Revenge Best Served Hot Page 4

  Brody spent the next twenty minutes asking Kate the same tough questions that so many of her more seasoned colleagues had struggled to answer to his satisfaction. Collin in particular had tried to bluff his way through, heaping on industry jargon in the hope Brody wouldn’t notice. He had. He might not be an expert on logistics, but he knew bullshit when he heard it. Kate, however, kept her replies concise and fact based. And when she didn’t have an answer, which only happened once, she admitted that, too.

  It was his turn to be surprised. “It sounds like you’ll be able to hit the ground running.”

  Kate dropped her arms, sucked in a deep breath. This time, Brody successfully fought the urge to lower his gaze to her impressive bust and watch her inhale.

  “Are you offering me a job?”

  He hesitated only a moment. “I am.” He would keep his friends close and his enemies closer.

  She tipped her head to one side. “I hope I don’t sound pushy, but as what, exactly? I don’t mind attending public functions or glad-handing with the press. I consider public relations one of my strong suits. But—”

  “You want to be in the trenches, too.”

  “Yes.”

  “What job do you think you’re most qualified for?”

  Without batting an eye, she replied, “Yours.”

  Brody laughed. Damn, but he was enjoying himself. “You have a hell of a lot of nerve.”

  “So I’ve been told. I think of that as one of my strengths.” She kept her gaze level on his and asked, “Should I apologize?”

  “Only if you didn’t mean it.”

  “I meant it. I only say what I mean.”

  “No game playing?”

  “What would be the point?”

  They were in complete agreement there, even if he still didn’t trust her.

  “I don’t have a problem with ambitious women.” In fact, he was finding the one seated across from him to be sexier by the minute.

  She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the edge of the table. He caught another brief flash of cleavage trimmed out in white lace.

  “I want what you want, Mr. Flynn.”

  Brody had picked up his coffee and taken a sip. He nearly choked on it now. He doubted their thoughts were similarly aligned at the moment.

  “And what might that be?” he inquired blandly as he returned the cup to its saucer with an audible click.

  She frowned. “To make Douglass Shipping Solutions profitable once again, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “I don’t even need the added incentive of a bonus.”

  “Not everyone is as self-motivated as you are,” he said slowly, choosing his words with care. “Some people might be delighted to see me fall on my face.”

  “I’m not one of those people.”

  “Still, it can’t be easy.”

  A line appeared between her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

  “Handing over your birthright.”

  The line deepened to a groove. Still, her tone was wry when she replied, “I hardly had a choice in the matter.”

  True enough, but…

  “What would you do to get it back?”

  “My company?”

  “My company.” He smiled.

  “I don’t see that as an option right now.”

  Right now. A revealing qualification, he thought. “So why work here?”

  “To help keep it together,” she replied matter-of-factly. “I think it’s not only in my best interest, but also yours that it stays in one piece. Sell it off in bite-size morsels and, sure, you can make a tidy profit, as you already know. But keep it, nurture it back to health, and…” She moistened her lips, drawing his attention to her mouth. It was lush and inviting despite the absence of gloss. He wrenched his gaze away, growing irritated with himself for being sidetracked by her beauty, downplayed though it was.

  “I’m not much of a nurturer,” he told her.

  “Yes, well, hire the right people and you don’t need to be.” Before he could respond, she went on. “We were a leader in the industry once. We can be again. I don’t want to see Douglass become a footnote in history. The company bears my name, after all.”

  He found it damned annoying that he still couldn’t get a bead on her. But he decided to go with his gut. “How does vice president of operations sound?”

  “Vice president…” That was as far as she got before her words trailed off and her mouth fell open.

  “Of operations,” he finished for her, grateful to have the upper hand once again. “You’re familiar with the position, right?”

  “I am, yes.” She bobbed her head. “I wasn’t expecting—”

  “There will be a probationary period during which you will have to prove yourself.”

  “How long?”

  “Six months.” Assuming he hadn’t already sold off and moved on by then.

  “That’s not a lot of time to fully implement the ideas I have—”

  “Perhaps not,” he interrupted. “And, just to be clear, I haven’t decided if we will implement those ideas. But if we do, it will be long enough for me to assess both their and your value to the company. I’ll want a report on my desk by the end of next week. It doesn’t have to be definitive, but I need to see some numbers and a rough outline showing what it will take to get there.”

  Kate nodded again and he watched her swallow. “Fair enough.”

  He jotted down some notes and put them, along with her résumé, in the file folder before flipping it closed. Rising, he handed it to her and said, “Take this with you to human resources. It’s after hours, but someone will still be there. It’s been a busy day for them. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Kate stood as well, looking a little dazed. When she just continued to stare at him, Brody prompted, “Did you need something?”

  “I…I honestly wasn’t expecting you to offer me a job. One with so much responsibility, that is,” she admitted bluntly.

  “You’re smart, driven, and qualified, if a little light on experience.”

  “Thank you.”

  He wasn’t sure whether she was thanking him for the job or for his assessment of her abilities. Either way, his conscience pricked. Brody’s motives for hiring Kate were complicated. He wasn’t doing so entirely because he thought she was the best person for the VPO position. He wanted to keep her close so he could keep tabs on her. And if by doing so he made her father uncomfortable, well, so much the better.

  Chapter Three

  Kate’s mind whirled, her heart threatening to pound out of her chest from excitement. It was all she could do not to dance out the door of the conference room and start pumping her fist in the air Rocky-style. More than a mere job, she had scored an actual position of importance within the company. She was one step closer to proving herself, not only to Brody but, more importantly, to her father. Maybe now he would stop seeing her as fragile and drawing comparisons between her and her long-dead mother.

  She was halfway down the hall when she chanced a glance back. Brody was leaning against the jamb of the conference room door. Despite his relaxed pose, he still looked coiled and ready to spring. The man was that intense. His gaze was leveled on…her butt? He looked up. If he felt guilty or awkward for being caught staring, it wasn’t evident. In fact, he smiled, a slow show of white teeth that succeeded in setting her pulse racing a second time, albeit for totally different reasons.

  Those reasons spelled trouble, especially since she was sorely tempted to grin in return. Instead, she faced forward and kept walking.

  The human resources department was on the third floor. Kate was still half a dozen steps from the entrance when the door swung open and Collin sauntered out.

  “Katherine. No hard feelings about what I said in the conference room earlier, right?”

  “None at all,” she assured him.

  “Great.”

  Whereas Brody’s smile had left her heart racing, Collin’s made her uneasy, especially
when he closed the gap between them and reached out to give her shoulders a gentle squeeze. Afterward, his hand lingered there, and he tipped his head to one side. “How did the interview go, sweetheart?”

  Much as it had when he’d used it in the conference room, the endearment set her teeth on edge. What did she have to do to make him accept that she had no interest in him?

  “It wasn’t at all what I expected,” she replied, being intentionally evasive yet honest. Brody had pulled no punches when he’d grilled her on everything from her qualifications to how she would react in different scenarios. She’d come here today hoping for a fair shake, but she had been prepared to be patronized. That hadn’t happened.

  “Yeah. Flynn was pretty brutal with me, too. I don’t think he likes me, but the guy is smart enough to know he needs me.”

  “So he kept you on.” She managed a smile even as she silently cursed. Did it make her a bad person that she’d been hoping he’d get the boot?

  “That’s right. Same job, less pay,” Collin grumbled. “But it’s not like it’s forever.”

  She nodded. “Once the company is back on solid footing, you’ll be up for a bonus. I’m sure pay rates will be reevaluated then, too.”

  “Sure. Once the company is stable.” He smiled, again leaving her with the impression she was missing something. Then, “Hey, I know you don’t need to work, but if you’re still determined to punch a clock, maybe I can help you find something. I know a lot of people in the industry. I can put in a good word for you.” Collin leaned close enough that his breath feathered across her cheek when he added, “I’m more than happy to help out in any way I can. I owe your father a lot.”

  Irritated, she backed away. “Thanks, but that won’t be necessary. I have a job.”

  “Here? Flynn is keeping you on?”

  Kate wasn’t usually one to gloat, but the utter disbelief in Collin’s tone made it all the sweeter to say, “He’s not just keeping me on. You’re looking at the new vice president of operations.”

  His mouth fell open for a moment before he issued a ripe curse. He’d never sworn in her presence before, giving his use of the F-bomb all the more impact. Then he rallied. “Sorry, Katherine. It’s just that, well, I’m surprised. That was the position I wanted now that Goldman is out of the way. Your father promised it would be mine once the guy finally retired at the end of the year. When Flynn told me I could keep my old job, I figured one of the more senior guys got the VPO post. I have all the right credentials, the expertise, the experience…”

  “Sorry,” she murmured, for lack of anything better to say. She waited a beat before adding, “What? No congratulations?”

  “Right. Of course. Congratulations.” But he sounded halfhearted at best.

  And that irked. Drop it, Kate told herself. Say good-bye and walk away. She started to. She made it two steps past him only to turn back and say, “You think I’m out of my league.”

  “I think you have a lot to learn.” He gave her shoulder another squeeze. “Business can be very cutthroat, as your father just found out the hard way.”

  “And you think I’m too soft?”

  “Your own father thought that, Katherine. It’s not a flaw or anything,” he hastened to add when she narrowed her eyes. “Personally, it’s one of the things I like about you. It’s just the way you are. Some people aren’t cut out to play corporate hardball.”

  “It’s a mistake to underestimate me,” she warned, bothered as much by his condescending tone as by the fact that she’d let it get to her. Squaring her shoulders, she went on. “Despite all your credentials and expertise, I guess Mr. Flynn feels I have more to offer.”

  She regretted her choice of words immediately, realizing too late how it made the situation seem.

  Collin’s expression hardened, and the hand resting on her shoulder tightened its grip. “I wouldn’t have guessed Flynn was your type. He’s pretty rough around the edges. Although now that he owns your father’s company, maybe he’s up to your exacting standards.”

  Kate opened her mouth to respond, but a deep, masculine voice beat her to it. “That’s enough!”

  They both turned to find Brody Flynn standing a few feet away, his expression as dark and ominous as a thundercloud.

  “Mr. Flynn!” she cried at the same time Collin spat out a blistering expletive.

  Brody’s gaze flicked from her to the other man. “If you have a problem with my hiring process, Overton, you come to me. You don’t harass a coworker. Is that clear?”

  Collin nodded. “I was…I was just—”

  “I know exactly what you were doing, and I won’t tolerate it.” Brody folded his arms over his broad chest. His expression remained fierce. He wasn’t a man to cross. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t fire your ass right now for implying that Miss Douglass slept with me to get her job.”

  Collin’s face had turned a worrisome shade of red, causing Kate to wonder if an otherwise healthy thirty-five-year-old man could have a stroke.

  If Brody fired Collin, Kate wouldn’t feel sorry for him, but she didn’t want to be the cause, even indirectly. Word would get around. A man with an ego the size of Collin’s would make sure of it. And she figured the rumors he would circulate would only make it that much more difficult for Kate to prove herself to her coworkers. His firing would fan the very flames of suspicion it was intended to stamp out. She could guess what the topic of conversation around the water cooler would be then: Jonathon Douglass’s feckless daughter had slept with the enemy to get the job as vice president of operations.

  “Don’t fire him,” she said in a rush.

  Both men turned and gaped at her, their expressions brimming with identical amounts of shock.

  “I don’t want to be the cause of his being fired.”

  “You wouldn’t be. His actions are the culprit,” Brody pointed out.

  That was true enough, but she doubted the other members of the good old boys club who were still on the payroll would see it that way. What had Collin just said? That she was too soft. She was already starting her new position with a deficit of respect. No need to make it worse by having the other members of the management team think she was too thin-skinned to take an insult, even one steeped in sexism.

  “What if he apologizes to…to both of us, and we leave it at that? It’s been a long day—a long couple of months,” she amended on a sigh, thinking back to when the takeover talk had first started. “We’re all under a lot of stress and acting…out of character.”

  Brody’s left brow shot up. “Is that really what you want, Kate?”

  Not exactly. She wanted the company back under her family’s control and Collin out of her life. Barring that, it would be for the best if she didn’t find her new boss to be quite so appealing as he defended her honor. But she nodded. She’d made enough waves for one day simply by lobbying to remain on the payroll.

  Brody studied her a moment, his gaze so intense that she nearly looked away. Weakness. Was that how he would perceive her inability to maintain eye contact? Or would he suspect it had to do with the fact that whenever he was nearby her hormones sizzled like bacon frying in a skillet? Neither possibility was acceptable. So she didn’t so much as blink.

  After what seemed like an eternity, he told Collin, “You heard her. Apologize.”

  “Katherine, I’m truly sorry for what I said. You’re right. It’s been a long day, and I’ve been under enormous pressure. You know how I feel about you.”

  God, he had to add that!

  “Apology accepted,” she replied stiffly.

  Brody snorted. “You’re lucky, Overton. Damn lucky. But let me make myself clear. This is the only free pass you’re going to get. If I see or hear even a whiff of inappropriate behavior coming from your direction, security will be escorting you from the building before you can blink.”

  “Understood.”

  With a brisk nod of dismissal, Brody walked past them into the human resources department.

>   …

  That was an interesting exchange he’d stumbled upon, Brody thought as he listened to the HR director, Henry Mitchell, drone on about the new executive pay scale. Through the glass wall of the man’s office, he watched Kate fill out forms as she talked to one of the executive assistants, an older woman named Janet or Janice McSomething. Usually Brody was good with names, but with so many thrown at him in such a short period, he had yet to memorize them all.

  It was much more than Kate’s name that he had committed to memory, he thought as his gaze took a detour down her well-camouflaged curves. Another time, another place, another woman, and…

  But the circumstances were what they were. And she was the daughter of the man Brody had just destroyed.

  The conversation he’d overheard in the hall came back to him. He wasn’t the sort of boss who eavesdropped on his employees, but he’d been on his way to HR when he’d heard their voices. Recognizing Kate’s, he’d hung back before turning the corner. One part stood out.

  It’s a mistake to underestimate me.

  The jury was still out on her abilities, as well as her reasons for wanting to remain with Douglass. As for Collin, the man’s days here were numbered. If he hadn’t had vital knowledge on a crucial project, he would have been cut during his interview in the conference room. The man was a delegator more than a doer. He was also Jonathon Douglass’s protégé. As such, his loyalty was clear. Eventually, Collin would receive his walking papers. But not today. As the takeover of Douglass proved, Brody was good at biding his time.

  It took longer than anticipated to conclude his meeting with the HR director. Kate and the executive assistant both were gone. Other than Brody, Henry Mitchell, and the night cleaning crew, the building was empty. So it came as a surprise when, after collecting his things from the conference room, he found himself face-to-face with Kate at the bank of elevators. She smiled uncomfortably and pressed the down button, even though it was already lit.

  “I didn’t realize you were still here,” he remarked.

  “Just tidying up my old office.”

  “We have a cleaning crew for that,” he said.

  “I meant hard-copy files, personal effects, and such. I wanted to move them to my new desk myself.”