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“And you need to remember that you hire good people for a reason, Mr. Barrett.”
With a rigid jaw, he stared at her for a long moment.
She glared back, her hands curling to fists on the table as she held her ground. Inside, she quivered like a bow with an arrow just let loose. No way she would show him that.
“Gah!” he said, backing off. “You are impossible to work with.” He closed his laptop and tucked it under his arm, turned on a dime, and left the room without another word, his back ramrod straight.
Rowan sat there, mouth agape, for a long while after he left. Considering the stoic disposition the man showed the world, it surprised her that she’d gotten under his skin. Had she hurt his feelings? She’d honestly not given any thought as to whether he had feelings, but hurting anyone went against the grain for her. Yet another reason she’d left the family business.
Rowan picked up her things and went back to her office, mulling over today’s events. Her boss pushed her buttons every time they were together. It was obvious he didn’t like her, so why did she spend so much time thinking about him? And why needle him? Was she trying to prove he wasn’t the right fit for her traitorous libido? If she’d hurt him, then there was more to this man than met the eye.
Maybe Gerard was right and Emersyn wrong. Maybe they just couldn’t work together.
Two things were certain, though. She owed him an apology, and she wasn’t looking forward to seeing him again in order to give it.
Back in his office, Gerard pushed the button that clouded his walls. He needed solitude to wrestle his emotions into some semblance of normal.
That woman got the better of him every single time. It was infuriating. And hugely seductive. When he was around Rowan, his cock paid attention. What the hell was up with that? Sure, she had bewitching dark eyes that filled with light when she was happy and darkened like storm clouds when she was pissed. He’d seen more of the storm since meeting her, and damn it, he wanted more light. He just couldn’t have it. There was too much at stake, and somewhere deep inside, he knew getting involved with Rowan could cost him more than any bet or lawsuit.
While she seemed to favor slacks, probably because she thought they made her look more corporate, he couldn’t stop thinking about the one time he’d seen her in an arrest-me red skirt, the kind his sister wore on a regular basis. Fuck. He’d barely gotten off the floor with his teeth in good condition, he’d clenched them so tight. Gray was no longer his favorite color. Red was, and that slit in the back had given him ideas he couldn’t get out of his head. But he couldn’t have that either. Who the hell had she been trying to impress that day? Him?
He glanced at the credenza housing his office safe and that stupid pledge. There were so many reasons why he couldn’t scratch that itch, including a promise to his father he believed in.
Don’t let some woman take this all away from you, Gerard.
I won’t, Father. I promise.
That was the reason he’d kept most of his dalliances short and not tied to Barrett Investments in any way. That’s why, when he met Brittney at a fund-raising event, he’d figured her casual attitude would be perfect for a moment’s respite. Selfish of him and hadn’t that worked out just swell? With her pending lawsuit, he’d probably have to settle just so he didn’t become tabloid fodder. That galled him. He’d done nothing wrong.
He’d clearly told Rowan not to fraternize with employees. Without looking too deep for the reason, he had to admit at least part of it was because he knew it would drive him crazy to see her dating someone else.
Was she? Dating someone else? Fuck. He ran his fingers through his hair, then wrapped his hand around the back of his neck and massaged the tight muscles. Rowan McCarthy had him wound up so tight he couldn’t concentrate.
Hell, she probably didn’t even think of him. Not since she deemed him an emotionless prick. Her accusation had stung. Loosen up, she’d said. Like he was some tight ass. He’d been accused of that before. His own mother had asked him—begged him—to relax more and remember there was more to life than Barrett Investments.
He needed to get laid, except he couldn’t. Because of that pledge, a meaningless one-night stand would cost him a hundred grand, and that was only the financial cost. He also didn’t think he could get dark, soulful eyes out of his mind long enough to focus on another woman, even just for a night. So uptight and tense it would be, at least for the near future.
A knock on his door shut down his pity party. “Come in.”
When the very subject of his musings walked through the door, he wondered which deity was toying with him, because someone or something kept throwing the object of his frustration in his path.
Reaching for the button to clear his walls, he clasped his hands on the desk. “Can I help you?”
Rowan approached his desk, and he refused to glance at hips that swayed as she walked, something she probably didn’t even notice. However, there was more uncertainty in her movements than he’d ever seen before, and that alarmed him.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, standing.
“Um, no. I just…I just wanted to talk, if you have a moment.”
“Certainly.” He pointed to one of the chairs in front of his desk. Once she sat, he settled back in his chair, willing his goddamned cock to shut the fuck up. The sooner he got her out of here, the better. “What can I help you with?”
Rowan, who’d slumped in the chair, straightened. “I need to apologize for my comments earlier. I was out of line, and it’s not like me to say things like that. It was also very unprofessional. You’re my boss. You have a right to have things however you choose.”
In his way of thinking, apologies were a sign of weakness. Never apologize, just act. The mantra he’d learned from his father. Yet instinct told him coming here and saying that had cost her. Rowan worked hard to prove herself. Harder than anyone else he knew. Was she worried about her job? Was that what this was about?
“You don’t have to worry about losing your job.”
“Oh, this isn’t about the job. It’s about being the kind of human I want to be. What I said wasn’t nice, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I let things stand that way between us.”
