Читать книгу Out of Hours...His Feisty Assistant - Heidi Rice - Страница 15

‘WE’LL TAKE THE SHORTER one with the straps,’ Zack announced to the overjoyed boutique manageress. ‘Now let’s see some of your evening wear.’

‘Yes, sir, Mr Boudreaux,’ the woman replied, snapping her fingers at the staff hovering around her. ‘I’ll get the models ready right away.’

Kate watched the woman and her minions rush off. The manageress’s eyes had glazed over ten minutes ago, clocking up the dollar signs like a human cash register.

As soon as she and Zack were alone she turned on her boss, determined to make him see sense. She’d accepted his job proposal less than an hour ago and already she was starting to panic.

After taking a quick shower in his penthouse, she’d been whisked off in a limousine to one of Vegas’s priciest and most exclusive designer boutiques. The merchandise here made the clothes she’d seen on Michelle’s rail look like bargain-basement knock-offs.

‘This is preposterous,’ she whispered furiously. ‘I don’t need all these things. You must have spent thousands of dollars already. And there’s no way that as my boss you should be responsible for buying my clothes.’

‘Relax.’

He looked relaxed enough for both of them, she thought. His arm was slung casually across the back of her chair, one leg crossed with his ankle resting on his knee. How could he be so calm when he was spending a fortune?

‘It’s my money and I am the boss,’ he continued. ‘You need to look the part when we get to California.’ His gaze drifted down her figure, taking in the T-shirt and jeans she’d bought from Michelle. ‘The tomboy outfit’s cute, but it’s not going to cut it at The Grange.’

‘But I could get the same effect for you for a lot less money. Remember how much you liked that dress I wore to dinner?’

‘Yeah.’ His voice deepened, making the single word sound like a caress. ‘I don’t think I’m ever going to forget it.’

‘I got it at a thrift store for twenty dollars,’ she said triumphantly, sealing her argument. Or so she thought.

He chuckled. ‘They say the Lord works in mysterious ways. I guess I know what they mean now.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, you don’t have to—’ she started, only to be silenced when he placed his forefinger on her lips.

‘Quit arguing.’ His lips quirked. ‘This is all part of the deal, so you’re going to have to stick with it, sweetheart.’

‘Oh, for Pete’s sake.’ She slumped back in her chair, pouting. The man was completely intractable. ‘I was only trying to save you some money.’

‘Well, don’t,’ he said. ‘That’s not your job. Anyhow, the way I see it, it’s money well spent. I’m getting a real kick out of imagining you in some of this stuff.’

‘Oh, you are, are you?’ Her own lips twitched. She was unable to resist his teasing any longer. He was behaving like a child in a sweet shop—and making her feel like a flipping walnut whip. Light and fluffy and completely nuts.

He grinned. ‘Honey, my knicker fetish and I are gonna have a ball when they bring out the underwear.’

After making her protest, and having it comprehensively shot down, Kate gave in. Who knew she’d have so much fun doing it, though? She’d always had a passion for beautiful clothes, had spent years poring over glossy women’s magazines unable to afford so much as a handkerchief. Once she’d started picking out garments, she hadn’t been able to stop.

If Zack was bound and determined to buy her a whole new wardrobe, she might as well have some input, she reasoned. After all, she was the one who was going to be wearing the clothes. And she hadn’t failed to notice Zack’s taste leaned towards the more revealing end of the spectrum. If she left all the choices up to him she’d end up looking more like his mistress than his PA, and freezing to death to boot. It might be sweltering in Vegas in May, but she doubted it would be that hot on the Californian coast. He welcomed her suggestions, encouraging her to pick out whatever she wanted and—true to his word—didn’t seem remotely bothered by how much they were spending. Consequently, Kate decided to lay the blame at his door when they got back into the limousine an hour later and she watched the boutique’s doorman load box after box of their purchases into the boot.

Why had she let him buy all those clothes for her? It felt rash and indulgent. And what did it say about her precious self-sufficiency?

‘What’s the problem?’ Zack watched Kate’s teeth tug on her bottom lip as she gazed out of the limo’s back window. She looked dazed.

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!