Rock Hard (Rock Kiss #2)(18)

Gabriel wasn’t going to hit on a vulnerable employee, even when he wanted to more every damn day, but he was allowed to admire her when she couldn’t see him. It probably wasn’t behavior HR would agree with, but Gabriel wasn’t exactly planning on telling them.

Since he was starving, he ate the sub and drank the water in the five minutes he had before leaving for a meeting with the board. It was a waste of time as far as he was concerned, and he was annoyed enough today to tell them.

“No more f*cking meetings,” he said, bracing his palms flat on the table.

The men and women around the table flinched. “Mr. Bishop, we hired you and—”

“And you need to let me do my job,” he said, well aware his percentage of the company wasn’t the majority—and also aware they needed him more than he needed them. He had shares in multiple national and international companies, a property portfolio that would make their eyes bulge, as well as a number of other highly profitable investments.

The only reason he worked with failing companies like Saxon & Archer was for the challenge of rescuing them from the scrap pile. His patience with idiots who kept him from doing that only went so far. “I am not a trained poodle who’ll perform for you,” he told them. “If you can’t handle that, then fire me, otherwise this discussion is over.” He paused—to shocked silence. “I’ll give you a monthly report as agreed in our initial discussions. Any questions?”

There were none.

He left with a cordial “Good afternoon.” Yeah, they could fire him, but they wouldn’t. He was very, very good at saving sinking companies, and Saxon & Archer was definitely sinking, or had been until he came on board.

He checked in with Charlotte as he walked to his vehicle, the meeting having taken place away from headquarters so as not to spook the market. “Anything I need to handle?”

“Katherine Newton from Accounts called up to say she needed to check some expense reports with you—”

Gabriel groaned. “Did that idiot Hill micromanage all the stuff he shouldn’t and ignore everything he should’ve handled?”

“—which is why I told Katherine to send the reports to me. I’ve authorized them on your behalf.”

“As long as no one’s charging strippers or Tom Jones CDs, that’s fine,” he said and thought he heard a quickly muffled laugh. Cheeks creasing, he said, “I’m on my way to the Queen Street branch.” The company’s oldest store was now smaller than the Sydney branch, but it had a sense of history about it that nothing could alter. “Don’t interrupt me unless absolutely necessary.”

“I’ll make sure your calls are diverted for the interim.”

“Thank you, Ms. Baird.” God, he loved her voice.

Why the hell had he promoted her instead of firing her? If he’d done the latter, he could’ve pursued her straight into his bed, naked and sweetly curved and with that soft skin he wanted to mark all over with his kisses and his touch.

Scowling because ethics made for a damn cold bed, he headed to the store.

It wasn’t until seven at night that he finally had a chance to check his e-mails. He’d texted Charlotte at five to tell her to take off, so he was alone in the office when he read what she’d written.





Dear Mr. Bishop,





Thank you, but I must decline your new contract terms. I believe the following to be a much more equitable alteration to the terms of my contract:





Charlotte Baird is to get a twenty percent pay raise effective immediately, in consideration of the fact her boss does not sleep and therefore expects her not to need sleep either.





Yours sincerely,





C. Baird





Leaning back in his chair, arms folded behind his head, he grinned. Oh yeah, he liked the woman beneath the shapeless suits and the prim metal-framed glasses. Actually, he liked those cute glasses too. The idea of seeing her with her soft blond curls loose around that face with its pointed chin and golden skin, her glasses on her nose and the rest of her bare…

“Inappropriate, Gabriel,” he groaned, his cock shoving against the zipper of his pants.

He seriously needed to get laid.

Unfortunately, his body was showing a decided preference for the one woman he couldn’t have.




SUNDAY MORNING, CHARLOTTE SMOOTHED her hands over the gray wool shift that was one of her new purchases; she’d jazzed it up with a double string of turquoise beads recommended by the shop assistant.

Her hair was up in a plain bun, but she’d spent last night practicing with bobby pins so her curls didn’t escape. Makeup remained beyond her after so many years of not wearing it—not that she’d ever been anything but an amateur—but according to Molly, her skin didn’t need it.

Carefully putting on the pale pink lip gloss she’d decided to chance, she took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. Okay, she wouldn’t win any fashion prizes, but she looked professional, wouldn’t embarrass Gabriel at the meeting.

Grabbing her purse, she set the alarm and locked up. The cab she was catching directly to the airport arrived seconds later. With it being so early on a Sunday, the drive was a breeze, and she was soon through security and waiting for Gabriel at the gate. He arrived close to takeoff, and from then on, it was all go.