Page 23 of Dirty Deals

Relief washed over Jules with Meg’s easy acceptance of her secrets. “Thank you. Your support means a lot. And thanks for letting me know about this.” Jules grimaced as she waved at the gossip article. “I’ll need to loop Nik in sooner rather than later.”

Meg nodded and left the office, leaving Jules to head down the hall to talk to Nik. She hadn’t seen him since he left her house last night, and now she had to drop this news in his lap. She wasn’t looking forward to this. Nik had wanted to keep a low profile in Vancouver, and this wouldn’t help.

Nik was lost in work and didn’t hear her approach the open office door. His brow wrinkled in concentration, so very similar to the way Ava’s did when she was trying to solve a puzzle. His dark hair was adorably rumpled, making him look less stern than usual. Heat bloomed in her belly, and Jules forced herself to concentrate. This was work. She rapped lightly on the door.

Nik looked up at the sound, waving her into the office. “I was just going to call you. I need to start looking at more than financial data. I made a good start on Friday, but I need to dig deeper. Can you show me where to locate the files I need?”

Jules pounced on the opportunity to delay telling Nik about the gossip piece. She didn’t know how he would react, and work talk was safe. She moved to stand behind Nik’s chair and began identifying which files he should start with. She was hyperaware of his every move: his long fingers on the keyboard, the strong forearms covered in dark hair revealed by his rolled-up shirtsleeves. The way he’d frown and tilt his head when he encountered some piece of information that he didn’t expect. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the previous day and how Ava had bonded with Nik so quickly, having wrapped him around her little finger already. The way Nik had immediately embraced being a father surprised her, making him more appealing than ever. That line of thinking was dangerous, and she could not afford to let herself be distracted.

Jules had spent some time since Nik’s arrival looking over Coastal’s financials herself, even though she knew every number by heart. Coastal needed WYCK’s money. They were financially stable, but the money laundering crackdown the year before had curtailed their revenues and profits. The bank had cancelled their loans for the Harbourview expansion. Without new capital, Coastal couldn’t grow, and that would make them ripe for a hostile takeover by other casino corporations. Based on all those facts, and with Nik’s commitment to keep most of Coastal’s people on board, Jules had decided her best option was to assist Nik with the due diligence to speed up the process. It was her responsibility to ensure WYCK offered a fair price, but she believed WYCK’s takeover was what the company needed. Speeding up the takeover process was in everyone’s best interest.

“These folders give you the breakdowns by individual property. Each folder contains property budgets, actual results, variance analysis, cash flow requirements and projections, and human resource costs. Other folders contain asset lists, marketing and promotions details, and any legal issues. You should find everything you need.”

Nik swivelled his chair to look at her, bringing his body within inches of her own. Suddenly breathing was much harder than it should be. Jules forced herself to stay where she was, so Nik wouldn’t know he was affecting her. She did not want him to think she might change her mind about his marriage idea simply because she found him attractive. That was not going to happen. She concentrated on his words, ignoring her erratic heartbeat.

Nik ran a hand through his already messy hair, then let out a deep sigh. “This is a good start. But tell me, which property is the best performing? And more important, which is the worst?”

Now Jules understood. He wanted a summary before diving into all the details. This she could do. “By gross dollars, or by percentages? Because obviously the answers differ based on criteria.” Taking her opportunity to move away from Nik, Jules walked to the whiteboard and began making notes for Nik to refer to when he needed them. “Harbourview generates the most gross revenue. Our property in Dawson Creek, in northern British Columbia, generates the least. But even with the lowest overall revenues, it has the highest profit margins.”

* * *

Nik admiredthe way Jules’s skirt hugged her backside as she reached to write on the highest part of the whiteboard. He was listening to her, registering her answers to his questions, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t aware of every move she made, every inch of skin revealed by her modest blouse. Today her long blonde hair was up in a twist, and he itched to undo the clip and run his fingers through those silken strands. She was dressed in a dark skirt suit, with a cream silk blouse that gently draped her small breasts and did nothing to disguise her figure. What impressed him even more than her physical beauty was her mind.

Jules was reciting facts and figures purely from memory, answering questions about every Coastal property without hesitation. The financial information he could understand; that was her area of expertise. But she was answering questions about marketing, gaming strategy, and construction projects with equal assurance. He was starting to understand why the board had made her CEO even without any direct gaming management experience, something almost unheard of in the industry. Nik was fast realizing Jules was excelling in her position.

It was one more reason he didn’t want to make changes to management once WYCK bought Coastal.

“Nik?”

Jules looked puzzled, and Nik realized she had asked him a question. “Sorry, could you repeat that?”

“I asked if you had any suggestions from your Ontario properties that we might be able to incorporate here at Coastal.”

“I’m sure there are things we can do. I’ll arrange for you to talk to some of the key people in Ontario.” But not the Ontario CEO, whom Nik was looking to replace. Unlike Jules, the Ontario CEO was turning out to be deadweight, refusing to innovate and unable to think strategically. It was one more item on an endless list of issues Nik dealt with, which was one of the reasons he hadn’t had a vacation in years. Not that he was nearly as upset about this impromptu trip to Vancouver now. Finding out about Ava had changed everything. He couldn’t wait to see her again.

“What time can I come over tonight? I can bring dinner with me, save you and Simone from worrying about cooking.”

Jules barely blinked at his abrupt change of subject, almost like she had been waiting for him to bring up yesterday. “You can leave when I do, if you’re ready. Otherwise you can come over any time after I’m gone. Dinner isn’t necessary. You don’t have to buy something or bring something every time you come over. In fact, please don’t. While Ava loved all of her gifts yesterday, it was too much. She needs to love you for you, not for what you can give her.”

The smile Jules gave him took any sting out of her words. He hadn’t meant to go overboard, but if he was honest, he had been trying to impress both Ava and Jules. Before he could do more than nod, Jules continued.

“We’re having spaghetti tonight. It’s one of Ava’s favourites. We try to eat by six thirty, so we can get Ava bathed and in bed by eight. Can you make that work?”

The thought of a family dinner, a real family dinner, gave him a funny feeling. It was everything he’d always wanted, and yet ... the very real fear that he could lose Ava if he didn’t win Jules over had been building ever since Jules had told him about Ava on Saturday night. His number one priority was Ava, but a close second was convincing Jules to marry him. More than anything, he wanted them to be a family. That was one reason he’d spent time that morning coming up with a plan to show Jules he was more than a billionaire businessman. They needed some time alone to get to know each other better. He’d come up with the idea of a weekend getaway, using his Dream Date win as an excuse. He didn’t want to ask her here, but once Ava was in bed, he would ask her tonight.

“I’ll leave when you do. I want to spend as much time with her as possible. I’m also arranging for the paternity test. I’ll have someone come by the house tonight to take care of it.”

Jules nodded, then bit her lip, making Nik want to kiss her. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”

Jules seemed uncomfortable, which meant this couldn’t be good news. She wasn’t having second thoughts, was she? The thought made him feel physically ill. “Oh?”

“I’m sending you a link you need to see.” Jules tapped on her phone. “Check your email.”

Nik opened the email and clicked the link, finding the website for the local daily paper loading. The article was a gossip piece, and when Nik read the item about the auction, he groaned. “I can’t believe this is newsworthy.”

“It probably wouldn’t have made such an impression if it didn’t involve Michael. But he makes it his mission in life to get written up in the society pages, and our divorce made a few waves. Having him be outbid in such dramatic fashion got people talking. At least they haven’t identified you yet,” she muttered with irritation.

This could be a problem. If he was identified, it could create speculation about what he was doing in Vancouver. Any speculation could affect the share price, making this deal more difficult. Plus, Jules was clearly distressed about it. He wanted to do something to distract her. One more reason to move ahead with his plan for the weekend.

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