Читать книгу The Greek Boss's Bride - Шантель Шоу, Chantelle Shaw - Страница 5

NIK WAS DUE home any minute.

Kezia glanced at the clock on the dashboard and pressed her foot down on the accelerator. At this rate her dynamic and notoriously impatient boss would arrive at his country mansion ahead of her, and all hell would break loose. Nik was bringing a group of Bulgarian businessmen to Otterbourne House, hoping to impress them with his plans for a hotel complex on the Black Sea coast, and he expected his PA to be ready and waiting to greet his guests.

Could the day get any worse? Kezia wondered grimly as she peered through the rain. It was bad enough that the catering company she had booked for tonight’s party had pulled out at the last minute. Most of the staff had come down with flu, the harassed administrator had explained. But with a day’s notice to try and make alternative arrangements, Kezia had been short on sympathy. Fortunately Nik’s housekeeper, Mrs Jessop, had rallied round, and was busy preparing a lavish dinner that was set to impress the guests. It had been left to Kezia to collect a selection of desserts from the patisserie, but the trip into town had taken longer than she had anticipated. The torrential downpour had caused serious flooding along the narrow country lanes, and now dusk was falling.

She needed to focus all her concentration on the road, but as usual it was a certain sexy Greek who dominated her thoughts. An unbidden image of Nik’s handsome face filled her mind as she pictured his classically sculpted features. Get a grip, she admonished herself sternly, irritated at the way her heartbeat quickened with every mile that she drew nearer to Otterbourne.

He had been away for the past few weeks, visiting his family in Greece, and she was dismayed at how much she had missed him. It was pathetic for a grown woman of twenty-four to have developed such a ridiculous fixation with a man who was way out of her league, she reminded herself savagely. She felt like a teenager in the throes of her first crush and she would die of shame if he ever guessed how much he affected her.

She reached the outskirts of the village and breathed a sigh of relief. Another five minutes and she would be turning in to the gates leading to Otterbourne House. With any luck she would just beat Nik—although she would have little time to tidy her hair or check her make-up. Not that he would notice, she conceded bleakly. As far as Nik was concerned she was his ultra-efficient PA, whose sole purpose was to ensure that his life ran smoothly.

As he had explained at her interview, three months ago, he didn’t want a decorative bimbo running his office; he was looking for someone who was prepared to put in long hours and who would blend unobtrusively into the background. With her unruly curls tamed into a sleek chignon, and her sensible navy blue suit, he had obviously deemed Kezia the ideal choice.

There had been no element of the sexual tension she recalled from their first meeting at the London head office—at least not on his part. He’d given no indication that he even remembered her, and the fact that her tongue had tied itself in knots throughout the interview had added to her embarrassment. It was evident that he was only interested in her organisational skills, and sometimes she wondered whether he would notice if she paraded around the office stark naked.

Without warning something shot out from the shadows and ran in front of the car. Kezia hit the brakes, skidded on the wet road and lost control. She was heading for the trees, and with a frantic cry she jerked the wheel. The engine stalled and she ploughed into the bushes that lined the road. So much for concentrating, she thought shakily. The seat belt had saved her from serious injury, but the force of the impact had caused her to hit her head on the steering wheel, and already she could feel a lump the size of an egg swelling on her temple.

She restarted the engine and cautiously backed up onto the road before climbing out of the car. It was too dark to make a proper inspection for damage, but at least the car was drivable. A wave of sickness swept over her. What was it that had run out? Probably a fox that had now disappeared into the undergrowth, she told herself as she squinted through the rain. She was cold and wet, and running seriously late, but the thought of leaving an animal lying injured on the roadside was abhorrent to her, and with a muttered curse she began to search along the verge.

Ten minutes later she was soaked to the skin and ready to give up when a faint whimper drew her attention to the other side of the ditch. The dog was no more than a bag of bones. Its fur was wet and matted, and in the dark in was impossible to see if it was injured, but when she held out her hand it moved tentatively towards her.

‘Come on, boy,’ she whispered gently, feeling the animal tremble with a mixture of cold and fright as she lifted it into her arms. ‘Let’s get out of this rain.’

She waded back across the ditch, but as she scrabbled up the slippery bank she felt the heel of one of her shoes give way and cursed loudly. Her new kitten-heel shoes were ruined, and her skirt was covered in mud. Nik was going to go mad, Kezia acknowledged as she hobbled over to the car and deposited the dog on the front seat. He had spent the past week on the phone, relaying precise instructions for the weekend, and it was safe to assume that he would not be impressed when his PA turned up late, looking as if she’d been dragged through a hedge backwards.

Otterbourne House stood at the end of a long drive, hidden from view by tall conifers. Nikos Niarchou felt his heart lift as the limousine rounded the bend and he absorbed the classical elegance of his English country manor. It was good to be back, he thought with a surge of satisfaction—despite the rain. Much as he had enjoyed his trip to Greece, the past couple of weeks seemed to have lasted a lifetime.

It had been good to spend time with his family, but his parents’ unsubtle hints about it being time for him to find a nice Greek girl and settle down had driven him mad. His mother had seized on his visit as an opportunity to nag him to slow his pace, assuring him that he looked tired and accusing him of overdoing things, but it had been the sight of his father, unexpectedly frail and looking every one of his eighty years, that had caused Nik to take a break from his hectic schedule.

Now he was eager to get back to work—starting with the presentation that he hoped would impress the Bulgarians into backing his plans for a hotel complex. He was confident that Kezia had organised tonight’s reception with her usual efficiency. As he ushered his guests through the front door, he glanced around the entrance hall expectantly. Kezia was supposed to be here. He had specifically asked her to act as his hostess, and he frowned when his elderly housekeeper stepped forward to greet him.

‘Where’s Kezia?’ he demanded, without preamble.

‘Good evening, Mr Niarchou, it’s good to have you back.’

‘It’s good to be back, Mrs Jessop.’ His brief smile revealed a flash of white teeth that contrasted with his olive gold skin but failed to add warmth to his dark eyes. ‘I was expecting Kezia to be here,’ he muttered in an impatient undertone. ‘Where the hell is she?’

He had spent a trying day entertaining the Bulgarian businessmen and their wives aboard his private jet, the language barrier having proved an exasperating obstacle to conversation. He needed his PA here, damn it. Corporate entertaining was one of Kezia’s duties, and he had planned to leave his guests in her capable hands while he took a break to shower and unwind. He had given specific orders, and he did not expect them to be flouted without a very good reason.

‘There were some problems with the caterers. All sorted now,’ the housekeeper hastily reassured him, ‘but Kezia had to run into town. She’ll be here any minute, I’m sure.’

‘I hope so.’

Nik’s frown deepened in annoyance. He had come to rely on his PA over the past three months. Sensible and efficient, Kezia was an ideal employee, who could be relied upon to get on with her work without fuss. Beneath her calm demeanour she possessed a sharp wit that made conversations with her interesting—as he had discovered the first time he had met her at the London office. He was a man who liked to have his own way, yet he was secretly amused by Kezia’s refusal to let him dominate her. He had missed her while he was away, he realised with a flicker of surprise and he was looking forward to renewing their discussions on everything from politics to the arts.

His eyes narrowed as the drawing room door opened and a familiar figure emerged. ‘What is Miss Harvey doing here?’ he muttered under his breath to his housekeeper. Tania Harvey, his current mistress, was a sinful siren, with a body to die for, but she had little else to offer other than an encyclopaedic knowledge of celebrity gossip—and he was not in the mood to listen to hours of tittle-tattle about life on the modelling circuit.

‘I understand she’s joining you for dinner,’ Mrs Jessop replied brightly.

‘At whose invitation?’ There was no disguising the irritation in Nik’s voice and Mrs Jessop shrugged helplessly.

‘I don’t know. I assumed you…Perhaps Kezia invited her?’ she murmured. ‘That sounds like her car now—you can ask her.’

‘I intend to. Believe me.’

Tania was walking towards him, and with a supreme effort Nik stifled his impatience as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

‘Hello, darling. Welcome home,’ she murmured, pouting prettily in the way he had once found a turn-on but which was now as annoying as her overtly proprietary air. He had no intention of allowing Tania or any other woman to consider Otterbourne as home—at least not for the foreseeable future.

‘Tania, what a charming surprise—I hadn’t realised you would be here,’ he greeted her politely, as he disentangled himself from her grasp.

‘Your PA invited me—I assumed on your behalf.’ The pout deepened. ‘You are pleased to see me, aren’t you, Nik? Kezia was most insistent that I joined you for dinner.’

‘Was she? That was very thoughtful of her,’ he murmured dryly. ‘Naturally I’m pleased to see you, but I’m afraid I’m going to be busy for most of the weekend.’

‘Lucky I’m here, then. I can help you relax,’ Tania assured him blithely and Nik’s jaw tightened.

Tania Harvey was elegant and blonde, two of the attributes he looked for in a woman, but he freely admitted that he had a low boredom threshold. Her hints that she was hoping for a more permanent place in his life were the last straw. It was time to end the affair—which, if he was honest, had reached its sell-by date even before his trip to Greece.

Close up, Tania wasn’t as confident as she appeared. Beneath the glossy façade there were shadows in her eyes, and if he’d had any deep feelings for her he would have felt a tug of compassion. Instead all he felt was irritation with his PA for putting him in an awkward situation. Up until now Kezia Trevellyn had proved to be an excellent assistant, but he didn’t need anyone to organise his love-life.

The fleet of limousines lining the drive were evidence that Nik and his guests had already arrived. Kezia parked her Mini and switched on the interior light to inspect her face in the driving mirror. God, she looked a mess, she thought dismally. Her hair had escaped its once neat bun and was tangled around her face; there were streaks of mud on her cheeks and a huge bluish lump on her forehead.

‘Prepare for fireworks,’ she warned the muddy ball of fur on the seat next to her.

At the sound of her voice the dog cocked one ear and stared at her with soulful eyes. She still wasn’t sure if she had actually hit it, or if it had been injured, but to be on the safe side she lifted it into her arms and carried it up the front steps.

‘Kezia…my dear.’ Mrs Jessop opened the front door and gasped at the sight of Kezia’s bedraggled form but Kezia’s gaze was drawn to the tall figure whose presence dominated the room.

‘Theos! What happened to you?’ Nik demanded, his face thunderous as he strode towards her.

His expression of utter disbelief would have been comical if Kezia had felt like laughing. Instead, all she could think of was that she had ruined her new shoes and was leaving a trail of mud across the floor. She was so wet that her skirt was plastered to her thighs, and as a final insult there was a huge ladder in her tights.

‘I had a slight accident,’ she told him briskly, hoping to mask the fact that she felt like bursting into tears. It was delayed shock, she told herself, and had nothing to do with Nik looking as though he would like to strangle her. She hadn’t seen him for weeks, and the impact of his exceptional height and broad shoulders encased in a charcoal-grey overcoat made her close her eyes for a second.

He possessed an aura of raw, sexual magnetism—a primal force that was barely concealed beneath the veneer of civilisation his clothes awarded him. Remove the designer suit and the man would still be impressive—probably more so, she acceded faintly as she sought to impose control on her wayward imagination. She had only felt half alive these past few weeks, but now the blood was zinging through her veins. One look from him could reduce her to jelly, and her face burned as she felt his eyes trawl over her mud-spattered clothes. From the gleam of fury in his gaze it was safe to assume that he was not as impressed by the sight of her.

‘What kind of accident? What the hell is going on, Kezia? And what is that?’ he growled as his gaze settled on the animal nestled in her arms.

‘It’s a dog. It ran into the road and I had to swerve to avoid hitting it. I’m not sure I was entirely successful,’ Kezia added worriedly. ‘It could be hurt.’ She trailed to a halt beneath Nik’s impatient glare.

‘Never mind the damn dog. Look at the state of you. I expected you to be here, not traipsing around the countryside collecting waifs and strays.’ He loomed over her, his brows drawn into a slashing frown that warned of his annoyance, and Kezia felt her temper flare. She had spent all day trying to organise his wretched dinner party, and she hadn’t driven ten miles across the Hertfordshire countryside in the pouring rain for fun. ‘Mrs Jessop mentioned a problem with the caterers?’ he growled.

‘There was, but it’s sorted,’ she said quickly, remembering that she still had to retrieve the boxes of cakes from her car.

‘It had better be. I want this presentation to go without a hitch, and I’m relying on you,’ Nik warned darkly, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of the lump on her head. ‘Theos, you’re hurt. Why didn’t you tell me?’ he demanded, pushing her hair back from her forehead to study the large bruise.

Kezia was suddenly acutely aware of an angry glare from Tania Harvey, who had just walked into the room, and she jerked away from him.

‘You didn’t give me a chance. Leave it, Nik, I’m fine,’ she muttered as he probed the lump with surprisingly gentle fingers.

He was too close for comfort. His coat was unbuttoned and she was aware of the muscles of his abdomen visible beneath his silk shirt. He smelled good—fresh and masculine—and the evocative tang of the aftershave he favoured swamped her senses. Her pulse rate soared and she was aware of the need to put some distance between them before she made a fool of herself. Even more of a fool, she amended wryly as she glanced down at her mud-encrusted shoes. That ditch had been full of stagnant water, and she felt her cheeks burn when Nik wrinkled his nose.

‘I’ll get cleaned up and call a vet,’ she assured him.

‘For your head?’ He was plainly puzzled.

‘For the dog. It may have a broken bone, and it must be shocked, it’s barely moved.’

‘Blow the damn dog,’ Nik exploded in a furious whisper, conscious of the need to keep his voice down so as not to alarm his guests. ‘I’m going to ring the doctor. You may be suffering from concussion. Something has certainly addled your brain,’ he added sarcastically.

‘I’m perfectly all right,’ Kezia snapped back, refusing to admit that she had a pounding headache. ‘I’ve arranged for Mrs Jessop’s niece Becky and a couple of her friends from the village to help with the party. Becky can show your visitors to their rooms, and we’ll meet for cocktails at seven, as planned. Everything’s under control, Nik,’ she assured him, but he was plainly unconvinced.

‘I’m glad you think so. But I’m curious to know what you’re going to wear tonight—because you cannot sit through dinner looking and smelling like you do right now.’ He let his eyes travel over her disparagingly, unperturbed by her scarlet cheeks. ‘You’d better have a bath—you stink—’He broke off as his mistress approached. ‘Perhaps Tania can lend you something.’

‘I’m not sure Kezia could squeeze into any of my clothes; we’re very different shapes,’ Tania purred, her words drawing attention to her sleek, honed figure compared to Kezia’s unfashionable curves.

Kezia gave a bright smile, determined to hide her humiliation and marched towards the stairs leading to the basement kitchen and staff quarters. ‘I’ll find something,’ she promised. ‘Trust me, Nik, everything’s going to be fine.’

Twenty minutes later the bundle of mud and fur that Kezia had rescued from the ditch emerged from the kitchen sink, transformed into a small, black dog of dubious parentage.

‘It looks like a terrier cross,’ Mrs Jessop remarked. ‘But crossed with what I couldn’t say.’

‘He doesn’t seem to be hurt, just hungry,’ Kezia said, and she sneaked a piece of chicken and fed it to the dog. ‘He’s very friendly. I’ll put a notice up in the village tomorrow. Hopefully someone will come and claim him.’

‘I wouldn’t bank on it,’ the housekeeper told her. ‘I reckon he’s been abandoned. From the look of him, he’s not eaten for days—which doesn’t mean you can feed him best chicken breast. That’s for dinner, Kezia. I don’t think Mr Niarchou would be too happy to hear you’ve fed the main course to a flea ridden stray.’

‘He hasn’t got fleas. And now I’ve bathed him I think he looks rather cute.’

Kezia stroked the dog, and her heart melted when it licked her hand. As a child she had longed for something of her own to love, but the boarding school she had attended from the age of eight hadn’t allowed pets. The school holidays had been spent with her parents in Malaysia, where her father had worked. She had pleaded with her mother to be allowed to keep a pet, but her parents enjoyed a busy social life and had had little enough time for their daughter, let alone an animal.

‘I can’t just turn him out in the rain,’ she murmured anxiously. ‘Would you mind keeping an eye on him, Mrs Jessop?’

‘While I prepare a four-course dinner for fourteen, you mean?’ the housekeeper teased good-naturedly.

‘I’m sorry about the caterers.’ Kezia groaned. ‘I can’t believe they let me down at the last minute. This presentation is important to Nik, and you know how demanding he is. Everything’s got to be perfect. If you can manage the cooking, I’ll act as hostess for the evening while Becky and the girls serve dinner.’

‘You’ll be joining them at the table, though, won’t you?’ the housekeeper queried.

‘No. I’ll need to organise wine and drinks, and make sure the evening runs as smoothly as possible. I won’t have time to sit down and eat.’

‘Nik won’t like that,’ Mrs Jessop warned, and Kezia’s heart sank as she envisaged Nik’s reaction when she failed to join him for dinner.

‘He doesn’t have a lot of choice,’ she muttered grimly. ‘The catering company would have sent a master of ceremonies as well as a team of waiters and without them the evening is in danger of being disastrous. We’ll just have to manage. We can’t do more than our best. But I don’t know what I’m going to do about my skirt.’

‘Becky has some spare clothes with her,’ Mrs Jessop said. ‘I’ll ask her if she’s got anything you can borrow, you’re about the same size. But you’d better get a move on if you’re going to join them upstairs for cocktails.’

In the shower, Kezia scrubbed her skin until it tingled and she was sure she no longer smelled of ditchwater. She couldn’t forget the expression of distaste on Nik’s face, and she was determined that when they next met she would be clean and fragrant.

She discovered Becky waiting for her in Mrs Jessop’s bedroom.

‘My aunt explained about you falling in the ditch. Luckily I’ve got a spare skirt with me, and shoes. You’re welcome to borrow them if they fit,’ the young girl offered.

‘You’re a lifesaver,’ Kezia replied gratefully. ‘Thanks, Becky. I’ll be ready in five minutes.’

The shoes were black stilettos with three-inch heels. Not the style of footwear she would have chosen, Kezia thought grimly, especially when she was going to be on her feet for most of the evening. Mercifully the skirt was a reasonable length—not one of Becky’s mini-skirt numbers—but it fitted Kezia like a second skin, the shiny black satin clinging lovingly to her hips and bottom. Teamed with sheer black tights and the high-heels, she looked very different from her usual image of discreet elegance, and she groaned as she imagined Nik’s reaction.

A glance at the clock warned her she was running out of time. Taking a deep breath, she headed for the kitchen to see Mrs Jessop, but stopped abruptly at the unexpected sight of Nik chatting to this housekeeper.

‘I thought they’d fit,’ Mrs Jessop murmured when she entered the steam-filled kitchen. ‘Doesn’t Kezia look nice, Mr Niarchou?’

‘Very…eye-catching.’ Nik was leaning against the Aga, his arms folded across his chest.

His eyes narrowed as he focused on her, and Kezia blushed and nervously smoothed an imaginary crease from the skirt. She felt strangely vulnerable without the protection of her formal work suit, especially when Nik’s gaze trawled down to her legs and the killer heels.

‘I know what you must be thinking,’ she faltered, and his brows shot up.

‘I sincerely hope you don’t,’ he drawled. ‘I could be arrested.’

‘My skirt and shoes are ruined. Becky kindly lent me these. I appreciate they’re not ideal…’

‘It depends what you’re planning to do in them. Lap dancing, perhaps?’ he queried sarcastically. ‘That should certainly liven up the evening.’

‘Look, if you think for one minute that I’m enjoying wearing these clothes, think again,’ she snapped furiously.

The glint of amusement and another, indefinable emotion in Nik’s eyes was the final straw, and Kezia glared at him. The frisson of sexual awareness between them existed in her mind only, she was sure. He had made it clear that she was just a member of his staff. She must have imagined the flare of heat in his eyes before his lashes fell, concealing his thoughts.

It didn’t help that he looked so gorgeous, she thought dismally. He had changed into a superbly tailored black dinner suit and a white shirt that emphasised the golden hue of his skin. A lock of black hair fell forward onto his brow, and flecks of amber warmed his dark eyes. She was acutely conscious of him as he strolled towards her. For a man of well over six feet tall, he moved with the lithe grace of a panther—lean, dark and inherently powerful.

She would be able to detect his presence anywhere. He possessed a charisma that alerted her senses and made the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand up. The house had seemed dead without him these past weeks, but now the atmosphere crackled with a surfeit of static electricity that exacerbated her tension.

‘How’s the head?’ he queried, towering over her so that she took a step backwards and banged into the table.

‘It’s fine; I told you there was nothing to worry about. Contrary to belief, my brain is in perfect working order,’ she added coolly and was awarded a look that did strange things to her insides.

Nik laughed, throwing back his head so that her eyes were drawn to the tanned column of his throat. ‘I’m glad to hear it, pedhaki mou.’

His earlier anger seemed to have disappeared and she quivered beneath the full onslaught of his charm. In many ways he was easier to deal with when he was angry—at least then she could tell herself that she disliked him.

‘I called my doctor about signs of possible concussion. Do you feel dizzy?’

She certainly did—but not because she was concussed, Kezia acknowledged ruefully. Standing this close to Nik was making her head spin.

‘No,’ she answered firmly.

‘Nauseous?’

‘No.’

‘Do you have a headache?’

She hesitated a fraction too long and his eyes narrowed. ‘Do you think you were knocked out? Even for a few seconds? And what about your neck? There’s a danger you’ve suffered whiplash.’

‘Nik…for heaven’s sake!’ Kezia stifled a gasp as he caught hold of her chin and tilted her face so that she was forced to stare up at him. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Checking your pupils,’ he murmured, in a low, gravelly voice that brought her flesh out in goosebumps.

She felt as though time ceased to exist. The sounds and smells of the kitchen faded as her senses focused on the man in front of her.

‘Curious,’ he mused softly, after he had spent what seemed like a lifetime staring down at her.

Kezia fidgeted restlessly, wishing she could break free of the spell that seemed to have frozen her muscles. She wanted to turn her head, but found herself transfixed by his eyes that were the colour of rich sherry.

‘What is?’ she whispered breathlessly. His description of her as curious made her feel as though he was inspecting a specimen in a jar, and brought her hurtling back to earth.

‘I can’t decide if your eyes are green or grey, they’re an unusual mixture of both. Your pupils are slightly dilated. Why is that, do you suppose?’ His breath fanned her cheek, and she swallowed and tried to pull free of his grasp, but he merely tightened his hold.

‘I really don’t know. But I do know that I feel perfectly all right. It’s almost seven, Nik,’ she said on a note of desperation. ‘We should be upstairs, preparing to greet your guests.’

‘In a minute—I want a word with you first.’

A sudden nuance in his voice disturbed her, and she felt a flicker of apprehension. What had she done now? ‘I’m sorry about the caterers,’ she said quickly. ‘But it wasn’t my fault—and Mrs Jessop has dinner under control.’

‘I’m not concerned with domestic arrangements,’ he told her coolly. ‘My concern is of a personal nature—our relationship, to be specific, and your apparent desire to be involved in my intimate affairs.’

‘What?’ The room swayed so alarmingly that Kezia was forced to grip the edge of the table, and she wondered briefly whether she was suffering the effects of concussion after all. ‘I don’t know what you mean,’ she mumbled, her face flaming.

How had he guessed her feelings for him? Had she inadvertently given some sign that revealed her awareness of his brooding sexuality? She couldn’t carry on working for him if that was the case. It would be unbearable. Drowning in humiliation, it took a few seconds for her to realise that he was speaking.

‘I mean your decision to invite Tania to dinner tonight. Your role as my PA does not give you the right to interfere in my private life.’

The amber flecks had disappeared from his eyes, leaving them dark and dispassionate. His concern of a few moments ago had also gone, and she confronted the sickening realisation that his friendliness had been a callous ploy to make her lower her defences while he prepared his attack.

‘I didn’t invite her. Well, I suppose I did,’ Kezia qualified. ‘But she knew about the dinner party, and she gave me the impression that you expected her to attend.’

‘Did I specify that she should be included on the guest list?’

‘No, but—’

‘Then why take matters into your own hands? Your job as my PA does not require you to organise my love-life.’

‘That’s not exactly true,’ Kezia snapped, irritated by his arrogance. ‘It was left to me to dispatch flowers to your last blonde when you ended the affair. And I had to pick out a piece of jewellery,’ she added, remembering the demeaning trip to the jewellers Nik had sent her on. ‘I thought that keeping your harem happy was very much part of my duties.’

‘Theos, you forget your position, Kezia,’ he growled furiously.

She swallowed, and wondered how he could switch from friend to foe so quickly.

‘Naturally there may be times when I need you to deal with private matters, but I assumed I could expect a certain amount of discretion. What do you think I pay you such a generous salary for?’

‘My staying power?’ Kezia suggested sweetly. ‘You can’t have it both ways, Nik. If Tania is suddenly off the menu, you should have said so.’ Her relief that she had misunderstood him earlier, and that he hadn’t guessed she was suffering from a massive case of hero-worship, was giving way to anger at his appallingly chauvinistic attitude. He might have the face and body of a Greek god, but he had a heart of stone. She should count herself lucky that he would never view her as anything other than his boring secretary.

‘You should be thankful that I had not invited another…companion for the weekend,’ Nik flung at her as he headed for the stairs leading up to the main floor. ‘It could have proved highly embarrassing for everyone.’

‘But that would have meant two-timing Miss Harvey,’ Kezia said slowly, frowning at the implication of his words. His long legs had already propelled him up the stairs, and she raced after him, following him into the drawing room. ‘That’s a despicable way to behave.’

For a moment she thought he hadn’t heard her. He was standing at the bar, his back towards her, but then he turned—and she quailed at the hardness of his expression.

‘Let’s get one thing straight, Kezia,’ he said softly, his tone revealing a degree of cynicism that made her wince. ‘How I choose to live my life is my business. In my world, affairs have little to do with the heart, and the women I date know the score. The pursuit of mutual sexual pleasure with no strings,’ he elaborated sardonically.

His words made her blush, but inside she felt chilled by his clinical detachment.

His smile was devoid of warmth as his eyes raked over her mercilessly. ‘I don’t know what Tania has hinted about our relationship, but she’s under a delusion if she thinks she is about to become a permanent feature in my life. I suggest you discount any romantic notions she might have put into your head,’ he advised. ‘In the unlikely event that I should ever need your advice on my private life, I’ll ask for it. Until then I expect you to follow my orders and abide by my decisions without question. Is that clear?’

‘As crystal,’ Kezia replied curtly.

Beneath his charm he possessed a ruthlessness that made her shiver, but even now she was agonisingly aware of him. Since that day when she had discovered him in her office she had been unable to put him out of her mind. He dominated her fantasies and haunted her dreams. She must have been mad to believe she could work for him, she thought grimly. When she’d learned that she had beaten the many other applicants for the job as his PA she had been filled with a mixture of fear and excitement. It was a dream job, and she had spent the past few months travelling to exotic locations aboard Nik’s private jet, but all the while she’d had to fight to hide her attraction to a man who barely noticed her while he worked his way through a variety of elegant blondes.

Voices from the hall warned her that his guests would soon join them, and she struggled for composure. She would rather die than allow him to see her misery—or, even worse, guess the reason for it.

‘I think we understand one another perfectly, Nik,’ she said coldly, pride giving her the courage to meet his gaze. ‘And I can’t tell you how glad I am that I’m not part of your world.’