“Okay, Neve,” she said slowly, looking carefully around, trying not to pass for a crazy woman talking to herself, “this is it! If this is what you want, you need to play this one right!”
Nevaeh had dressed for her interview with Aiden Cargill with care. Her black Chanel suit was a classic and she wore it like a security blanket. She loved the feeling of the lined summer-weight wool skirt against her legs. She paired it with a pair of ultra-thin sheer French hose and some Manolos that were understated and sophisticated.
But even if she was dressed to impress, Nevaeh still, was extremely nervous. Her hands trembled as she took a sip of the coffee Aiden’s private assistant, Marilyn, had gotten for her. She hated being that betrayed by her own emotions and forced herself to rehearse in her head what she planned to say one more time.
She wasn’t only thinking of a new job. She was thinking of Aiden Cargill the man, and that ticked her off. It was one thing to think of him as a way to make her father sit up and take notice of the kind of executive he let slip through his fingers. But who would have thought that this man could mess with her plans?
Of course, to be honest, Nevaeh hadn’t had much of a plan when she walked over to him. She’d just wanted to meet the man her father was so obsessed with and get a bead on whether or not there was something there she could use to make her father reconsider her for the promotion.
Those plans had gone out the window when she’d realized how attracted she was to Aiden…
“Miss Belmont?”
“Yes?”
“Mr. Cargill will see you now.”
Nevaeh smiled her thanks at the private assistant and put her cup on the coffee table. She took a deep breath before getting to her feet. Her mother had always said to take her time. That it was better to arrive decently late and prepared for an event than on time and unrehearsed.
Then Nevaeh picked up her briefcase and walked into his office. Aiden stood when she entered. His shirt was a deep blue that made his gray eyes seem even more brilliant in the office lighting.
He was taller than she remembered and she realized her heels the other evening had given her an extra inch of height that these didn’t. She smiled calmly at him even if the way he was smelling was messing up her every sense.
The spicy male scent enveloped her as he held out his hand. And hearing his voice… Wow! Electricity went in every single corner of her body and up and down her spine.
“Good morning, Nevaeh.”
She shook her head. His big hand totally engulfed hers. She held on longer than she should have before pulling back and nervously clearing her throat. No, she thought. She wasn’t nervous. She was calm, cool, totally collected, and… so together.
“Good morning, Aiden. Did you enjoy the benefit last night?”
“Yes. Please have a seat.”
So much for small talk. It was clear to her that Aiden wasn’t interested in the social niceties that she’d built her life around. She made a mental note to remember that. She sat down and pulled her resume from her briefcase.
“I could imagine how busy you must be, so… thank you for agreeing to this meeting.”
“I’m still not sure why I did,” he replied.
For a minute, she thought this was a big mistake and then their eyes met and she realized he’d agreed for the same reason she’d asked. Mutual attraction. Nevaeh knew this was an impossible situation. He’d never be able to forget she was her father’s daughter.
But she wasn’t one who backed down. She’d made it her life’s goal to always keep moving forward. Never looking back. She wanted Aiden Cargill to see her as a prospective employee first and a woman second. And to totally forget she was Skyler Belmont’s daughter.
Today that seemed really important. She was just another out-of-work businessperson.
“Because you’re a shrewd businessman who knows a good thing when he sees it,” Nevaeh said, handing him her resume.
‘Stay calm and confident,’ she reminded herself.
“I definitely liked what I saw the other night.”
Nevaeh smiled at him. This might be easier than she’d expected. She could play on the attraction flowing between them like a high-voltage current.
“Me, too.”
Aiden gave her a half-smile. It was an arrogant expression from a man who was confident of his appeal to the opposite sex. But then she wasn’t lacking in confidence herself. She crossed her legs letting the hem of her skirt ride up the slightest bit. His eyes tracked the movement.
“What exactly is it that you do, Nevaeh?”
“I’m in PR. I’ve been responsible for most of the press you’ve seen about Nevaeh’s Dresser for the last three years.”
“What makes you think I’ve been watching your press?”
“Please, Aiden. I think we both know that you are aware of every move that Nevaeh’s Dresser makes.”
He shrugged one shoulder and leaned back in his chair.
“Okay, I am.”
Aiden said nothing else, letting the silence build between them. She couldn’t stand it because she knew he was building the case against her in his head. Finding the words to tell her to take her briefcase and walk out his door. And this wasn’t the solution to her problem.
This was her only option. Her only chance to really make sure her father realized that he’d let her slip through his fingers… for good this time.
“Just look at my resume. I think you’ll see I’m more than you expected.”
“You already are,” he said and looked at the resume again.
Nevaeh was a little startled by that. So… he did some researches about her… She sank back into the chair and waited. Her resume was impressive and by his expression, it was more than he’d expected it to be.
****
She was more than qualified to do her job. Everybody told him that… Aiden didn’t know why he was surprised. He’d made a few phone calls that very morning and found out more information on his enemy’s daughter than she’d probably be comfortable with him having. Every time the reply was the same… everybody mentioned her keen intelligence and her ability to put people at ease.
Nevaeh Belmont had a knack for finding the morsel of good news in the worst situation and spinning it out until the media was running with the idea she fed them. In short, she’d be the perfect addition to his team if she weren’t Skyler Belmont’s daughter.
But she was. And nothing could change that. He hadn’t been able to get anything from his Nevaeh’s Dresser source on why Nevaeh was job hunting. But he’d figure that out today. See if there was anything in her leaving her father’s company that he could use to his advantage.
She shifted her legs again and Aiden tracked the movement with his eyes. She had dynamite legs. All he could think of was how smooth they’d feel to his touch. The few glimpses he’d had of her thigh were enough to make his fingertips tingle.
He frowned and forced himself to study her resume again. He wasn’t getting involved with her. He wasn’t doing the lust thing with this woman. It had nothing to do with the advice of Landon and everything to do with focus.
Aiden couldn’t afford any kind of distraction now that he was so close to his goal. Ten years of walking the path of revenge and he wasn’t going to lose it this close to the finish line. Not for a pair of long, smooth legs and a killer smile.
“I need to ask this… Why did you leave Nevaeh’s Dresser?” Aiden asked.
No one knew the answer to that.
“I had a differing opinion with my boss.”
“You mean… your father, right?”
Nevaeh sat up straighter in the chair and put both of her feet on the floor. Staring him straight in the eye.
“I didn’t get the job because of nepotism. I worked hard to prove myself within our charitable foundation before making the move to Nevaeh’s Dresser.”
“Of course, you did.”
He knew she’d gotten the job the same way every other employee had. Through her qualifications and skills. In fact, she’d probably had to work twice as hard. Aiden knew how contentious her relationship was with Skyler.
Aiden also didn’t want her to leave his office until he figured out if there was a way that he could exploit that. There had to be something here he was missing.
“I’m not going to argue the point. If you can’t see what an advantage I’d be to your organization, then… you’re simply not the man I thought you were. And I won’t be wasting more of your and my time with this meeting…”
He glanced up at her then and realized he felt a grudging respect for the woman in front of him. She fought dirty… well she fought to win. And Aiden always respected winning except when Skyler Belmont won. And somehow this daughter of his had to be the key to bringing him down. No, Nevaeh was the key to twisting the pain of losing when Skyler fell. And the old man was going down. Right now, though, Aiden needed some answer from her. He should be treating this like an interview. Keeping his eyes off her legs and focusing on what she was doing here.“Why did you go into PR, Nevaeh?” She relaxed in her seat, crossing those long legs again.“It seemed like the right fit for me. I know a lot of people in the medi
Aiden had been surprised when he’d gotten the text from Nevaeh asking him to meet her at the High Tide Gallery on north Greystone Avenue. He’d worked later than he’d planned to and then made his way across town to the gallery opening for an artist that Aiden had never heard of before, Amedeo Bellini. He mentioned Nevaeh’s name at the door and was told to go right in. He got a glass of wine from the waiter and walked through the room stopping to study the art. He’d never taken time to appreciate this kind of thing. His brother, Landon, collected sculptures, and their mother had an affinity for photography. But Aiden wasn’t interested in anything unless it brought him closer to his goal of bringing down Skyler Belmont.
“Got a minute, Neve?”“Sure,” she replied, surprised to see Julian Devereaux at this event. Though he was a decent PR man, he didn’t move in the same circles she did.“Uh, first I want to say, I’m sorry you didn’t get the promotion.” Nevaeh genuinely liked Julian and with a few more years of experience, he was going to be exactly what her father needed. For now, he was smart and savvy but a little young and inexperienced.“As my father said, ‘the best man got the job’,” she said. Julian flushed.“I hope I can live up to that expectation.”“Of course, you will. So… what did you want?”“I was hoping you’d have some time in your sched
Nevaeh was tired, cranky, and out of sorts when she left her apartment the next morning for her meeting with Julian Devereaux. And she wasn’t very well prepared. She hadn’t gone back to the office after she’d decided to quit working for her father, so she had no notes other than the things she’d kept in her head. And this might not be the best morning for a meeting because all she could think about was Aiden… his kiss… his hands… his embrace… She hated the fact that they’d both agreed to part ways. She knew it was the most sensible thing to do but she ached for him. That kiss last night had made it impossible for her to do anything other than moon over the man, toss and turn in her bed thinking about him… naked… on top of her. And that
She chewed on her lower lip. Aiden lowered his head and brushed her mouth with his. He wanted to deepen the contact but restraint was needed now. Later when they were alone in his office…“I think I need to hide most of all from you, Aiden.”“Why is that?”“Because you see me in ways that no one else does.” The elevator doors opened before Aiden could respond and his brother stood there in the hallway waiting for them.“We’ll finish this conversation later.”“Oh… Will we?” Nevaeh asked in that sassy way of hers. She was getting herself back from the shock of seeing that photo. He was glad for it. He could deal with the ballsy woman better than the vulnerable one.“I just said we wo
She looked at her watch.“Damn it!” Nevaeh exclaimed slowly. Nevaeh was thirty minutes late for her meeting with Julian Devereaux. She wasn’t exactly sure of what she’d agreed to in Aiden’s office but she knew they’d discuss it further when he came to her house tonight for dinner. She called her housekeeper and informed her she’d have a guest for dinner. Then she stopped in front of the ‘Nevaeh’s Dresser’ corporate offices. Since their earlier meeting at Starbucks had been delayed, Julian had suggested they try for lunch. He was lounging against a low railing that lined the handicap ramp leading to the entrance, cigarette in one hand, cellphone in the other. The wind blew
Aiden was as familiar with the ‘Nevaeh’s Dresser’ organizational chart as he was with his own. He knew all the players in the company and the name Julian Devereaux wasn’t ringing any bells.“We’re checking him out. Seems like that picture of the two of you caused a stir, as well.” He didn’t give a crap about what people thought about him. Aiden had made himself stop caring the day his parents had moved them out of their large family home just off of Main Street and into a mobile home park. It was the same day that the local ‘Nevaeh’s Dresser’ announced record sales and plans to double the size of their store. But he didn’t like the fact that anyone was speculating on what was between him and Nevaeh. What he felt for her was too raw.
Appearances were a tricky thing, Aiden thought as he watched Nevaeh move through the crowded club. Anyone seeing her now would never have guessed at the vulnerability he’d witnessed in her home earlier. He’d ached to draw her into his arms and just hold her but Aiden knew he was just as much to blame for her current troubles. She was incandescent tonight, glowing with a light from within, as she moved among her high-society friends, the groupies who followed the deejay from club to club and the paparazzi that seemed to follow her everywhere she went. Aiden leaned against the wall in the VIP section and just watched her sparkle. He still had absolutely no idea what he was going to do with her other than take her to his bed. He knew that if he wanted her there, tonight, he should be a little more sociable but nightclubs like this left him cold. And pr