Читать книгу Out of Hours...His Feisty Assistant - Heidi Rice - Страница 16

‘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.