Rebecca Winters - Taming the French Tycoon

Before they reached the double doors of the inner office, they opened. Silhouetted over the threshold stood a tall, thirtyish male who immediately reminded her of...the bad boy at the dock on Yeronisos!

“You!” The shock of seeing him again, of finding him here , of realizing who he was, left her reeling. Her fantasy had come true! How was it possible?

Today he was immaculately turned out in a banker’s suit and tie. His black hair, almost unruly, looked like he’d run his hand through it a few times out of frustration or habit.

Already he needed another shave and it was only eleven in the morning. She knew what he looked like underneath his clothes. Rock hard and lean, with a hungry look around his compelling mouth and nose. He had the genes of his Ligurian ancestry, which had given him moody black eyes. She hadn’t been able to see their color behind his sunglasses.

A woman wouldn’t be a woman if she didn’t notice him. Jasmine had noticed him all right, and hadn’t been the same since. As she’d discovered on the island, he was a standout in any crowd or alone.

She recalled her grandmother’s description of her grandfather the first time they met. The tall, fit, suntanned man with the penetrating black eyes and hair stood before me. He was so handsome he took my breath away.

Jasmine could relate, but that pit in her stomach enlarged because this man’s glittering gaze traveled over her, making every feminine corpuscle in her body quiver. He was still angry over her insults. She could feel it, but she was angry over his too!

Here she’d been afraid that Raimond Charriere’s grandson would be a hard sell, though she’d come prepared to influence him until he couldn’t say no to her request. How could she possibly have known that the CEO of the most prominent banking institution in the South of France was the man she’d accused of lying in wait to pick up defenseless young women?

A moan escaped her lips. Jasmine could appeal to other bankers, but because Ferriers had done business with this bank since the beginning, she wanted this man’s help above all. Otherwise, her plan could be dashed to pieces and all would be lost. She couldn’t let that happen! Somehow she had to salvage the situation. But after their caustic exchange on the island, his icy smile told her he’d show no mercy. She knew that much in her bones, and it put her on the defensive. She spoke first.

“I take it from your silence that you didn’t expect me to survive my outing on Yeronisos.”

His eyes narrowed on her features. “From your long, quiet assessment of me just now, I take it you’re equally astonished that despite the sharks, I made it back to the mainland in the rental boat in one piece.”

She’d just made things worse. “I should have called for an appointment.”

One dark brow lifted. “But as you’ve already demonstrated, you like to live life on the edge so I’m not surprised you didn’t go through normal channels. I hardly recognized you from the television broadcast on Friday evening.”

Red-hot heat enveloped her. She’d never blushed in her life, but there was always a first time, as she was finding out. It crept from her toenails to the top of her head, missing nothing in between.

“I can only wonder what to expect next.” His deep voice cast the final net to capture her total attention.

This was going from bad to worse. “Do you think we could start over again?”

His hands had gone to his hips in an utterly male stance. “I’m not sure. If I were to say it’s a pleasure to meet you, would you assume that one of my secret sedentary activities is to trap hapless females who have the misfortune of entering this old man’s lair?”

He wanted an apology. So did she, but since Jasmine had come to him on a desperate mission, it was up to her to cauterize the wound before it bled out of control.

“I’m sorry for the way I reacted on the island. You were right about the danger. One of the guys cut his leg open and he had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance after we reached the boating concession.”

The dangerous glitter in his eyes started to dissipate. “Fortunately for Ferriers, its new CEO survived to live another day.”

This man wanted a full apology.

“I didn’t honestly believe you were a predator, but your assumptions, especially the one that I gave no thought to the family that loved me, provoked me to say things that shocked even me.” Which was the truth.

His black eyes studied her as if he were trying to weigh her sincerity. “I concede that in my concern for your safety, I was a little harsh in my assessment.”

A little?

When he extended his hand, she had no choice but to shake it. Of course she was thankful for this overture on his part. You need him on your side, Jasmine. But the second she felt skin against skin, warm waves of sensation traveled through her body, throwing her emotions off balance.

“Please, Mademoiselle Martin, come in and be seated.”

“Thank you, but before I do, I have a favor to ask.”

“I’ll leave the door open,” he murmured dryly.

She fought another retort. “I thought you accepted my apology.”

A faint smile hovered around his lips, without the ice this time. “So I did. What’s the favor?”

“I don’t want anyone at Ferriers to know I’m here. Could you tell your assistant and the security guard at the main entrance to keep absolutely quiet about this visit?”

After a moment of reflection he nodded. “ Bien sûr. I’ll take care of it now.”

While he was gone, she walked across the oriental rug and sat down on one of two blue striped silk love seats facing each other around a coffee table. The couch was upholstered in a blue and white toile she found part of the charm of the elegant room.

Jasmine heard the doors close behind her, sealing them inside.

He rejoined her, cocking his dark head. “Now you don’t have to worry. Would you care for tea or coffee? Perhaps a soft drink?”

“Nothing, thank you.”

They were circling each other, metaphorically speaking, trying to size each other up. He took a hand out of his pocket and sat in the chair opposite her. Both hands were ringless.

“Congratulations on your new position as head of the Ferrier Corporation. I dare say you’re the most famous CEO in modern French history at the moment.” The wryness of his tone wasn’t lost on her.

One thing she already knew about him. He was a man who spoke his mind. She didn’t know if that boded well or not for the shock he was about to receive.

“Thank you, except that I won’t be the head for much longer.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” he came back with urbane sophistication. “Please don’t misunderstand me, but after the introduction on television about your lack of experience and work record, I gather the board is having difficulty following your grandfather’s wishes, no matter that you were his personal choice of successor.”

Jasmine hadn’t seen that assessment coming so fast. It was her jaw that went slack, not his. But she couldn’t take offense. He was discussing hard business facts and understood how things worked at the top. A shudder went through her to realize he wasn’t the president of the bank for nothing. Her uphill battle had already begun.

“Yes,” she admitted. “Giles LeClos has called another board meeting in two weeks for a vote. It doesn’t leave me much time to accomplish what has to be done. That’s why it was urgent that I see you today if I could. I appreciate your being willing to meet with me without any advance notice.”

Her words brought his well-honed body forward. “Surely you must realize that your company’s association with our bank over the years means you have instant access, if necessary. I’m glad you came in this morning. This afternoon I’ll be out of the city on business, so it’s providential that I was still available for this emergency meeting.”

“That’s what it is, and I’m very grateful.” She bit her lip. “First of all, this has to be between the two of us and no one else. I realize you’ve been meeting with Giles LeClos, who’s been in charge since Papa’s death. But he mustn’t know I’ve been here or he’ll misunderstand and believe I’ve gone behind his back. In time, he’ll be told, but not yet. Will you give me your promise on that?”

He sat back, examining her face with an intensity that made her feel he could see inside her soul. “Go on.”

She had to take that as a yes. “Look—there’s no point beating around the bush. My grandfather’s company has been mismanaged since his death and now it’s in huge trouble. No one is more aware of it than you. I intend to save it, but I’m going to need your help.”

“You mean in two weeks you plan to pull it out of the red?” Granted his tone was incredulous, not mocking. “Isn’t that a little ambitious, even if you have Maxim Ferrier’s nose?” She winced. “I realize that sounds cruel, but you’ve never run a corporation and the bank has continued to extend your loan until it’s at the limit.”

“I’m very aware of that.”

“Then you have to know there’s nothing more we can do for you.” He shook his head. “Perhaps another bank might be willing to underwrite a second loan for you, but it wouldn’t be a wise business decision. Aside from the fact that your revenues are diminishing with little hope of recouping, there’s no one at the head who instills enough confidence for the banking board to take a financial risk. Please don’t take that as a personal attack against you.”

“I won’t. I didn’t! If I were sitting on the board, I’d have little faith in me too. An empty-headed cliff-jumper who doesn’t have a clue about business and is so spoiled by millions of dollars she wouldn’t recognize a paycheck if she saw one doesn’t exactly fill the bill. Right?”

“Again, those are your words, not mine.”

Nothing appeared to faze him. “I believe you. But before you show me the door, I was hoping for the sake of the partnership that has lasted ninety years between your bank and Ferriers, you could find some time to let me make a proposition to you.”

His eyes did flare at that remark, letting her know she actually had surprised him.

“Not the kind you’re thinking, if you were thinking it,” she added. “There’s a matter of great urgency I need to discuss with you, but it will take some time. We can’t do it now when you’re already pressed to leave your office on other business. Could you possibly come tomorrow or Friday to my grandfather’s laboratory in Grasse? This is vital, or I wouldn’t ask.”

Jasmine held her breath and prayed while she waited for his answer. She could hear his mind working.

“It would have to be late Friday afternoon. Four-thirty, maybe five. I could give you a half hour, then I have other plans.”

Relief flooded her system. “Thank you for being willing to meet me halfway. It’s more than I deserve.” Jasmine got to her feet. “The lab is the little building on the south side of the perfumery. Just ring me when you’re there and I’ll let you in.” She handed him a piece of paper with her phone number on it. “À bientôt.”

* * *

At four on Friday, Luc left his office and headed for Grasse in his car. Half a dozen times in the last two days he’d reached for his phone to call her and cancel. Each time, he’d get so close, but then he couldn’t follow through. The telltale throb in her voice when she’d said it was a matter of great urgency kept nagging at him until he couldn’t sleep.