Unlocking Her Boss's Heart

by Christy McKellen

Selfishly, it was a massive relief to know that none of his dark moods had been about her performance—apart from when she’d fallen asleep on the kitchen table during business hours, of course.

  After he’d left for Manchester, she’d had a minor panic attack about how she was going to cope on her own, terrified of making a mistake that would impact negatively on the business, but, after giving herself a good talking-to in the mirror, she’d pulled it together and got on with the job in hand. And she’d been fine. More than fine. In fact she’d actually started to enjoy her job again as she relaxed into the role and reasserted her working practices.

  Truth be told, before she’d started working for Max, she didn’t know whether she’d be able to hold her nerve in a business environment any more. He’d been a hard taskmaster but she knew she’d benefited from that, discovering that she had the strength to stand up for herself when it counted. She’d been tested to her limits and she’d come through the other side and that, to her, had been her biggest achievement in a very long time.

  She felt proud of herself again.

  As the first half drew to a close she became increasingly conscious of the heat radiating from Max’s powerful body and his arm that pressed up against hers as he leaned into the armrest. Her skin felt hot and prickly where it touched his, as if he was giving off an electric charge, and it was sending little currents of energy through the most disconcerting places in her body.

  It seemed her crush on him had grown right along with her respect and she was agonisingly aware of how easy it would be to fall for him if she let herself.

  Which she wasn’t going to do. He was clearly still in love with his wife and there was no way she could compete with a ghost.

  Only pain and heartache lay that way.

  As soon as the curtain swished closed and the lights came on to signal the intermission she sprang up from her seat, eager to break their physical connection as soon as possible.

  ‘Let’s grab a drink,’ Max said, leaning in close so she could hear him over the noise of audience chatter, his breath tickling the hairs around her ear.

  ‘Good idea.’ She was eager to move now to release the pent-up energy that was making her heart race.

  Max gestured for her to go first, staying close behind her as they walked down the stairs towards the bar, his dominating presence like a looming shadow at her back.

  They joined the rest of the audience at the bottom of the stairs and she pushed her way through the shouty crowd of people towards the shiny black-lacquered bar, which was already six people deep with waiting customers.

  ‘Hmm, this could take a while,’ she said to Max as they came to a stop at the outskirts of the throng.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ll get the drinks,’ he said, walking around the perimeter of the group as if gauging the best place to make a start. ‘Glass of wine?’ he asked.

  ‘Red please.’

  ‘Okay, I’m going in,’ he said, taking an audible breath and turning to the side to shoulder through a small gap between two groups of chatting people with their backs to each other.

  Cara watched in fascinated awe as Max made it to the bar in record time, flipping a friendly smile as he sidled through the crowd and charming a group of women into letting him into a small gap at the counter next to them.

  After making sure his newly made friends were served first, he placed his order with the barman and was back a few moments later, two glasses of red wine held aloft in a gesture of celebration.

  ‘Wow, nice work,’ Cara said, accepting a glass and trying not to grin like a loon. ‘I’ve never seen anyone work a bar crowd like that before.’

  Max shrugged and took a sip of wine, pinning a look of exaggerated nonchalance onto his face. ‘I have hidden depths.’

  She started to laugh, but it dried in her throat as she locked eyes with someone on the other side of the room.

  Someone she thought she’d never see again.

  Swallowing hard, she dragged her gaze back to Max and dredged up a smile, grasping for cool so she wouldn’t have to explain her sudden change in mood.

  But it was not to be. The man was too astute for his own good.

  ‘Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,’ he said, his intelligent eyes flashing with concern.

  Damn and blast. This was the last thing she wanted to have to deal with tonight.

  ‘Fine,’ she squeaked, her cheeks growing hot under the intensity of his gaze.

  ‘Cara. I thought we’d agreed to be straight with each other from now on.’

  Sighing, she nodded towards the other side of the bar. ‘That guy over there is an old friend of mine.’

  He frowned as she failed to keep the hurt out of her voice and she internally kicked herself for being so transparent.

  ‘He can’t be a very good friend if you’re ignoring each other.’

  She sighed and tapped at the floor with the toe of her shoe. ‘It’s complicated.’

  He raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to go on.

  After pausing for a moment, she decided there was no point in trying to gloss over it. ‘The thing is—his fiancée has a problem with me.’

  ‘Really? Why?’

  ‘Because I’m female.’

  He folded his arms. ‘She’s the jealous type, huh?’

  ‘Yeah. And no matter how much Jack’s tried to convince her that our friendship is purely platonic, she won’t believe him. So I’ve been confined to the rubbish heap of Friends Lost and Passed Over.’ She huffed out a sigh. ‘I can’t really blame him for making that choice, though. He loves her and I want him to be happy, and if that means we can’t be friends any more then so be it.’

  The look of bewildered outrage in Max’s expression made the breath catch in her throat and she practically stopped breathing altogether as he reached out and stroked his hand down her arm in a show of solidarity, his touch sending tingles of pure pleasure through every nerve in her body.

  Staring up into his handsome face, she wondered again what it would feel like to have someone like Max for a partner. To know that he was on her side and that he had her back, no matter what happened.

  But she was kidding herself. He was never going to offer her the chance to find out. She was his employee and she’d do well to remember that.

  Tearing her gaze away from him, she glanced back across the room to where the fiancée in question had now appeared by Jack’s side. From a distance they appeared to be having a heated discussion about something, their heads close together as they gesticulated at each other. As she watched, they suddenly sprang apart and Jack turned to catch her eye again, already moving towards where she and Max were standing.

  He was coming over.

  Her body tensed with apprehension and she jumped in surprise as Max put his hand on her arm again, then increased his grip, as if readying himself to spirit her away from a painful confrontation.

  ‘Cara! It’s been ages,’ Jack said as he came to a stop in front of her, looking just as boyishly handsome as ever, with his lopsided grin and great mop of wavy blond hair.

  ‘It has, Jack.’

  ‘How are you?’ he asked, looking a little shame-faced now, as well he should. They’d become good friends after meeting at their first jobs after university and had been close once, spending weekends at each other’s houses and standing in as ‘plus ones’ at weddings and parties if either of them were single and in need of support.

  There had been a time when she’d wondered whether they’d end up together, but as time had passed it became obvious that wasn’t meant to be. He was a great guy, but the chemistry just wasn’t there for her—or for him, it seemed. But seeing him here now reminded her just how much she missed his friendship. She could have really done with his support after Ewan sauntered away from their relationship in search
of someone with less emotional baggage, but it had been at that point that his fiancée had issued her ultimatum, and Cara had well and truly been the loser in that contest.

  Not that she blamed him for choosing Amber. She had to respect his loyalty to the woman he loved.

  ‘I’m great, Jack, thanks. How are you—’ she paused and flicked her gaze to his fiancée, who had now appeared at his side ‘—both?’ Somehow she managed to dredge up a smile for the woman. ‘Hi, Amber.’

  ‘Hi, Cara, we’re great, thanks,’ Amber said, acerbity dripping from every word as she pointedly wrapped a possessive arm around Jack’s waist. Turning to look at Max, she gave him a subtle, but telling, once-over.

  ‘And who’s this?’

  ‘This is Max...’ Cara took a breath, about to say my boss, when Max cut her off to lean in and shake hands with Amber.

  ‘It’s lovely to meet you, Amber,’ he said in the same smooth tone she’d heard him use to appease clients.

  It worked just as well on Amber because her cheeks flooded with colour and she actually fluttered her lashes at him. Turning back to Cara, she gave her a cool smile, her expression puzzled, as if she was trying to work out how she’d got her hands on someone as impressive as Max.

  ‘Did Jack tell you—our wedding’s on Sunday so this evening is our last hurrah before married life?’ Amber’s eyes twinkled with malice. ‘Jack’s firm is very well reputed in the City and people practically throw invitations at him every day,’ she said, her tone breezy but her eyes hard, as though she was challenging Cara to beat her with something better than that.

  Which, of course, she had no hope of doing.

  Pushing away the thump of humiliation, Cara forced her mouth into the shape of a smile.

  ‘That’s wonderful—congratulations! I had no idea the wedding was so soon.’

  Amber leaned in and gave her a pitying smile. ‘We’ve kept it a small affair, which is why we couldn’t send you an invitation, Cara.’

  Max shifted next to her, pulling her a bit tighter against him in the process and surprising her again by rubbing her arm in support. She wondered whether he could feel how fast her pulse was racing through her body with him holding her so close.

  ‘But we had two spaces open up this week,’ Jack said suddenly and a little too loudly, as if he’d finally decided to step out of his fiancée’s shadow and take control. ‘My cousin and her husband have had to drop out to visit sick family abroad. If you’re not busy you could come in their place.’

  Judging by the look on Amber’s face, she obviously hadn’t had this in mind when she’d agreed to be dragged over here.

  ‘It would be great if you could make it,’ Jack pressed, his expression open, almost pleading now. It seemed that he genuinely wanted her to be there. Perhaps this was his way of making things up to her after cutting her out of his life so brutally. At least that was something.

  But she couldn’t say yes when the invitation was for both her and Max and she hated the idea of turning up and spending the day on her own amongst all those happy couples.

  Before she could open her mouth to make up an excuse and turn them down, Max leaned in and said, ‘Thank you—we’d love to come.’

  She swivelled her head to gape at him, almost giving herself whiplash in the process, stunned to find a look of cool certainty on his face.

  ‘Are you sure we’re not busy?’ she said pointedly, raising both eyebrows at him.

  ‘I’m sure,’ he replied with a firm nod.

  Turning back to Jack, she gave him what must have been the weirdest-looking smile. ‘Okay—er—’ she swallowed ‘—then we’d love to come. Thanks.’

  ‘That’s great,’ Jack said, giving her a look that both said I’m sorry for everything and thank you.

  ‘We’d better go and get a drink before the performance starts again,’ Amber said with steel in her voice, her patience clearly used up now.

  ‘I’ll text you with the details, Cara,’ Jack said as Amber drew him away.

  ‘Okay, see you on Sunday,’ Cara said weakly to their disappearing figures.

  As soon as they were out of earshot she turned to stare at Max, no doubt doing her impression of a goldfish again.

  ‘He’s a brave man,’ was all Max said in reply.

  ‘You realise they think we’re a couple?’

  He nodded, a fierce intensity in his eyes causing a delicious shiver to rush down her spine. ‘I know, but I wanted to see the look on that awful woman’s face when we said yes, and I have no problem pretending to be your partner if it’s going to smooth the way back to a friendship with Jack for you.’

  Max as her partner. Just the thought of it made her quiver right down to her toes.

  ‘That’s—’ she searched for the right words ‘—game of you.’

  ‘It’ll be my pleasure.’

  There was an odd moment where the noises around her seemed to get very loud in her ears. Tearing her gaze away from his, she gulped down the last of her wine and wrapped her hands around the glass in order to prevent herself from chewing on her nails.

  Okay. Well, that happened.

  Who knew that Max would turn out to be her knight in shining armour?

  CHAPTER SIX

  MAX HAD NO idea where this strange possessiveness towards Cara had sprung from, but he hadn’t been about to let that awful woman, Amber, treat her with so little respect. She deserved more than that. Much more. And while she was working for him he was going to make sure she got it.

  Which meant he was now going to be escorting her to a wedding—the kind of event he’d sworn to avoid after Jemima died. The thought of being back in a church, watching a couple with their whole lives ahead of them begin their journey together, made his stomach clench with unease.

  One year—that was all he’d been allowed with his wife. One lousy year. It made him want to spit with rage at the world. Why her? Why them?

  Still, at least he didn’t know the happy couple and would be able to keep a low profile at the wedding, hiding his bitterness behind a bland smile. He didn’t need to engage. He’d just be there to support Cara; that was all.

  After the play finished they travelled home in silence, a stark contrast to their journey there, but he was glad of the quiet. Perversely, it felt as though he and Cara had grown closer during that short time, the confrontation and subsequent solidarity banding them together like teammates.

  Which of course they were, he reminded himself as he opened the front door to his house and ushered her inside, at least when it came to the business.

  Cara’s phone beeped as she shrugged off her coat and she plucked it out of her handbag and read the message, her smile dropping by degrees as she scanned the text.

  ‘Problem?’ he asked, an uncomfortable sense of foreboding pricking at the edge of his mind. It had taken him a long time to be able to answer the phone without feeling the crush of anxiety he’d been plagued with after the call telling him his wife had collapsed and had been rushed into hospital.

  He took a step closer to her, glad she was here to distract him from the lingering bad memories.

  Glancing up, she gave him a sheepish look. ‘It’s a text from Jack with the details of the wedding.’

  ‘Oh, right.’ He stepped back, relief flowing through him, but Cara didn’t appear to relax. Instead her grimace only deepened.

  ‘Um. Apparently it’s in Leicestershire. Which is a two and a half hour drive from here. So we’ll need to stay overnight.’ She wrinkled her nose, the apology clear on her face.

  Great. Just what had he let himself in for here?

  ‘No problem,’ he forced himself to say, holding back the irritation he felt at the news. It wasn’t Cara’s fault and he was the one who had pushed for this to happen.

  More fool him.
>
  ‘Really? You don’t mind?’ she asked, relief clear in her tone.

  ‘No, it’s fine,’ he lied, trying not to think about all the hours he’d have to spend away from his desk so he could make nice with a bunch of strangers.

  ‘Great, then I’ll book us a couple of rooms in the B&B that Jack suggested,’ she said, her smile returning.

  ‘You do that.’ He gave her a firm nod and hid a yawn behind his hand. ‘I’m heading off to bed,’ he said, feeling the stress of the week finally catching up with him. ‘See you in the morning, Cara. And Happy Birthday.’

  * * *

  Cara disappeared for most of the next day, apparently going to look at potential flats to rent, then retiring to bed early, citing exhaustion from the busy, but fruitless, day.

  After the tension of Friday night, Max was glad of the respite and spent most of his time working through the backlog of emails he’d accumulated after his week away.

  Sunday finally rolled around and he woke early, staring into the cool empty air next to him and experiencing the usual ache of hollowness in his chest, before pulling himself together and hoisting his carcass out of bed and straight into the shower.

  The wedding was at midday so at least he had a couple of hours to psych himself up before they had to head over to the Leicestershire estate where it was being held.

  The sun was out and glinting off the polished windows of the houses opposite when he pulled his curtains open, momentarily blinding him with its brightness. It was definitely a day for being outdoors.

  He’d barely breathed fresh air in the past week, only moving between office and hotel, and the thought of feeling the warm sun on his skin spurred him into action. He pulled on his running gear, something he’d not done for over a year and a half, and went for a long run, welcoming the numbing pain as he worked his lethargic muscles hard, followed by the rewarding rush of serotonin as it chased its way through his veins. After a while it felt as though he was flying along the pavement, the worries and stresses of the past week pushed to the very back of his mind by the punishing exercise.

  For the first time in a long while he felt as if he were truly awake.