‘I had no idea you had such...connections. No wonder the bosses were eager to snap you up. But then it’s always who you know, isn’t it? Not how good your work is.’
‘Now, look here!’ She shot to her feet, fury rising. She had no patience for people who thought she’d got where she was through her father’s influence. ‘I won this job on merit. Simple as that.’
The idea of her father interfering on her behalf wasn’t just wrong, it was risible. Despite what he said in public, Jack Nilsson didn’t approve of her career. As for exerting himself on her behalf... Not unless it would win him positive publicity.
‘If you say so.’ Steve raised his hands but his knowing smirk lingered. ‘Don’t be so touchy and emotional.’
Tori raised one eyebrow at the typical putdown. When she spoke again she used the clear, carrying tones she’d learned when her father had insisted she take up debating at school. ‘Was there a work matter you wanted to discuss? Or did you just interrupt me to shoot the breeze?’
Steve slanted a glance towards the open-plan office behind him. His expression grew ugly. ‘You’re wanted in the boardroom.’ His tone was as hard as the diamonds the company mined. ‘Immediately.’
He turned on his heel and disappeared, leaving Tori relieved and confused. She hated Steve’s snarky sexism. He deserved far more than the mild rebuke she’d given him. But she had no idea who wanted to see her and why. She knew where the boardroom was, but she wasn’t significant enough in the company to be invited to meetings there.
She tried to remember if she’d heard anything about an executive meeting today but nothing registered.
Tori smoothed her hair then reached for her phone, her tablet and the not yet finished survey report. Taking a deep breath, she marched across the office, feeling curious glances as she pushed the lift button for the executive level.
Minutes later she stepped into the rarefied atmosphere of extreme wealth. The company was one of the most successful of its type and the executive suite was all plush carpet, expensive artworks and bespoke wood panelling. The views up here were dizzyingly spectacular.
Tori was staring about her when a young man in a pinstriped suit approached.
‘Ms Nilsson?’
His manner was friendly, but there was no mistaking his curiosity. She resisted the urge to check her hair or straighten her collar. She’d learned never to fidget in public. Her father hated it because it spoiled the perfect press shot.
‘Yes. I understand I’m wanted in the boardroom?’ She let her voice rise at the end of the sentence, hinting at a question. But he didn’t offer an explanation.
‘That’s right. This way, please.’
He led the way past a beautifully appointed lounge with panoramic windows. As they approached a set of double doors Tori noticed a man in a dark suit nearby. His feet were planted wide and his hands clasped.
A bodyguard. She’d seen enough of them to recognise the demeanour.
This one met her eyes calmly, no doubt sizing her up. He looked sturdy and, despite his impassive expression, intimidating.
Tori gripped her belongings tighter. Unusual that one of the company’s executives should bring a bodyguard into the building. Then she remembered Steve’s snide challenge.‘It’s always who you know.’
Which meant it was her father in the boardroom. Though why he’d brought a bodyguard... And why he’d chosen to meet her at work... He hadn’t mentioned coming to Western Australia and he never made paternal visits.
‘Here you are, Ms Nilsson.’ Her guide pushed open one of the doors.
She stepped in to find the room empty. There was no meeting. The long polished table was bare.
Tori blinked and hesitated. She was about to go out again and ask what was going on when a shadow at the far end of the room detached itself from the wall.
A man. A tall man, spine straight and shoulders wide. He was silhouetted against a wall of glass. For an instant all she had was an impression of strength and the loose-limbed saunter of an athlete as he approached. She didn’t recognise the walk, but there was something familiar about him.
Tori’s skin tightened as premonition swept through her. A split-second certainty that she knew him.
She opened her mouth to say hello, but then he drew close enough that she could make out his features instead of just the shape of his head.
Tori heard a hissed breath. Her hands slackened. Something hard grazed her shin as it dropped with a thud onto the carpeted floor. But her gaze was glued to the man who had stopped just an arm’s length away.
Bronzed skin pulled tight over a bone structure that would have made Michelangelo weep. A sensual mouth set above a determined jaw. Eyes that even from here looked black rather than dark brown. Black eyebrows. A forceful nose that transformed his face from an ideal of masculine beauty to one of power. Black hair that Tori knew was soft to the touch.
Her nerveless hands twitched as memory flooded through her. Of channelling her fingers through hair so soft and thick it felt like a pelt. Of being careful to avoid the clotted blood of his head injury.
The twitch in her hands became a tremor. A shudder thundered through her as her heart crashed into her ribs.