Page 26 of Hers to Love
Kori’s eyes went to the ceiling. “He’s relentless. I was about to try my dozenth tactic to get away, and it was going to be really mean.” She chuckled and smiled up at him. “Thanks for great timing.”
Marshall shifted his weight, still uncomfortable with an emotion he hadn’t felt in years. When he caught his ex in bed with another man, he hadn’t felt jealous—which was strange. He’d felt…an overwhelming sense of inadequacy.
Inadequacy. That had been the fuel to his loss of drive. What kind of a man was he if he couldn’t keep his wife? Was he really as good a businessman as he had thought? Had he actually peaked?
In a couple of months, he would start all over and find out. He’d made the decision during his early morning workout. A new business was exactly what he needed to find himself again.
And this stunner in front of him would be better suited with a young man like Jarod, just notactuallyJarod.
“No problem. We’ve got to hurry, so if you can finish up here while I grab some documents, we can take my car back to the hotel and then pick up Jarod and ride together to the airport.”
Kori’s expression shifted into business mode. She nodded stiffly and, without another word, moved quickly into her office.
Across the open area, he caught Jarod smiling at a young blonde woman Marshall recognized from the accounting department. Marshall frowned. He’d have to put up with this guy while in Bendola. No doubt Jarod would be watching him and Kori and reporting back to the board.
Chapter 12
Something was off with Marshall. Way off.
He had been in a long meeting with the board right before telling her they had to be on a plane to the African country of Bendola in two hours to the for an urgent visit with their contacts.
Marshall barely spoke three words to her on the ride back to the hotel and even less on the way to the airport. Of course, he couldn’t get a word in edgewise with Jarod running his mouth. If Kori had put money down on Marshall being all CEO and ordering Jarod to shut up, she would’ve lost that bet and lost badly.
Whatever this was, it was keeping Marshall’s attention. He didn’t even look at her when she settled in her seat on the private jet—after Jarod had chosen one on the opposite side. Neither did their eyes connect when Marshall handed her a giant prospectus on the financial firm’s position on investing in Bendola’s industries.
Kori had heard of the tiny country of Bendola but had never been. The country had been in the news lately for a rise in revolutionary opposition to President Abdu Gohi. He’d been labeled by political pundits across the world as a despot.
The democracy was a sham. Money flowed into the country and never came out. Companies seeking to profit from Bendola’s rich natural resources ended up losing a lot of money on high export taxes. Their money disappeared into thin air once it was transferred into the national bank, which was President Gohi’s personal account.
For years, people had accused the sitting dictator of lining his pockets with the money, putting his country further and further into debt. People cried out for basic services that weren’t provided for by the government. The opposition party for a free, democratic Bendola had been named, and fighting had begun.
Kori had been uneasy after reading Jarod’s intelligence brief on the country’s political, economic, and security stability. Why did the board want Marshall to go to Bendola now? It wasn’t enough that they were letting him go at the end of the summer, they wanted to put him in harm’s way first?
Kori’s eyes found Marshall, who sat on the opposite side of the plane but facing her. He was reading papers from the office. His brow was furrowed, and his lips were in a tight line. Even distressed, he looked classically handsome. Kori cast a quick glance at Jarod. The younger guy couldn’t compare. Sure, he was about the same age as her, but he lacked class and mature charisma that made Kori feel less comfortable in Jarod’s presence than in Marshall’s.
She held in a sigh. She wanted Marshall to look at her. Talk to her. At least discuss the agenda with her before they landed. It wouldn’t be a long flight from Italy to Bendola, just to the northwestern part of the continent, sitting prettily between the Ivory Coast and Ghana. They wouldn’t be there longer than a day, so no chance to sightsee or get in the water, unfortunately. Kori had packed light. Whatever she needed that she didn’t bring with her would have to be bought at an outrageous price at the five-star resort hotel that she had booked for them.
Marshall glanced up and caught her eye. Normally, Kori would quickly look away after being caught staring, but she held his gaze, searching for any sign that he would open up to her and allow her into his world. Especially after what she’d done to him the night before.
Marshall stood and crossed the plane, taking a seat next to her.
“Sir?”
“I’m sorry I’ve been so aloof,” he said softly.
Kori smiled. “Don’t be sorry. You’ve been busy. I want to help you, if I can.” He stretched his arm across the seat, resting it behind her head. She resisted the urge to use it as a pillow and be comfortable for a moment. “This is going to be a tense trip, isn’t it?”
He nodded. “Probably. Definitely not a pleasure one.”
“Did the board give you any indication why they want you on the ground now? I’ve read the intelligence briefings. It’s… I would avoid that place right now. Even the State Department has it on its watch list, which could change at any moment.”
Marshall dragged his other hand down the side of his face. “The only thing I can think of is they want to see how I can perform under intense pressure. It’s a test, no doubt. We’re supposed to connect with our contacts and potential partners, but we can do that over the phone until the situation in the country settles down.”
“Either way, you’ll be amazing,” she said with an encouraging smile. “You built this company, and you know what you’re doing.”
Marshall’s easy smile awakened butterflies in her stomach. The stress in his face melted away, and crinkles spread from the corners of his eyes. “You’re good for my ego.”
“It’s my job.” She winked.
