Шома Нараянан – An Offer She Can't Refuse (страница 2)

Mallika hesitated. It had seemed so glamorous when someone from the Nidas Group had headhunted her to discuss a director level role. Nidas was big—it had been set up by a bunch of young dotcom entrepreneurs a decade ago, and they’d struck gold in almost every business they’d tried their hand at.

They’d started off with online share trading and investments, but later branched off into venture capital and real estate and done much better than players who’d been in the market for thrice the time. Being considered for a directorship in the firm at the age of twenty-nine was a huge ego-boost—it wouldn’t have been possible in any other firm, but at Nidas the directors were quite young, and they didn’t hold her age against her.

Her first few meetings with Nidas had been preliminary ones, screening her for this final interview with Darius Mistry. For a few days she’d actually thought she could do it—be like any of the other women she’d gone to business school with, take charge of her career, interview with other employers, pretend that she had a normal life like everyone else. Reality was sinking in only now.

She glanced across at Darius. When she’d heard the name she’d imagined a paunchy, cheerful, white-haired man—she’d had a Parsi drama teacher at school who’d also been called Darius, and he’d looked just like Santa Claus minus the beard. Darius Mistry had come as a bit of a surprise.

True, his Persian ancestry showed in his pale colouring and hawklike features, but he was in his early thirties, tall and broad-shouldered, and as unlike her former drama teacher as an eagle from a turkey. Not good-looking in the traditional sense, more disturbingly attractive, and he emanated a quiet power and control that had Mallika caught in its glow.

He was still waiting for her to answer, she realised. ‘No, I’m fine here,’ she said. ‘Actually, I just made up my mind. I don’t think I want to take the interview any further. I’m sorry—I should have thought this through properly.’

Darius frowned. This afternoon really was not going to plan. Mallika had been interviewed by his HR team, as well as by one of his colleagues, and everyone who’d met her had been very impressed. Apparently she’d come across as being sharply intelligent and very, very good at what she did. He’d also looked at the performance of the real estate fund she managed. It had done extremely well, even in a volatile and completely unpredictable market, and before he’d met Mallika he’d built up an image of a hard-nosed, practical businesswoman.

The reality was different enough to be intriguing.

For a few seconds he wondered if she was playing hard to get. People used all kinds of techniques to drive up the benefits package they were offered, but very few started so early in the process. And Mallika looked troubled, a little upset—whatever the reason for her sudden decision to stop the interview process, it definitely wasn’t a hard-nosed or practical one.

‘You’ve spent almost five years with your current firm,’ he said. ‘I know the thought of switching jobs can be a bit overwhelming, but there’s no harm going through with the interview process, is there? Once you hear what we’re offering you can always say no.’

‘I guess …’ she said slowly. ‘I just don’t want to waste your time.’

‘My whole night is dedicated to you,’ he said.

Promptly Mallika thought of all the things they could get up to together. Her cheeks flushed a little and she took a hasty sip of water, hoping he hadn’t noticed her confusion.

‘So, how much has Venkat told you about the job?’ Darius asked.

‘He told me about how you and he set up the share trading division,’ she said. ‘And how you got a real estate fund going, and that you now want to concentrate on the venture capital side and hire someone to manage the fund for you.’

‘That’s right,’ Darius said. ‘The fund was an offshoot of our investments business and it’s been doing well—we’ve consistently outperformed the market.’

She seemed interested, Darius noted as he began telling her more about the role. She was frowning in concentration, and the few questions she asked were focussed and showed that she’d done a good deal of research on the firm and on the job. He asked a few questions in turn, and it was clear that Venkat hadn’t been wrong. Mallika knew pretty much everything there was to know about running a real estate fund.

‘Does it sound like something you’d like to do?’ he asked finally.

It was as if he’d shaken her out of a daydream—her vibrantly alive expression dulled, and her shoulders slumped just a little.

‘I love the sound of the job,’ she said, almost unwillingly. ‘But the timing’s not right for me. I have a lot going on right now, and I think maybe it’s best I stay where I am.’

‘Do you want to take a day to think it over?’

Mallika shook her head. ‘No, I … I think I’m pretty clear that it won’t work out. I’m so sorry—I know you have a busy schedule, and I should have thought this through properly before agreeing to meet you.’

She looked so genuinely contrite that he impulsively leaned across the table to cover her hand with his, making her look up in surprise.

‘Don’t worry about it,’ he said, masking his disappointment. ‘I’m meeting other people as well, but if you do change your mind let me know.’

Mallika blinked at him, uncharacteristically at a loss for words. It was like being hit by a train, she thought, confused. She’d been so focussed on what he was saying, on trying to stay professional, that she’d forgotten quite how attractive he was. Then he’d smiled and taken her hand, and the feel of his warm skin against hers had sent her long-dormant hormones into overdrive.

We like this man, they were saying excitedly. Where did you find him? Can we keep him? Please?

So much for a dispassionate admiration of his looks, she thought, trying to quell the seriously crazy thoughts racing through her brain. There was good-looking, and there was scorching hot—and Darius definitely fell into the second category. The first time she’d grabbed his hand she’d been too worked up to notice—this time a simple touch had sent her hormones into overdrive.

Gingerly, she slid her hand out from under his and gave him what she hoped was a sufficiently cool and professional smile.

‘I’ll tell you if I change my mind,’ she managed as she pulled together her scattered thoughts.

‘The salary is negotiable,’ he added.

She shook her head. ‘It’s not about the money,’ she assured him. ‘But thanks for letting me know.’

Darius knew when not to push—and he also knew he wasn’t going to give up so easily.

Mallika looked as if she was all set to leave, and he glanced at his watch. ‘It’s almost eight-thirty,’ he said. ‘I’m starving, and I’m sure you are too. D’you have time for a quick bite?’

Perhaps he could get to the bottom of her sudden withdrawal and convince her otherwise.

He was almost sure she was going to say yes, but then her phone pinged and she gave the display a harassed look.

‘I need to go,’ she said, her attention clearly torn between him and whoever had just messaged her. Her expression was distracted as she stood up hurriedly, her short curls swinging around her cheeks. ‘Thanks for being so nice about everything.’

She put her hand out, and Darius got to his feet as he took it. ‘Nice’ wasn’t the impression he wanted to leave her with. ‘Nice’ suggested she’d forget him the minute she stepped out of the hotel. And he wasn’t going to let that happen.

‘I’ll be in touch,’ he said, keeping her hand in his a fraction longer than strictly necessary.

She didn’t reply, but she blinked once, and he realised that she wasn’t quite as unaffected by him as she was pretending to be. It was a cheering thought, and he smiled as she walked away.

He’d found her intriguing—an unusual mix of the ultra-competent and the overcautious. And the attraction between them had been hot and instantaneous—if it hadn’t been a work meeting he would definitely have taken things further. As it was, he was forced to let her walk away with only a tepid assurance of being in touch later.

The smell of freshly baked bread wafted past, reminding Darius of how hungry he was. He glanced around. Eating alone had never appealed to him, and if he stayed Mallika’s boss might see him and come across to ask where Mallika was. He felt strangely protective of the intriguing woman he had only known for a couple of hours.

Mentally he ran through his options. Going home and ordering in. Calling up a friend and heading to a restaurant. Turning up at the excruciatingly boring corporate event he’d earlier declined.

The corporate event was the least appealing, but it would give him an opportunity to network with a bunch of people who could be useful to Nidas in the future. It wasn’t too far away, either, and if he left now he’d be able to get there, hang around for an hour or so and still get home in time to catch the last bulletin on his favourite news channel.

He was handing the attendant his valet parking ticket when he spotted Mallika getting into an expensive-looking chauffeur-driven car. She was talking on the phone, and he caught a few words before the doorman closed the door for her and the car zoomed off.