Play Thing. Nicola Marsh

laden bags in each hand. The staff clearly looked forward to Le Miel’s delights because they flocked to her, quickly taking the bags and heading for the mini conference room where they’d set up cutlery and crockery.

      Her gaze homed in on him like a radar and he felt that kick again. It unsettled him and he reacted with a goofy grin. It didn’t go over well if her raised eyebrow and supercilious expression were any indication.

      He crossed the office, determined to set her at ease. They had a lot of work to do. ‘Thanks for picking up the morning tea.’ He gestured towards the conference room. ‘Shall we?’

      She didn’t respond, other than a curt nod. He much preferred the warm, willing woman he’d held in his arms yesterday but knew her frosty counterpart would be much more conducive to work.

      He followed her into the conference room, not surprised when she kept her distance. He chatted with staff, made small talk, discovering that Edgar had worked here the longest, an impressive twenty-four years, that Suzie had five kids, that Viola would happily take a redundancy to go farm alpacas and that Charlotte was the glue that held everyone together.

      Staff raved about her, vindicating his choice to make her the new manager. She had smarts, kindness and respect, three traits that would ensure she excelled in the job.

      But appointing her in that role meant they’d be working a lot closer together for his time here. The old manager had been responsible for running the place into the ground almost single-handedly and a lot of work had to be done to ensure it prospered again. He was up for the challenge. Would Charlotte be?

      If she could barely stand to be in the same room as him, he doubted it.

      As some of the workers drifted back to their cubicles, she finally approached him. ‘You did a good thing with this morning tea, thanks.’

      ‘Good working relations are important to me.’

      Her eyes widened imperceptibly, pinning him with what he’d quickly come to recognise as her signature scepticism.

      He hadn’t meant it as anything other than what it was: a declaration to foster a solid work ethic. But she glared at him as if he’d made some gross sexual innuendo.

      ‘We need to talk,’ he said, making a grand show of glancing at his watch. ‘You’re a team leader here and I need to pick your brains about some of the ideas I’ve been kicking around.’

      ‘Sure.’ Her brisk nod was as terse as her response. ‘I’ve got clients all afternoon so does first thing in the morning suit?’

      Usually, he’d insist they work through dinner but in this case he’d be better off keeping his distance for now.

      ‘Fine, see you at nine.’

      She stared at him a second too long, as if she couldn’t quite figure him out. That made two of them. Because as Charlotte stalked out of the conference room, he couldn’t tear his gaze off her ass, the memory of how it had felt in his hands making his palms tingle.

      After all his self-talk, he still wanted her.

      Not good.

      The smart thing to do would be to lock himself away in his office for the rest of the day, but that plan was shot to shit when he reviewed the latest performance reviews.

      Staff cuts would have to be made if certain sectors of the company didn’t start shouldering their load.

      Which meant he had to play hardball.

      He called the staff back into the conference at one and made his usual speech when he arrived at companies like this one.

      ‘Thanks for taking a few minutes out of your busy day.’ He pointed at the empty conference table. ‘Sorry I didn’t have time to organise a banquet lunch too.’

      A few titters echoed through the group and he continued. ‘As you know, I’m here to ensure The Number Makers becomes a viable company moving forward and the go-to accountancy firm in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. To do that, the profit margins need to improve alongside work productivity.’

      He paused, letting the implication sink in. He heard the sharp intake of breaths, the furtive glances, the stricken expressions. This part of his job sucked.

      ‘I’m still in the process of reviewing all personnel’s billable hours but I won’t sugar-coat this. Cuts may need to be made.’

      A paper clip bouncing off the carpet could have been heard at that point, the silence was that profound.

      ‘Rest assured, that will be my last resort, but I wanted to be upfront with you on the first day so we all know where we stand.’

      Feeling like an ogre trampling Lilliputians, he tried his best reassuring smile. By the number of round eyes fixed on him, it didn’t work.

      ‘I’ll be moving forward with a plan of action over the next week. In the meantime, keep up the good work.’

      Damn, that sounded trite and condescending, considering he’d virtually threatened some of their jobs. He’d avoided making eye contact with Charlotte during his little speech but as the staff trickled out of the room, he couldn’t resist.

      Her reaction surprised him. That gleam in her eyes almost looked like admiration, before she turned her back and followed her co-workers out.

      It gave him hope. Maybe this could work out after all.

      If only he could stop staring at her cute ass.