RAGE (The Rage Series Book 1) (6 page)

              “And yet he's still trying to micromanage. I swear, sometimes I can't see how we're related.”

A pleasant buzz was beginning to set in, and it helped her push her father's behavior to the back of her mind. It was Friday, and she had a free weekend staring her in the face. She just wanted to relax.

              “Did you mention Marscomb to him?” Adeline asked.

              When Addy mentioned the name of their new tech developer, images of him immediately formed in her mind—his delicious body, roguishly long hair, and that mouth.

“Charlotte?” Adeline tried again to get her attention.

              “Oh, no. I didn't.” Guiltily, she came back to the conversation. “Why would I? He'd leap all over me for letting the guy in without hiring a fucking private investigative team, and then he'd jump down
your
throat for hiring him in the first place. How could I let him do that to one of our greatest assets?”

              “I knew you couldn't have been so brainless.”

              Charlotte grinned at her friend's bluntness. “Aww, you're so sweet.”

              “Yeah, like goddamn sugar. Now, let me go. I'm tired.”

              The weekend passed without event, unless she counted Addy’s call informing her that her mornings with David were going to be switched to evenings at the request of the accounting division. They would be meeting with her
every
morning for the next few weeks to go over figures. Charlotte received the news on Sunday afternoon and, funnily enough, she'd done an admirable job of putting the man from her mind up until that point.

              On Saturday, she'd gone shopping before taking in a Broadway show, and at night she and some of her girlfriends had seen a performance by one of her favorite jazz bands in the Lower East Side. That morning, she'd grabbed brunch at one of her favorite cafes and had just been just settling in to watch a movie in her bedroom when Addy called.

              As soon as she'd hung up, Charlotte had realized that in twenty-four hours she'd be alone—in close quarters—with sexy techie, David Marscomb. It was truly unfair, really, that he had to be so startlingly gorgeous. He
had
to have a girlfriend, a smart, humble man like him. The ladies must be lined up around the block.

              Charlotte found herself wondering what kind of women would he date. Brainiacs like him? Or would he go for something more subtle? Was he the type to discuss his work constantly, or did he woo women like a romantic Lothario into his bed and work his way into their hearts?

              Christ, she couldn't even imagine what it must be like to sleep with the man. He was built like a mountain. All that gorgeous muscle, hers for the taking, and those deep, intense eyes focused on her as he ran his hands all over her body. “Whoa,” she said aloud, catching herself.

              In her five years as CEO, she liked to think that she had done a pretty good job of keeping her distance from the men who worked for her. There had been a few she'd been attracted to, and each and every time, she'd managed to maintain her professionalism. She had worked with them, and when their business was done, she'd gone back to her office, and the guy had gone back to his department, no harm done.

              Admittedly, none of them had been as intriguingly intelligent and mind-blowingly gorgeous as David Marscomb. But, why should that matter? With her father breathing down her neck and a plethora of new prototypes emerging from the tech department, the last thing she could afford to do was swoon over a man.

              Even one like him.

              “Slow your roll, Charlotte,” she said softly to herself, as she forced herself to reconsider her heating body and wayward thoughts. “You can do this.”

              It would be like any other interaction she'd had with male employees. She'd work with him, they'd shake hands, and then they'd part ways. Hopefully, once he'd cemented his position in the department and begun to impart his designing knowledge on the rest of the techs, it wouldn't be him that she'd have to work with so often. She'd grow used to his presence, and she wouldn't have to worry about Addy beating the man to a pulp for looking at her askance.

              Settling back against her pillows, Charlotte started her movie. It was one of the most recent thrillers, and she had to admit that one of the perks of wealth was that she could see movies still in theaters from the comfort of her own home. The male lead was one of her favorites, and she and Addy usually swooned over him together.

              When the man came on screen now, however, she could only notice that he wasn't as tall as she'd thought before, and his eyes weren't gray.

              She was cleverer than he would have thought.

              As David stood over Charlotte Mathers, watching as she poked and prodded the MCube tentatively, he was forced to admire the speed with which she absorbed information. As he'd grown up, he'd been under the impression that her father had probably bought her perfect grades, and she'd almost certainly never actually had to study for a test. However, the software for the MCube was no small task to understand. He'd expected that it would take days for him to teach her how to start the thing.

              Instead, within an hour, she could easily turn it on and off, switch between its various modes, and give it manual commands. “So, this here is where you would input the engine code for your car and the key for your locks?”

              She gazed up at him with eyes that were the color of the Mediterranean—clear, bright, and the perfect blue—and indicated an open prompt at the bottom of the screen that she'd pulled up on one of the faces of the cube.

“Yes. That’s right.” He hid his surprise that she'd figured it out on her own.

              “And it starts the car for you. Starts it, locks it, and finds it if it's been stolen...” She trailed off, as she fiddled with the device. “Amazing.”

              For being the daughter of one of the most odious and selfish men on the planet, Charlotte was impressive. He told himself it was easier to find things that he admired about her rather than try to fight them. It would only make his pursuit of her seem more genuine.

              So far, they'd been working together for three days. In that time, he'd shown her most of the basic functions of the MCube, and she'd soaked up the complicated information like a sponge. She leaned over his shoulder, barely managing by standing on her toes, and watched avidly as he manipulated the technology. Then, she remembered how he'd demonstrated the technology with a nearly photographic memory.

              He was impressed.

              Certainly, almost as impressed with her as she was with him. He'd been an employee of Mathers Incorporated for less than two weeks, and it already seemed that most of his coworkers knew his name and reputation. He supposed he could have been more subtle in the way he introduced his designs to the department, but after years of planning, David was eager to make himself a necessity to them. That part, in particular, was instrumental to his scheme.

              He remained humble, and that was no trial. Though he'd been confident in his ability to get hired on at Mathers, David had never been the type to brag about his work. He designed technology because he enjoyed it. He built for the rush that assaulted him when he realized that he had come up with something that could change the world.

              No doubt his father had felt the same thrill. He could remember the awestruck look on the man's face as he'd poured over parts and designs at his workbench, making sounds of elation when he'd discovered how something came together. His father was why he was here, and no matter what sort of charms Miss Charlotte Mathers had in her arsenal, he wasn't going to forget that.

              However, her charms
were
numerous. For starters, the woman was absolutely gorgeous. He knew that she must have recently celebrated her thirtieth, and she carried the years wonderfully. There wasn't a single line on her tanned skin, and she wore only the smallest bit of cosmetics to enhance her beauty. She didn't need makeup. Her eyes had a natural almond shape to them and were entrancing in the right light, and her facial structure was absolutely breathtaking. Combine those features with a sweet, full mouth and a head full of blonde curls and she would make any man weak at the knees.

              However, there was more.

              She poured herself into suits that emphasized the curves of her hips, her tiny waist, and her ample bosom. All in all, she had an hourglass figure that he was sure many women envied, and upon more than one occasion, he'd envisioned wrapping his hands around that waist, lifting her onto her desk, and having his way with her.

              He was sure he'd get the opportunity soon enough.

              Though they hadn't spent much time together, it was enough for him to know that she was attracted to him. Now, all that was left for him to do was stay focused, through his own answering lusts.             

              “These parts...” He looked over to see that the woman had taken the thing apart and was gazing inside it with wonder. Of course, he'd taught her how to open the device but not to examine it as she was. For a moment, he merely stared at her, highly amused. “Where could we source from?”

              “Malaysia, the Philippines, any southeastern Asian country, really. They'll have the lowest rates, and it will be easiest to distribute from there.”

              “We could open ten or twelve new factories, just for these two implements here.” She looked up at him, her enthusiastic smile so genuine that it gave him pause. “Can you imagine how many jobs we'll create? How we can boost the economy in the smaller cities? It will be amazing.”

              Her mention of jobs and the economy made him pause. David had been certain that the woman would simply have dollar signs in her eyes when she contemplated what the development and sales of the MCube could do for Mathers. He had seen such reactions from the rest of the techs in the lab, and they'd spoken several times of rising salaries and bonuses.

              Charlotte, however, seemed to have other concerns.

              He'd heard mention from her coworkers that she often participated in charity funds and had donated millions to causes across the world; but, he'd merely assumed that she'd done it to further the name of her father's company or to appear generous. He thought it was a ploy that rich men used to show a humane face to the world while they lived in their penthouses with their gigantic carbon footprints.

              However, the look on Charlotte's face suggested that it wasn't the profits that interested her most, but the impact they'd have on the communities from which they sourced. To be honest, he'd never considered such a thing, and that she would...well...

              It led him to believe that the woman wasn't half as heartless as her father.

              Such thoughts were dangerous, and he quickly buried them. “You can see here,” he pointed to another portion of the device, changing the subject. “These parts we can get from South America. I've already looked into the suppliers.”

              “Excellent.” She moved to take a look, and as she did, her hand brushed ever so slightly against his.             

              The contact sent heat rippling over his skin and made his groin tighten.

              It must have been a while since he'd last been with a woman for him to have such a strong reaction to her. When the edge of her hand rested against his, she looked up at him, flushing slightly. “Oh, sorry.”

              He merely graced her with a kind smile. “Don't worry about it. I'm not going to melt or anything. Unless you sweat acid or something strange like that.”

              His attempt at humor made her chuckle. “Why would I be sweating? Unless it's with excitement.”

              “I doubt you could be more excited than Adeline,” he replied, although it was tinged with a bit of sarcasm as he remembered the way the woman had coveted his plans during the interview. No doubt she was one of those in the tech department who was already thinking about how a product that wouldn't see distribution for years could increase her salary.

              Honestly, he couldn't understand how she and Charlotte got along so well. The head of the tech department was brusque, cold, and commanding. In contrast, Charlotte seemed reluctant to abuse her power and was far less difficult to have a civilized conversation with. Yet, they seemed close. He was willing to bet that there was history there, and he was sure he'd learn about it in due time.

              “Christ, what time is it?” Straightening from her perusal of the open cube on her desk, the blonde woman stretched and glanced at the clock.

              It was ten-thirty. David had agreed to overtime when Adeline had suggested, demanded really, that he change his schedule to accommodate Charlotte's busy mornings. Unbeknownst to her, the change in time suited his methods far more than earlier in the day. So, of course, he hadn't complained.