CHAPTER 3

“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…”