Burned by Passion(22)

“You know what Dad? I think this time I’ll take you up on it. When can I start?” Blake asked briskly, hoping he could conceal his cheerfulness.

For once his father did nothing to hide his look of surprise. “You mean you’d come and work for me?”

“Sure; I’ve thought it over and it doesn’t seem like a bad idea. I’ll get the chance to learn the American market before considering doing my own thing. Besides, I feel like I owe us this chance to work things out. I’ve been less than commendable in my behavior to you since I returned and this is my chance to make it up to you, show you I’m not a total disappointment.”

His father was staring at him, as if he wasn’t sure Blake was pulling his leg or not. After a few seconds he said, “There’s nothing to make up for, Blake. I let you down as a father and I take full responsibility for that. There are no excuses and this isn’t the time to start wishing things went differently. But I’m truly glad you want to make this effort of working hand in hand with me to make up for lost time. In any case I don’t blame you for anything; you’re young and brash but that’s normal. And I don’t want you to think you owe me a duty but if you insist, I’ll see what I can set up for you in terms of work. Report in on Monday; I’m sure I could find something where your skills will be appreciated.”

Blake nodded, glad he’d won his father over even as he winced thinking secretly about how this might not be a great idea. He was practically handing his father control over his career. But that was a sacrifice Blake was willing to make so long as he got what he wanted in the end.

Kira.





Chapter Nine


There was no way Blake could show his frustration when he found out what he had in mind about where he was to work wasn’t exactly in line with his father’s. Monday morning came and Blake found himself in Carter Software Enterprises which was located four floors below his father’s office in the Carter Chrome building. It was then Blake figured his father had somehow guessed his motives and was going to put up as many hurdles as possible to thwart Blake from his aim. One of those hurdles was good, old-fashioned hard work.

In the first week Blake barely even had time to step out of the well-appointed office he’d been allocated to. Even with him being Bretton Carter’s son it seemed he was expected to work harder than anyone else if his workload was anything to go by. He arrived to the office early and left late, never catching so much as a glimpse of Kira until Friday.

It was lunch time and Blake swore he wasn’t going to spend it cooped up in his office with only a ham sandwich brought up from the cafeteria. He threw on his jacket and stepped into the elevator intending to check out one of the classy looking restaurants he’d seen close to the office. The elevator paused on the sixth floor and a woman walked in. They were the only ones in the car and out of idle curiosity he glanced her way.

“Kira?” he said in surprise.


She turned sharply to face him, her eyes widening in recognition and – damn it, thought Blake – fear.

“Blake!” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”

He grinned. “I work here,” he said. He wasn’t sure what it was about her that made him feel like a teenager with his first crush. Even with her dressed in a prim dark suit and her hair done up in a tight bun, she was still the sexiest thing he’d ever seen especially with those bright brown eyes, button nose and soft pink-tinted lips. “Well, actually down in the new software department.”

She clapped a hand to her forehead. “What? How is that possible? Your father never even told me,” she groaned, looking dismayed beyond belief.

Blake’s smile froze but then he wondered what he’d been expecting; a warm welcome and a leap of joy? He didn’t know what it was about him that got her back up but he wasn’t going to let her give him the brush off this time.





***

Kira was about to have a panic attack. Seeing Blake again when she’d least expected it was making the elevator feel like a compressed box she needed to get out of immediately.

“Excuse me,” she mumbled, reaching out to stop the elevator on whatever floor they’d reached but Blake’s hand closed over hers on the buttons. His other hand came up to take her chin in a gentle grip.

There was a well-known glint in his smile she didn’t like. Already her knees were quaking finding herself this close to him. She cursed whatever fate had made her choose to take a file to the sixth floor before her lunch break instead of letting one of the other assistants do it.

“Don’t run away from me. Not this time,” he said softly, his eyes scanning her face and making Kira’s neck feel hot. He had eyes greyer than grey and she couldn’t help but sink in them. The sound of his voice got to her like it always did, making her heart beat triple-time. Handsome did not begin to describe the way he looked in his three-piece suit and his hair hanging loose over his forehead. He was nothing like those strait-laced and stuffy British stereotypes which she’d been expecting Blake Carter to be. Instead he’d turned out to be as red-blooded, sexy and gorgeous as any leading man she’d ever fantasized about. Seeing him face to face was enough to make her wonder how that one time could’ve happened. It seemed so long ago.

“Blake, this is neither the time nor place for this,” she blurted, slipping her hand from under his, glad that the elevator would soon reach its destination and she could make her escape.