“We’re flying there in the morning, then have the meeting and lunch with my brother Gavin, and fly right back. Sorry there won’t be any sightseeing or anything like that. Maybe next time.”
“If it’s going to be such a short meeting, why don’t we try teleconferencing? Saves the trouble of flying out there.”
“No.” Ethan was leaning forward, elbows on his knees. His hands flexed and the muscles in his forearms bulged. “I want to tell the board about the situation in person.” He glanced sideways at her, and his eyes were hard and dangerous. “I want to know how many of them have been cheating my family.”
“I see.”
Kerri couldn’t really argue. The plan was sound and logical, and he had every right to confront those who had done him and his family wrong. She shivered, almost feeling sorry for the executives.
Would he look at her with eyes just as cold and merciless if he found out who her family was, even though she hadn’t had any contact with them for years? She hugged herself and leaned into him. No, he’d never find out. She had never told anyone about her family. Not even Natalie knew.
Kerri would vanish before Ethan could get that close. After all, what they had was temporary.
Chapter Thirteen
THE FLIGHT TO HOUSTON was surprisingly short and comfortable, the private jet stocked with every amenity Kerri could think of. But then Ethan wasn’t the type to do anything in discomfort unless he had to.
Ethan half-sprawled, half-slouched in his seat. His charcoal gray suit looked shockingly conservative on him, especially given his boneless posture. But it didn’t disguise the fact that underneath the exquisitely tailored clothes was a hard body even more exquisitely sculptured. His rumpled hair made him look more approachable…and oddly younger and more vulnerable.
Kerri checked her pantsuit again. It was crisply starched, a navy blue so dark it was almost black. Something slightly brighter might have been better, so she wouldn’t look like a mafiosa next to Ethan.
“Don’t worry. You look fabulous,” he said.
“Really?”
He nodded. “Like someone capable of single-handedly laying off the entire board with just a glance.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
“It is. Corporate cold-bloodedness makes you even hotter.” He spread out a little more, resting his right arm on the back of the seat next to him, and winked at her.
Her lips twitched. How could anybody resist him when he decided to be charming? It was surprising that he could read her so well and knew exactly what to say and do. Most people avoided her when she was in this kind of mood.
A uniformed limo driver came to pick them at the airport. Tension gathered at the base of Kerri’s neck and spread to her shoulders as they drove deeper into downtown where The Lloyds Development’s office was located. The windows were slightly tinted, but she couldn’t help feeling like she was being watched.
“You all right?” Ethan asked, his hand warm on hers. She forced a smile. “It’ll be okay. You probably won’t have to say much.”
A hand-squeeze was the best she could do in response. Come on, Kerri. Would you be this nervous if you weren’t in Houston?
She shouldn’t be so tense before a meeting. People would pick up on it, and that was never a good thing. No, she should project confidence and competence. There was no way Barron could know she was in Houston. If he had, he would’ve sent a welcome party to the airport. But no one had accosted her. She’d shaken the PIs, and her family—except for Justin—had no idea where she was. For all they knew, she was back in Asia.
The limo stopped in front of a tall building of granite, steel and reflective sea-blue glass. The Texas sun shone off the eastern side of the building, and Kerri shielded her eyes behind a pair of oversized sunglasses. Ethan put a hand to the small of her back and escorted her inside. A tiny part of her was amused by the gesture, since it wasn’t something most business associates would do for each other. Still, she welcomed the anchor his hand provided. Anything to make her feel less vulnerable.
Then they were through the revolving door, and the knot of tension eased. She took a shaky breath.
“Feeling better?” Ethan rubbed her back gently.
She nodded, squaring her shoulders and raising her chin. “Yes.” Inside the building, out of the public eye, she felt secure, her natural competence reasserting itself. She was too good at her job to let anybody from The Lloyds Development intimidate her.
The elevator stopped at the top floor and opened into a high-ceilinged lobby that was all glass and honey-hued marble. A sharply dressed receptionist rushed out from behind a curved oak desk. “Mr. Lloyd,” she said. Obviously, they were expected.
“Call me Ethan. Is everyone here?”
“Yes, sir, except for Mrs. Lloyd. She just called and said she couldn’t make it, given the circumstances.”
Mrs. Lloyd? Kerri’s heart froze; then she realized that it must be Jacob’s wife Catherine. Completely understandable that she wouldn’t want to join the meeting. The entire sordid affair involving her husband’s disappearance must’ve distressed the poor woman.
On the other hand, she was a member of the board…and had access to company funds. Was her lack of participation purely from the humiliation of having her husband run off with a stripper, or was there something else? Since Justin had no problem filling Kerri in on what’d been going on—he probably thought learning about how people in their circle had been doing might make Kerri decide to stick around—she knew Catherine had married for money. Skipping an important meeting at a company that funded her lifestyle seemed out of character for a gold-digger.