Silence, then a lone voice said, “Actually she’s a genius and made us all look like tools.”
“She did, indeed. But she’ll soon make you look like rock stars,” he promised. “See how good she makes me look?” He held out his arm.
She went to him, pulled by forces greater than herself to press against him, but she tilted an admonishing look up at him. Smiled brightly.
“Can I speak to you?”
CHAPTER TEN
GABRIEL BROUGHT HER into his office and closed the door.
“I realize I blindsided you with that,” he acknowledged, appreciating that she had kept her cool in front of the team. That roll-with-the-punches ability of hers was one of the reasons he’d decided to give her this level of responsibility. “They needed to be humbled, though. I wanted them to accept you by your work before they knew who had outsmarted them.”
“How you run your business is your business, but don’t drag me into it without asking me first.” She didn’t balk at revealing her flustered reaction now they were alone, which was oddly endearing. He liked being privy to the woman behind the goddess she presented to the world.
“You wanted a job,” he reminded her. “This is a good one.”
“It’s a huge one! Gabriel, you heard me this morning with the maid. I have a hard time asking someone to iron a wrinkle from my skirt. I can’t supervise a department.”
Gabriel had enjoyed eavesdropping on the power struggle as Luli attempted to pry the location of the iron from the maid while the young woman had earnestly, politely and vehemently insisted she be allowed to do her job.
“You’re uniquely qualified for this position. You know the vulnerabilities and will be creative and thorough in fixing them. When you know what you want, you have no problem going after it. You even stand up to me to get it. You’ll be fine.”
“Yes, well, that’s the issue. I don’t want it.”
“You don’t want this exceptionally good job I’m giving you.”
“Giving,” she repeated. “So this is nepotism.”
“No.” He took a firmer grip on his patience. “I just explained why I chose you.”
“Do I get a choice? Is it an offer or an order?”
“It’s an offer with a salary of a quarter million dollars attached to it.” Why was she fighting him? Did she not realize they would work together every day?
“Oh, that does stink of nepotism.”
“Call a headhunter.” He pointed at the telephone. “It’s competitive, not outrageous.”
“You call a headhunter,” she muttered. “I can make twice that staying home with my feet up, waiting for my allowance to roll in.”
He threw up his hands, truly baffled by this woman.
“In Singapore, you said you were proving your skills to me,” he reminded her. “You have. You just proved them to a roomful of top-notch programmers. I’m offering you a job in this field and you’re refusing it?”
“For how long, Gabriel?”
The barb of sadness in her voice caught in his heart, pulling him up short.
“Will I be able to finish before our marriage is over? Will you still want me here when we’re divorced? Will you trust me not to move on to some competitor with what I know? You don’t want me that deeply entwined in your livelihood. I know you don’t. That’s why you’ve spent every day since we met prying me out of it.”
He squeezed the back of his neck. Had he thought that far ahead? Only insofar as to think that maybe, if enough incentives were offered, she would stay here. In his office, in his home, in his bed.
“We could have a successful marriage, Luli.”
“Provided I give you babies and never expect anything more of you than having my physical needs met. I have other needs, Gabriel.” Her soft voice and the quiet torment in her gaze were too much to face.
He turned to the window.
After a moment, her footsteps padded toward him. Her arms came around his waist and the weight of her head settled between his shoulder blades.
“I’m always going to wonder who I’m supposed to be. Not the person my mother or Mae or you turned me into. The person I make of myself. I have to do that.”