Tempting Aquisitions (11 page)

The slide show began and she walked them through the balance sheets and their profits for the last five years. The slides then transitioned into a view of the future, set to the impressive list of celebrities Mayson had lined up for the next year. She closed on the three-, five-, and ten-year visions for the company and their overall growth goals as they sought to reposition some properties, launch new ones, and ultimately retire those that weren’t performing.

As the lights came back up, Keira knew she and her sisters had crafted the right presentation. They had deliberately kept it to no more than fifteen minutes. The success of the company and the evidence of their continued hard work were stamped on each and every page.

While she expected the positive reactions from the assembled board members, especially as they’d been a part of many of the decisions made up until now, Keira wasn’t prepared for Nathan’s reaction. Approval was in his broad smile, and his gaze indicated how proud he was of her presentation. Like the lunch they’d had the previous week or his comments as she entertained clients, she couldn’t see anything underneath that clear offer of support that seemed false or misleading. Nor was she able to stop herself from basking in it.

After a brief round of questions, Nathan moved to the front of the room. “I haven’t prepared anything, but rather would like to share my thoughts. You all know of my intentions and I’m happy to answer any questions you have. But first I’d like to share why I believe Maverick Capital’s acquisition of McBride Media is good for all of us.”

…

Keira’s “talk to the board” smile was back in full force, and Nathan fought the urge to wipe it off her face. For a woman as bright, confident, and opinionated as she was, the fake smile signaled all the things she wasn’t.

They both ran the gauntlet, saying good-bye to the departing board members. It was only after the room had emptied that she whirled on him, the smile gone as if it had never been.

“Nice sales job, Nathan. Nothing like telling people what they want to hear.”

“I’d have thought you, of all people, would have appreciated the family focus of my comments and my full endorsement of the McBride sisters’ abilities to run the company.”

“A company you’re bound and determined to buy up and parcel off. What’s really going to be left for us to manage?”

“Plenty. It’s not like you don’t have enough to do running one or two of the really large properties. You said yourself there was a plan to close the poor performers.”

“On our own timeline. There are a lot of avenues we can pursue, and we’ve carefully put together a plan to try to make them profitable again before simply shutting them down.”

“Save the sales pitch, Keira. The first rule of business is you get rid of what’s not working and move on. I watched you practically run yourself into the ground this weekend keeping up with everything.”

“Is that what you saw? Really? Because I thought all you could see this weekend was a woman you wanted to seduce into your bed.”

A harsh bark of laughter welled in his throat and he again reveled in moving into her personal space, satisfied when she made no move to back away. “If the definition of seduction has suddenly become two very willing and consenting adults, then you’re damn straight I seduced you this weekend.”

“We made a misguided choice this weekend. That’s all.”

“Is that what you call earth-shattering sex? Misguided?”

“I certainly don’t think it was the brightest idea I’ve ever had.”

“That’s the real problem here, isn’t it? You’re scared to death people are going to put together the personal version of us and the professional version. That’s what all this bullshit about how I’m treating you and how I’d never treat a man the same way is about. Isn’t it?”

“One has nothing to do with the other. Isn’t that what you’ve said from the start?”

“Don’t hide from me now. It’s more than that and you know it.”

A series of emotions flitted across her face, from anger to sadness to a deep hopelessness he’d never have equated with her. Before he could remark on it, she said, “Everything we’ve worked for. All of it. I’ve gone and thrown it away.”

Her words were like acid on his skin, burning him with their intensity. While the urge, honed since childhood, was to jab back, he fought it in order to find out what was underneath the words. “You’ve thrown nothing away.”

The lines of her face resigned, she looked up at him. “What do you know about my family?”

Whatever he’d expected her to say, this wasn’t it. “I’ve got a pretty good idea. There have been more than a few articles done over the years about your family.”

“Then you know my father had no time for the family business.”

“But he was a part of it his entire life.”

“Grudgingly so. And McBride Media was a bank account for all his poor choices and bad behaviors.”

“He wouldn’t be the first spoiled son to make some bad business decisions.”

She choked out a rueful laugh as she moved to the sideboard and picked up a bottle of water. “My father rarely makes a good decision. Business or otherwise.”

He was no stranger to the poor decisions of a parent, so he held back the myriad of questions that filled his mind. “Go on.”

“Growing up, I remember sitting with my grandfather and how he talked about what he did for a living. He talked about it with such pride in his voice. Like he knew the hour or two of entertainment he gave someone with one of his magazines meant something.”

Her words tickled a memory he’d long buried. “It does mean something. I saw it with my mother. She looked forward to and faithfully read her
Women’s Monthly Journal
the day it came in the mail. I remember how she used to shush me and put me in front of the TV while she read it. It was the only time I could watch whatever I wanted and she paid no attention.”

“My grandfather started that magazine at my grandmother’s urging. She complained to him she didn’t like the magazines on the shelf and wanted articles about real women doing extraordinary things.”

The memory grew and expanded, and Nathan couldn’t hold back the smile. “That’s the thing my mother loved about that magazine. I still remember her making me read the article about the woman in Chicago who ran a school for blind children and how many of them had graduated college and gone on to very successful careers.”

For the first time, the anger that had stiffened Keira’s shoulders faded a bit as she took a sip of her water. “Why did she want you to read it?”

“Told me that anyone could achieve anything they wanted to. And that all it took was a lot of determination and effort.”

“Traits my grandfather had in spades.”

“He was a special man and everyone who knew him thought so. But despite his fine attributes, I don’t think you’re really interested in talking about your grandfather.”

“No. No, I’m not.” She took another sip of the water before resting her forearms on the back of the large leather chair that sat at the head of the table. “My father had a twin brother, and from all accounts, the two of them were inseparable.”

Nathan paused at that, trying to remember if he’d ever read anything about a second McBride brother. “You say ‘had’ as if he’s gone.”

“He is. He died when he and my father were in their mid-twenties. And the fun-loving, driven person my father was up until that point faded and died away.”

“Some people can’t get past their grief at a situation.”

“My father was one of them. From what I’ve been told, he literally changed overnight. He went from being a very happy, devoted husband, family man, and head of the company to…something else.”

“Was that the person you knew?”

“It’s the person I grew to know and have spent my life dealing with. I was small when it happened. Camryn was a toddler and Mayson was on the way.”

“How did he change?”

“It was like he just stopped caring. About anything.”

“How did your mother handle it?”

Keira gripped the bottle of water, the wash of memories filling her eyes as her gaze had settled somewhere in the distant past. “She tried her best. I take it the first few years she excused his behavior, said he needed to work through his grief.”

“And after that?”

“There came a point where she simply began to resent it, especially when he stopped caring about staying faithful to his marriage.”

“I see.”

And he did see, Nathan realized with surprising clarity. His own father had never been the poster boy for good, upstanding behavior, but at least he hadn’t lied to Nathan’s mother in the process. She knew what she was getting into with a man like West Harrison, and in all the years of her life, he’d never once heard her complain in bitterness about the man she’d loved.

Despite all that, he’d also seen the absence of a spark in her eyes, like she’d used up all the love she was ever going to find.

“My own family isn’t exactly a bright, shiny beacon of togetherness through thick and thin. People can be horribly careless with those they care about.”

She nodded. “I spent my entire childhood watching my father live an empty life as my mother got dragged along in the process. Or chose to get dragged along.”

“She never thought to leave him?”

“Oh, she thought it, but her role as a woman of New York society always held her back. So she focused on her charities and her own life, raised my sisters and me, and ignored the fact that she lived with a man she hated. Another cliché of social convention, no matter how hard she fought it.”

Nathan heard a slight hitch in her words and moved around to place a hand over hers. “Is that really all?”

“It’s just a sense I’ve always had. I have nothing to go on to think that I’m right.”

“But?”

“No matter what he did and no matter how much she hated him at times, I think she spent her whole life hoping she’d get him back. That the man she married and loved with all her heart was still in there somewhere.”

“So tell me what all that has to do with right now. With us?”

“Don’t you see? Bringing McBride Media back to life, restoring it, isn’t just what I do. It’s part of who I am. Part of the good pieces of my history. My grandfather and my father.
Before
.”

“But their life isn’t yours.”

“Maybe it wasn’t at the beginning. Maybe I was just searching for something. But now I’ve made it mine. Camryn, Mayson, and I have made it ours. I won’t give that up.”

“You’re entitled to your own life.”

“Exactly. And I’ve made my choices. I know what I want my life to be.”

“Business is a part of your life, not the definition of you.”

His words startled a laugh out of her, the deep, hard sound rolling over him with the force of a battering ram. “Oh, that’s rich, Nathan. This coming from a man who has not only defined himself by his work but who uses it to delude himself of the differences between right and wrong.”

“Where have I crossed any line? And just where in the hell have I deluded myself?”

“You talk about desire and attraction and you use them as an excuse to separate yourself from your business practices.”

“I never lied about it. From day one, you knew how I felt about McBride Media, and you damn well knew how I felt about you. Don’t suddenly accuse me of having no conscience when you know exactly what lives and breathes between us.”

“Nothing but adversity and animosity.”

“I don’t think so, darling.”

He reached for her with whip-quick movements. Recognition flashed in her eyes as they widened, just before his mouth fastened on hers. Hard and unyielding, he pressed his lips to hers, satisfied when her mouth instinctively opened for his seeking tongue. And without a single thought for any of the reasons that had brought them both to this place, he sought to show her why none of it mattered.

Why all that mattered was what they had here, together.

Chapter Nine

Keira fought for some semblance of control as Nathan’s tongue dueled with hers. All the pain of the last few days coalesced in her stomach like a ball of lead, full of sadness, fear, and a large helping of guilt. Yet through it all throbbed a raw need she couldn’t shake and couldn’t understand. That same raw need gripped him as clearly as it did her, evident in the hands that roamed over her body and the hard length of him that pressed up against her, pushing her back against the conference room chairs.

She knew she needed to put an end to what was between them, but the desire to take what he offered was so strong. The heavy press of his lips enthralled her and her head fell back a little farther as he consumed her. The erotic thrusts of his tongue sent shock waves of heat to her core and she shifted her hands against his waist, her fingers restless on the soft material of his shirt. Fistfuls of the silk bunched in her hand, the need to reach the heated skin underneath driving her movements.

He moaned into her mouth and pressed against her, the hard lines of his body stamped with sexual intent. Her back was cushioned into the oversize conference room chair, the imprint of it registering somewhere in some deep recess of her mind that screamed she needed to stay rational.

“Nathan—” She pulled her lips from his.

Passion glazed the blue of his irises in a hazy wash of need before he lowered his head once more to hers, but she pushed at his shoulders, willing him to understand.

“We can’t do this. And we certainly can’t do this here.”

“I want you.”

Her knees buckled and she fumbled on her high heels. Damn the man and the weakness a few simple words could incite.

“You need to leave.”

The glassy need in his eyes began to fade as the reality of the moment returned and he planted on a grim smile. “I’m not walking away. You can’t even begin to think I’d walk away from what’s between us.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

“No, Keira.” His hands were on her face and she felt the gentleness underneath the firm length of his fingers where they rested along her jaw. “We don’t have a choice.”

With one more soft press of his lips to hers, he pulled back. His gaze was steady on hers as he moved to gather his slim attaché case before he walked out the door.

…

She wasn’t ready to deal with the sisterly inquisition, no matter how well-meaning, so Keira headed for the thirty-fifth floor after ensuring enough time had passed for Nathan to make it to the elevator bank and out of the building.

The comforting smell of old paper greeted her as she passed through the double glass doors outside the elevator lobby. The McBride Media Archives had been in place since the inception of the company, and she’d found refuge in the stacks more times than she could count throughout her life.

Archival material had formed the basis for her first pitch to her father to take over
Home and Family
. The library’s photographs had been used as the backbone of a magazine retrospective done by the New-York Historical Society, an initiative she had spearheaded. And it had been to the Archives that she’d run the day she got the news of her mother’s cancer diagnosis.

The Archives had been updated about six years before. It was the first project she’d commissioned after taking on the group publisher role. What used to be a floor filled with neatly ordered rows of magazines now boasted a sizable computer lab and a climate-controlled vault to house every issue ever published by McBride Media.

“Keira, dear. I didn’t expect to see you today.” Monica Adams, the librarian who’d ruled over the archives for more than forty years, greeted her with a broad smile.

“I needed a bit of a break from my morning.”

“Board meetings have a way of winding us up.” Monica patted her arm before gesturing Keira into the room. “Come on in and spend a few minutes winding back down. I just made a fresh pot of coffee. I’ll get us both a cup and we can sit for a few minutes.”

The evidence Monica knew about the morning’s meeting had Keira stopping short before she started moving again with a rueful head shake. She didn’t know why she wondered at the older woman’s nearly omniscient knowledge of what went on at McBride.

Monica Adams knew
everything
.

Monica poured two cups of coffee and nodded toward the far side of the room. Keira followed the trim, lithe woman, whose spry step defied her age, to a small conversation pit along a wall of windows. A glance over the Manhattan skyline indicated the rain that had threatened that morning on her way in had turned into a full-pitched battle as a storm raged outside.

“The weather seems oddly fitting.” Monica’s voice was gentle as she crossed her legs.

“I’ll say.”

“Do you want to tell me what happened this morning? While I know what the meeting was about, those involved clearly aren’t spreading the details.”

Keira knew the truth of that—she, Camryn, Mayson, and Sally had made a pact to keep details about Maverick Capital’s attempts as upbeat and professional as possible. But word had spread through the company like wildfire after the
Financial Journal
’s article the week before. “It’s complicated.”

“The moments that try us in life often are.”

Despite her vast knowledge of the inner workings at McBride, Keira also knew Monica could be trusted. Her knowledge at what went on inside the walls was only rivaled by her deep sense of discretion.

“We’re the target of a takeover. As you know.” Human Resources had sent a memo that morning to the management team detailing the individuals who’d already begun to depart for what they believed to be greener pastures.

“And what don’t I know?”

“That I’m in love with the enemy.”

The words were out before she could stop them. And as they sat hovering in the quiet between Monica and her, Keira knew she didn’t want to stop them. The truth was far simpler than she’d ever imagined. Strangely, it was even more painful when acknowledged out loud.

“Well. That’s a whole different conversation.”

Keira looked away from the rainy view and into gentle hazel eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Here I was, all prepared to give you my pep talk on perseverance at work. This is clearly not going to be
that
conversation.”

The nervous laugh, whether from lack of sleep or copious amounts of coffee, escaped before she could stop it. “Everything I’ve worked for. Everything I’ve thought was important. And I’m at risk for losing it all. What am I doing?”

“You’re listening to your heart.”

Keira knew how tempting that thought was. To look at the entire situation between her and Nathan and believe that true love could grow and flourish, even in the most difficult circumstances. Heck, she’d spent years as a single career woman being bombarded with pithy, well-meaning lectures from more people than she could count.

It’ll happen when you least expect it.

It had happened, all right. And it was about as convenient as a heart attack. While on vacation. With nonrefundable tickets.

“The real question is what you’re going to do about it.”

“Isn’t that always the question? It’s not our challenges in life,” she whispered. “It’s what we do when presented with them.”

Words her mother had drilled into her from the earliest age. And with that thought came another. “I’ve been thinking a lot about my parents. Mom in particular.”

Monica’s smile was gentle, her tone soft and full of understanding. “Our memories of those we’ve lost never leave us, no matter how old we get or how long they’ve been gone.”

“I know.” Keira took a sip of her coffee, and as the warmth spread through her midsection, she tried to put words to feelings she couldn’t quite define. “And I do think of her often. But it’s been more intense, more vivid. And specifically about what she and my dad could have had if he’d only been braver. Less wrapped up in his pain.”

“Your family isn’t just your family. They’re a real and tangible presence in your work life as well.”

Was that why her feelings for Nathan had such a difficult edge to them?

She’d never been afraid of falling in love. In fact, she’d looked forward to the time in her life when she’d finally share it with someone. But her whirlwind relationship with Nathan veered firmly into all the family baggage she worked hard to keep packed up and locked away.

Monica patted her on the arm. “I think your mother would have been quite proud of who you’ve become. And I know your father is, even if he isn’t able to show it in a way that matters. You lead with grace and dignity, and you’ve built a loyal following, both inside these walls and within the ad community at large.”

“Thank you.”

“I’d also say that man is very lucky to have found you. I do hope you feel the same way about him.”

Whatever she’d been about to say skittered from her thoughts as if it had never been. Instead, the reality of why she was in love with Nathan lit her up like the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

His admiration for her mind as well as her feminine attributes.

The way he listened to her when she spoke as opposed to simply granting her an indulgent few moments of his time.

And an attraction that made every facet of who he was—from the physical to the deepest, darkest places inside of him—interesting and
necessary
.

She even had to acknowledge that the personal aspects that underpinned his drive to succeed—despite the fact it was McBride Media in his sights—came from the life he’d created for himself out of a difficult childhood.

Monica’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. “Now. What can I do to help with the takeover? Your new man may wear a custom-tailored suit like he was born to it, but I think we’re all up for fighting the good fight.”

Keira took her first easy breath of the day. “Did I mention how glad I am you’re on my team?”

“It’s a team I’ve been delighted to play on for more than four decades. And this old girl’s got some life in her yet. Now. Mayson was down here yesterday pulling some of the photos that made their way into a presentation. What else can I do to help? I’ll have you know I’m more than prepared to fight a little dirty.

“In fact…” Monica stood on that thought and crossed the room, a telling smile edging the corners of her lips. She zeroed in on a filing cabinet and opened a drawer. “Yep. Right where I thought it was.”

When she crossed back over to the room with an oversize photo in her hand, it took Keira a moment to register the image.

“My grandfather?”

“And the president. I’ve got copies of him with all the other presidents since the inception of the company. No reason we can’t pull up all of those and begin to chronicle the history of the company in photos. I’m sure this morning wasn’t the first presentation you’re going to give.”

“There won’t be many more. If Nathan’s successful, it’s going to happen quickly.”

“Then I’d better get cracking. I should have something ready for you to take along tonight for the launch party you’re hosting. I think a quick overview of the history of McBride along with the history of the Jupiter Automotive Corporation would be just the thing to get everyone excited and kick off tonight’s benefit in style.”

Keira leaped up at that. She’d only been prepping for this event at the Natural History Museum for six months. “I need to get going.”

“Did you forget about the event?”

She was already reaching for the BlackBerry she’d slipped into her suit pocket. “Aren’t senior executives supposed to use words like
reprioritized
instead of
forgot
?”

Monica leaned over and gave her a quick hug, and Keira felt her spirits lifting from the tight squeeze. “Go deal with your reprioritization. I’ll get cracking here.”

“Thanks, Monica. For everything.”

“Anytime, sweetie. Anytime.”

…

Keira pulled the dress she’d purchased for the evening out of her closet, smoothing her hand over the delicate silk as she settled the filmy material of the gown over the edge of her bed.

She’d been so excited for this evening. The event at the Natural History Museum was the culmination of an incredible amount of hard work and collaboration among many divisions at McBride Media. The kickoff event, the year-long advertising schedule, and an editorial series that had come out of the agreement with the client was not only impressive, but it was the height of what she and her sisters had worked so hard for so long to build.

Where her father’s regime at McBride had been full of siloed groups, all fiercely protective of their profits, she, Camryn, and Mayson had created a culture where they all succeeded on a far greater scale when they worked together. It was industry-changing, and tonight was the culmination of all that work.

And she’d nearly forgotten it in the absolute madness that had gripped her life since Nathan Cooper dropped his little bomb on page one of the
Financial Journal
.

Why couldn’t he see this?

Why couldn’t he understand this?

Where modern business too often operated in a kill-or-be-killed mentality, the McBride women had proven that a team could come together, use all the unique skills of its individual members, and create something that was greater than the sum of its parts.

She shook her head, unwilling to let the increasing sense of melancholy mar the night.

There’d be time enough tomorrow to deal with the disaster that was currently her life.

As she walked toward the bedroom, her gaze alighted on the photo of her mother she kept framed on her end table. Lifting the photo, she allowed her gaze to trace the subtle lines of her mother’s face. A beautiful woman, her mother had grown increasingly distant as she’d aged, as if the disappointment of her marriage was a living, breathing entity under her skin.

Was this the image of lost love? This pervasive disappointment over failed expectations?

And would this be her life if she continued to pursue something with Nathan?

On a soft sigh, Keira settled the photo back on her nightstand and continued on to the bathroom. For the moment, her reflection in the mirror didn’t offer any clues.