So why did the thought of his executive assistant taking a similar path grate so much? Why did the thought that one day in his future Saffie might exercise her right to walk away permanently trigger nothing but cold dread?
The answer blazed through him a second later.
Because he wasn’t ready to let her go.
Her value had multiplied over the years. And what was he if not a man who capitalised on the value of his assets?
He’d simply been caught off guard. He’d spent far too long putting out this fire when he should’ve been behind his desk, formulating better plans to add the Archer Group to his portfolio.
Just as he’d spent far too many years moulding Saffron Everhart into the perfect right hand to release her prematurely from her role.
Right or wrong, and while he knew that, ultimately, he couldn’t stop her, she belonged to him—
‘Do you agree?’
Her husky voice cut through his thoughts, retraining his focus on her.
The heat that lanced his groin was shockingly brazen and had grown in intensity ever since that night. The one he’d spent long weeks afterwards fighting to forget without success.
He’d ruthlessly disguised that hunger, enough to even take pride in his ability to watch her walk into his office without showing that he was losing his mind to that immediate groin-stirring arousal. And yes, it’d infuriated him to know his success in wrestling down his carnal demon had been fed by Saffie’s own easy dismissal of the incident.
‘Joao?’
He gritted his teeth, wishing he hadn’t insisted she address him by his first name shortly after she’d started working for him. Of course, he hadn’t divulged the fact that he detested his surname but had hung onto it purely to show Pueblo Oliviera that he wou
ldn’t be dismissed as easily as it’d taken him to instruct his security to throw him out of his Sao Paolo mansion that fateful day two decades ago. Never mind that he’d hated his mother for saddling him with the name of a man who’d had zero interest in assuming the role of fatherhood.
‘Are we going to discuss this or are you going to keep staring at me like I’ve grown an extra set of eyes?’ Saffie questioned briskly.
He shook off the sticky vines of his past and focused on her eyes. Alternately blue or grey depending on her clothing or mood, the wide, almond shapes were clear and direct. Intelligent. Alluring. As arresting as her full Cupid’s-bow lips currently pressed into a prim line beneath her pert nose. They hadn’t been so prim when he’d tasted them. They’d been soft, supple, mind-alteringly delicious when she’d parted them beneath his, gasped her pleasure, screamed her climax—
He flicked that torrid recollection away before it wreaked havoc on his groin. ‘You seem so certain of the future, Saffie. What makes you think you won’t be begging me to let you stay in three months’ time?’
Her breath caught, alerting him to the fact that his tone had been harsher than he’d intended.
At his continued stare, she bit her lip just as she had minutes ago, exhibiting an agitation unlike her.
Joao’s attention was once again drawn to her perfect curve of slightly reddening mouth, to the small teeth dragging over her flesh. He clenched one fist over the other as more blood rushed south.
‘I know what I want,’ she insisted, once again triggering that unnerving sensation that had arrived when he’d read that damn resignation letter and felt the searing vacuum of her loss.
His teeth gritted but he saw no way to deny her. ‘Bom. Then you have my word. Now can we get back on track?’
Despite the telltale sign of her less than cool state, her eyes boldly met his as she nodded and quickly regrouped. It made him wonder how often his seemingly unflappable assistant had stumbled and corrected course without him noticing.
‘I’ll draw up the list you requested.’
‘Good. Did you like the necklace I commissioned for you?’ he asked as she opened her door.
Wary blue eyes met his. ‘Yes, it’s stunning—’
‘Now that you’re staying, I’d very much like for you to wear it when we attend the auction of the Shanzi orchid in Shanghai with Lavinia Archer. Unless you’re going to argue with me over that, too?’
She exhaled calmly, not rising to his bait. He should’ve been glad his EA was back to her unflappable self. But he wasn’t. Not completely.
‘We’ve reached an agreement, Joao. Things will run as normal for the duration. I’ll ensure your plate is clear and Lavinia is free to be in Shanghai so you can present her with the orchid, which will bloom, for the first time in eight years, two weeks from now. Was there anything else?’
Her question contained more than a spark left over from their encounter and Joao was almost tempted to stoke it.