Читать книгу A Night With Consequences - Маргарет Майо - Страница 5

THIS was an unbelievable opportunity, thought Kara. Flying to Italy with her boss for the firm’s annual conference was any woman’s dream. She would have liked it to be hers, but unfortunately—sadly—it wasn’t. It never could be.

Not that Blake Benedict was a man who could be so easily dismissed. He was aggressively handsome, with strong dark features that guaranteed a second look. And she had stolen many of those. According to gossip he was divorced—acrimoniously—and had sworn never to get married again. But he was not short of girlfriends. Far from it! They vied for his attention like bees around a honeypot.

Not so Kara. She did not want him to notice her, and had always tried to make herself invisible by wearing dark classical suits and little make-up, dragging her hair back unbecomingly. Her hair was actually her crowning glory, a deep, rich auburn, but there was no way she could wear it loose for the office.

The fact that he never gave her a second look told her that her efforts to hide her sexuality really did work. She made a point of being extremely efficient, and even though he rarely heaped praise on her shoulders she knew that he was more than satisfied.

But the very thought of joining him in Italy sent unease curling down her spine. It was impossible. And yet how to tell him? What if he insisted? What if he said that it was part of her job?

She had felt very fortunate when she’d got the position as PA to Blake Benedict, head of the Benedict Corporation—a worldwide organisation whose head office was in London. The agency had lined up another girl, but she had fallen ill at the last minute and Kara had been sent in her place. The first time she had set eyes on him she had felt a whoosh of something dangerous slide through her body. Never, ever in her life had she felt anything like it.

Blake was head and shoulders taller than most men, with a square dimpled jaw and dark, closely cut hair that held a hint of silver at the temples. His grey eyes were deep-set and his nose looked as though it had been chiselled out of fine stone—as did his lips. They were so beautifully moulded that Kara occasionally found herself holding her breath as she envisaged being kissed by them. This feeling was something entirely alien to Kara and unnerved her greatly. She had never kissed a man, never even been out with a man—her father had seen to that! And even though her domineering father was no longer alive his presence still hung over her.

Not that Blake would ever be interested in Kara. She was not beautiful; she was not blonde or gorgeous. She was an ordinary woman with ordinary features and no man ever looked at her twice. But she was the luckiest woman in the world to have landed this job. It had come at just the right time.

‘It’s not a problem for you, is it?’ Blake was surprised that Kara did not look excited. She had not said that she did not want to go, but the look in her eyes reminded him of a doe in a car’s headlights and he could not understand why. Their yearly convention was an opportunity every one of his other personal assistants had jumped at.

He had to admit that Kara was different, and if he hadn’t been desperate after Olivia had left he would perhaps not have hired her. He liked beautiful women around him and Kara was—well, she made no effort to make herself look glamorous. But she had come with good references and she was damned good at her job. In fact she had made herself indispensable.

And he needed her in Milan. She had dealt with every aspect of the conference; she had practically organised it herself. She knew exactly what the agenda was. So he was going to make very sure that she went with him no matter what excuse she came up with.

She looked extremely nervous, perched on the edge of the chair, and for the first time he noticed what delicate ankles she had—it was all he could see of her legs in the ridiculous long skirts she insisted on wearing. And her flat shoes were the most unflattering things he had ever seen. But her ankles? Why had he never noticed them before? ‘Are you going out tonight, Miss Redman?’ He had no idea what had prompted the question, but it suddenly seemed important for him to know.

‘Is the question relevant, Mr Benedict?’

It was not the answer he’d expected and it amused him. He even thought that he heard fire in her voice, and there was certainly a spark in her blue eyes. An almost violet-blue. Something else he had never noticed. They were totally amazing when she widened them, when her long silky lashes fluttered as she waited for his reply. This was a new and interesting side to his PA. A side that he felt himself wanting to explore.

Despite that, though, it didn’t please him that she was not readily agreeing to his wishes. ‘If I am holding you up then perhaps we can have our little talk another time?’

‘You’re not holding me up.’ Kara did her best to ignore the sarcasm he had injected into his voice. ‘But there really is nothing to talk about. I can’t join you in Italy—it’s as simple as that. I’m sorry.’

She held her breath as she waited for his response. She imagined that no one had ever said no to him before. Blake Benedict was law. Everyone jumped at his bidding. And why not, when he was the successful owner of one of the largest IT solutions companies?

Blake’s was a success story beyond most people’s wildest dreams. It was a story that every member of staff knew. From a little boy of five who’d been able to use a computer better than most adults, he had started his first business venture at the age of sixteen, writing troubleshooting computer programs, and now he had thousands working for him. He was revered by all and no one ever thought of saying no to him. This was why Kara had taken him by surprise. But she simply could not leave her mother even for a few nights. It would be far too dangerous.

Her daring clearly astonished him, though. A deep frown grooved his brow and narrowed his grey eyes. And when he spoke his voice had developed a hard edge that she was not accustomed to hearing when he spoke to her. ‘There is no such word as can’t in my vocabulary, Miss Redman. I’m sure you’ve worked for me long enough to know that.’

Of course she had, but her priorities were equally important. ‘I—I appreciate what you are saying, but I do have a life outside work and—’

‘And that life is so important that you cannot dedicate yourself to your job?’

Kara quivered at the caustic harshness, at the bullet hardness of his eyes, which had turned almost silver, but nevertheless she stuck to her guns. ‘Mr Benedict, I do not think you can ever say that I do not do my job properly.’ She had worked late so many times that she sometimes felt she spent more time at work than she did at home.

‘Maybe not. In fact you’re very good,’ he admitted.

Grudgingly, she thought. Praise did not come easily from this man. He was a fair employer, though. His staff were treated fairly and paid high wages and they rewarded him by doing their jobs well. Few people left his employ.

Why couldn’t he see things from her point of view? Did he not think that his staff had lives of their own?

‘So who is it that has priority on your time? A boyfriend, perhaps?’ The lift to his brows told her that he clearly thought this was not a good enough excuse.

Kara knew he would not rest until she had told him the truth, or as much of it as she cared to reveal. ‘If you must know, I look after my mother. She cannot manage without me.’ And she prayed that he would not try to delve any deeper into their circumstances.

For a fraction of a second he hesitated—this was evidently something he had not expected or even thought about. Kara wondered whether he had a mother who equally relied on him. Or maybe not. Blake’s work was his life. During the eleven months she had worked for him he had not taken one single day’s holiday.

‘And there is no one else who can look after her? No other family member?’

Kara was tempted to say, Would I be talking like this if there was? Don’t you think I’d jump at the opportunity of going to Italy? But she didn’t. She lifted her chin instead and met the glare in his eyes with one of her own. ‘I’m an only child and my father’s dead.’ And felt her heart pound as she waited for his response.

His brows lifted fractionally. She would not have noticed if she had not been staring him in the face.

‘I see. That is unfortunate. I am sorry.’ And he actually looked it. ‘What is wrong with your mother?’

‘It’s her health,’ she answered. ‘It is not good. She depends on me.’

‘And you are sure that there is no one who could possibly keep an eye out for her?’

Kara hesitated. There was her mother’s sister, who had always said that she would love to have her stay any time Kara wanted a break, but she had never taken her up on it. It hadn’t seemed fair. She wasn’t sure that her aunt realised how fragile Lynne had become.

But she’d hesitated too long, and Blake Benedict seized the opportunity, his eyes narrowing on her face. ‘I can see from your expression that there is someone.’

Kara compressed her lips and nodded. ‘Actually, there is my aunt. Possibly! I would have to ask her.’

‘Then do that tonight, Miss Redman. And if the answer is no then I will personally hire a nurse.’

Meaning that he intended her to go to Milan with him whether she wanted to or not! Kara wasn’t sure whether to feel annoyed or flattered—it was impossible to decide between the two. She hadn’t told Blake the whole truth when she’d said that she could not leave her mother because of her health; it was something far more serious than that. But it was none of his business and she had no intention of talking about it. ‘I’ll see what my aunt says. Is that all, Mr Benedict?’ She kept her eyes level on his in an endeavour to look more confident than she felt. She did not want him to know exactly how fearful she was about leaving her parent.

‘That is all.’ And already his head was bent over paperwork.

Kara’s mother was all for her going. ‘Of course I’ll stay with Susan. She’ll love to have me. She’ll let me stay for as long as I like.’

‘It will only be for a few days,’ Kara hastened to assure her. ‘I would get out of it if I could, but Mr Benedict is adamant that he needs me.’

‘You worry too much about me, my darling.’ Her mother’s blue eyes, so much like Kara’s, smiled tiredly. ‘The change will do me good.’

‘Of course I worry,’ insisted Kara. ‘I have every reason to. You don’t think he’ll find out where you are?’

Her parent’s lips thinned and a deep shadow crossed her lined face. “You mean the rat who’s hounding us for money? Your father certainly didn’t do us any favours, did he? But it’s unfair that you should have to shoulder the burden. Why all your hard-earned cash should—’

‘I don’t care about that as long as you are all right,’ Kara insisted.

‘I’ll be safe at Susan’s,’ her mother assured her. ‘It’s you I’m thinking about. It will do you good to go away.’

Kara tossed her head, her eyes flashing dismissal. ‘You’re making it sound like a holiday. It won’t be, I assure you. Mr Benedict will probably work my fingers to the bone.’ The mere thought of going, of being at his beck and call all day, every day, of spending even more time with him than she already did, was not her idea of fun.

‘He’s realised your true potential, that’s what. I bet you’re the best PA he’s ever had.’

Kara shrugged and smiled, but she didn’t tell her mother that Blake Benedict had implied that as well.

‘Where are the others?’

Blake had sent a car for Kara and met her at a small private airfield, and as she stepped up into his executive jet she expected the other managers to be already on board. Instead it was empty. The engines were running, they were ready for take-off—and there was only the two of them!

‘They’ve gone on ahead. I thought we could use the time to talk. You have worked for me for almost twelve months and yet you are still a mystery to me.’

His smile told her that he had planned this all along: a smile designed to put her at her ease, but instead setting alarm bells off in her head. A one-to-one with Blake Benedict was the last thing she wanted. And she could not understand why he was taking this sudden interest. Unless there was something else he was after!

Rumour had it that the last two PAs who had gone with him on these trips had been given their marching orders as soon as they had got back. The rumour machine also said that he’d had affairs with them while they’d been away. Was that what he had in mind? An affair? Did he think it was about time he broke through her personal barrier?

Sheer, cold horror shot down her spine. She had not thought of this before, and it was too late now to back out of the trip. She would need to be careful—erect a shield and not let it slip for even one second.

She felt uneasy at the thought of being at his mercy for the duration of the flight, and when they were cleared for take-off and rose into the air she felt as though she had left her stomach behind. And it wasn’t because of the altitude!

It was a luxurious plane, with deep comfortable seats—not that she would have expected anything less—but being on it alone with her employer made everything fade into insignificance. Blake Benedict filled the whole space. It felt as if they were the only two people in the universe.

Which was ridiculous! But how could she help it? She had never found herself in a situation like this before.

Thankfully they had a stewardess, who was prepared to attend to their every need. Except that when Blake insisted Kara sit at his side on a couch so that they could go over the programme of events the woman made herself invisible.

Not surprisingly the laptop lay unattended at his side, and when he half turned in his seat towards her the air in the plane thickened until it became unbearable. Kara had only to inhale to smell the very essence of him. Even if she closed her eyes she could feel him, feel his strength, his omnipotence. Breathing him in was like taking a drug; it settled in every part of her body, making her feel more alive than she ever had in her life.

More aware!

More afraid!

What was happening to her? In all the time she had worked for him she had never felt like this. On the other hand she had never been completely alone with him. Not this alone. It was different in his office—the whole atmosphere was different. She felt awkward now, unsure of herself. Men were a mystery as far as she was concerned.

‘You have nothing to fear, Miss Redman. Or may I call you Kara? It’s such a pretty name it’s a shame not to use it.’

A pretty name! No one had ever said that to her before. A further shiver of awareness ran through her.

‘We cannot live together and not be on first name terms.’

‘What do you mean, live together?’ she asked quickly and sharply, feeling her heart give a giant leap.

‘A figure of speech,’ he answered, with a lazy shrug and a smile.

A dangerous smile!

‘I’m talking about the hotel.’

‘Of course,’ she answered faintly, hoping that her room was as far away from his as possible. She had booked the whole top two floors but had not been able to stipulate who stayed in which room. They would be allocated on arrival. Except Blake’s! He always, but always, stayed in the executive suite.

‘I’m glad that you’re not wearing one of those terrible suits today.’

Kara felt swift colour rise in her cheeks. She had packed two of her work suits, but she had relaxed her own rules this morning and put on jeans and a spicy pink sweater, completely unaware that the colour complemented her skin colouring and made her look alive and vibrant and very, very pretty—even though she wore no make-up and her hair was tied back in its usual functional style.

Blake too had foregone the dark suits he wore for the office and was wearing an impeccable ivory linen suit which contrasted against the tanned darkness of his skin, making her feel deathly pale by comparison. His jacket had by now been discarded, and although his dark hair was brushed back in its usual style a few strands had been loosened by the wind, making him look younger and less fearsome—and more frighteningly human!

‘Why don’t you tell me a little more about yourself?’ he suggested softly.

A frisson of something Kara failed to recognise shivered through her. It felt dangerous. ‘What is there to tell that you don’t already know?’

‘I know nothing,’ he said, ‘except that you apparently spend most of your time looking after your mother instead of getting out and enjoying yourself. It’s very creditable, of course, but I’m sure she would be the first to agree that you need a life of your own.’

‘I am not unhappy doing what I do. Since my father died she has no one—why shouldn’t I spend my time with her?’ Her voice rose defensively without her even realising it.

‘I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t, but you should try and maintain a balance too. You’re like me, an only child, so at least we have something in common. What was your childhood like? Did you have lots of friends when you were younger or have you always been a stay-at-home girl?’

‘Pretty much,’ she admitted.

‘Did you have a happy childhood? What was your father like?’

‘Why all the questions?’ she asked, her voice unconsciously sharp. He had touched a raw spot. There was no way in this world that she was going to tell him what a rotten father she had had, and that even now he was dead he had left them with a whole host of new problems. ‘I thought we were supposed to be going over the conference notes?’ She inched away from him, curling herself into the corner, unconsciously using the defensive posture she had always adopted when her father threatened her.

Blake’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. ‘You’re right. It should be business.’ But he could not help wondering why Kara was so averse to talking about herself—or her father. Perhaps she had loved him so much that she found the loss still painful? The way she had turned in on herself when he mentioned him suggested that.

He had no idea how long it had been since her father’s death, but could not remember her asking for time off to attend his funeral so it must have been before she’d started working for him.

A pity she did not want to talk. He would have enjoyed finding out more about her. She intrigued him. Overnight she had practically turned from an ugly duckling into a swan, knocking him for six in her tight-fitting jeans and hot pink sweater. He had not wanted to take his eyes off her. Unless the dark suits were her office uniform and outside of work she always dressed like this! It would be interesting to see what she had brought with her for the conference.

He opened his laptop, staring at the screen without truly seeing it. All he could see was Kara. The intriguingly, surprisingly beautiful Kara. He could not understand why she kept her raw beauty hidden. She had truly fine features—her nose with a delightful little curve at the tip, amazing blue eyes, and a cupid’s bow of infinitely kissable lips. They all begged to be explored.

Kara was glad that Blake had stopped asking questions. She had begun to feel suffocated—or was the rapid beat of her heart caused by a surprising and unwarranted attraction towards him? Her father had banned her from having boyfriends, and even after his death she had never found the time or the inclination. So this was the first occasion she had ever been close to a man who had shown an interest in her, and she found it a scary experience.

When finally Blake began concentrating on the screen in front of him Kara allowed her head to drop back and closed her eyes. But it was not easy ignoring him—not when his cologne teased her nostrils, not when she knew his leg was mere inches away from hers, not when she sensed that sometimes his eyes were on her instead of his computer.

Quite how she managed it Kara did not know, but somehow she fell asleep. She was woken by Blake’s light touch on her shoulder as he told her that they were about to land and she needed to put on her seat belt.

Embarrassed now, she moved to her original seat and sat rigidly upright. Blake on the other hand was totally relaxed, a smile turning up the corners of his lips. Had he watched her while she slept? Kara went hot at the thought. Had her mouth fallen open? Had she looked stupid? ‘I’m sorry I fell asleep on you,’ she said quietly.

‘And very beautifully too. It was quite something, having you resting your head on my shoulder. My usually prim and proper PA behaving like a real woman for once.’

Alarm raced through Kara. Her head on his shoulder! Was that what she had done? Her heart went wild, leaping within chest as though it was trying to escape. ‘I really am sorry.’

‘No need to apologise,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘It was my pleasure.’

His pleasure! Another source of heat seared the surface of her skin. This was too embarrassing by far. ‘It was very rude of me.’ She sat up even straighter. ‘I didn’t sleep very well last night. That must be why.’

‘Was it the thought of joining me today that kept you awake?’ His grey eyes met and held hers and Kara shivered. There was something in the tone of his voice that alarmed her.

It was wrong to judge all men by her father—but her mother had told her to be careful, that men were not always what they seemed. And all she knew about Blake was that his affairs were legend. There was no way on this earth that she wanted to become another statistic.

But how to answer his question? ‘It was the thought of what lay ahead,’ she said, which in itself was not an outright lie. ‘I’ve never been to Italy.’

‘Then I will enjoy improving your education, showing you places that you have only read about or perhaps seen on the television.’

‘Mr Benedict.’ Kara put on her most professional demeanour. ‘I am sure we will not have time for sightseeing. You have a very full schedule.’

His slow smile said it all. ‘There is always time for enjoyment, Kara.’