by Penny Jordan
He’d had a whale of a time buying the clothes—and not just because he wanted to see her in them. Watching the way she enthused over fabrics and designs, checked the texture of every item, marvelled over the stitching and the craftsmanship, had reminded him of the passionate way she made love—with nothing held back. It was a shame she couldn’t be like that all the time.
Seeing her let go of the hang-up she had about money, if only for a little while, had made him wonder about it. Someone must have hurt her deeply once, for her to be so cautious, so careful about her independence—and he was certain it went a lot deeper than that loser Rocastle.
She collapsed back into the seat, gave him a concerned smile. ‘I’m wondering how I can justify spending so much when I’m only going to be working for you for two weeks.’
‘Simple,’ he said, enjoying her confusion. He’d bet she’d never treated herself before in her life. ‘You don’t justify it. I spent the money, not you.’
She frowned. ‘Actually, that makes me feel even worse.’
‘You’re going to look a million dollars in your new clothes. The money’s not a big deal. Get over it.’ He lifted her hand to his lips, buzzed a quick kiss across her knuckles. ‘Now, how about we head back to the penthouse and have a nice long lunch?’
She sat upright, eased her hand out of his grasp. ‘But I thought we were going to be working this afternoon. I need to start familiarising myself with everything. Aren’t we leaving for California the day after tomorrow?’
‘That can wait,’ he said, knowing his indifference was going to bother her more. Somehow, teasing her was becoming addictive. He loved watching her blue eyes darken to a vivid turquoise and those plump, kissable lips get even more pouty. And anyway, work was the very last thing on his mind at the moment. ‘There’s a few other things I’d like to familiarise myself with first.’ He pressed the driver’s intercom button, resisting the chuckle as her forehead puckered up. ‘Take us back to The Phoenix, Henry,’ he said.
Zack clicked off the button, settled back in the seat. ‘As I recall, we’ve got some unfinished business, you and I.’ He toyed with one of the curls that had escaped Kate’s pony-tail, loving the soft, silky texture of it. He was already anticipating the feel of it draped over his chest.
Panic closed Kate’s throat. She could see from the possessive look in his eye exactly what he had in store for this afternoon and lunch didn’t have anything to do with it.
She swallowed heavily. As much as she craved the thrill of what they could get up to in the privacy of his penthouse, she had to start setting some boundaries. For herself as well as for him. The limo, the designer clothes, the casual, proprietary way he looked at her, touched her, had already thrown her off balance.
If they leapt straight back into bed, it would only make that harder. She had to establish herself professionally, start showing him what she was capable of as his PA before she became anything else. Maybe it was pride, but she wanted him to see that he hadn’t made a mistake hiring her, even if he had done it for all the wrong reasons.
He tucked the tendril of hair he’d twirled round his finger behind her ear. ‘If something’s bothering you, why don’t you spit it out?’ he said indulgently, putting his hand on her knee.
Her back went up even more. That confidence of his really did need to be taken down a notch. Another good reason not to go straight back to the penthouse and do just what he wanted, however hard it was going to be to say no.
She bit into her bottom lip, trying to find the right way to tell him. ‘In the words of the great Mick Jagger,’ Kate began, grasping for something approaching gravity, ‘“you can’t always get what you want”.’ She lifted his hand off her leg, shifted away from him. ‘And in some cases it’s better if you don’t.’
He laughed. ‘Mick sure as hell never said that last part.’
‘That’s not the point,’ Kate continued, determined not to be sidetracked. ‘You hired me to do a job. I want to get a chance to do it before we…I mean, if we decide to…’ She sputtered to a stop. Great—she sounded like a complete ninny now.
He was grinning at her, as if he found her incredibly amusing. ‘If we decide to what?’ he asked, raising an eyebrow. He placed his hand on her waist, stroked warm fingers under the hem of her T-shirt. ‘If we decide to do this, you mean.’
Kate shuddered at the contact. She grabbed his hand, pulled it out. ‘I’m trying to have a sensible discussion here,’ she snapped.
‘Your idea of a sensible discussion is misquoting Stones lyrics?’ he asked.
Right, that wasn’t a smile on his face any more. It was a smirk. She wasn’t putting up with it any longer. ‘I’m being serious.’
‘Are you playing hard to get?’ He leaned closer. ‘Because I’ve got to tell you, it’s turning me on.’
She put her hands against his shirtfront, pushed him back. ‘I’m saying I don’t want to make love with you this afternoon.’ The words were shaky but distinct. She could see he had got the message when he frowned.
He sat back; his glance flicked down to her nipples. ‘That’s not what your body’s saying,’ he remarked calmly. Reaching up, he touched one rigid peak through the cotton of her T-shirt. She gasped as the spear of need shot straight down to her toes.
He dropped his hand, having made his point. Blast. He was still smirking.
‘Why don’t we cut to the chase?’ he said. ‘We both know you want me as much as I want you. We’re two healthy, consenting adults who happen to be great in bed together. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t mix business and pleasure over the next few weeks.’
She took a deep breath, tried to steel herself to be as honest as she could. ‘It’s just…’ She hesitated. ‘I don’t think jumping back into bed with you is a good idea.’
‘I disagree.’ He tugged on one of her curls again. ‘I think it’s a great idea.’ He watched the tendril as it sprang back before looking at her face. ‘Why don’t you?’ he asked so bluntly, she flushed.
She forced herself to ignore the fluttering in her stomach at the determination in his gaze. ‘You said yourself you have a strict rule against sleeping with women who work for you.’
‘Rules are made to be broken,’ he countered.
‘You’ll be my boss—sleeping with you will complicate our working relationship.’
‘No, it won’t,’ he said without a moment’s pause.
Could he really not see the problem at all?
She was at a complete loss about what to say next when the chauffeur swung open the door to the limo and tipped his hat at Kate. ‘We’re here, ma’am.’
She stepped onto the pavement, heard the door slam behind her as Zack got out on the other side. He walked round the car to join her. ‘I say we go up to the penthouse and discuss this further,’ he said as he put a possessive hand on her back and led her towards the hotel’s entrance. She obviously hadn’t got through to him at all, she realised.
She stopped and turned, dislodging his hand. ‘I’m not going to the penthouse with you.’ There, she’d said it. Now all she had to do was stick to it.
His eyebrow lifted. ‘You sure?’
From the self-assured look on his face, it occurred to her she absolutely had to win this round if she was going to maintain any kind of control on this relationship at all. She might be deluding herself about being able to resist him for two whole weeks. But she needed to prove to him she wasn’t a pushover. He liked to dominate. She had to show him that he couldn’t dominate her. ‘Yes, I’m positive,’ she said as firmly as she could manage.
He pushed a fist into the pocket of his trouser. ‘All right. We’ll leave this discussion for another time.’
‘And until we go to California,’ she announced hastily, ‘I’d like a separate room, please.’ That got another raised eyebrow, but nothing more. If he was annoyed, he was hiding it well.
‘I guess that can be arranged,’ he said, calmly.
‘Thank you,’ Kate murmured,
feeling oddly dispirited. But as she went to walk into The Phoenix ahead of Zack he snagged her wrist and pulled her back. He leant over her, the whisper of his breath against her ear making the sensitive skin of her neck tingle.
‘You can have it your way for now.’ He pushed her hand behind her back, trapping her against him. ‘I can wait,’ he murmured, his lips inches from hers. ‘I’m very good at waiting, until the cards fall the way I want them.’ There was no mistaking the sensual threat before he pressed hot, firm lips to hers.
Her lips parted and his tongue thrust into her mouth, devouring her as her body moulded to his. Just as she felt herself losing control, the heat scorching her insides, he stepped back. He held her steady as her breath gushed out. Taking her hand in his, he pressed his lips to her hair, whispered against her ear. ‘But I won’t wait for ever.’
The kiss had been quick, fleeting even, but also devastating. Kate trembled as she walked across the lobby to the reception desk, unbearably aware of the man beside her.
Good Lord, she’d just been branded. Again!
CHAPTER NINE
‘HE WANTS TO PAY ME four thousand dollars for two weeks’ work! But that’s completely ridiculous.’ Kate gaped at the contract Monty had given her to sign.
Zack’s business manager chuckled. ‘I told you, he’s a generous employer. Don’t worry—knowing Zack you’ll be working your socks off for it.’
Which was exactly the problem, Kate thought, slapping the pen down and thrusting the contract back across the desk. ‘I can’t sign it. That’s far too much money.’
Monty looked at her for a moment, then grinned. ‘You know, it’s funny, but he said you’d say that.’
‘He did?’
Was that why she hadn’t seen him since their little disagreement yesterday morning? She dismissed the notion. Don’t be daft. One thing Zack had never been was afraid of a confrontation with her.
The cold weight settled more firmly in Kate’s stomach. There could only be one explanation for his vanishing act over the last day and a half. He’d lost interest in having anything other than a business relationship with her. Which was great, she tried to assure herself, even though she knew her pitiful behaviour that morning told a different story.
She’d been sent a curt note by one of Zack’s secretaries telling her to report to his offices. Assuming he’d be there, she’d spent a good half an hour picking out an outfit from her new wardrobe and preening in front of the mirror.
When she’d arrived in a silk wraparound skirt and blouse ensemble by Nicole Farhi only to find Zack gone for the day, she’d been miserably disappointed. It had taken a titanic effort to write notes on The Grange deal instead of second-guessing herself over the decision to make him wait. She shouldn’t give a hoot that she’d blown it with him.
Then she’d been ushered into Monty’s office and presented with Zack’s ludicrously generous contract. And now she was all over the place again. What exactly did Zack think he was paying for? And why didn’t she feel as indignant about it as she should?
Monty pulled open his desk drawer and lifted out a piece of folder notepaper. ‘He told me to give you this if you put up a fight.’
Kate unfolded the heavy paper. Written in Zack’s distinctive black scrawl were just three sentences. Kate read them, felt a surge of excitement and blushed scarlet.
Stop getting your proper knickers in a twist.
I don’t pay for sex.
Z
PS: Especially if I’m not getting any!
A bubble of laughter burst out without warning. She slapped her hand over her mouth to hold it back and it came out as a snort.
‘You okay, love?’
She eased her hand down, her face hot enough to fry an egg on as she took in Monty’s concerned frown. Good grief, had Monty read the note? He probably thought she was a complete tart. She gave what she hoped was a ladylike cough. ‘Yes, I’m fine, thank you for asking.’
‘Ready to sign the contract yet?’ he asked amiably.
‘Of course,’ she said, holding on to her composure. She took the contract, signed it with a flourish and pushed it back across the desk—the picture of cool, calm professionalism.
‘Great,’ Monty said, checking her signature and then standing up to offer Kate his hand. ‘Good to have another Londoner on board.’
She grasped his fingers, mollified somewhat by the genuine warmth in his eyes. Maybe he didn’t think she was a total slut.
As Monty led her out of the office and started introducing her to ‘the team’ Kate made herself a solemn promise. She would be the best PA Zack Boudreaux had ever had. She would work so hard over the next two weeks, Zack and everyone else at The Phoenix would be blown away by her efficiency, her industriousness and her unimpeachable work ethic. She was going to earn every single solitary cent of those four thousand dollars—so that no one could imply she’d got this job by sleeping with the boss.
‘You know, you look really familiar. Are you sure we haven’t met?’ Kelly Green asked, sending Kate an inquisitive half-smile as she handed her yet another file on The Grange deal.
‘I’ve been staying in the hotel—maybe you’ve seen me about,’ Kate said, concentrating on the file to hide her guilty blush.
She’d recognised Kelly instantly. The plump, pretty secretary had been sitting outside Zack’s office gaping when Kate had been marched up there in her underwear and a bathrobe. Luckily Kelly hadn’t been able to place her. Yet. ‘I must have one of those faces,’ she continued, the insincere smile making her cheeks ache.
‘Oh, well.’ Kelly shrugged. ‘I can already tell you’re a lot nicer than Jill.’
‘Who’s Jill?’
‘Mr Boudreaux’s last PA. The one in the hot seat before you,’ Kelly replied in a sing-song voice, obviously keen to chat.
‘Do you know why she left?’ Kate asked, more curious than she wanted to admit.
‘Sure, she quit a couple of days ago after Mr Boudreaux blew up at her. But I think he would have kicked her out pretty soon anyway. Jill was a whiner—and he doesn’t put up with those for long, let me tell you.’
That didn’t sound too encouraging. Was Zack the sex god also Zack the slave-driver? In Kate’s position, that might not be a good combination. ‘He doesn’t sound very sympathetic.’
‘He can be hard on you if you don’t get the job done right,’ Kelly said, carefully. ‘And he’s famous for being ruthless in business. There’s even rumours he used to be a professional poker player before he built The Phoenix,’ she added, as if she were divulging a state secret. ‘But he’s never shouted at me before,’ she finished, sounding almost disappointed.
‘So Jill wasn’t any good?’ Kate asked hopefully. Her mission to dazzle would be easier if she wasn’t replacing someone with a pristine reputation.
‘That—and she was always coming on to Mr Boudreaux in the office.’
Kate blinked. Fabulous. So the man already had a history of sleeping with his PAs. Why was she not surprised? ‘They had a relationship?’ she asked dully.
Kelly looked round, making a quick check on the two other secretaries who were handling some filing on the other side of the office. She perched herself next to Kate’s chair and said in a conspiratorial whisper, ‘Jill always made out like they did to me. She went on and on about the trip to California, even booked them into the same cottage at the resort. Course, she knew we were all pea-green with envy.’ Kelly sighed. ‘He’s such a hottie, who wouldn’t want to spend two weeks alone with him in a hotel?’
Who indeed? Kate thought huffily. So much for Zack’s strict rule about sleeping with his employees. It was lowering to realise she wasn’t the first of his underlings to be charmed out of her knickers.
‘But you know what?’ Kelly continued, standing up. ‘I think Jill was full of you-know-what. I never once saw him respond to any of her flirting. If anything it seemed to annoy him. I think she quit because she’d finally figured out he was never gonna be interested in
her.’
Or she’d discovered Zack was replacing her with a newer model. The man was obviously a serial seducer of his staff.
‘I see,’ Kate said, giving Kelly a sympathetic nod and trying not to feel hurt. What had she expected? He’d talked her into bed in less than a day. And she could hardly pretend she hadn’t enjoyed every minute of it. ‘Thanks for telling me all this. It’s always good to know the lay of the land on a new job.’
‘No problem,’ said Kelly. ‘My advice would be, do your job the best you can and don’t flirt with Mr Boudreaux. But then I can tell you’re a lot classier than Jill. That must be why he hired you.’
Not quite, thought Kate, feeling more compromised than ever as she watched Kelly walk back to her own desk. She opened the file Kelly had handed her, but the words and figures blurred as she considered her position and exactly how impulsive she’d been up to now.
She hadn’t exactly been very classy either, but she was going to do her best to be classy from here on in. Which meant no more recreational sex with the boss whenever he clicked his fingers. She was not about to become another notch on his bedpost.
Kelly was right about one thing. Until Kate knew how to handle Zack, and her overpowering attraction to him, there could be no more flirting.
CHAPTER TEN
‘MONTY SAYS YOU SPENT yesterday getting up to speed on The Grange deal,’ Zack said, unfastening his seat belt.
‘That’s right,’ Kate replied. She smoothed her skirt down, noticed the way his eyes followed the movement. She cleared her throat, ignoring the dancing butterflies in her stomach. Surely the weightless feeling was only because Zack’s private jet had just reached its cruising altitude.
Luckily, Zack had been all business since meeting her at the airport, which was handy, because her resolve not to flirt with him had already taken a few hard knocks. He looked tall, dark and delicious freshly showered and shaved and wearing a navy-blue perfectly tailored Hugo Boss suit and white shirt. Her heart had been beating double time ever since they’d entered the jet, the subtle scent of his aftershave making the luxury tan leather interior unbearably intimate. She hadn’t bargained on being alone with him so soon, but he’d dismissed the cabin attendant right after take off.
