affair at her last place of employment, she’d made a promise to herself to be utterly professional this time. She had always liked men and, to be honest, knew she flirted more than she should, but it was her way.
She watched him walk away. Flirting in the office was a bad idea, but he was charming. It wasn’t as if Henry Devonshire was going to make a real pass at her. His social circles contained supermodels. But she’d always had a weakness for blue eyes and a charming smile. It didn’t hurt matters that she’d had a little crush on Henry Devonshire when he’d been introduced as the starting flanker for the London Irish ten years ago.
So she was ready for Henry’s requests. She had everything in a folder on her desktop and printed off the information for him. She also copied the file onto their shared server.
Her phone rang. Glancing down at the multiline unit, she saw that Henry was still on his extension.
“Everest Records, Henry Devonshire’s office,” Astrid said.
“We need to talk.”
It was her old boss and former lover, Daniel Martin. Daniel was a bit like Simon Cowell, a record executive who turned everything he touched to gold. But when the gold lost its luster, Daniel moved on. Something Astrid had experienced firsthand.
“I don’t think we have anything left to say.” The last thing she wanted was to talk to Daniel.
“Henry Devonshire might feel differently. Meet me downstairs in that park area between City Hall and Tower Bridge in ten minutes.”
“I can’t. My boss needs me.”
“He won’t be your boss for long if you don’t speak to me. I think we both know that. I’m not asking for too much of your time, just a few minutes.”
“Fine,” Astrid said, aware that Daniel could ruin her chances at Everest records with just a vaguely worded comment about her past job performance.
She wasn’t sure exactly what Daniel wanted—their relationship had ended so badly. Maybe he wanted to make amends now that she was back in the music industry. At least she could hope.
She sent Henry an instant message telling him she’d be right back and set her phones to go to voice mail. Five minutes later she was walking through the green area on the banks of the Thames. Lots of office workers were sitting outside on the smoke breaks.
Astrid hurried past them looking for Daniel. She saw his honey-blond hair first. The weather was cloudy and wet today and a little chilly, and Daniel was wearing his favorite Ralph Lauren trench coat with the collar turned up.
Despite the fact that she was over him, she couldn’t help but notice that he looked good. Women were watching him, and Astrid saw the disappointment on more than one girl’s face when he turned toward her. In the past she’d relished the envious stares of other women. Now she knew that they had nothing to be envious of. With Daniel Martin the charm was only surface deep.
“Astrid.”
“Hi, Daniel. I don’t have a lot of time. What did you want to see me about?”
“What do you think you are doing working for Everest Records?”
“They hired me. I needed a job since I’m not independently wealthy,” Astrid said.
“Don’t be glib.”
“I’m not trying to be. What are you really attempting to say?”
“That if you poach any of my clients…I will ruin you.”
She shook her head. How could not know her at all? “I’d never do that. I’m not trying to get ahead by using someone else.”
“Just be warned. If you come anywhere near my clients, I will call Henry Devonshire and tell him everything that the tabloids didn’t uncover about our affair.”
With that, he turned on his heel and walked away from her. She just watched him leave, wondering how in the world she was going to protect herself from Daniel.
Hurrying back to the Everest Group skyscraper, she took the elevator up to her floor, not talking to anyone along the way.
She stopped in the doorway leading to Henry’s office. “May I come in?”
He was on the phone, so gestured for her to enter. She came in and placed the files he’d asked for on the corner of his desk.
“That sounds good. I’ll be there tonight at nine,” Henry said. “Two. There will be two of us.”
He hung up the phone and looked up at her. “Have a seat, Astrid.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you for the material you prepared. Before we dive into work, tell me a little about yourself.”
“What do you want to know?” she asked. Somehow, blurting out her entire past history didn’t seem prudent. And she’d learned that if she didn’t ask for specifics on questions like that one she ended up revealing things she could have kept hidden.
She was hoping that working at Everest Records would be the buffer she needed between her past and her future. A job that would keep her so busy she’d stop worrying about would-haves and could-haves and learn to live again.
“For starters, why are you working at the Everest Group?” he asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. The tight black sweater he wore pulled against the bulging muscles in his biceps. Clearly the man worked out, she thought.
“They hired me,” she said. After her talk with Daniel, she was afraid to say too much.
He laughed. “So it’s just a wage to you?”
She shrugged. “It’s a bit more. I really like music and being part of your team sounded like a lot of fun. A chance to see if we can find the next big thing…” She shrugged. “I’ve always thought of myself as a trendsetter, so now I have a chance to see if I am.”
At one time she’d thought she might become a record producer. She understood the job and the hard work that went into it, but she’d figured out that she didn’t have the attitude needed to make it there. She couldn’t be passionate about the artists she promoted and then walk away from them when their sales started to tank. She liked to think she had integrity.
“That makes working for me easier, I think. I’m going to need you to be more my personal assistant than my secretary. You will be available 24/7. We won’t be keeping regular office hours, because I mean to make this division of Everest Group into the most profitable. Do you have any objections?”
“None, sir. I was told that this job would be demanding,” she said. She looked forward to it. She needed a demanding job to sink her teeth into. She needed the work to keep her so busy she never had time to think about her failed personal life.
He nodded and gave her that little half smile of his. “Normally we won’t be in this office. I’d like to work out of my home in Bromley or my apartment here in London. We will mainly be listening to music acts at night.”
“That’s fine, sir.” To be honest, she didn’t need a lot of sleep.
“Good, now down to business. I need you to set up a file to keep information from several talent scouts. I am also sending you an e-mail with the people who work for me,” he said.
She nodded and made notes as he continued to set out the terms of the job. Despite the fact that the papers made him out as a playboy, it seemed Henry had cultivated a network he could use for business.
“Is there anything else?”
“Yes. I’ve been pretty good at picking acts when I hear them at clubs, but I like a second opinion.”
She nodded. “Why do you think that is?”
“Probably since I’m the typical person that most of these labels are targeting. I am young,