Married. Jason had never in his life pursued a married woman. Never. How was he supposed to stay on this trip with her if he was attracted to her? How were they supposed to go back to the way they worked together only earlier today with this kiss hanging between them? Hell if he knew.
Once up in his room, Jason ripped off his tie and jacket and stalked the interior. He couldn’t afford to let Maggie leave; she was too important to what he hoped to accomplish business-wise on this trip. But if he was going to survive the next couple of weeks, he was going to have to put some strict parameters on them so that they weren’t in any more of these situations.
Booting up his tablet, he pulled up their itinerary. They had three days scheduled in Boston and then four in New York. The Boston meetings were going to be lengthy but they were going to be in large groups and in offices; no chance of slow dancing and drinking there. Once in New York their schedule was a little more open due to the fact that he couldn’t get all of the appointments he wanted scheduled due to the weekend so they’d have a day or so with nothing to do. That could pose a problem.
What if he told her to call her husband and Jason would fly him in for the weekend? Maybe seeing the two of them together would be just what he needed to put everything in perspective and remind him of why he needed to keep his distance.
The plan was perfect. Sighing with relief, he stripped and got ready for bed. Tomorrow when they were en route to Boston, he’d surprise her with his idea. Maybe Maggie was just missing her husband and that was why she’d kissed him.
Lying down, Jason turned out the light and stared at the darkened ceiling and thought about Maggie’s lips on his and the man who had the right to kiss them any time he wanted. His final thought as sleep claimed him was “lucky bastard”.
****
They were finally airborne and Maggie was pulling up the files that she wanted to review with Jason when he finally spoke. “Listen I was thinking, we’re scheduled for three days in Boston but realistically, we can be done in two. That means we can hit Manhattan by Saturday morning and then we don’t have any meetings until Monday. Why don’t you call your husband and I’ll fly him up for the weekend?” He was quite proud of himself for thinking of it but the look of pure horror on Maggie’s face had him reconsidering.
“What?” she cried. “Why? Why would you do that? We have a schedule to keep and there’s no time to just change things around like that. It’s not necessary, really. We have a lot to do and accomplish and you’re not paying me to have a weekend getaway.”
Wow, protest much? He thought to himself. “I just thought since we’ve been working so hard that maybe you would appreciate having a bit of a break. Most people at least get the weekend off. I honestly thought that you’d like the idea,” he said hesitantly.
“Well it’s not necessary. I am being well-compensated for working long hours on this trip and there’s no need for you to go out of your way to change anything. If you would like to use the free time to do…whatever, then please feel free. I don’t need to be entertained. We have enough work for me to do to keep me busy.”
“Maggie, you’re taking this all wrong,” he said, leaning forward in his seat toward her. “I’m trying to do something nice here.”
“You treated me to a spa treatment yesterday. You took me to an amazing event at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last night. I actually got to stand next to John Lennon’s guitar! I’m traveling around the country to places that I’ve never seen before while staying at luxurious hotels and I’m getting paid for it!” Her words were a little more clipped than she usually spoke but Maggie felt like she was grasping at straws.
Jason held up a hand to calm her down. “Okay, okay, I get it. Geez, it was just a thought. I’m sorry I brought it up.” He watched as Maggie slowly calmed down and now his curiosity was piqued even more. From what he’d learned so far, this mystery husband never danced with her, never traveled with her, apparently never called her and she doesn’t have any inclination to spend time with him.
Hmm…that could also explain last night’s kiss. Frustrated wife? Bored with her husband? Jason felt ill with disgust. It didn’t sit right with him. Even if Maggie wasn’t happily married it didn’t give him the right to hit on her or for her to use him as some kind of substitute.
Who was he kidding; she wasn’t using him for anything. She nearly left skid marks trying to get away from him and even now was sitting as far away from him on the private plane as humanly possible. It was wishful thinking on his part that she was the one interested in him and not the other way around.
With the determination he was known for, Jason decided that the only way to keep his sanity was to push all personal thoughts of Maggie from his mind and focus on the business at hand. He was feeling confident about the upcoming meetings and put his head back in the game and felt ready to move Montgomery’s into a tax bracket that they’d never even dreamed of.
****
“I can’t believe that went so well,” Maggie was saying on Friday evening as they took a cab back to their hotel. “That had to be the shortest meeting in history.”
“Well, it helped that Dennis Michaels had more pressing matters to attend to,” Jason said as he texted his brother Mac with an update.
“He should have never even kept the appointment with us! His wife was in labor!”
Jason laughed. “Us corporate types never like to miss an appointment,” he teased. “Besides, it’s their first child and they are notoriously slow in arriving.”
Maggie nodded in agreement. “Well, between this meeting being over way earlier than expected and everyone else being so agreeable and ready to sign on the dotted line, we are actually ahead of schedule.” She leaned back in her seat and sighed. “I wish that all of our meeting would go like the ones here in Boston. Any chance we can put in a request for that?”
“If only,” Jason said as he hit the send button on his phone. “I don’t know about you but as much as I’ve enjoyed our time here, I’m anxious to hit New York City and spend some time there. You up for a late night drive?”
“What about our flight tomorrow?”
“I’m tired of flying. I’ll get us a car and we can grab something to eat on the road. It’s a four hour drive and…”
“We won’t get in until close to midnight, Jason!” she said incredulously even though the thought was beyond appealing. “Why don’t we wait to fly tomorrow?”
“Because the flight isn’t until noon and then we’ll miss half the day there. There’s so much to see and the weekend is wide open. The weather is supposed to be beautiful and I want to walk around and eat pizza and grab hot dogs from a street vendor, shop a little…”
“You shop?” she asked, clearly amused at the thought.
“Yes, I do,” he said simply. “And there is no place better to shop than New York.”
“I don’t know about that but I will admit that I’m looking forward to the food.”
“Is that a yes, Maggie? Ready for a road trip?” he asked excitedly, forgetting about his earlier intentions of keeping his distance and keeping things on a completely professional level.
“Oh, what the hell!” she said with equal abandon. “It beats watching another night of bad cable.”
“Atta girl.”
****
Jason knew how to make things happen. Within the hour there was a rental car waiting for them at their hotel and they were packed and ready to go. Maggie had gone and made arrangements for them to get sandwiches for the trip from the hotel restaurant and by seven o’clock they were on the road.
Jason had been on the phone most of the time they were getting ready and Maggie had to wonder at who he was talking to. By the time they were on the road and hitting the I-90, Maggie had their food and drinks situated in a way so that Jason could eat and drive. They talked amicably about some of the sites they had hoped to see and while secretly Maggie was thrilled to have the free time to explore New York City, she knew that she coul
dn’t let herself get too carried away because she was on company time no matter what Jason said.
By the time they crossed the Brooklyn Bridge Maggie was sleepy and yet too excited to close her eyes. There was so much to see and do and she felt the energy of the city consuming her already. Soon they were deep in the heart of the city and she nearly choked when she saw where they were.
“The Four Seasons? We’re staying at the Four Seasons?” she squealed. “That wasn’t on our itinerary, Jason!”
He laughed as he climbed from the car and smiled at the valet who was helping Maggie from the car. “Well, our hotel couldn’t accommodate us for tonight and so I made some calls and got us in here. You’re not disappointed are you?”
Maggie burst out laughing and nearly fell over. “Yes, Jason, I am extremely disappointed that I have to stay at one of the top luxury hotels in the world. Damn you.” She barely got the sentence out before breaking out in a fit of giggles again.
Jason walked around the car and grabbed her hand, something that was feeling far too natural, and led her into the lobby. “Now behave yourself,” he teased as he walked to the desk to check them in.
“Welcome to the Four Seasons, Mr. Montgomery. We have two rooms waiting for you for five nights…”
“Five nights?” Maggie interrupted. “You completely canceled the other reservation?”
Jason nodded. “This is where I really wanted to stay anyway,” he said simply.
Maggie felt like a country bumpkin. She was dressed casually and even in her best clothes that she had brought with her, she felt hyper aware of the fact that she was completely out of her element here. Jason saw the apprehension on her face and questioned it.
“I wasn’t mentally prepared for this, Jason,” she said quietly. “I don’t belong here.”
“Nonsense.” Was all that he said as he accepted their room keys and followed the bell boy to the elevators. It was late and Jason was exhausted. He had a lot that he wanted to accomplish this weekend in hopes of relaxing and maybe figuring out a little bit more about what was behind his assistant’s apprehension to talking about her husband. Even though he had promised himself to stay focused strictly on business, he wouldn’t be satisfied until he knew the truth about the woman who was beginning to consume all of his thoughts.
Chapter Four
Once again they had adjoining rooms but had agreed to sleep in on Saturday morning since they had arrived late the previous evening. Maggie was completely on board with that plan because she was totally exhausted and the bed in her room was the most comfortable one she had ever slept on.
As much as she had planned on sleeping late, she woke up at a conservative nine o’clock and ordered herself some breakfast. The thought of calling Jason and seeing if he was awake crossed her mind but she was kind of enjoying the little bit of space and freedom she had.
Since their flight to Boston, they had gotten back on track. The kiss seemingly forgotten. Out of sight, out of mind, she supposed. But at night? It was the highlight of all of her dreams. Sure, during the day Maggie was able to play the part of the engrossed executive assistant but once she was alone with her thoughts? They were filled with one Jason Montgomery. Even now when she closed her eyes she could feel his lips on hers, the way his strong arms had embraced her, the smell of his cologne…
Dammit.
Taking the time to shower in the magnificent spa quality bathroom, Maggie felt that she would be just fine spending the day in there! The knowledge that she had five days to luxuriate in this kind of atmosphere was making her giddy.
By eleven she was dressed, ready and more than a little anxious to go outside and explore the Big Apple. She called Jason’s room and was surprised when he told her he’d been up since seven and waiting on her call. They agreed to meet down in the lobby and Maggie told him she was more than willing to let him play tour guide.
Dressed in jeans and sneakers, Maggie was more than ready to walk for however long Jason planned. “Was there anyplace in particular that you absolutely want to see?” he asked as he put on a pair on sunglasses and walked out the front of the hotel.
“Everything!” Maggie said with a bright smile. “I’m just excited to have a day to do this!”
“Remember that you said that,” he said with a wicked grin and took a moment to get his bearings and then took her hand and led her out onto the streets of New York.
Four hours later, Maggie found herself ready to drop. She collapsed on a sidewalk café bistro table and just tried to catch her breath. “Okay, I know I said that I wanted to see everything but I didn’t really mean it.”
Jason sat down opposite her and ordered them each a bottled water. “Don’t quit on me now. We’ve barely scratched the surface!”
“Scratched the surface? Jason, I am dazzled by all that we’ve seen but surely we can catch a cab for some of it.”
“It’s not the same…” he said sweetly.
“We’ve seen Times Square, we’ve walked Central Park, we’ve eaten pizza and hot dogs,” she stopped to breathe. “Then there was Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall…I think I am done for the day. I may need to go and soak my feet in my tub-slash-swimming pool.”
“Well, you could do that but if you do you’re going to miss out on the best part,” he teased.
She glared at him. “Best part? You mean we haven’t seen the best part yet? What are you holding out on me?”
“Well, I was able to make some calls this morning and I got us two tickets to the Ranger game tonight!”
“No way!” she said excitedly. “Seriously? You’re not joking with me?”
“I would never joke with someone about tickets to a sporting event. It wouldn’t be right.”
“Damn straight it wouldn’t. Oh my gosh! We’re going to Madison Square Garden! I’m going to see the Rangers play on home ice!” Maggie stood up and began to pace and then asked Jason a dozen questions in a row about the rest of their day.
“Slow down there, slugger,” he joked. “We’ll head back to the hotel so you can rest for a little while and then we can grab dinner someplace and then…”
“Dinner someplace? Are you crazy?” Maggie looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “We are going to have the full game experience and that includes eating from the concession stands in the Garden.”
He wanted to laugh and tease her some more about the whole thing but honestly he found her reaction to such a simple thing as a hockey game to be refreshing. Some women would fish for a nice dinner out before the game or be asking to do something other than going to a hockey game and yet here was Maggie, completely over the moon because they were going to eat hot dogs at Madison Square Garden so she could cheer on her team.
Yet another reason he was finding it hard to not be drawn to her.
“I cannot believe that you got us tickets,” she said as she sat back down and opened her water. “This is the best day ever!” Taking a quick swallow of water, Maggie placed the bottle down and looked at Jason. “Thank you. In case I forget to thank you later, I just want you to know right now how much this means to me.”
If her words didn’t say it, her eyes certainly conveyed it. “You are more than welcome, Maggie. I have to admit, I’ve never been to a game at the Garden so you’ll have to play tour guide to me this evening.”
“Deal,” she agreed readily. “Now, let’s agree to take a cab back to the hotel so I can rest up for later.”
Jason stood and then playfully pulled Maggie to her feet. “Deal.”
****
The transformation was remarkable and Jason found that in a crowd of 18,000 screaming hockey fans, he was speechless.
Somehow between the time he had dropped Maggie off at her room and the time they met to leave for the game, she had gone from mild-mannered assistant to rabid hockey fan! Her hair was loose and she wore a New York Rangers sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers and if he listened close enough, he could almost swear that she had suddenly picked up a New York a
ccent!
“Off sides! Off sides!” she yelled at the top of her lungs as she jumped to her feet and Jason sat back and smiled. “Dammit,” she muttered as the play was stopped and the crowd settled a bit. Without taking her eyes from the ice, Maggie reached for her beverage and then sat down on the edge of her seat.
While Jason had the urge to say something, anything, that would allow him to interact with Maggie, for all intents and purposes, she didn’t even realize that he was there. Talk about an ego buster.
In between periods they trolled the Garden to purchase more snacks and beer and Maggie was content to just take it all in. When she did talk to Jason it was about the game, the players, the building itself and although it wasn’t a topic that he felt overly informed about, he was happy to just watch Maggie enjoying herself.
By the third period he could tell that her voice was raw from all of the yelling but when the final buzzer rang out and she turned and jumped into his arms in celebration, Jason knew that he was in serious trouble.
****
It had been a perfect night for Ranger fans with a 4-1 victory over Philadelphia. As the final buzzer sounded out, Maggie jumped up along with the thousands of other fans to cheer and then jumped into Jason’s arms. He caught her easily and found her excitement and enthusiasm to be contagious. “We won!” she cried. When she realized what she had done, she disentangled herself from Jason and joined the throngs of people walking from their seats. Maggie was simply glowing with victory as they exited their row of seats after the game. “That was amazing,” she gushed. “Wasn’t that a great game, Jace?”
He agreed. “I have to admit, there is definitely a vibe here in the Garden that I can’t imagine feeling anyplace else. New York fans are something else.”
“You know it.” Making their way through the mass exodus was time consuming and finally Maggie just stopped and dropped into a vacant seat. Jason stood for a moment in confusion.
Trust in Me Page 5
