Tempting Aquisitions (10 page)

…

Keira settled into a small private booth in her client’s lobby and dialed up a video chat with Camryn. The urgent text messages had flashed across her screen throughout her meeting and it had taken every bit of good manners Keira possessed not to excuse herself to find out what was wrong.

Camryn’s tired face filled the screen as the call started and Keira realized she needed to have a conversation with her sister about taking some time for herself.

“What took you so long?”

“I’ve been in meetings, Cam. You know that. What’s the matter?”

“Have you listened to your voice mails?”

Keira bit back the sigh, her very ruffled, normally calm sister upsetting her more than she wanted to admit. “No. I got your eight texts, so I found a private room and I called as fast as I could. What the hell is going on?”

“We got a notice about a half hour ago. Nathan’s formally initiated the takeover attempt. He wants a meeting tomorrow with the board of directors.”

“He can’t. He…” Whatever else she wanted to say faded in the reality of Camryn’s words. Nothing had changed between her and Nathan, regardless of the weekend and the time they’d spent together. True to his word, he saw their business arrangement as something separate from whatever was between them.

Camryn’s glance was distracted and the change that came over her face brought Keira back to the conversation. “What is it?”

“Booth Harrison is on his way up to my office.”

“He’s what?” Keira flipped through her mental Rolodex until an image of Nathan’s half brother, Booth, came to mind.

“On his way up. Here. To my office.”

“What does he want?”

“I have absolutely no idea.”

“I didn’t know you knew each other.”

Camryn shook her head in confusion, but even through the fuzzy connection, Keira could see her sister’s eyes were a bit brighter than when they’d begun their call. “We don’t. Or we don’t know each other that well. I’ve met him a time or two, as we all do in this business.”

Keira heard the distant tones of Camryn’s assistant before her sister said, “Please show him in.”

“I want to talk to him.” Keira gripped the phone tighter, as if the action would will her sister to understand.

“I’ll call you back.”

“Put me on video. He’s there for a reason and it has to be about the takeover.”

Keira waited as her sister rerouted the call to the wall unit while explaining her actions to Booth.

“Keira. Lovely to see you again.” Booth’s blue-eyed gaze twinkled and she realized there were more resemblances between Nathan and his brother than she’d originally thought. Only where Nathan’s face was usually pulled up in serious lines, Booth’s had an easy joviality that put a person at ease.

“While the
FJ
is always welcome in our offices,” Camryn said, “what are you doing here?”

Keira tried not to wince at her sister’s ham-handed attempt to focus the conversation, but she couldn’t miss the unmistakable smile that covered Booth’s face as he lifted a bag. “I brought you lunch.”

Camryn reached for the bag. “Lunch?”

That grin got bigger as Booth turned toward the screen. “Rumor has it your sister lives on cookies, Keira.”

“I do not—” Camryn’s voice rose a few notches before she set the bag on the edge of her desk. “Thank you.”

“There’s also fruit in there. And soup.”

Keira knew Booth’s visit wasn’t about soup or cookies, nor did she miss the blatant interest he had for Camryn. As if he could hear her thoughts, he returned his focus to the video screen in Cam’s office. “So I’ve got it on very good authority the rat race has just heated up, and I came to offer my services.”

“Your services?” Keira heard her sister’s matched question on the other end of the line.

“Yep. The way I see it, my brother has a lot of weapons in his arsenal, but he’s not playing with the right tools. You don’t buy a successful company and break it up. He knows better, but he’s let lifelong resentments of my father get in the way.”

“Why are you telling us this, Booth? I realize you and Nathan aren’t close, but I have to believe family loyalty would put you a bit more squarely in your brother’s camp.”

Booth’s gaze was direct as he stared at her through the phone and Keira saw the truth in his set jaw. “Then you believe wrong.”

Chapter Eight

Keira walked through the darkened halls of McBride Media at a quarter to seven the next morning. The familiar red plush carpet under her feet did nothing to calm her raging nerves. She gulped down the rest of her nearly empty latte and shook her head. Where she’d mentally laughed off the need for caffeine the day before, she was practically through this cup and ready for another today.

What a difference a day makes
.

And certainly not in the good way Tony Bennett meant it.

She eyed the lattes she’d purchased for Camryn and Mayson and briefly toyed with the idea of taking one. And then offered up a small prayer of thanks when Mayson walked in with her own coffee in hand.

“You’re my savior.”

Confusion painted her sister’s features as she settled in the chair opposite the desk. “For what?”

“I was trying to figure out if I was going to steal your latte or Camryn’s mocha latte. Since I like my coffee chocolate-free, it was going to be yours.”

“Only masochists don’t like chocolate,” Camryn said as she walked into the office, her hand outstretched for the remaining cup. “And gimme.”

Keira handed over the coffee as she pointed to two stacks of papers at the edge of her desk. “We have one hour. What do we still have left to prep?”

“Among the three of us and Sally, we’ve spoken to all of the board members. I also spent a good portion of yesterday working our business contacts, gaining endorsements.”

“I prepared a presentation for the board,” Mayson added. “I’ve incorporated all the sales figures for the last three years, the success profile of each product launch, and all the celebrities I’ve got lined up between now and the next twelve months for covers. We know how to run this business and the presentation shows it.”

“And I sat on my ass and slept with the enemy,” Keira muttered.

“What?”

Keira found it hard to tell who moved first; the two of them were in motion so fast. Camryn had her arm around her and Mayson was perched on the inside corner of her desk, reaching for her hand.

“Tell us.”

“I thought I knew what I was doing.” Before she could stop them, the words were spilling out. And as they came, Keira realized how badly she needed to say them. “He keeps saying we’re separate from work, that the takeover isn’t about us. But it feels like it’s about us.”

“What happened between the two of you is private.” Mayson’s voice was quiet as she squeezed her hand. “This is still just a business, Keira.”

“A business that has our name on the door.” Tears spilled over and Keira didn’t even bother to try and hide them. “And I knew it. Even as I allowed myself to let go, I knew that it was a bad idea.”

“I bet it didn’t feel like a bad idea.”

Camryn’s quiet words filled the air between them.

“What?” Keira swiped at the few tears that had escaped down her cheeks.

“You care for him, Keira. And you’re attracted to him, more than I’ve ever seen you with another guy. Don’t blame yourself for wanting to be with him.”

“But he’s all wrong for me. Of anyone, the two of you have a right to be mad at me. You’ve both, along with Sally, been busting your asses for the last several days, trying to find some way to stop him, and all I’ve done is run around letting my hormones make my choices. Bad choices.”

“Nathan’s not wrong for you—the timing is. There’s a difference.”

Camryn’s level head had always been a source of wonder to both Keira and Mayson, so the fact that she was endorsing an affair with Nathan had Keira unbalanced.

“You can’t really mean that?”

“I do mean it.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that while he was spending time with me, he was continuing with his plans for McBride domination.” Keira blotted her tears, frustrated with herself that she’d not only made a bad decision, but that she was now blubbering about it like the village idiot.

Camryn’s matter-of-fact tone bordered on drill-sergeant-esque. “So get cracking on your own plans.”

“You’re not mad?”

“No. But I will be if you don’t stop crying like a sap.” Camryn stepped back and put her hands on her hips. “Come on. Grab a tissue and start mainlining that coffee. We’ve got some prep work to do if the board is going to side with us and help us convince our major shareholders to vote in our favor.”

Mayson handed over the box of tissues, and Keira gave her hand one last squeeze. “Why do you look so chipper all of a sudden?”

“Just because I think your feelings for him are valid doesn’t mean I’m going to let you sit here and allow him to win.”

She could feel the smile as it broke over her face, the first since the previous morning. “Let’s get to it.”

…

Nathan ignored the Manhattan traffic as his driver navigated them across town. He’d already prepared his remarks, but something had him tweaking and changing them in his mind.

Should he focus on the family aspects or the state of the business? Or the way it had nearly been bankrupted by shoddy business practices and corporate greed?

Damn it all to hell.

He slammed his laptop closed. The e-mail to his lawyers about the Vegas property he’d attempted to work on during the crosstown drive would have to wait. His mind was too churned up with thoughts of Keira. He hadn’t slept the night before, instead roaming his large, empty loft from one end to the other, searching for answers he knew didn’t exist.

When did this all get so complicated?

He was pursuing a business transaction. And while he wasn’t naive enough to think Keira didn’t find his pursuit of McBride Media personal, he also couldn’t understand why she wasn’t even open to his ideas. He wasn’t taking her job away from her, nor did he have any intention of doing so. All she and her sisters had worked for would stay intact. And with sudden clarity, he realized he had his speech to the board. He’d open with the family aspect and what the McBride sisters had done to restore the company to its former glory. Then he’d safely position them as the necessary leaders, now and into the future.

It would work. It had to.

His phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen. Booth. His brother rarely called, and on the occasions that Booth did pick up the phone, he certainly didn’t call at such an early hour.

“What’s up?”

“Heard you were destroying and conquering this morning.”

“And where’d you hear that?”

“Oh, here and there.”

Nathan worked to keep his tone even, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t quite shake the edge that cropped up when he spoke to his half brother. The heir and chosen one. “If by ‘here and there’ you mean it came from that pain-in-the-ass reporter you can’t seem to let go of, then I can understand.”

“Taylor Jackson’s got two Pulitzers.”

“Who knew they gave out journalism’s highest honor for ambulance chasing.”

“Based on the report I got from Las Vegas this past weekend, it sounds like he was actually chasing down a pretty good lead.”

As always, news and gossip traveled fast. He’d known Jackson’s presence at the trade show had been more of a fishing expedition on his takeover attempts than a journalistic foray into food samples. And it was likely the man had also seen him escort Keira from the after-party on Saturday night.

“And what lead would that be?”

“Your intended takeover of McBride Media seems to have taken a bit of a detour.”

Unwilling to give Booth an edge, Nathan fell back on old habits. He’d verbally parry and thrust, just like always. “Then you’ve been misinformed.”

“I don’t know about that. I had lunch with Camryn McBride yesterday.”

Now that was interesting. He wondered if Keira knew her sister had been spending time with his brother. “I wasn’t aware you even knew Camryn.”

“I make it my business to know the people who matter in my industry. An industry that you’ve had no interest in taking part in up until now.”

“Maybe I haven’t seen anything worth my time and attention until now.”

Booth was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “Dad was more than willing to make this industry worth your time and attention.”

“Dad wanted me in the exact same place he had you.”

“And where would that be?”

“Under his thumb.”

Nathan knew it was a low blow, but the words were out before he thought to check himself. He might not be able to control the fact that Booth was the chosen one, but he could damn well ensure he didn’t take second place in whatever family drama West Harrison decided to play out. He’d deliberately sidestepped the family business and he had never looked back.

“I can see my call was misinformed.”

“No, just unnecessary.”

“Then I’ll leave you with one final thought. The McBride women are a force to be reckoned with.”

“So am I.”

The phone went dead without another word between them.

…

The dulcet tones of early morning conversation punctuated the conference room as the various board members assembled around the table. Pleasantries abounded, and Keira focused on keeping a wide smile on her face as she offered a cordial hello to each and every person who walked in. She’d always hated board meetings, the forced joviality a bitter pill to swallow as she pitched her ideas for making her company stronger. In the last eight years, she, Camryn, and Mayson had taken their legacy and created their futures. They had done it with a massive amount of effort and hard work. And in one fell swoop, Nathan could take it all away. What her father had done through lack of interest, Nathan could do with one flick of his wrist.

Despite his protests to the contrary, if Nathan owned the company, he’d control it and it wouldn’t matter if she continued in her role or not. Her father had proven that when he ran the company. When things went according to his plans he was fine, but when she countered him, he squashed the initiative and killed her ideas.

The anger she’d not been able to get a handle on rose up to swamp her once more, along with every bit of self-reproach that had kept her up through the night. She’d spent her adult life running away from her father’s poor choices and instead had run straight into the arms of the enemy.

“You okay?” Sally sidled up to her, a cup of coffee in her hand, her broad smile for the crowd firmly painted on.

“I’ve had better days.”

“You’ll do just fine, and we’re here to watch your back.”

“It’s just infuriating.”

“And more than a little insulting.” With a discreet nod, Sally indicated the individuals assembled around the room. “They’re not here day-to-day and they have no idea of the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into this. All they see are the potential dollar signs Maverick Capital can wave in their faces.”

“I was actually thinking about Daddy.”

Sally’s eyebrows rose. “What about your father?”

“The real fault in all this lies with him. He’s the reason we’re sitting in this position.” At the realization that her free hand was clenched into a fist, Keira relaxed it and took a sip of her coffee. “He never appreciated what he had, what he was the heir of.”

“No, he didn’t.”

“For all I want to fault Nathan”—she offered up a rueful grin—“and believe me, I do, he’s taking advantage of a legacy that was even stronger than my father’s hedonistic ways.”

“A legacy you’re the rightful heir to.”

Keira pasted another smile on her face, her cheeks beginning to ache with the effort. “We’ll see if the board agrees with you.”

A quiet knock on the boardroom door pulled her attention from Sally. Nathan stood next to her admin, the fine cut of his black suit broadcasting an aura of power to all assembled. She watched as he moved into the room, working it from one end to the other as he greeted each board member by name. She was so involved with watching him work his way down the long boardroom table that Keira nearly fumbled her coffee when he reached her side.

Is he really going to attempt to play nice?

“Good morning, Ms. McBride.”

Looks like it
.

“Are we really going to stand on formality, Nathan?”

“Business is business.”

“A lesson you’ve been all too quick to mete out this week.”

“You look lovely this morning.”

The gallon of coffee she’d consumed roiled in her stomach. “And I find it hard to believe you compliment the wardrobe of all your takeover targets. I would assume men find that uncomfortable.”

Clouds darkened his gaze and she didn’t miss the subtle hardening of his jaw. “Are we back to that?”

“Have you given me any reason to think otherwise? You’ve treated this like a game from the start, and I believe it’s because your adversaries in this battle are a group of women.”

“I’m not playing a game. And as I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion, your gender has nothing to do with it.”

“A distinction you seem to ignore when we’re in the same room.”

He leaned in and his voice dropped an octave. If Keira could have found any subtle way to step back, she’d have taken it, but he’d neatly boxed her in against one of the oversize boardroom chairs. “There are lots of things that appear to be related but, in fact, aren’t. A point you were more than comfortable with this weekend.”

Keira could only assume it was the outrage lining her face that made Camryn appear at her side. “I think it’s time we get started, don’t you?”

“An excellent suggestion.”

Without another glance at Nathan, Keira moved to the head of the boardroom table and quickly called the meeting to order. She couldn’t miss the slight layer of tension that rode the room or the nervous glances the various board members kept tossing Nathan’s way. She also didn’t miss the fact that Nathan had positioned himself at the opposite end of the table.

At the head.

With a quick nod from Mayson where she stood by the door, Keira opened the meeting as the lights dimmed. The presentation they’d practiced that morning came to life on the screen behind her and she maneuvered through the first few slides.

“Thank you for joining us today. I know Mr. Cooper has some remarks prepared about his wishes for the future of McBride Media, but before he begins, my sisters and I wanted to give you a brief sense of what we’ve been working on.”