Calum Brook strode into the boardroom and scanned around the large oval mahogany table where the board members of Necron Drinks Inc. were seated. And then his gaze fell on her. Laurella Ricci. Instinctively, he knew he’d been right.

She was trouble—with a capital T.

The moment her dark, almost black gaze settled on him irritation crept over his skin, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Calum always sat to Zane’s right, but this newcomer had planted her perfect ass into his chair. Not that he knew what her ass looked like, considering she was sitting on it, but if it matched up to the rest of her, perfect would undoubtedly be a good adjective to use.

“Calum.” Zane got to his feet and strode across the room. The two men shook hands warmly. “It’s great to have you back. How’s Jax?”

“Almost fully recovered, thanks,” Calum replied. His older brother, Jax, had been recuperating after his girlfriend’s crazy-as-fuck, now-dead brother had tried to kill him.

Girlfriend. Calum almost laughed. Jax might have forgiven India for nearly getting him killed, lying to him, and setting him up then professing to love him, but she’d have to work a hell of a lot harder to win Calum over.

“I’m so glad.” Zane gestured to the chair on his left.

The wrong fucking chair.

“Take a seat. I’m sorry I haven’t stopped by for a couple weeks, but it’s been a bit busy without my right-hand man,” Zane said.

Calum stared pointedly at Laurella. “Well, I’m back now.”

She settled her unflinching cool gaze on him as she half stood and extended her hand. “Laurella Ricci,” she said, a faint trace of a Mediterranean accent giving her voice a soft lilt that belied her hard-nosed, all-business expression. “The new marketing director.”

Calum reluctantly took her hand and shook it. Her skin was cool and smooth to the touch, her handshake firm and brief. “Calum Brook. The definitely not-new sales director.”

Zane touched his forehead. “Damn, I’m sorry. I forgot you two hadn’t met yet. Laurella, Calum. Calum, Laurella.” He let out a low chuckle. “Laurella’s been here… what, six weeks now?”

Laurella nodded demurely. “This is my seventh week.”

Calum still didn’t understand why Zane had been so adamant that they bring in a marketing director. Necron, the niche liquor company Zane had started when they’d graduated from college five years before, had done very well without a marketing head so far. And to poach someone from Spirito, one of the largest alcoholic-beverages companies in the world? Completely unnecessary. Yet every time Calum had broached the subject when he’d seen Zane socially over the last few weeks, his friend had waved his concerns away with a flick of his wrist and told him not to worry. Now that Calum was back, however, he wasn’t going to allow Zane to dodge the conversation. They were supposed to be business partners, not to mention best buddies.

“Hope you’re settling in well,” he said without feeling.

“Very well, thank you,” she replied, equally without feeling.

Laurella retook her seat and opened a leather-bound book. She flicked on a few pages until she found a blank one. With her pen poised, she focused on Zane, who’d resumed his seat at the head of the table, then bent her dark head to make a couple of notes. Her handwriting was small, neat, flawless. Calum strained to see what she’d written but couldn’t make it out.

He shook hands with the remaining board members then sat in the spare chair to Zane’s left—the one and only fucking time he’d be sitting on this side of the room. It pissed him off that Zane hadn’t seen fit to tell Laurella to move her butt.

Yeah, Calum knew he was an egotistical dick. He’d learned to live with it.

“Okay, down to business,” Zane said, pulling up a PowerPoint presentation and projecting it onto the large screen at the far side of the boardroom. “Laurella, why don’t you take us through the plan.”

“Of course.” She eased to her feet, and with a precision that was already getting on Calum’s nerves, she placed her pen next to her now-closed notebook, correcting it when it dared to roll to the side.

She walked to the front of the boardroom. He’d been right about her ass, which was round, pert, and superbly accentuated by a tight-fitting pencil skirt that skimmed her knees and clung to her hips. Four-inch black patent-leather designer shoes completed the lower half of the ensemble.

Hmm. Wonder if she’s wearing nylons or hold-ups?

Laurella coughed, attracting his attention. Only then did Calum realize he’d been caught checking her out. He slowly inched his gaze up to her face, schooling his expression into a flat stare. Laurella returned his impassive glare with one of her own.

“Gentlemen,” she said, “over the past six weeks, I have been gradually getting to know you all and familiarizing myself with the company—where its strengths lie and what its growth potential is. I’ve come to a very swift conclusion. While you’re doing well, there is room for significant improvement. You’re thinking too small. You’re too focused on the domestic market. In order to take the business to the next level, you need to think globally. You’ve also been too driven by short-term incentives to sell rather than developing and building your brand.” Her attention turned to Calum. “I’m here to change all that.”

Calum ground his teeth as she flat-out taunted him. Six weeks into her tenure at a company he’d spent five fucking years pouring blood, sweat, and tears into, she’d already made her conclusions. During those five years, he’d been Zane’s right-hand man, transforming a completely unknown liquor company into a preferred supplier to half the eastern seaboard’s restaurants and bars. Yet in had waltzed a virtual stranger who had the gall to tell them all how they’d been doing it wrong.

Fuck. Her.

He flashed a look at Zane, expecting to see irritation or at the very least agitation on his face. Instead, Zane was gazing at Laurella with something akin to reverence or, at the very least, respect.

Shit. He was going to have a tough fight on his hands, persuading Zane that the company had been doing just fine without Laurella Ricci and would continue to do just fine after he fired her ass.

She continued, but Calum had stopped listening. Instead, he began mentally drafting his pitch to Zane while doodling on his notepad. The second this board meeting was over, he was going to take his friend to one side and share how he’d come up with a great cost-saving initiative—the termination of Laurella Ricci’s contract.

After she’d held the floor for at least thirty minutes, Laurella strolled back to her seat with a confident air that said she’d nailed it. As she sat, her gaze fell on him, and a small, triumphant smile played around her lips.

“Great presentation, Laurella,” Zane gushed.

Calum clamped his jaw shut before he said something he wouldn’t be able to retract.

“Calum, did you have any questions?” Zane asked.

Calum stared down Laurella. “Not right now, but I’m sure once I’ve had a chance to absorb the copious amounts of material Laurella has collated, I’ll have plenty.”

The gibe was direct and purposeful. He expected her to show at least a modicum of annoyance. Instead, she flashed him a brilliant white-toothed smile that appeared even brighter against her olive skin. Bravo. She was playing the game beautifully.

“I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, Calum. After all, we’ll be working very closely together, so it’s important we’re on the same page.”

The same page? Sweetheart, we’re not even reading from the same fucking book.

“Wonderful,” he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “I look forward to it.”

“I still don’t get it, Zane,” Calum said, pacing around Zane’s office, hands stuffed deep into the pocket of his suit pants. “We were doing just fine. The company has gone from strength to strength. We don’t need anyone to head up marketing. And even if we did, you could have found a cheaper option here in the US, without the expense of the goddamn green card.”

“I disagree on both counts.” Zane rose from his chair, his calm standing in contrast to Calum’s agitation, and walked over to the coffee machine in the corner of his office. He made them both a cup.

“I might need something stronger,” Calum muttered.

Zane ignored him. Apart from his brothers, no one knew Calum better than Zane. They’d met in college, quickly becoming close friends, and when Zane had the idea for a niche liquor company, he’d asked Calum to come on board and head up the sales department. Back then, the department had consisted of one—Calum himself. But over the past five years, Calum had gradually increased the team to seventeen, and the sales were off the charts for such a relative newbie in a competitive market. The fact that his best friend thought they needed suggestions for something different, and from an outsider no less, really pissed him off.

“At the risk of repeating myself, she comes with a top-class résumé. Yes, we’ve seen outstanding performance over the past five years, and you’ve been a massive part of that, but our growth is stalling, Calum. If we want to break into the big leagues, we need the big guns. Laurella knows how to grow a brand. Hell, she catapulted her last company into the top one hundred businesses in Italy. And that’s why I hired her. That’s why she’s worth the additional expense.”

“This isn’t Italy,” Calum said, his tone leaning toward cynical.

Zane grinned. “No shit.” He slurped his coffee and wandered over to the window. Glancing over his shoulder, he beckoned to Calum. “See that?” he said, pointing upward when Calum joined him.

Calum craned his neck. The head office of one of the biggest liquor companies in the US loomed over them, the large smoked-glass building dominating the neighborhood. “Can’t miss it. Fucking monstrosity.”

Zane chuckled. “It’s modern. It’s happening. It’s now. That’s what I want for Necron—the kind of success that will reward us all. And to do that, we need to grow the brand. Laurella has contacts all over the globe. She can enable us to make the step change needed to launch this business into the stratosphere.”

“She sat in my fucking chair,” Calum grumbled with a sullen glance at Zane who, obviously hearing the petulance in Calum’s tone, threw back his head and laughed.

“Fine. I’ll tell her to sit on the other side at the next board meeting.” He clinked his mug against Calum’s. “I’ve missed you, dickhead.”

Calum grinned, the tension that had been riding him since he walked into his office building two hours earlier dissipating under Zane’s teasing. “Okay. I’ll try to make it work, but she’d better take that snooty attitude she threw down back there and shove it up her ass.”

Zane laughed once more, his loud guffaw echoing around the room. He set his coffee on the desk and then rubbed his hands together. “Man, I’m going to enjoy this. Might even get a popcorn machine installed—this is going to be one hell of a show.”

“Screw you.” Calum left the room, his best friend’s chuckles following him down the hall as he retreated to his own office. He kicked the door closed and flopped into his chair. After firing up his computer, he spent the next couple of hours clearing out junk mail and catching up on what had been happening around the place during his relatively short absence.

A light tapping at the door had him lifting his head. Jules, his number two, poked her head inside. With a broad smile, he beckoned to her.

“I’m so glad you’re back.” She placed her notebook on Calum’s desk as he stood to embrace her. “You look well. Is everything okay with your brother?”

Calum nodded. “He’s getting there. Thanks for asking.” He pointed at the chair opposite his. “How’ve things been?”

Jules let out a heavy sigh. “Crazy. I’ve been pulling sixteen-hour days. Hence my relief that you’re back.”

Calum waggled his eyebrows. “And you’ve missed my charm and repartee, of course.”

Her lips twitched. “That goes without saying,” she said, her sarcasm obvious.

He laughed. Jules was an absolute godsend, and Calum adored her. They acted more like brother and sister than boss and employee, and she was one of only a few people unafraid to call him out on his shit. And he’d take it from her—and dish out plenty in return.

She picked up her notebook. “So, want the debrief?”

He nodded, and for the next thirty minutes, Jules gave him the rundown on sales, forecasts, and the latest client who was trying to pull a fast one and renege on a pricing deal.

“I think I’ve resolved it,” she said, “but it’d be good if you could swing by their offices sometime this week.”

Calum made a note in his calendar. “Consider it done.” He leaned back in his chair and rolled a pen between his fingers. “What do you think of the new marketing director?” He kept his voice calm and steady, even though his annoyance meter spiked at the mere mention of her title.

“Laurella? She’s settling in well. Seems to know her stuff, although I can’t profess to be a marketing expert. She has… an interesting perspective on sales.”

Calum narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Well, when she started, she met with each of us in your department. She laid out her strategy and said that from what she’d observed, we took a short-term view. Said she’d reviewed our recent sales and that we’d been too focused on closing the deal at any price rather than working to connect with the client and build a long-term relationship.”

“She fucking what?” Calum shot to his feet. Laurella had said as much in her presentation, but Jules’s confirmation, and the fact his team had been spoken to without his express permission, annoyed the shit out of him.

Jules made a calming motion with her hands. “Take it easy. She’s entitled to her opinion, and who knows—we might be able to learn a thing or two.”

“She’ll learn a thing or two all right. Starting with keeping her nose out of my goddamn department.”

Jules chuckled. “I see the break hasn’t done anything for your temper.” Jules had known Calum too long to be bothered by his outbursts.

“What else did she say?” he asked through gritted teeth.

Jules shrugged. “Not much.”

When Calum continued to scowl, Jules reached across the desk and patted his arm. “Go easy, Calum. Zane thinks she’s fucking amazing. I know he’s your friend, but at the end of the day, this is his business. You’re a minority shareholder, so you’d do well to remember that. Don’t say anything you might later regret.”

Calum’s answering smile was tight. “What, me?”

“Yes, you.” Jules got to her feet. She made her way across his office but paused with one hand on the door handle. She glanced over her shoulder. “She’s smart, Calum. Don’t toss her ideas in the trash before listening to them.”

After Jules had left him alone, Calum mused over what she’d said. He was annoyed by Zane’s decision, but it had been made. Laurella Ricci was right there, on his turf, which meant he should try to make it work.

Or not.