Читать книгу Taken by the Boss: His Very Personal Assistant / In the Banker's Bed / The Takeover Bid - Кэрол Мортимер, Leigh Michaels - Страница 15

CHAPTER NINE

‘I UNDERSTAND there was some sort of—situation, in your bedroom last night?’

Kit forced herself not to move on the sun lounger on which she lay beside the swimming pool, even though the sound of Catherine Grainger’s voice had been enough to bring her eyes wide open behind the sunglasses she wore.

Unlike Kit, Catherine was fully dressed, albeit in a cool green linen sundress that showed her overall suntan to advantage. Kit, on the other hand, was wearing the black bikini she had bought for her holiday last year, her skin colour still creamy magnolia; she hadn’t gone away on holiday yet this year.

Despite receiving no response to her question, Catherine Grainger made herself comfortable on the adjacent lounger, as beautifully composed as she had been yesterday; her hair was perfectly styled and her skin smooth, despite her being in her late sixties.

In fact, Kit knew she wouldn’t mind being in this prime condition at the age of sixty-seven!

Which admission was enough to make her sit up a little straighter on her lounger, totally, she instantly realised, giving away her wakeful state.

‘I thought you were awake.’ Catherine Grainger nodded her satisfaction, her own sunglasses hiding silver eyes that Kit nevertheless knew to be totally shrewd and calculating.

‘Did you?’ Kit returned with cool uninterest.

‘Oh, yes.’ The older woman nodded again. ‘It was the tapping of your fingers on the arm of your lounger that gave you away.’

Something Kit instantly stopped doing. Not that she was surprised to learn she had been doing something so mind-numbingly repetitive; after last night she was having trouble stringing two thoughts together, let alone making any sense of them!

It had been impossible for her to sleep after Marcus had left her room last night, because of a combination of anger towards Mike Reynolds and sheer frustration where Marcus was concerned—her body still remembered his kisses and caresses even if her mind was trying desperately to shut them out!

All in all, she’d not had a good night’s sleep, and she had come outside early this morning to claim a lounger beside the pool, pushing the barrier of sunglasses onto the bridge of her nose in the hope of avoiding having to speak to any of the other people at this weekend party. Marcus, in particular!

Not, it appeared, that she need have worried about him too much; a maid cleaning beside the pool had informed her that Marcus had gone horse-riding with their host early this morning and wasn’t expected to return until mid-morning.

A pity she hadn’t been as fortunate where Catherine Grainger was concerned.

‘So…’ Catherine removed her own sunglasses to turn those penetrating silver-grey eyes on Kit ‘… why is it, when you assure me that we have never met before, I have the distinct impression we know each other?’

Every defensive bone in Kit’s body cried out to tell this woman the truth, to tell Catherine Grainger exactly why she had this feeling of familiarity, of who and what it was that gave her that feeling!

But another part of her knew she couldn’t do that; she had no intention of betraying a confidence given to her, and to do so would hurt other people as well as herself.

Kit turned her head to look at Catherine. ‘I can assure you—once again!—that the two of us have never met before,’ she said with complete honesty.

What would Marcus think, what would he say or do, if he could see Catherine Grainger talking to Kit now? It would no doubt arouse his suspicions all over again about where those leaks from his office were coming from—when, in point of fact, Kit wouldn’t tell this woman the time of day!

‘So you’ve said,’ Catherine acknowledged distantly, but still looking intensely at Kit with those piercing silver-grey eyes. ‘So what did happen last night?’

Kit gave a start. Although why she was surprised was beyond her; Catherine Grainger was a woman who always got what she wanted, and that included answers to the questions she asked.

Except, not this time… ‘I have no idea what you’re referring to,’ Kit dismissed.

And, in point of fact, she didn’t, not specifically. Was Catherine referring to Mike Reynolds’s unexpected visit to her bedroom, or Marcus’s appearance following that? Whichever it was, it was none of Catherine’s business!

‘Oh, come on, Kit.’ Catherine gave a hard laugh. ‘A man pays an unwelcome visit to your bedroom in the middle of the night and you have no idea what I’m referring to? My dear, if that really is the case, then what an exciting life you must lead!’

Catherine’s reference to an unwelcome visitor to her bedroom didn’t help to enlighten Kit in the least; she could still just as easily be referring to Marcus’s visit as Mike Reynolds’s!

‘Not particularly.’ She answered the other woman tersely. ‘As you say, it was unwelcome and, as such, I think it better to forget it ever happened.’ In both cases. As far as Mike Reynolds was concerned, she hoped she never saw him again. With regard to Marcus’s visit, she had to forget it if she intended to continue working for him.

‘Just pretend it never happened, you mean?’ the older woman mused. ‘My dear, you certainly have spirit!’

And Kit had to stop herself from visibly gnashing her teeth at having Catherine Grainger, of all people, refer to her as ‘my dear’, not once, but twice. She wasn’t Catherine Grainger’s ‘dear’ anything, and never would be!

‘Thank you,’ she accepted briskly.

‘I’m not sure that Desmond intends treating the situation as lightly as you seem able to,’ Catherine announced.

Kit gave her a sharp look. ‘What do you mean?’

Catherine shrugged. ‘It happened in his home, my dear; not exactly pleasant. Especially if you decide to press charges later on.’

She had to be referring to Mike Reynolds’s unwanted visit to Kit’s bedroom, couldn’t possibly think Kit would press charges against Marcus for what had, after all, been a mutual passion.

‘I won’t,’ Kit denied. ‘The Mike Reynoldses of this world are, as you say, unpleasant, but hardly worth disrupting one’s life for.’

‘That’s very commendable,’ Catherine replied graciously. ‘By the way, that’s a really nasty bruise you have on your arm.’

Kit felt the colour flush her cheeks; she had put foundation cream on the discolouration caused by Mike clasping hold of her arm so tightly the night before, but unfortunately she hadn’t quite managed to hide the colours-of-the-rainbow effect in the shape of fingers!

Kit found herself disliking this woman more than ever for drawing attention to her bruising. Was it any wonder that—?

‘My fault, I’m afraid,’ Marcus remarked easily as he dropped down onto Kit’s lounger, bending forward to kiss her bruised arm. ‘A little over-enthusiasm on my part. Sorry, darling,’ he told her throatily.

Kit, having dreaded seeing Marcus again after what had happened between them last night, suddenly found herself very pleased to see him. Especially as he seemed to have summed the situation up at a glance—well… some of it!—and come to her rescue.

She had been so caught up in her conversation with Catherine Grainger that she hadn’t even noticed his approach. But now she could only admire how handsome he looked in his riding jodhpurs and a loose white shirt.

‘Marcus,’ she greeted warmly, her relieved smile telling him how grateful she was for his interruption.

‘Well, it seems I must leave you two lovebirds alone,’ Catherine Grainger murmured as she stood up. ‘A word of advice, though, Marcus…’ She paused beside them. ‘Kit’s skin is far too delicate and fair for such rough lovemaking!’ She strolled away towards the house.

‘Why, that interfering old—’

‘Now, now, Kit, let’s not be bitchy,’ Marcus interrupted her with amusement, his blue eyes reflecting his smile. ‘Catherine is such a cold person herself she’s probably forgotten what lovemaking is like, rough or otherwise!’

Kit grinned. ‘Now who’s being bitchy?’

He straightened to look at her critically. ‘Did Reynolds really do that to you last night?’ His mouth had thinned as he inspected the marks on her arm.

‘Yes—but it doesn’t matter,’ she quickly dismissed as Marcus’s expression darkened even more. She reached out to pick up her towelling robe and pull it on, hoping that hiding the bruises might take Marcus’s mind off their existence. She should have known better. Marcus was nothing if not single-minded.

‘Oh, yes, it matters,’ he assured her softly.

‘Please leave it, Marcus.’ She put a pleading hand on his arm. ‘He’s gone now.’ Mike’s departure was the first thing she had checked on when she had come downstairs this morning. ‘It’s enough that as many people know about it as they do.’

Marcus looked at her searchingly. ‘I owe you an apology for last night—’

‘Couldn’t we just forget about that too?’ she said self-consciously.

‘Can you forget about it?’ he replied huskily.

Forget Marcus kissing her? Forget Marcus caressing her? Forget the way he had aroused her? Forget the way he had been aroused by her?

No—of course she couldn’t forget about it. But the alternative, of leaving his employment and never seeing him again, wasn’t acceptable, either.

She couldn’t quite meet his searching gaze now. ‘I can try,’ she told him slowly.

Marcus gave a shake of his head. ‘I don’t know what the hell came over me, talking to you in the way that I did! And as for—’

‘Please!’ Inwardly Kit cringed; the last thing she wanted was to hear his regrets about kissing and caressing her.

‘Perhaps you’re right,’ he allowed heavily, standing up too. ‘Incidentally, what were you and Catherine Grainger talking about before I arrived? Besides Reynolds, of course.’

Kit gave him a darting look, unable to read anything from his bland expression. Deliberately so? She wasn’t sure. But it was obvious from Marcus’s question that he was still uneasy about her conversations with his arch business rival, that maybe he did still suspect her in some way.

She actually had no idea why Catherine Grainger kept singling her out in this way.

She only knew the reason she would rather the other woman didn’t do so!

She gave Marcus a narrow-eyed look. ‘You still don’t trust me, do you…?’

‘Kit, I have no idea who to trust any more,’ he answered truthfully. ‘I only know that when I do find the traitor in my camp, they are going to wish they had never been born!’

She swallowed hard, not doubting for a moment that he meant what he said. Should she tell him now of her past connection to Catherine Grainger, of the reason she disliked the woman so much she couldn’t possibly be the one who was passing her information?

She shuddered just at the thought of doing that, at the contempt she would see in his face if he knew the truth. Besides, it wasn’t her secret to tell…

She gave an abrupt shake of her head. ‘Then it’s just as well it isn’t me, isn’t it?’

‘Isn’t it?’ he returned hardly.

Their gazes locked in mutual challenge, Kit determined not to be the one to back down.

Marcus finally gave in. ‘I think I’ll just go upstairs and take a shower. I’ve finished talking to Desmond, so we can leave before lunch if you would—’

‘Oh, yes!’ she accepted quickly. ‘I can’t wait to get away from here,’ she admitted abruptly.

‘Believe me, it isn’t the most successful twenty-four hours I’ve ever known, either. Oh, and by the way, you were right about Desmond.’ He paused.

Kit gave him a curious look. ‘About his still being in love with his wife, you mean?’

‘That—’ Marcus nodded ‘—and the fact that the rumours concerning his financial problems did originate from him.’

‘They did?’ She had merely been guessing when she had made that comment yesterday, hadn’t really thought there would be any truth in it.

‘Yes,’ Marcus went on. ‘Although not for the reason we supposed. He’s actually in no financial difficulty at all, but he thought that if his wife believed he was she might come back to him.’

Kit’s expression was perplexed. ‘Isn’t it usually the other way around…?’

‘That’s very cynical of you, Kit,’ he teased. ‘Obviously you’ve never met the latest Mrs Hayes.’

‘Well, of course I haven’t met her! I don’t usually mix in such exalted company as I have this weekend,’ she shot back.

‘The exalted bit is certainly a matter of opinion!’ Marcus responded wryly. ‘I can think of several people here this weekend who certainly don’t come under that heading!’

Mike Reynolds and Catherine Grainger being two of them, Kit easily guessed.

‘So can I,’ she agreed dully.

‘I’m sure you can,’ he allowed flatly. ‘Anyway, the bottom line is that Jackie wants children and Desmond is terrified at the thought. But as he also loves his wife to distraction…’

‘He came up with the idea of starting a rumour that he’s in financial difficulties in the hopes of winning Jackie back,’ Kit realised.

‘Yes,’ Marcus confirmed.

‘But didn’t they discuss having children before they got married?’

‘I have no idea,’ Marcus told her lightly. ‘Having only just started my career as a marriage guidance counsellor, I didn’t think to ask that question!’

‘And you’re so highly qualified too!’ She instantly felt the colour warm her cheeks at her unthinking outspokenness. ‘What I meant to say was—’

‘I know what you meant to say, Kit,’ he assured her. ‘As for Desmond, I felt quite sorry for him, actually.’

‘Who did you feel sorry for, darling?’ Andrea Revel cut smoothly in on their conversation, moving to stand next to Marcus as she linked her arm loosely with his to look up at him.

Instantly making five-feet-ten-inches-tall Kit feel like a giraffe—and with about as much grace of movement!

The other woman looked gorgeous, of course, the skimpy green bikini she wore moulding to the perfection of her voluptuous curves, the tiny pieces of material leaving little to the imagination.

Not that Marcus needed imagination where this woman’s curves were concerned, Kit reminded herself crossly.

Or that it was any of her business, she rebuked herself.

‘Surely not Mike Reynolds?’ Andrea persisted when she received no answer, green eyes glittering maliciously as she looked across at Kit.

‘No, not Reynolds,’ Marcus rasped, obviously having no intention of breaking Desmond’s confidence by enlightening Andrea as to exactly whom he had been talking about.

Andrea arched blonde brows. ‘I believe you had a little trouble with the man last night, Kit…?’

Did everyone here know what had happened in her bedroom last night? Although she didn’t need to look far to know who had been Andrea Revel’s informant!

She gave Marcus a glare before answering Andrea. ‘Nothing that couldn’t be sorted out,’ she said tightly.

‘Lucky for you that Marcus came back when he did,’ Andrea drawled pointedly.

‘Very,’ Kit acknowledged tautly, knowing from the taunting glint in the other woman’s catlike eyes that she was enjoying her discomfort thoroughly. ‘If you’ll both excuse me, I would like to go inside and dress?’ she said stiltedly. ‘You said we’re leaving shortly, Marcus?’

‘In about an hour,’ he confirmed.

It couldn’t be soon enough for her, Kit knew as she turned away from the sight of Andrea Revel leaning her curves into Marcus’s body as the two of them whispered together.

Her heart ached as she acknowledged that Marcus wasn’t exactly pushing Andrea away. Oh, she believed him when he said his relationship with Andrea was over before the two of them had come away together for the weekend, but that didn’t mean that it couldn’t be rekindled, did it? She didn’t doubt that if Andrea Revel had any say in it then it certainly would be!

Just as she didn’t doubt her own love for Marcus. Or that that love was of the everlasting variety.

What an idiot she was.

She had spent the last six months hiding her own attractiveness from Marcus, only to fall in love with him and wish that he would feel the same way about her.

What a futile hope…!