Kim nodded her head and wrote on her pad of paper. “I’m sure it’s in accounting. I’ll run down and see if I can get their contracts. Do you only want this one contractor or are there others?”
“Stick with this one for now. I might be heading in the wrong direction. But I noticed on the stock market yesterday that there’s a company going downhill and they might be amenable to a little help.”
Kim looked confused but she stood up and walked out of the office to get the information from accounting.
Antonia sat down and played with her computer and was grateful to see it had a link to the internet. She quickly set up bookmarks for her favorite places on the internet so she could reference them easily.
Kim came back about fifteen minutes later and handed Antonia a file. “What next? Would you like a cup of coffee?”
Antonia, who was already looking through the legalese to find the base price of the contractor, glanced up at Kim. “No. Coffee seems to upset my stomach lately. But thank you for asking.”
“Are there any phone calls you need me to make?”
Antonia thought for a moment. “Yeah. See if you can get an annual report from this company,” she said and wrote down the name of J.C. Incorporated, the company she’d been watching that manufactured computer chips.
Kim walked out of the office and made several phone calls. The rest of the afternoon, Antonia and Kim researched several companies, compared the stock for buy out possibilities, processing capabilities, personnel if the information was available, and anything else about the company they could find. While Antonia worked on the computer, researching the information from the internet, Kim found information from the personnel files and the accounting department and put them into a spreadsheet to compare prices and benefits.
It was seven o’clock when Brett walked into her office. Antonia and Kim were bent over files, calling out information to each other. Neither woman noticed him as he stood in the doorway. Finally, he cleared his throat to get their attention.
Antonia looked up and smiled. “Hi. What are you doing here?” she asked.
Brett looked down at his watch. “Do you know what time it is?” he asked.
Antonia looked at her watch. “Seven o’clock.” Just his presence in her office made her blood start pounding. How was she going to get over him and convince him that they needed to stop the wedding when her body reacted like this?
Brett rolled his eyes. Shaking his head, he walked over to Kim and shook her hand. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Brett Hancock. You’re Kim Mason?”
Kim could only nod her head, she was so completely overwhelmed by the president of the company acknowledging her presence in such a casual manner. He always appeared so aloof in the hallways.
“I’m taking your boss out. She’ll be back tomorrow morning.” Brett didn’t ask Antonia, he just took her coat off the back of her chair and held it out for her.
“Brett, just give me another half hour. Then I’ll head out,” Antonia said, looking down at the file on her desk.
But she should have known that he wouldn’t go for something like that. He pulled the file out from underneath her hand and gave it to Kim. “Would you hide this somewhere. Knowing her, she’ll bring it home and work on it once I drop her off,” he said.
Antonia wanted to protest, but she was too embarrassed. Kim took the file and left the office, smiling.
Antonia turned on Brett, trying to control her temper. “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Brett smiled. “I know this is cliché, but do you have any idea how incredibly gorgeous you are when you’re angry?”
“How could you do that to me? We’re right in the middle of something. I’m not ready to leave.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kim pull her coat on and walk by the office door, purse in hand. “I think you might be keeping your secretary here a bit late at night. Besides, its time to eat. I need company and you’re the best looking person in the office.”
Antonia gritted her teeth. He might be right about Kim but she refused to admit it to him.
“Come on,” he leaned over her desk and smiled, “Wouldn’t a huge plate of pasta, slathered in cheese and pesto sauce sound good?” he said.
Antonia refused to answer, but her stomach growling gave him all the answer he needed. He picked up her coat, then reached around and tried to turn off her computer. She slapped his hands away when he did that, mainly because he had to reach around her to do it and his closeness made her skin tingle. “I’ll do it. And yes, I’d love a bowl of pasta but I can make that myself.”
“Good, then you can make both of us some,” he said.
“No. I’m going to find that file and work tonight. I have some ideas that I want to think through.”
“What are they? Maybe I can help.”
“No, I’ll present them to you formally just as any employee would,” she said, stuffing files into her briefcase.
Brett allowed her to fill her briefcase but then he picked it up himself and carried it out the door, only letting her carry her small purse. “I can do that, you know,” she said, referring to her briefcase.
“I know, but I always liked carrying girls’ books when we walked home from school. Made me feel manly,” he joked.
“You don’t need to feel any more manly,” she said under her breath.
“What was that?” he asked as he pressed the button to call an elevator.
“Nothing,” she said, hoping her face didn’t look as red as it felt, and turned to watch the numbers over the elevator as it climbed to their floor.
Brett chuckled. “Oh.”
“Have you always been so irritating?” she asked, trying not to smile, his good humor contagious.
“Yes. Have you always been so sexy?” he asked.
Antonia couldn’t hold it in any longer. His question made her laugh. He always seemed to do that. Turning to face him, she asked, “Why do all your employees think your such an ogre?”
“They don’t,” he said, pretending to be offended.
“They do. Everyone but your vice presidents are completely intimated by you,” she said.
“Because I’m mean?” he joked.
Antonia laughed, but shook her head. “No really. I think some of them might even call you fierce.”