CHAPTER ONE
Enrico Megalos. Twenty-five years old. Probably the youngest shipping magnate in the world. Multibillionaire. Owner of Megalos Shipping and Carinosa Cruise Lines.
Asia flipped through the sheets of paper in the file. More details on Megalos shipping. Offices in Miami, Athens and Los Angeles. She shook her head. Megalos had all this wealth and power and yet his own staff had to reach out to her in desperation. The man needed help.
She gathered the papers together then slid the whole lot into her briefcase. She had an appointment with Enrico Megalos in forty-eight minutes and she did not intend to be late.
After graduation from the University of Toronto with a PhD in Psychology, Asia Miller had set up her practice as an image and personality consultant and after only two years in the business she was sought out by individuals and businesses across the greater Miami area. Enrico Megalos, though, would be her most prestigious client.
Based on the profile she’d received and the conversation with the human resources director she knew this assignment was going to be a major challenge, probably the most difficult she’d had to handle so far. Thank God the man had actually agreed to meet with her. Now it was up to her to make a great impression.
Ten fifty-five found Asia sitting in the luxurious lounge of Megalos Shipping’s Miami office. At exactly eleven o’clock a soft-spoken, gray-haired woman came out and greeted her then escorted her into the inner sanctum, the private office of Enrico Megalos himself.
When Asia walked in she blinked, caught off guard by the sheer size and opulence of the room. If it could be called a room. The office space looked as large as half of the entire floor. Furnished with exotic pieces that screamed wealth, the place looked like the palatial residence of a prince. And there, standing by the plate glass windows that looked out onto Miami Bay, stood the royalty in question.
As she entered the room Enrico Megalos stepped away from the window and turned toward her. Asia found herself staring into the deep-set dark eyes of a strikingly handsome man. Tall and lean, he had the poise of a panther preparing to pounce. His jet-black hair glistened in the sunlight streaming through the window, framing his strong, lean face. It was a serious face with not a hint of a smile to be seen, the tight set of his lips clear testament to his displeasure.
“Miss Miller.” His tone brusque, the business tycoon gave her a curt nod and walked toward her, his movements lithe and smooth. In his designer suit of deep charcoal he could have been a model on the runway. But if the man was aware of the gorgeous picture he posed he did not show it. Enrico Megalos was all business.
He held out his hand. “Welcome to Megalos Shipping.”
She glanced down at his lean-fingered hands. A pianist’s hands, agile and strong, with a latent power that could conquer or caress. She looked up at him, the heat of guilt rising in her cheeks. Now why had her thoughts gone there? “Thank you, Mr. Megalos," she said quickly and took his proffered hand.
And that was when something happened. She’d heard about electric shocks and jolts like lightning when there was that special connection between a man and a woman. But…a meltdown? Probably inappropriate, but that was the only word her stricken brain could come up with in her confusion. She, Asia Miller, all of twenty-five years old with a doctorate in Psychology, had simply touched this man’s hand and had suddenly grown moist. Down there. Holy heavens, what was happening to her?
She pulled her hand from his grasp, pretending to brush a piece of lint from her skirt. She needed those couple of seconds to gather her wits about her. She was a professional, here on business. Apparently her body hadn’t received that memo. She would definitely have to rein it in.
“Call me Rico,” he said, not seeming to notice her attempt to put distance between them.
“Rico,” she said, her voice a breathless whisper. She’d meant it to be a bold statement, a simple repetition of what he’d said. Instead, she sounded like she'd just made love.
“Please. Have a seat.” He beckoned toward the chair across from his desk then waited till she’d perched on the seat. Then he walked over to his desk where, instead of going around it to sit in the chair, he set his bottom on the edge, folded his arms across his suit-clad chest and gave her a look of impatience.
“Now, Miss Miller,” he said coolly, “on the request of my head of HR I agreed to meet with you this morning. I have a tight schedule today so let's make this quick. What do you need to know about me?”
His abruptness took her by surprise. No preamble, just straight to the point. No problem. She could be just as direct.
“Thank you for slotting me into your busy schedule,” she said, her tone brisk. “Mrs. Haye told me she already spoke to you about why I’m here.”
He frowned. “Yes, some horse manure about needing me to tone down. There’s a problem with my management style, apparently.”
“Yes, Mr. Megalos…Rico…there is.” Asia reached down and slid her briefcase onto her lap. She unzipped it as she spoke. “Your management style is very upsetting to your staff. They cannot function in an environment where their leader shouts, pounds his fists on the table and uses swear words.”
“No-one’s complained,” he growled, obviously put out by her plain speech.
“Not to you, they haven’t. But there have been several complaints to your HR department.” Asia shook her head but smiled in an attempt to lighten her next statement. “If you were an employee you would have been let go already. Unfortunately, your team can’t fire the owner of the firm so they called me.”
For the first time since she’d entered his office Rico Megalos smiled. “And you have the magic formula to change me?”
“I hope so,” she said, responding to his smile. “I’ve made a name for myself in this business. As a personality coach I’ve been able to help a lot of people and I think I can help you, too.”
“How?”
“I won’t try to change you, Rico. You will have to change yourself.”
“And what if I don’t want to change?” His voice was full of challenge.