Mitchell held his smile as Dani struggled to become comfortable. He watched in amusement as she shifted back and forth on the leather seat, crossing and re-crossing her legs. The comment had been on a whim, given her reaction to seeing him, but he was glad he’d been honest. She was exactly what he’d been missing in his life. Now, he simply had to convince her of the fact.

“Where exactly are we going?” Dani asked as she slapped on the seatbelt. She knew the anticipated answer, but had she been told the truth?

“El Paso.”

“Then what?”

“We will pick up our car and drive to the site in question where we’re going to have a discussion with the management team. They’ve been working on the problem and should have updates.”

Dani shot him a look. “While I don’t as of yet fully comprehend what we’re facing, I have to ask, what does management really know? They aren’t the ones handling the day-to-day activities. They aren’t in the field, experiencing the difficulties and my guess is they also don’t know the area well, including the locals.”

“Fascinating assumption and you are correct. Then who do you suggest? Who are the right people to talk with?” Mitchell tipped his head, eager to hear her answer.

“The roughnecks. They are the real experts. They know every inch of the wells, the rigs and anyone who might be a problem.”

“Very nice. I like your idea. We will schedule a meeting with them.” He admired her spunk and her take charge attitude. His cock stirred, creating discomfort. Stifling a smile, he made a mental note to extend a raise, if they were successful on the mission. His mind drifted to their dance, the way she allowed him to take the lead. He had a sixth sense about her. The woman was searching for release.

“Excellent.” She seemed nervous, her face pinched. As she glanced out of the window, her hands gripped the arms of her seat.

“Would you care for a glass of wine? That might help you relax.” He noticed the nervous tic in the corner of her mouth. Were the nerves because of his presumptiveness or the fear of flying?

Dani glanced at her watch, grumbling under her breath. “While I appreciate the hospitality, we have pressing business to discuss. I need to be spot on. I also need to learn every detail to provide experienced advice.”

“Very well. I value your work ethic. Let’s talk about what we’re facing.” She was processing his words, going over them in her mind. He could sense she was holding her tongue. He was, after all, the CEO, a man of authority. He held a smile. He was looking forward to the trip, even if the circumstances surrounding it were crucial to the company.

“Excellent.” Instantly more comfortable, she grabbed a notebook from her briefcase.

“Bottom line is that most of the barrels of oil being produced from the land purchased from Steele and Sons is rancid, more like muck than oil.”

Her eyes opening wide, she began to write furiously. “Do you have a suspicion as to why?”

“Honestly? Not yet. I just found out about this. If what I expect to find is the case, we’re talking about a much bigger problem which is all encompassing, affecting every oil rig site and barrel. If so, we must determine a fix. Supposedly a few rigs have been untouched, but I’m not certain how that’s possible.” He eased forward, placing his elbows on his knees. She was certainly all buttoned up, a tailored suit, a crisp white shirt and heels. Even her silky hair was spun into a bun. Wearing only a man’s style watch, she had strategically eliminated ninety percent of her femininity—except for the stilettos. He held a chuckle, imagining her delicate walk near the oil rigs. He was going to have to toughen her up if she wanted to succeed.

“You ran a random sample testing before you purchased the land using an outside source, as well as several handled by your own engineers?” Dani kept her eyes off him, instead, writing furiously on her notepad.

“Yes, we used a firm outside of Houston. They are highly reputable. We took one hundred and twelve core samples to be exact.”

She gave him a respectful nod. “How long ago did this occur?”

“Forty-five days. We closed twenty days ago.” Mitchell was impressed. She was organized, thorough and asked the kind of questions his engineers hadn’t thought of. “What are you thinking?”

She eased her pen onto the pad and lifted her head. There was enough time to contaminate the site if someone knew what they were doing. “What I do know about the industry, which by no means makes me an expert, is that oil doesn’t become tainted or turn to sludge naturally in forty-five days.”

“Then what are you suggesting?”

“I’m suggesting that you have a saboteur on your hands, Mr. Rush.” Her eyes flashed, her expression one of disgust.

Unfortunately, Mitchell couldn’t determine whether her distasteful look was because of him or the situation. The concept wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities, but would take money and connections to infiltrate his team. The words were chilling. “Then we must figure out how and what we can do to stop any additional contamination.”

“I’m certain we can with time. The more important question is who and for what reason? Until you figure that out, you aren’t going to be able to solve the problem. You may very well be a target.”