The Paris Connection. Cerella Sechrist

      “It’s okay, Marc. You can be honest.”

      It seemed to be the invitation Marc was waiting for.

      “Aurora is a mouse. She’s not cut out for work as a recruiter. Giselle is more interested in finding dates than placing recruits. Louis isn’t so bad, so long as that wife of his isn’t calling him at his desk all day long. And Emma. Don’t even get me started.”

      Cole felt a stab of curiosity. “What about Emma?”

      Marc sneered. “Julien’s little lackey. She’s his favorite, and it shows. She doesn’t have half the talent I do, and yet, she’s the managing director and was slated for promotion before you came along.”

      Cole thought how appropriate it was that this conversation was taking place beside a tightrope, where each step had to be measured carefully. He felt as if he was still balancing on that thin line.

      “Her record speaks for itself,” he pointed out. “Her satisfaction rating with her clients is impeccable. Her recruitments love their placements at their new jobs, and the companies who hired them couldn’t be happier.”

      “Of course. But her talents are no better than my own. Why should she have the opportunities to advance when they are denied to the rest of us?”

      “The rest of us?” Cole repeated. “Or denied to you specifically?”

      Marc released a rush of breath in a quick huff. “The old man plays favorites. He gives to Emma with one hand and withholds from me with the other. And he thinks sending his supposed top recruiters on a little holiday is going to unite us?” Another scoff. “I had hoped, with your coming, that matters could be set right.”

      Balance, Cole reminded himself. He was an outsider here, new to this country and this office. Was this Marc’s attempt at a corporate coup? If so, he’d approached the wrong man. Cole had no intention of overthrowing Julien. He was still president and chairman of the board, even if Cole did now possess daily operational control.

      “I think you’re going to have to be a bit more specific in what you want me to do,” Cole said.

      He watched as Marc took a step back, turned and walked a few feet and then came back to stand before him. His agitation was evident in how he met Cole’s eyes and then quickly looked away.

      “Emma has made her dislike of you clear.”

      Cole eyed him but said nothing in response to this.

      “She left you waiting at the airport on your first day. Things were tense between you.”

      Marc had been paying far more attention to the situation between him and Emma than Cole had realized.

      “We simply had a few misunderstandings at first. She had a good reason for being late to pick me up on that first day.” Despite the initial tensions, they had formed an unspoken truce, and he felt compelled to defend her.

      Marc made a face. “Traffic? She has lived in Paris for ten years. She should know to allow the appropriate amount of time to reach the airport.”

      Cole felt a ripple of irritation run through him.

      “Marc—” Before he could get another word out, the other man began speaking again.

      “It’s curious, though, isn’t it?”

      Cole stopped. “Curious? What’s curious?”

      “Emma. And Julien.”

      Cole reared back in surprise. “What are you saying, Marc?”

      “Well.” Marc shifted from one foot to the other, ran a hand through his hair and then paused to rub the back of his neck. Cole felt his impatience growing.

      “Marc? Just say whatever it is that’s on your mind.”

      Marc dropped his hand. “It is no small matter, though, and I need to be certain I can trust your discretion.”

      Forcing himself to relax his posture, Cole nodded. “I understand your concerns, but that’s what this weekend is for—to build trust between us all.”

      He waited as Marc eyed him for several seconds. “I believe you are trustworthy, but it is a delicate consideration.”

      Cole gritted his teeth and tried to be patient as he waited. Marc obviously had something to say; Cole needn’t push him to say it.

      Marc drew a breath and then slowly exhaled it. “All right. Have you considered that perhaps there is more between Julien and Emma than they would have you believe?”

      Cole blinked. “Are you suggesting...?”

      “I think they are in a secret relationship.”

      Cole couldn’t stop himself. He burst out laughing at this idea but soon cut it off when he saw how Marc stiffened. He couldn’t help wondering if this conversation was staged in some way. He looked away from Marc, his gaze sweeping the forest around him. The activities course contained several different areas where other groups and instructors were engaged in various exercises, but this particular corner of the ropes course remained isolated from the rest. There were a handful of people gathered around an instructor many yards away, but here, he and Marc were alone. No one was listening in, at least that’s how it appeared. He shifted his focus back to the man before him.

      “Sorry, Marc, but no. I don’t believe that’s the case.” He thought about Emma, her classic beauty, and then Julien’s round form, a product of too many years of a gourmand’s indulgence. He could not imagine Emma and Julien together. The idea was preposterous. He had to give Marc credit, though; the man possessed far more imagination than he would have thought.

      “You are thinking of superficial considerations, I can see,” Marc stated as he crossed his arms over his chest. “But imagine Emma’s advancement—he was prepared to name her CEO before your company took over. How does someone as young as Emma move up so quickly?”