"I beg your pardon." Lena adjusted the strap of her purse. "I appreciate you stopping the elevator for me."

Gage cleared his throat. "Do you make it a habit of running through office buildings?"

He wasn’t sure if the pink highlighting her cheeks was from running across his executive offices or embarrassment. 

"No. As a matter of fact, I don’t."

"I see," Gage said firmly. He pushed his thumb against the elevator button to descend to the first floor. "If I had time, I’d give you some sound advice on displaying professionalism in an office."

He could feel her eyes boring into his back. Gage turned and discovered a pair of golden brown eyes aflame with emotion. Intimidation was his specialty, but this particular woman appeared ready to stand her ground.

"I assure you, I am nothing but professional." She lifted her chin. "I have an impeccable reputation. My work and character are above reproach."

Gage was a master at hiding his thoughts. He smiled inwardly. The woman did possess a fiery spirit. He had always had the ability to read people the moment he met them. Women called it intuition. He preferred calling it gut instinct. The encounter might prove to be interesting.

"Suppose you introduce yourself," he smiled wryly. "If you have such a fine reputation, perhaps I’ve heard of you."

"I would be happy to," she said smoothly, ignoring his arrogant tone, "after all, we were scheduled for a meeting this morning."

"This morning?" He slipped his hands into his suit pockets. "You’ll need to be more specific. I’ve been in meetings since 7:00 a.m."

"I’m Lena Hanson." Her eyes narrowed slightly and reached out to shake his hand. "I’m the International Consultant you were to meet with this morning. We were to discuss the European conference you are planning to attend next month."

"The conference," he said absently. "Of course."

He looked down at her long, elegant fingers and grasped her hand. She had the hands of an artist. The softness was mingled with a strength that made a man wonder how they would feel on his back.

"It’s a pleasure Ms. Hanson." He gently squeezed her hand. "Gage McCotter. My apologies, but something came up. I was forced to cancel the appointment. I’m sure my assistant notified you."

"I was never informed you canceled the meeting." Lena slid her hand from his grasp. "The receptionist simply told me you were out of the office."

"Unfortunate."

His piercing gaze was beginning to unnerve her composure. Gage McCotter’s eyes were the shade of finely polished smoky quartz stone. They were clear, intelligent and full of mystery. The moment she entered the elevator, she felt the wind sag from her sails of righteous indignation. She had quickly reassessed her approach and determined another course of action. A woman could not storm forward with her demands with this man. She would get what she wanted by applying a bit of feminine tact, reason and confidence.

"I understand that a man in your position is very busy." Lena cleared her throat firmly. "However, I think it would be mutually beneficial for us to reschedule our meeting. Perhaps tomorrow morning or later in the week?"

There you are, Lena thought. She presented her position while remaining calm and professional, yet feminine.

"I’m sure we can arrange something." He began to turn away as the elevator came to a stop. "You’ll need to contact my assistant. My schedule is tight and one of my research projects is demanding a lot of my time."

Lena felt her opportunity slipping through her fingers. The truth was she didn’t want to work through his assistant. The meeting would never happen if she let Gage walk out. For heaven’s sake, he doesn’t even know about the men she had encountered earlier. The ring of the elevator door opening prompted Lena into desperate action. So much for taking the feminine approach, she groaned silently. Stepping forward, Lena used her briefcase and slender frame to block his exit.

Foreign Affair-5>>>