Callie stiffened, every nerve in her body going onto full alert. By the look on Sabrina’s face, she had a serious case of hero worship. Callie stifled a groan and cursorily reminded herself why she was really here.
“Callie, good to see you. I had a meeting this morning but I’m sure Sabrina has taken good care of you.”
Josh Tremont extended his hand and after the briefest hesitation Callie took it. Instantly his fingers curled warmly around her hand, enveloping her with his strength. She was glad he wasn’t one of those men who insisted on either squeezing the bejeezus out of your fingers or dominating the handshake with his hand on top.
No, men like Josh Tremont didn’t need those tactics to show who was in charge. It was clear in the look he gave her as he welcomed her into his domain—powerful, omnipotent. A chill rippled a shiver of warning down her spine and she forced back a shudder. She was truly in the lion’s den now.
He was dressed today in a black blazer teamed with sharply pressed grey trousers and a crisp white shirt. His blue tie, hand-dyed silk if her eye wasn’t mistaken, sat in a perfect Windsor knot, and reflected the colour of his eyes. He could have stepped straight off the pages of GQ magazine.
Callie slowly became aware that he still held her hand. The warmth of his grasp permeated her skin and sent a tiny flare of something hotter spiraling deep inside her. She pulled away with as much decorum as she could muster but not soon enough to stop the tingle that registered just beneath her palm. She stroked her hand down over her hip, over the hem of her sensible cream-coloured business jacket and the slim fit of her matching trousers, but it did nothing to assuage the sensation that his hand still clasped hers.
“Are you ready to see where you’ll be working while we’re based in the office?”
“I certainly am,” Callie answered, determined to at least appear to be keen on her new role even if her insides were clattering away like a flock of nervous parrots.
“Follow me,” Josh gestured toward an elevator bank and pulled a swipe key from his belt as they entered the waiting lift.
“Thanks again for showing me around,” Callie said to Sabrina.
The other girl gave her a smile and a wave and started to walk away as the lift doors closed. As lifts went, the car was bigger than many she’d been in, but for some reason the walls seemed closer than they should be. Josh Tremont seemed closer. Was it her imagination or had he moved in to be nearer to her as the car travelled up to what was tagged as the executive floor?
His cologne tantalised her, a hint of black pepper and sandalwood mixed with something else. Whatever it was, it played havoc with her equilibrium. Thankfully, the journey upward was swift and, as the lift doors slid silently open, Callie let go the breath she’d unconsciously held.
“Our senior executives are all housed on this floor, together with our legal department. You’ll be issued your own security clearance and swipe key. Every key access is logged and counterchecked by security on a regular basis to provide a complete record of our staff movements.”
“That way no one is where they shouldn’t be?” Callie asked. Maybe this was going to be a whole lot tougher than she anticipated.
“As I’m sure you’re aware from your previous work, in these competitive times security and confidentiality are paramount.”
Oh, yes, she knew it all right. And while Josh Tremont was clearly a stickler for guarding his own turf, he wasn’t above stealing or buying information about others.
“I’m surprised you don’t have everyone fitted with a personal tracking device,” she said with a light laugh.
“Don’t be. I’ve thought about it. But this does just as well.”
Josh pressed his index finger on a reader set in a panel on the wall beside enormous double doors. A green light flashed on the display of the reader and the doors swung open, revealing a massive office suite.
“You use biometric identification on this floor?”
“And in our IT section, yes. By the end of next year, we’ll use it through the whole building.”
Callie followed Josh inside, and tried to quell the sense of disquiet that threaded through her as the doors swung closed behind them—much like the solid gates of an olde worlde stronghold. It didn’t take too much imagination to connect the dots and cast her new employer in the role of lord of this particular manor.
Josh gestured toward a modern workstation. “This is where you’ll be working.” He pulled out the chair, inviting her to sit down. “You’ll see there’s another print reader associated with your computer. Drew, my head of IT, will be up shortly to log you in to the system.”