.
Gerard was grateful he’d asked because no way would he show Emersyn his interest, no matter how bad he wanted to know what she had up her sleeve.
“Because a little birdie—actually, a not so little birdie—told me that they might be open to bids.”
Stealing Scott away from Murdoch would be a badly needed boon for Gerard, not to mention sticking it to the company that had been a thorn in the Barrett family’s side since his father’s early days .
“Who told you this?” Silverman asked, a deep scowl on his face.
Even Rowan sat forward. He’d seen enough of her expressions to know Emersyn’s information had surprised her. She’d worked for Murdoch, so wouldn’t she have known this was coming? She never mentioned a thing about Scott. If she knew, why would she hold back that information? Bringing Scott to Barrett Investment Group would be a feather in her cap.
“I can’t tell you where this information came from,” Emersyn said. “It’s confidential. But I’ve been made aware that the Scott family is not happy with some recent decisions by Murdoch Financial. They pride themselves on great retirement packages, and their investments have lost money—a significant amount—two years in a row.”
Rowan’s eyes widened. Could she have been so na?ve that she hadn’t seen this coming while at Murdoch? Gerard had given in to Emersyn about hiring Rowan. Emersyn found her eminently qualified for this job. Rowan must have had a comparable position at Murdoch, so why hadn’t she known about this? Emersyn always performed thorough checks on employees. Had she missed something with Rowan? Maybe he should recheck with Murdoch and verify exactly what Rowan McCarthy’s job there had entailed.
“We would’ve heard if that was the case,” Silverman said, looking deceptively relaxed, except for an increased ruddiness in his face. What was going on with the man?
Gerard seemed to be coming up with more questions than answers today, and he didn’t like it one bit.
Emersyn shook her head. “It’s very much on the q.t. Somehow, Murdoch got Scott to keep this under wraps.”
“I can’t believe that some inkling wouldn’t have filtered out to the general public. A disgruntled retiree or employee who changed jobs.” Gerard glanced at Rowan, whose rosy cheeks told him she either knew more than she’d let on, or she’d let something big slip through her fingers at Murdoch.
Hands on hips, Emersyn glared at her brother, then stared down the board members, lingering on Richard Silverman. “Look, we can argue validity, or we can start putting together a bid. What do you want to do?”
Gerard looked around the table. Rowan’s head was down, and she didn’t look up from the frenetic notes she wrote on her pad. Silverman sat there with a furious look on his face, something Gerard couldn’t figure out.
If there was even an iota of truth to his sister’s information, they needed to act on it. This could be the coup of the century and would set Barrett up as one of the major players in the world of finance, not to mention getting them back on the right financial trajectory. They couldn’t afford not to take it seriously.
“Let’s put together a bid.”
With a satisfied nod, Emersyn returned to her seat.
“Any idea how much time we have to put this together?”
“Not long. I get the impression they’ll be going public in a couple weeks, so if we want to get in the door before that…” She let her words trail off. Everyone knew being the first to bid carried a lot of weight.
“All right then. Why don’t you and I meet right after this and put together the skeleton.”
“Oh, no, brother. Not me. I won’t be available.” A flash of humor crossed her face before she hid it.
Gerard planted his hands on the meeting table and stared at his sister. “You’re what?”
“I’m not available.”
Another conversation they should be having in his office instead of here, but Gerard couldn’t stop his immediate response. He clenched his teeth. “Why not?”
“Because I am going on a well-deserved vacation.”
Gerard glanced at Richard Silverman. Despite his earlier agitation, he now sported a smug look that Gerard wanted to wipe off his face. The man seemed to revel in Barrett’s CEO’s going at each other.
“This is not something the board needs to decide on,” he grit out. “Is there any other business?” Thankfully, there was none, and the meeting adjourned, and the board members left.
“You.” He pointed at his sister. “My office. Now.”
“Certainly, dear brother,” Emersyn said. “Rowan, you’ll need to come with us.”
Rowan, who’d been gathering up her things, bobbled everything and had to set it quickly down on the table. “M-me?”
“Yes, you.”
“We don’t need her for what I have to say.”
“Humor me.” Emersyn crooked a finger in Rowan’s direction.
Gerard might have laughed at Rowan’s “being led to the gallows” face if he weren’t so fucking pissed off. This meeting had gone all sorts of wrong, damn it. He didn’t need spectacles like this happening in front of the board and sure as hell not in front of Silverman.
He strode to his office, not looking to make sure his fellow CEO and his Director of the Global MegaCorp Division followed. He knew they would.
“You drop this bombshell on us, then plan to leave?” Gerard asked as soon as Rowan shut the door quietly behind her. She stood beside the door, clearly ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. An unusual timidity for her.
He couldn’t believe this. His sister was as driven as he was. Why would she drop this bombshell and then disappear?
“You and the board have had my vacation on your calendars for six months now. Besides, you’re the primary brains in this family.”
One eyebrow rose. Emersyn never paid him compliments. What was she up to? There was something to be said for getting her out of here for a couple days. That would give him the freedom to stop wondering about things hidden up her sleeves. Not that he was at all happy about her leaving at this crucial time.
“You can handle this.” When Emersyn paused and held his gaze without blinking, Gerard felt the slightest hint of anxiety. That stare never meant well for him.
“All you need is knowledgeable assistance.” She tapped her lip with a perfectly manicured fingernail and glanced at the ceiling. “I think someone with a fresh perspective would be best.” Gerard saw where she was going with this, but not in time to stop the words from bursting through her sly smile.
“Rowan should help you put this bid together.”
Rowan shifted even further into the corner of his office, as far away as physically possible. Probably smart, since his powder keg was just shy of blowing.
“Me?” she said. “No.” She shook her head. “I can’t do something this big.”
Emersyn waved away Rowan’s protests. “Sure you can.”
“No, she can’t,” Gerard inserted.
“Yes. She’s perfect. She has excellent instincts—you even said so yourself—and her knowledge is top-notch,” Emersyn countered.
Gerard wanted to wipe that satisfied smirk off her face. Leave it to Emersyn to vocalize an offhand and rare compliment he’d made in private. He was going to fucking kill her.
“I suggest,” he said through tight lips, “you and I discuss this between the two of us.”
“I disagree. Rowan has a stake in this conversation.”
“I—I’m fine staying out of the discussion,” Rowan said, inching back toward the door. Smart girl.
Rowan could disappear and not have to deal with the politics and shenanigans of owning a Fortune 500 company. Gerard was more than a little jealous of that. If he didn’t stay mired in the muck, Barrett Investment Group would go under. Even while angry at his sister, he envied her the days off. He’d barely let down his guard in years, and the one time he’d done so had led to the lawsuit now hanging over his wallet.
There was truly no rest for the weary.