Читать книгу In the Boss's Arms - Barbara Hannay - Страница 12

‘YOU know, there’s bound to be a wife somewhere.’

Alice tried to ignore Shana’s remark and kept typing.

Ever since yesterday afternoon, when she and Liam returned from their three days in the outback—their three incredible, mega-successful days—Shana had been doing her best to taunt Alice.

Now Shana left her desk and came to stand right next to Alice. ‘A man with Liam Conway’s looks and money can’t reach his mid-thirties without a string of women chasing after him. And there has to have been at least one who got her hooks into him.’

Alice looked up and met her with a level gaze. ‘I don’t see that it’s really our business.’

‘Oh, come on.’ Shana touched the petals of the single rose in the green vase on Alice’s desk. ‘You can’t expect me to believe that it isn’t your business.’

‘I don’t see—’

‘You and Liam are an item, right?’

‘Shana, really, I’d prefer not to—’

‘Don’t get all hot and bothered, Alice. Everyone in the office knows the answer. You tried to pull the wool over our eyes after the photo in the Cairns Post. We gave you the benefit of the doubt then. But we saw the way the boss was looking at you when you got back yesterday. The poor guy was practically drooling. The game’s up, girlfriend.’

Alice sighed. It was pointless to deny it. And Liam had said he didn’t care who knew that she was his woman. ‘Well, yes. I suppose you could say we’re an item.’ But she knew that Shana had developed a crush on Liam and that sour grapes could be an issue. ‘Just because we’re an item doesn’t mean I need to—’

‘Marry him?’ Shana finished for her.

‘For heaven’s sake!’ Shaking her head, Alice reached for a folder in the filing cabinet beside her desk. ‘I’ve only just met the man. I’m certainly not thinking very far into the future.’

‘Oh, come on, Alice. Are you telling me that one of the wealthiest and best-looking men in the region is red hot for you and you haven’t thought once about the long term?’

‘That’s exactly what I’m telling you.’

‘Alice, I’ve discussed this with your workmates, who know you and love you. And we all agree you’re a one-man girl. You haven’t got it in you to flit from guy to guy. You fall heavily for a man and that’s it.’

Alice sighed. ‘Can I ask where this conversation is heading? Are you trying to warn me off Liam?’

Shana’s eyes glinted knowingly, as if she was privy to a nasty secret, and Alice’s stomach sank as she remembered her workmate’s original question about whether there was a wife in Liam’s past.

‘If you’ve got something to tell me, spill it,’ she said. ‘Don’t treat me like I’m a naïve teenager with stars in my eyes.’ She’d just been through a horrible divorce, for heaven’s sake. She wasn’t going to rush into another mistake.

‘Well, do you know whether or not the boss has been married?’ Shana persisted.

‘I know he’s not married now, and that’s good enough for me.’ Alice was pleased that her voice was calm in spite of the frantic way her heart galloped.

She wasn’t thrilled that Liam had not volunteered any information about the women in his past, but she’d decided not to press him. Instead she’d chosen to trust him. She’d trusted him from the first moment she met him in the Hippo Bar and so far he hadn’t let her down.

Ah, yes, a smug inner voice whispered, but you trusted Todd for years and years and look where that got you.

‘OK, can you answer this?’ Shana asked. ‘Why has Liam Conway never driven a motor car?’

‘What?’ Alice gaped at her. ‘Are you crazy? Of course he drives cars. The man landed a plane, for heaven’s sake.’ And he’d produced his driver’s licence as proof of his birthday on the night they met.

It was possible that Shana’s smile was meant to be sympathetic, but it didn’t quite work. ‘The Sydney Morning Herald ran a story while you were away that questioned how Liam Conway could possibly land a plane when no one’s ever seen him behind a steering wheel,’ she said smugly.

‘That’s nonsense.’ Shana was only trying to stir up trouble. ‘Now, if you’re quite finished, I have work to do.’ She couldn’t stomach any more of this conversation.

‘I was only telling you this for your own good, but if you’re bent on defending the man no matter what, I’m wasting my time.’

Letting out an angry sniff, Shana turned and flounced back to her desk and positioned her chair and computer screen so there was no chance of eye contact.

Good, Alice decided, noting the other woman’s stiff, angry back. Now she could get on with her own work.

Movement at the bottom of her computer screen caught her eye and she saw a string of new email messages arrive.

Enquiries about the outback tours had been flooding in, thanks to the publicity Liam had attracted. He’d handled the media interviews brilliantly—was charming, articulate and perfectly comfortable in front of the cameras. And as a result they’d already drawn more interest in Kanga Tours than they’d dared to hope for.

It would be best to deal with the email messages quickly before she moved on to the list of phone calls she had to make. She scanned the email list and her heart bounced. One message leapt out from the screen—a private communication from Conway, Liam C.

Oh, heavens. Her skin flashed with nervous excitement as she clicked on it.

Can I invite myself to dinner at your place this

evening? I’ll bring takeaway and wine. What would you prefer—Indian, Thai, fish and chips, pizza?

You name it, I’ll find it.

Just have the green plates ready.

Missing you like crazy.

L

Alice felt her face burst into flames.

Missing you like crazy.

No way could she wipe the smile from her face. Thank heavens Shana wasn’t looking her way.

Missing you like crazy.

Liam’s mind was not on his work. He should have been dealing with everything that had piled up while he was away, but his concentration was shot to pieces. He couldn’t stop thinking about Alice. He sat in his office, staring at his computer screen, hoping she wasn’t too busy to answer his email immediately.

Missing you like crazy.

Perhaps he was crazy. Surely he was crazy to allow this to happen, to become so involved with a woman that he let her sidetrack him from his focus on his brand-new business enterprise.

He’d come to this city with a single-minded purpose, prepared to do everything that was needed to secure his company’s viability. But from the very moment he’d seen Alice in the Hippo Bar, he’d been a marked man.

He hadn’t believed it was possible to be so distracted, so obsessed. Alice was a miracle, his perfect woman. And to think he’d had to come way up north to find her. Right now all he could think about was this evening.

Please say yes, Alice.

Actually, in a perfect world he wouldn’t wait till this evening. He would summon Alice to his office, lock the door and explore the possibilities his wide desk offered. But of course that wasn’t going to happen, so he kept picturing other fantasies about tonight—the way he would rush through Alice’s front door, dump the takeaway food on her kitchen counter and start to undress her.

Say yes, Alice. The only possible answer is a big, fat yes.

Alice stared at the message from her boss, thinking thoughts so lusty and steamy she could hardly sit still.

All it took was a few words on a screen—Missing you like crazy.

Surely this wasn’t normal. Maybe it was some kind of post-divorce reaction? Perhaps, after almost a decade of struggling inside a failing marriage, she was finding Liam’s attention just too exciting. The whole situation was getting out of hand. Their relationship was heating up way too quickly.

With this much fire, someone could get burned. And guess who it would be?

Not the boss!

She should be cooler and calmer about the whole thing. She wasn’t a teenager. She was an adult in her thirties and she should be able to manage a relationship in a super-cool and controlled adult way—ultradiscreet at work and totally in control outside.

Taking a deep breath in and out, she scooped up her hair, gave it a little twist and used the butterfly clip from her top drawer to secure it away from her collar.

Not that it helped to make her feel any cooler or calmer. This was a fire that wouldn’t be easy to tone down. Maybe she should speak to Liam. She could suggest they take things more slowly, talk more, rather than rushing straight into bed.

Right. Taking another deep breath, and with one eye on Shana, she began to type a carefully worded, super-polite and admirably restrained reply to Liam’s request.

‘I’ve printed out these spreadsheets for you to look over,’ the company accountant told Liam.

‘Good, Merv; thank you.’

Merv began to set his work on Liam’s desk and, as he did so, three emails appeared on Liam’s computer screen. One was from Alice.

‘They’ll be fine,’ Liam said a touch impatiently as Merv carefully made sure that each document was placed neatly and precisely and in exactly the right order.

‘You might like to take a closer look at the projections for wages over the next six months, Mr Conway.’

‘Yes, yes, sure.’ Liam’s eyes darted back to the screen.

‘From these figures I’d suggest you consider leasing more of our IT equipment rather than owning it.’

Liam’s hand hovered over the mouse, eager to click on Alice’s response. ‘I’ll consider that. Yes, thank you, Merv.’

‘And then there’s the—’

‘I’ll give this report my thorough attention and then get back to you.’

At last Merv got the message. ‘I’ll leave it with you, then.’

Within a split-second of his turning to leave, Liam clicked on Alice’s message.

If you could bring Indian curry and white wine, the green plates will be ready and waiting. 6.30?

A.

P.S. I’ll take care of dessert.

P.P.S. And the midnight snacks.

P.P.P.S. And breakfast.

Liam grinned. Maybe now he could stop the lovesick-teenager act and get back to running his business. Attending to this report from the Cairns accountant was only a small part of his duties.

His Sydney office coordinated a nationwide operation ranging from harbour tours and opera-house concerts to Kakadu tours and Snowy Mountains skiing holidays. If he was to succeed at making the Cairns business just as big and successful, it was time to focus, man. Focus.

He reached for his diary to check the calls he needed to make.

And at the same moment the telephone rang.

‘Yes, Sally?’

‘An urgent call’s come through for you from Sydney, Mr Conway.’

‘Thanks. I’ll take it straight away.’

Rita James, his personal assistant in his head office in Sydney, was always super-calm and efficient, but today, just saying hello, she sounded worried.

‘What’s the problem, Rita?’

‘I’m afraid there’s bad news about Mrs Conway, Liam.’

Julia!

The news hit him with the force of a physical blow.

‘Mrs Conway’s housekeeper just rang to say that she has been admitted to hospital and her condition’s serious.’

Oh, God, no.

He’d been dreading something like this, had feared it might happen while he was away in the north.

‘Do you have a phone number? Can I speak to Julia?’

‘I’m afraid she isn’t well enough to take calls.’

‘Then I’ll have to speak to the housekeeper. I don’t know why Harriet didn’t telephone me first. I gave her my new contact details.’

‘Well, she was calling from the hospital and she sounded very upset. Perhaps she didn’t have your Cairns number with her.’

‘Whatever. It doesn’t matter. I’ll have to get on the first available plane.’ He was struggling to stay calm. ‘I assume there’s someone responsible to take care of Jack?’

‘I believe he’s staying at the home of one of his school friends.’

‘Right.’ Liam’s mind whirled. ‘Do you have the details of the hospital? The ward?’ Julia had to have the very best attention.

He jotted down the information Rita gave him.

‘I’m sure she’s in good hands,’ she said, clearly trying to soothe him.

‘Yes, I suppose you’re right. Well, thanks for letting me know, Rita. I’ll—no doubt, I’ll see you soon.’ Liam disconnected, ran his hands down his face and pressed his fingers against his eyelids. Hell!

This was not the first time Julia had been rushed to hospital, but that thought did nothing to ease his worry. It was always a nightmare.

Releasing a heart-rending sigh, he touched the button connecting him to Alice’s extension.

‘Alice, I’m sorry. I’m going to have to—’

‘Alice isn’t here.’ It was Shana’s voice.

‘Oh.’ Liam massaged his temple where an ache had started. ‘Do you know where she is?’

‘She took off in a hurry. Said something about emergency shopping.’

He sighed again. ‘OK. When she comes back, tell her to call me.’ Then he rang through to the front desk. ‘Sally, can you book me on the first possible flight to Sydney? Yes, I want the next available flight. I have to be there tonight.’

Hot orange with pink polka dots.

Alice grinned at her reflection as she stood before the mirror in her new underwear. This fun ensemble should be a good test of Liam’s liberal attitude to colour!

She’d bought it on the way home from work. Of course, she’d felt a little guilty about leaving early, but she knew she could make up for lost time tomorrow and the early mark seemed justified. After all, tonight was her first official date with Liam and surely that called for a quick detour via the shopping mall to buy scented candles.

Candlelight, wine, a leisurely meal and conversation were on the agenda for tonight. She and Liam needed to share more meaningful verbal exchanges, soulful heart-to-heart discussions. Until now she’d been reluctant to pressure him, but questions, like the ones Shana had raised, needed answers, as did others, like where their relationship might be heading.

Problem was, on the way to the candle shop she’d passed the lingerie shop, and she’d seen this cute bra and panties set in the window. The colours were so outrageous she immediately thought of Liam. And in spite of her commitment to being cool and calm and in control, she had rushed straight in and bought them.

And come home without the candles.

So much for being in control.

At least she had a sensible beige linen dress to wear over the fun lingerie. Alice slipped it on now and turned again to the mirror. This was better. The sleeveless shirtmaker dress was designed to be cool in the tropics, so it had very little shape, a stand-away collar and a row of sensible little buttons down the front.

Now she looked cool and, more importantly, modest.

Except…except…oh, how shameless could a girl get? All she wanted to think about was Liam’s gorgeous, sexy smile when he undid these buttons and found what was under this modest beige dress.

Giving an exasperated shake, she hurried through to the kitchen and busied herself selecting plates, glassware, cutlery and place mats to set on the table out on her deck, sans candles. Halfway across the kitchen with her hands full, she heard her cell-phone ring. Darn. She’d left it in her bedroom and she had to put everything back on the kitchen counter while she went to answer it.

Please, don’t let it be Mum or one of the aunts. Not tonight. Last night she’d spent ages on the phone, answering endless questions about the drama of the plane landing, and she’d had to explain that yes, Liam Conway was the same man her mother and aunts had seen in the photo in the paper and yes, it was an amazing coincidence that he’d turned out to be her boss. And yes, he was just as nice in real life as he’d appeared to be in the TV interviews.

The phone was on her bedside table.

‘Hello, Alice.’

She could hardly hear Liam’s voice above the buzz and hum of background noise—voices and busy, bustling sounds. She smiled as she pictured him waiting impatiently in the line-up at the crowded Indian takeaway.

‘Hi, Liam; is it going to be a long wait?’

‘Alice, you didn’t get my message to call me?’

She frowned. ‘No.’

‘Shana was supposed to tell you.’

‘I—I—left work a little early.’

She heard his sigh. ‘I’m sorry, Alice, I’m afraid I’ve had to cancel dinner. I’m at the airport now.’

‘The airport?’ Her heart gave an uncomfortable thud. ‘What are you doing there?’

‘Look, I’m terribly sorry, but something’s come up and I have to fly to Sydney.’

‘Tonight?’ It was virtually impossible to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

‘Yes. In fact the plane’s boarding now.’

Whoosh. Alice’s knees buckled. She dropped down onto her bed. This didn’t make sense. What kind of something had come up?

‘I’m really sorry,’ Liam said again. ‘When this news came through I was totally thrown. I’ve had so much on my mind this afternoon. There was a lot to get organised in a hurry.’

‘What’s happened?’

‘It’s—it’s a family matter,’ Liam told her. ‘An emergency. It’s too complicated to explain now. They’re calling the final passengers for my flight. I’m going to have to turn this thing off.’

She was clutching the cell-phone so tightly it should have snapped in two. How could Liam just take off with so little warning, such scanty information?

‘There’s a chance I might have to stay in Sydney for some time,’ he said. ‘But I’ll call you.’

‘All right.’ Her voice came out squeaky. Some time. How long was that?

‘Are you OK?’ He sounded concerned.

No, of course she wasn’t okay. She was confused, disappointed, worried. Liam’s evasions scared her. They were so horribly familiar. How many times had Todd rung just like this—at the last minute to make excuses?

What could Liam’s emergency be? A dying parent? A road smash? Why was it complicated? Why couldn’t he tell her? There was so much she didn’t know about this man.

But she couldn’t ask those questions now. ‘Of course I’m fine,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry about—the emergency. I hope everything works out well.’

‘Thanks. I’m going to miss you. Got to go. Bye.’

‘I’ll miss—’ She didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence. Liam had already disconnected.

She dropped the cell-phone onto her bedspread and sat in her darkened bedroom, numb with misery. She felt swamped by an irrational, unprecedented sadness and tears slipped down her cheeks.

Just like that, she’d plummeted from the heights of happiness to the depths of disappointment. She felt awful. Being in love just wasn’t worth it. She’d felt empty and abandoned like this when she first suspected that Todd was cheating on her. How could she have found herself back in this ghastly place so quickly?

For several minutes she gave in to the wash of emotions, wallowing in self-pity. This wasn’t fair. How could Liam be so offhand with her? He wasn’t like Todd, was he? She couldn’t bear it if he was.

But eventually she pressed her knuckles to her streaming eyes and drew a deep breath. OK. She had to get a grip. After all, she was trying to handle this relationship like a mature adult and it was downright silly to fall in a heap over one broken date.

Liam was dealing with what must be a very serious family emergency and she was crying like a spoilt child who couldn’t go out to play because it was raining.

Using her hands to lever herself up from the mattress, she stood and went through to the bathroom, where she washed her face, and then she went into the kitchen to make something to eat—a grilled cheese sandwich and coffee.

As she slapped sliced cheese onto bread, she decided that she should be grateful for this timely lesson. After her divorce she’d been determined to join the single-and-loving-it brigade. She’d vowed that she wasn’t going to rely on another person to make her happy or to give meaning to her life.

And what had she done? She’d let a man become the centre of her life again.

She hadn’t learned a thing from her divorce.

Her first waking thoughts were for Liam, and so were far too many of her thoughts during the hours in between. And she drifted to sleep thinking of him.

In other words she’d fallen head over heels in love, which was just plain foolish. Thirty-year-old women just didn’t fall in love with their bosses and dream of happily-ever-after. They had flings. That was what she’d had. A fling. Sex, not love.

There’d been lots and lots of fabulous passion but no talk of love, no promises, no talk of the future at all. For all Alice knew, Liam could have a girlfriend in Sydney. And, as a contemporary, liberated, New Age woman, she shouldn’t mind.

Ouch.

Hot melted cheese dripped onto her hand and she grabbed for a dishcloth to mop it, and felt the threat of tears again. Darn it. She knew that she would mind. She would mind very much if Liam had another girlfriend.

Oh, good grief, she’d be bitterly disappointed. Devastated.