Читать книгу Taken by the Boss - Кэрол Мортимер - Страница 13

CHAPTER SIX

‘I DON’T believe we were introduced earlier…?’

Kit froze two steps from the bottom of the staircase as Catherine spoke to her. No, they hadn’t been introduced, deliberately so, as far as Kit was concerned; she was determined to avoid Catherine Grainger as much as was possible.

‘Have the two of us met before…?’ Puzzlement edged the older woman’s clipped tones as she spoke again.

Kit’s chin rose and she looked down at the other woman, schooling her features into polite disinterest. ‘I’m sure not,’ she replied, only the whitening of her knuckles as she tightly gripped the banister beside her demonstrating that she wasn’t quite as composed as she might appear.

There had been a time in her life when she had imagined a moment like this, when she and Catherine Grainger would come face to face. But that had been when she was still young enough to believe in fairness and justice. Reality was something else entirely.

Catherine was so tall and slim that she looked elegant in whatever she wore, tonight a dress of sparkling midnight blue. Her silver hair lightly touched her bare shoulders, and her throat sported a simple necklace of sapphire and diamonds—her only jewellery.

One of those diamond necklaces that Marcus had wanted to strangle her with only yesterday!

But despite the elegance of her dress, the understated simplicity of the jewellery, everything about this woman spoke of wealth and power.

‘You seem familiar somehow,’ Catherine persisted, her silver-grey gaze focused assessingly on Kit now.

Kit’s own black dress was nowhere near as expensively tailored as Catherine’s, and her only jewellery was a small gold locket suspended between her breasts by a delicate gold chain.

What would Catherine Grainger have to say if she could see the two people photographed inside that locket?

Not a lot, Kit sadly hazarded a guess.

‘Doubtful,’ she answered Catherine, finishing her descent of the stairs, standing only feet away from her now.

Catherine’s gaze remained on her. ‘You arrived with Marcus Maitland, didn’t you?’ she probed.

Kit smiled slightly at the slight edge in Catherine’s voice. ‘I did,’ she confirmed, inwardly pleased to be able to make that claim; the obvious dislike between this lady and Marcus was one sure way to keep her, and her curiosity, at bay!

Catherine’s mouth curved derisively. ‘No accounting for taste, I suppose,’ she drawled scathingly.

Kit stiffened. ‘Please don’t let me keep you from the other guests,’ she replied, hearing the distinctive murmur of voices coming from a double-doored room to their right.

‘You aren’t,’ the other woman countered. ‘In fact—’

‘There you are, Kit!’ Marcus greeted from the top of the stairs, both women turning to look at him as he descended.

Marcus looked devastatingly attractive in a black dinner suit and snowy white shirt, more so than Kit had ever seen him before.

Catherine Grainger’s expression remained impassive, confirming that there was no love lost between the two of them.

‘Catherine,’ Marcus greeted smoothly as he reached the hallway, his hand moving possessively on the slenderness of Kit’s waist.

Kit turned to him, groaning inwardly as she saw the hard glitter in his eyes.

‘Marcus,’ Catherine returned dryly. ‘Your—young friend, and I were just keeping each other company while she waited for you to come downstairs.’

‘Really?’ he drawled sceptically. ‘Well, I’m obviously here now, so please don’t let us delay you any further.’ He looked at the older woman challengingly.

A challenge she was only too pleased to meet, mocking humour to her smile now. ‘I’m in no hurry.’ She shrugged her elegant shoulders. ‘Perhaps the three of us could go to the library and have a quiet drink togeth—’

‘I wondered what was keeping you, Catherine,’ Desmond Hayes called out reprovingly after flinging open the double doors to the sitting-room to find the three of them standing there. ‘Now I see that it was Marcus—’ he strolled over to join them ‘—and his charming companion, Kit,’ he added with obvious intent, his eyes flirting shamelessly as he took in her appearance.

Kit winced as Marcus’s grip on her waist tightened; was she going to do anything right at all this evening?

She knew from Marcus’s response to finding her downstairs with Catherine that he wasn’t pleased to see them together—well, he could join the club, because Kit wasn’t pleased about it either! But he had no right at all to be annoyed with her because Desmond Hayes kept flirting with her—she certainly wasn’t encouraging the man!

‘Kit…’ Catherine repeated consideringly, once again eyeing Kit speculatively. ‘Would that be short for—?’

‘It would be short for nothing,’ Kit cut in firmly. ‘And I’m sure the three of us have already delayed dinner for long enough,’ she finished with a pointed smile in Desmond Hayes’s direction.

‘You two go ahead,’ Marcus suggested tautly.

‘If you’re sure,’ Desmond Hayes accepted as he tucked Catherine’s hand snugly into the crook of his arm.

‘I’m sure,’ Marcus confirmed. ‘Kit and I will join you in a few moments.’ His grip on her waist held her back now as the other couple moved towards the noisy sitting-room.

Kit should have felt relieved at their departure—and she did feel a certain amount of tension ease out of her—but the anger she could still feel emanating from Marcus as he watched Catherine and Desmond was enough to tell her he was far from finished talking to her. In fact, he probably hadn’t even started yet.

He moved away from her as soon as the sitting-room doors closed, looking down at her with accusing eyes. ‘How long have you known Catherine Grainger?’

Kit felt her cheeks pale. ‘I—but I don’t know her!’ she claimed dazedly.

His mouth twisted humourlessly. ‘The two of you looked friendly enough when I came downstairs a few minutes ago.’

Kit scowled as she gathered her wits. ‘How can you say that? We had barely got past the civilities when you appeared—’

Marcus eyed her scathingly. ‘Kit, I had been watching the two of you for several minutes before making my presence known.’

Her eyes widened. ‘You were spying on us?’ she realised incredulously.

‘Of course not,’ he dismissed irritably. ‘I was merely on my way downstairs when I—’

‘Saw the two of us talking together and decided to listen in!’ Kit finished disgustedly, just thankful that he couldn’t possibly have heard anything in the least damning—simply because there hadn’t been anything like that for him to hear!

Marcus drew in a deep, controlling breath. ‘Kit, are you aware of the—rivalry, between Maitland Enterprises and Grainger International?

‘And the fact that they seem to be stealing the march on us lately with several business deals?’

‘Well, of course I’m aware of it. I’m your PA—now just a minute.’ She drew herself up to her current full height of six feet—in the two-inch-high-heeled shoes she was wearing—and was almost able to meet Marcus eye to eye. ‘Exactly what are you implying?’

‘I’ve suggested to Lewis that there may be some connection between the last three deals that Grainger International have stolen from under our noses.’

‘Yes?’ she prompted slowly, remembering all too well Lewis Grant’s remarks on the subject on Thursday. And the implication behind them. ‘When you said lately just now, did you really mean to say in the last six months?’ she pressed resentfully. ‘The exact amount of time I’ve been working for you?’

‘Calm down, Kit.’ Marcus sighed. ‘I didn’t mean to imply—’

‘Oh, yes, you did!’ Kit bit out indignantly. ‘How dare you? How dare you even think such a thing about me and that—that woman?’ she finished for want of something better to say.

The things he was implying about her, that she might possibly have leaked information to Catherine Grainger—presumably, he thought, for some monetary reward to herself?—would be laughable if they weren’t so insulting!

‘For your information, I wouldn’t offer to help that woman—in any way—if she and I were the last two people on the planet!’ Kit was breathing so hard in her agitation that her creamy breasts were clearly heaving beneath the low neckline of her dress.

Not that she was too concerned about that, realising as she saw the sudden change in Marcus’s expression that she had said too much; Marcus was far too intelligent a man to believe she could possibly have come to that conclusion about Catherine Grainger after only five minutes’ acquaintance!

Which she obviously hadn’t. No, her knowledge of Catherine went back much further than that. Too far back to even give Marcus a hint at the reason she felt the way she did.

She made a dismissive movement of her hand. ‘What I meant to say was—’

‘I believe you made yourself more than clear, Kit,’ Marcus assured her dryly. ‘And I apologize if my remarks just now were less than—well, trusting.’ He grimaced. ‘All I’m saying is that I’m inclined to think the only explanation for those three lost deals is that there is someone in my employ who is revealing details of my business interests to Grainger International. But just because you and Catherine were talking together just now is really no reason for me to think that you—’

‘That I’m the disloyal employee,’ Kit completed tautly, having already known—and dreaded—the connection he could make concerning her and Catherine Grainger. ‘Maybe you should try looking a little closer to home for your leak?’ she suggested, still smarting from the fact that he might have thought it could have been her.

He blinked. ‘Such as where?’

Kit gave him a smile of completely insincere sweetness. ‘Did it ever occur to you that maybe you talk in your sleep?’

Marcus looked momentarily stunned by the suggestion. But then his good humour, which had been such a welcome surprise to Kit the last few days, took over, and a wry smile started to curve his lips. ‘I think maybe I deserved that,’ he acknowledged.

She gave an accepting inclination of her head. ‘I think maybe you did.’

‘Hmm,’ he murmured ruefully, still smiling. ‘Am I forgiven?’ His expression was cajoling.

She was still annoyed with him, but at the same time knew how ludicrous were his suspicions that she could have betrayed him to Catherine Grainger. But Marcus couldn’t know that. And she would rather it remained that way.

‘You are,’ she returned lightly.

‘In that case—’ he reached out to take a courteous hold of her arm ‘—shall we join the others, Miss McGuire?’

‘Certainly, Mr Maitland,’ she instantly accepted, knowing that if he had overstepped a line where she was concerned, then she had certainly done the same thing to him with her inference about pillow talk with women like Andrea Revel—and got away with it, thank goodness!

She had no idea what had prompted her to make that completely personal remark, except that it had disturbed her to have him accuse her of somehow being in cahoots with Catherine Grainger, of all people. She would rather ally herself to a rattlesnake!

‘But don’t be under the misapprehension,’ Marcus murmured close to her ear as they entered the noisy sitting-room, ‘that because I made a mistake about Catherine Grainger, I’ve forgotten our need to discuss your—acquaintance, with Mike Reynolds.’

Kit turned sharply, the high colour back in her cheeks. ‘I don’t feel such a need!’ she assured him quickly.

He raised dark brows at her vehemence. ‘Like that, is it?’

‘Exactly like that!’ If she never saw Mike Reynolds again it would be too soon!

Marcus gave her a considering look. ‘There really is a lot more to you than meets the eye, Kit McGuire—’

‘I thought that for this weekend it was to be Marcus and Kit?’ she reminded him, preferring not to have her surname bandied. Especially in Catherine Grainger’s hearing…

‘Oh, it is,’ he replied. ‘Have I told you yet this evening how beautiful you look?’

If anything that colour in her cheeks deepened. ‘There’s no need to keep up the pretence when we’re on our own,’ she informed him awkwardly.

‘It’s not pretence,’ he assured her softly, blue eyes laughing warmly as she gave him a puzzled look. ‘You really are a very beautiful woman, Kit,’ he told her seriously. ‘I had absolutely no idea.’

‘Perhaps it might be better if we left it that way,’ she said stiffly.

‘Too late,’ he responded. ‘I think simply coming in to the office might be a pleasure in future!’

Kit didn’t feel the same enthusiasm, not if it was based on the fact that he now found her an attractive woman. Considering the short amount of time his interest in a specific woman usually lasted, that could mean that her days as his PA were numbered…

‘Especially…’ he looked at her intently ‘… if you really have forgiven me for my remarks of a few minutes ago?’

Kit gave an abrupt nod of her head. ‘I said I had.’

Marcus grimaced. ‘It’s been my experience that women don’t always mean what they say.’

‘Well, this one does!’ she assured him firmly.

Oh, she had forgiven him. Of course she had. But she wouldn’t forget. Couldn’t forget.

Because if Marcus knew the truth about her acquaintance with Catherine Grainger, she was sure he wouldn’t have Kit anywhere near him, let alone working in his office!