She schooled her expression and summoned a casual smile. "Hiding, out?" Lena forced a chuckle. "How funny. I came down to help myself to some coffee."

Matt's eyebrows lifted in mock disbelief.  Lena knew that Matt was concerned that she had overhead his conversation with the other man. She was determined to bluff her way through an uncomfortable situation.

"Elise Boyer stopped by Mr. McCotter’s office a few moments ago," Lena informed helpfully. Her best course of action was to redirect his attention to another topic. "She needed to speak to him on an important matter."

Matt hesitated before walking to the refrigerator and snapping the door back. "Tell me, what did you think of my Elise?" He reached inside and withdrew a bottle of water.

His tone held a distinct predatory element. He made it sound like Elise was an admirable bobble he had put on display.

"She seemed pleasant," Lena responded blandly.

Lena had no intention of revealing her opinion of Elise to Matt. From all accounts, Elise Boyer was a gold digger. Whatever the reason for Gage’s and Elise’s split, Lena knew one thing for certain. Elise had wasted no time making a connection with Matt. Lena wondered what the real story was behind these three people.

"I imagine she didn’t particularly like you," he said. He took a step closer while his eyes traveled from the tip of her head to her toes. "Elise generally prefers to be the only attractive woman in a room."

Lena felt a warning tickle at the nape of her neck. She recognized blunt male interest. She also suspected Matt of being involved in the leak at NST Technology. The combination made him a dangerous man at the moment. Lena knew it was time for her to leave.

"If you’ll excuse me, I should get back." She cleared her throat authoritatively. "I would imagine their meeting is about finished."

Lena put her cup down on the counter and prepared to leave. Matt moved faster than she would have anticipated. He stepped in front of her, blocking the only exit from the kitchen.

"Don’t hurry away," he said with unconcealed sensual interest. "Elise will keep Gage occupied for a while. We can take the time to get to know each other better. Perhaps we can discuss my need of your services."

Something akin to rage suddenly coiled within her. Lena had been on edge ever since she received the ominous warning last night. She was growing weary of being the recipient of threats and unwanted advances. Her discarded coffee cup was within easy reach. Perhaps she would extricate herself from this situation by slamming it over Matt’s head?

"My schedule is quite full at the moment," Lena said coolly. "I’m afraid I’ll need to decline your offer."

A swoosh of energy reverberated in the air as a young man dashed into the kitchen.

"Hey, Mr. Kesselman," the red headed man chirped. His youth and energy immediately classified him as an intern. "What’s happening?"

Matt casually drew away from Lena. The young man was so preoccupied with grabbing a cookie and slipping a cup of tea in the microwave, he didn’t appear to notice the underlying tension in the room.

"I hope to have those reports you asked for by the end of the day," he said cheerfully. Three quick beeps and the microwave came to life. "We’ve had trouble accessing some of the data. Some airhead deleted the Project Windowpane file. The guys from IT are working on the problem."

Matt regarded Lena with a determined look then directed his attention to the man. "Johnny," he said smoothly, "If you can’t get the numbers from Project Windowpane, give me what you have."

"No prob, Mr. Kesselman." Johnny peered into the microwave to watch his tea water heat. "I do have a question for you," he continued.

"And what would that be?" Matt said slowly. He shot a glance to Lena that spoke volumes. He wasn’t going to take "no" for an answer.

Lena knew it was her chance to escape the kitchen. She turned and briskly made her way to the door. "If you’ll excuse me, I must return to Mr. McCotter’s office."

Before Matt could respond, she had scooted out the door.

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Foreign Affair - 27  >>>