One Night With The Boss

CHAPTER 4

Kate follows Elgort Downey through a large glass dome, glancing left and right. His attention was drawn to the abundance of exotic plants that turned Elgort Downey's house from extraordinary to spectacular. And through the glass, the forest, was so close that the inside and the outside seemed to blend together in perfect harmony.

Kate was so fascinated, but it was clear from Elgort Downey's body language that the man was not at all interested in Kate's opinion of her choice of home.

Not trying to appease Kate, Elgort Downey took the girl to another large room and waved her hand toward a large round table that housed a sophisticated computer and several screens. "Sit down."

Technology, Kate thought, is observing computers. He was clearly not as alone as he seemed.

Kate slumped to the nearest chair and looked around in admiration. Through giant hexagonal glass panels, green plants are lush and lush in the forest.

"It's amazing," his sigh, was completely shocked by the unusual appearance of the natural forest. "It feels like sitting in a greenhouse in the middle of a forest." His eyes slid onto the patch of ferns he saw moving. "Are the animals approaching? Do they know you're here?"

"The predator always feels its prey, Miss Rutherford." Elgort Downey spoke in a low accent, his accent so faint that it could hardly be detected. He sat back in his chair and raised an eyebrow in hope. "I agree to give you ten minutes. The clock starts now."

Unprepared for something as unsympathetic as that, Kate gaped at him. "You serious? You really mean it when you say I can only have ten minutes?"

"I am a busy man. And I never said anything I didn't mean." Elgort definitely won't make that easy for Kate.

Confused by Elgort Downey's indifference to his dire predicament, he took a moment to gather his thoughts. "alright. Well, you know why I'm here. Five years ago your company loaned me money to start my business. Now you want to foreclose on the loan."

"Don't waste time stating an irrefutable fact," Elgort suggested in a subtle tone, his eyes flickering to the clock as an explicit reminder of his requirements. "You've got nine minutes left."

Kate felt a glimmer of panic. He's wasting his time. "Business is important to me. That's everything." Soon he regretted the impulsive confession. Why is the man interested in the emotional stakes he has in the business?

Clearly Elgort Downey was wondering the same thing because his thick eyebrows fused together in a discouraging frown. "I'm interested in facts and figures. And you now have eight minutes left."

Kate flushed. Don't get emotional, Kate. Don't emotional.

"As you know, I started a coffee shop with your investment, but it's not just a coffee shop." Kate dropped her hand onto her lap so Elgort could not see her hands trembling. "We don't just sell a cup of coffee, we sell the whole experience."

"And what is meant by Miss Rutherford's 'experience?" Elgort lingered over the words and Kate bit her lip, refusing to allow Elgort to intimidate her.

Kate reminded herself. He has all the answers he needs. "People who come to our cafe are given more than just a shot of caffeine. As long as they had coffee or lunch, they were taken to walk all over the country. With your initial investment, we opened twenty coffee shops throughout London. We are ready to open even more, but not if you withdraw your support ..." Kate stopped and stood up. He could not sit across the table looking at that handsome face. He can't concentrate. "Do you mind if I take a walk? I'm not good at sitting at a table and if I only have a short time I have to be comfortable or I won't be able to make the most of it."

Elgort's sinister gaze slid to Kate's feet. "Frankly I'm amazed you can stand, let alone walk. I see you think carefully of the most suitable footwear for a visit to the rainforest."

Trying to put her thoughts together, Kate refuses to let Elgort's sarcasm disturb her composure. "It's a business meeting, Mr. Downey," he said in self-defense, "so I chose the appropriate attire. I don't think you'd take me seriously if I wore combat pants."

Pride prevents Kate from admitting that the shoes and suit have been purchased specifically for the encounter. Suddenly he felt like a fool for thinking that what he was wearing would make a difference to a man like Elgort Downey.

He should have kept the money.

Elgort Downey watched Kate closely. "You mean, you think that a sexy pair of high heels might make me change my mind about withdrawing from investing." His voice was soft and deadly. "You may have misunderstood my reputation, Miss Rutherford. I separate my women and business." His gaze turned to that of Kate and Kate staring at him, unable to speak or move, caught in the dangerous heat of Elgort Downey's gaze. His body felt as if it had turned into liquid and a strange and foreign warmth spread to his pelvis.

A visibly real vision filled Kate's head, she saw Elgort Downey lying shirtless on a white silk sheet, his body damp after excessive physical exertion, a tired and very grateful girl lay limp by his side.

The vision shocked and agitated Kate and she looked away for a moment, concentrating on the lush greenness of the forest instead of the diamond-hard sparkle in her eyes.

"Miss Rutherford?" Elgort's sharp command takes Kate by surprise and she turns him on the head and looks at Elgort desperately, hating him.

What's wrong with her? She is not the type of woman who mentally ignores men when she meets them. Especially not a guy like Elgort Downey.

Elgort Downey won't compromise, Kate can see that. There was no softening, no tenderness and no trace of warmth or humanity. For a frightening moment he felt his confidence begin to collapse. A wave of familiar panic began to envelop him and he firmly stuck his nails into his palm and turned his face away from Elgort, staring at the trees for a moment while recklessly struggling for calm.

You can do this, Kate, she told herself desperately. You don't need him to make this easy for you.

Since when did anyone make it easy?

His whole life was a struggle to prove himself and he did not expect this meeting to be any different.

He used thirty seconds of his precious time to calm himself down and then he spoke. "I wear high heels because they seem to match the suit I'm wearing" she said calmly, battling the sudden tension in the room. "And you owe me one more minute."

Elgort leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowed. "I?"

"Yes, because of how much time you spend talking about women's clothing."

There was a long, throbbing silence, then Elgort tilted his head. "You still have eight minutes left."

Kate started breathing again. "good. The only thing I want from you is the opportunity to present the facts. I came here because I wanted to change your mind."

Kate hopes desperately, that the man won't look at her, but Elgort's gaze doesn't stop and Kate finds it almost impossible to concentrate. The connection between them is electrically charged.

Does he feel it too? Does he feel the heat and tension rising?

"I've told you that I haven't changed my mind."

"You also told me that you want facts and you don't have them yet." Kate's heart was beating so fast that she was sure the man could definitely hear her. "You promised ten minutes, Mr. Downey. Ten minutes I haven't finished."

Kate blew all her breaths, she knew she was pretending to be confident, but her knees were shaking, her hands were shaking, she was saying all the wrong things, letting one superior look from those dark eyes turn around.

Elgort clearly recognized the effect he had on Kate because he smiled gently.

"Nervous, Miss Rutherford?"