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Gulping down shaky breaths, Rowan bit her lip to keep the retort on the edge of her tongue from going any further. Instead, she turned the knob and quickly exited the office, her heels pounding the floor until she’d passed Emersyn Barrett’s office and reached the reception area beyond all the glass walls. Where no one could see her lose control. Especially one extremely irritating Mr. Gerard Barrett.
The nerve of him, implying she would act unprofessionally. It was Murdoch all over again, damn it. She sank to the couch and pounded the arm over and over again with her fist, grateful there was no one at the main desk to see her frustration.
For several minutes, she nursed her hurt pride, feeding it with anger and frustration. She could make her way to the top without sex. She was that good. All she needed was for someone to give her the chance to prove herself, damn it.
Swiping beneath her eyes to make sure her makeup was still acceptable, Rowan straightened. If the owner of Barrett Investment Group thought she was some gold-digger, planning to sleep her way to the top, the man had better think again. She’d show him by acing the position, making it better than it had ever been.
Rowan stood and smoothed her skirt, intent on heading to Emersyn’s office to start her new job, only to turn and find Gerard Barrett leaning against the hallway wall, watching her.
Refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d caught her in a vulnerable moment, Rowan raised her chin, said a clear “Good day, Mr. Barrett,” and marched past him to his sister’s office.
Gerard watched her walk past him, his gaze dipping of its own volition to her hips. Did she know she had a sashay in her walk that stroked him in all the right places?
Unsure why he’d followed Rowan, he was now more confused than ever. The woman had worked for their direct competition, and she’d said she was hungry. Just how far would she go to get what she wanted? Would she resort to tears? No. She hadn’t known he’d follow her.
He’d expected to see her throwing things, or, at the very least, standing at the elevator, tapping those bow-tied black heels and barely keeping her fury in check until she could leave. He hadn’t expected to see her hunched over and holding back tears. Shit. Up until now, he’d regarded women’s tears as nothing more than a method to get their way. Not her. She’d been turned away, as if embarrassed for anyone to see her like that. And when she stood and saw him, fire immediately returned to those dark eyes. He respected that.
In fact, there seemed a lot to respect about Rowan McCarthy.
As she reached for the doorknob to his sister’s office, she glanced his way again and caught him staring. Her chin edged up a notch farther as she held his gaze.
Something deep inside him cringed, saying his ego had met its match, and the wolf wasn’t dressed in sheep’s clothing. Instead, she was swathed in an allure he barely kept at bay, dressed in his favorite color. Rowan McCarthy seemed to be the whole package.
Gerard glanced through the clear wall of Emersyn’s office. His sister wasn’t watching her protégé settle in a chair. She was looking directly at him. From the glee in her eyes and the smile on her lips, he could see she was laughing her ass off on the inside. At him. With a deep scowl, he headed back to his office to take another look at Rowan McCarthy’s resume. He wanted to know what she’d done for Murdoch. Not that it mattered, since Emersyn wanted her hired. But he couldn’t seem to get thoughts of the woman out of his pants.
He shook his head. The pledge he’d made only three nights ago continued to burn a colossal gaping hole in his pocket. Time to put it in his safe and put Rowan McCarthy out of his mind and other places.
He knew that wasn’t going to be an easy thing to do.
Chapter Four
The next morning, Rowan and Emersyn sat and waited in Barrett’s largest conference room. Slowly, everyone from her new team who was in office today filed in and settled in chairs, either at the table or along the walls. Some looked at her with interest, some with disdain, some with downright hostility. She made note of those so she could keep a closer eye on them.
Once everyone settled in their seats, Emersyn stood.
“Good morning, everyone. I’m here to introduce you to the newest member of your team.”
One of the men guffawed, and Emersyn lasered him with her gaze. He looked away first, and Rowan squelched her smile as her admiration for her new boss went up yet another notch.
“The Global MegaCorp Division, your division, is the flagship department in Barrett Investment Group. You are important to us.” Emersyn let her gaze roam the room. “With Mr. Cranshaw’s departure”—a small cheer went up from a few of the women—“Gerard and I have chosen to take a fresh, new approach to the management of your division. I’d like to introduce you to Ms. Rowan McCarthy, your new Director. Rowan comes to us from Murdoch Financial.”
The reactions around the room were varied. Raised eyebrows, wide eyes, some smiles from the women and, still, some open hostility from a couple of the men.
“As with Mr. Cranshaw, Ms. McCarthy will report directly to my brother and me. Please extend a warm welcome to Ms. McCarthy.”
Emersyn held out her hand to Rowan and sat down.
This was it. This moment would make or break her success at Barrett Investments. Swallowing the gulp she really wanted to take, Rowan stood as the mostly welcoming applause died off. Time to put on her big girl panties and prove she had the mettle to do this.
She stood tall and proud. “Thank you for the warm welcome,” she said, smiling. “Barrett Investment Group follows a business model that I respect and plan to continue. I’m pleased to now be part of that.”
This was the hard part, but Rowan preferred to deal with things head on.
“If you think I’m too inexperienced to be in this position, I assure you, I am not. Barrett has always led the pack when it comes to cutting edge ideas, and I am well versed in both the company and the industry. Again, let me assure you that I am more than capable. However, if any of you feel you cannot work for me, there’s the door.” She pointed.
One man, one of the scowlers, actually got up and walked out, surprising Rowan. Emersyn stood up.
“I’ll get security to escort him out. You’re doing great, and I’m sure you can handle the rest of this on your own.”
