open bathroom door. Hopping out of bed, she reached for the button-up shirt she’d worn the night before, slipping it on she padded across the room.
Max was standing in front of the mirror, dressed only in his pajama bottoms, and she let her gaze run over his well-muscled back. As his eyes met hers in the mirror, Sydney waited for those feelings of awkwardness that sometimes came the morning after she’d slept with a guy. But Max didn’t seem to be exhibiting any of them, and neither was she. That was a relief.
He gave her a lopsided grin. “Morning.”
She smiled back. “Morning.”
Max walked over to cup her face in his hands and kiss her. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
“You didn’t. I woke up all on my own.” She looped her arms around his neck. “But I would have preferred to have you beside me when I did.”
He brushed her hair back from her face. “Sorry about that. I figured I’d better use the bathroom first before you got in here and started hogging it.”
“Very funny.” She made a face at him. “I’ll have you know, I’m very low maintenance.”
“That’s good to know. But it wouldn’t matter if you weren’t. I’d still share the bathroom with you. Though maybe with double sinks, else we’d never get to work on time.”
She laughed.
“I was just about to jump in the shower,” he said. “Want to join me?”
Giving Max a sexy smile, Sydney took off the shirt and let it fall to the floor.
* * *
Thanks to Max and his creative tongue, showering together took longer than either of them realized. By the time they came out of the bathroom, it was already after eight-thirty. More than a little pressed for time, she and Max threw on their clothes, then stopped at Starbucks to pick up coffee before taking the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito.
When they arrived at Sentinal, they went directly to the CEO’s office. Sydney had arranged for the meeting before they’d left Seattle, so she expected to go right in to see the man. But she and Max had to wait for almost an hour before the secretary showed them into his office.
Thomas Burton was a portly man in his sixties with gray hair and a bushy mustache. Though not exactly rude, he greeted them coolly before asking them to have a seat. Something about the man made Sydney take an immediate dislike to him, but she tried not to let it show.
“So, what can I do for you, Mr. Daniels?” the man asked as he lowered his bulky frame into the chair behind his desk.
Max sat back. “As I’m sure you’re aware, there have been severe cost overruns on the government contract you’re doing for Design-Tech. While going over the cost and production figures, my assistant and I found some irregularities we’d like to discuss with you. We’re hoping it’s just an accounting error on our end, but we wanted to check your books to see where the discrepancies might lie.”
Burton looked taken aback. “Are you accusing someone at Sentinal of stealing?”
“I’m not accusing anyone of anything,” Max said smoothly. “I’m just saying that we’d like to see the books.”
“What you’re suggesting is highly irregular, Mr. Daniels.” Burton frowned. “We may only be a subcontractor, but that doesn’t give you any authority to see proprietary company information. And our accounting records certainly fall into that category.”
Max’s smile was placating. “I understand your reluctance. I wouldn’t appreciate someone coming into my company implying I was doing something wrong—and that’s not what we’re doing here, just so you know. But these overruns are real, and if we don’t get a handle on them soon, Congress is going to cancel the program. And that wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interest. I’m only asking to see very specific accounting records related to the discrepancies we discovered. You have my word that we’re not using this as a fishing expedition to
Max was standing in front of the mirror, dressed only in his pajama bottoms, and she let her gaze run over his well-muscled back. As his eyes met hers in the mirror, Sydney waited for those feelings of awkwardness that sometimes came the morning after she’d slept with a guy. But Max didn’t seem to be exhibiting any of them, and neither was she. That was a relief.
He gave her a lopsided grin. “Morning.”
She smiled back. “Morning.”
Max walked over to cup her face in his hands and kiss her. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
“You didn’t. I woke up all on my own.” She looped her arms around his neck. “But I would have preferred to have you beside me when I did.”
He brushed her hair back from her face. “Sorry about that. I figured I’d better use the bathroom first before you got in here and started hogging it.”
“Very funny.” She made a face at him. “I’ll have you know, I’m very low maintenance.”
“That’s good to know. But it wouldn’t matter if you weren’t. I’d still share the bathroom with you. Though maybe with double sinks, else we’d never get to work on time.”
She laughed.
“I was just about to jump in the shower,” he said. “Want to join me?”
Giving Max a sexy smile, Sydney took off the shirt and let it fall to the floor.
* * *
Thanks to Max and his creative tongue, showering together took longer than either of them realized. By the time they came out of the bathroom, it was already after eight-thirty. More than a little pressed for time, she and Max threw on their clothes, then stopped at Starbucks to pick up coffee before taking the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito.
When they arrived at Sentinal, they went directly to the CEO’s office. Sydney had arranged for the meeting before they’d left Seattle, so she expected to go right in to see the man. But she and Max had to wait for almost an hour before the secretary showed them into his office.
Thomas Burton was a portly man in his sixties with gray hair and a bushy mustache. Though not exactly rude, he greeted them coolly before asking them to have a seat. Something about the man made Sydney take an immediate dislike to him, but she tried not to let it show.
“So, what can I do for you, Mr. Daniels?” the man asked as he lowered his bulky frame into the chair behind his desk.
Max sat back. “As I’m sure you’re aware, there have been severe cost overruns on the government contract you’re doing for Design-Tech. While going over the cost and production figures, my assistant and I found some irregularities we’d like to discuss with you. We’re hoping it’s just an accounting error on our end, but we wanted to check your books to see where the discrepancies might lie.”
Burton looked taken aback. “Are you accusing someone at Sentinal of stealing?”
“I’m not accusing anyone of anything,” Max said smoothly. “I’m just saying that we’d like to see the books.”
“What you’re suggesting is highly irregular, Mr. Daniels.” Burton frowned. “We may only be a subcontractor, but that doesn’t give you any authority to see proprietary company information. And our accounting records certainly fall into that category.”
Max’s smile was placating. “I understand your reluctance. I wouldn’t appreciate someone coming into my company implying I was doing something wrong—and that’s not what we’re doing here, just so you know. But these overruns are real, and if we don’t get a handle on them soon, Congress is going to cancel the program. And that wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interest. I’m only asking to see very specific accounting records related to the discrepancies we discovered. You have my word that we’re not using this as a fishing expedition to
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