Читать книгу No Need For Love - Сандра Мартон, Sandra Marton - Страница 8

CHAPTER THREE

HANNAH slipped into a black wool coat-dress, buttoned it, then strode to the mirror and looked at her reflection. Yes. It was perfect. The dress had been an extravagance, costly not because of its classic style but because of the perfection of its fabric and workmanship, bought on sale in a moment of weakness but never yet worn. She’d saved it for a special occasion—but who would have dreamed that that would be the day she left her job? .

Because that was what she would be doing today, she thought grimly as she slipped on black leather pumps. What choice did she have? There wasn’t a way in the world she could to go on working for Grant MacLean. She’d decided that within the first five minutes after he’d left last night.

What had taken a little longer was determining exactly how to quit. Her first instinct had been to just not show up in the morning, let him come to work and find himself without an assistant.

But that would have been a mistake. She was entitled to a decent reference after four years at Longworth, Hart, Holtz and MacLean. More than that, she’d be damned if she didn’t make her reasons for quitting absolutely clear. Otherwise, MacLean would make up a bunch of lies that would salve his monumental ego and leave her looking like a fool.

Hannah stared into the mirror. ‘I am resigning,’ she said in a clear voice, ‘because you, Mr MacLean, are an overbearing, arrogant male chauvinist. And—if they weren’t among the nicer creatures—I’d say “pig,” too.’

He was the kind of man who should wear animal skins instead of Savile Row suits, and to continue in his employ would be sentencing herself to purgatory. Of course, Grant MacLean would not see himself that way. God’s gift to women, that was what he thought he was. Just look at the elaborate plot he’d hatched to evade Magda Karolyi.

Hannah grimaced as she brushed her hair back from her face. And it wasn’t terribly difficult to imagine the scene that must have taken place between him and the woman she’d replaced last night when that nameless fool had begun to expect a more permanent relationship with him.

The man wasn’t any sort of gift as far as she was concerned, Hannah thought as she clipped her hair into place at the nape of her neck. The question wasn’t how many women Grant MacLean had made fools of in the past, it was whether any of them had told him what a bastard he was.

She, however, would. She’d face him in his lair and tell him what she thought of him, because, if she didn’t, he was certain to think he’d triumphed last night when he’d forced his kisses on her. Hell, he’d probably tell himself she was ashamed to face him.

Hannah glared at the mirror. ‘You’d love to think that, Mr MacLean, wouldn’t you?’ she said.

Yes. She just bet he would. It would do a lot more for his overblown ego if he believed she’d clung to him, when in truth the stress of the evening had suddenly caught up to her and taken its toll.

‘It was vertigo, Mr MacLean,’ she said coldly to the mirror. ‘What else did you think it was?’

That he’d forced her into participating in an ugly scheme was bad enough, but then he’d made things even worse by trying to humble her, and all because she’d dared tell him what someone should have told him years ago: that he was a bully and that he couldn’t get away with such behaviour in today’s world.

Hannah glanced into the mirror one last time and permitted herself a faint smile of satisfaction. She looked cool and controlled, the very epitome of a professional.

‘You’re not a woman, Miss Lewis,’ MacLean had said yesterday, ‘you’re my assistant.’

That was exactly right, and why his words should have given her even a moment’s pause was beyond her. She was a professional, not a toy to be played with.

She drew a deep breath, picked up her handbag, and marched to the door. If her divorce had taught her anything, it was that she was a capable human being, one who could take charge of her own life. She didn’t have to stay in this job and be humiliated. She would find another job, as good or better. But first, she would make absolutely certain that Grant MacLean knew she had his number—and that his conservative, very proper colleagues, Longworth, Hart and Holtz, knew it, too.

The thought brought the first real smile of the day to her lips.

Hannah had timed things so she’d be sure to arrive long before her employer did. That was why finding a stack of file folders beside her computer and a terse note instructing her to deal with them immediately was a bit disconcerting.

‘Miss Lewis,’ it read. ‘Extract all appropriate references to the French incorporation and have them on my desk by ten.’ It was sighed, as always, with the single name, ‘MacLean.’

It was the sort of note he left her all the time, so commonplace that she almost began doing as directed. But then she stopped, folder in hand. She looked up quickly, half expecting to see him watching her from the doorway with, no doubt, a smug little smile on his face.

But he wasn’t there. How could he be? She’d marched into his office and checked the minute she’d arrived, just to make sure. Still, she made a show of slapping down the folder, picking up the note, and ripping it to bits. Smiling disdainfully, she dropped the shredded paper into the wastebasket.

‘Take care of it yourself, MacLean,’ she said coolly.

Then she turned on her computer, stabbed her glasses on to her nose, and set to work.

Twenty minutes later, the laser printer spewed out a brief but pointed letter of resignation. Hannah was very pleased with it. It was concise and to the point, outlining what had happened last evening in crisp, no-nonsense terms. She would put a copy of it on the desk of each member of the firm before she went out of the door—which she would do in record time, for she had no intention whatsoever of giving Mr Grant MacLean more than an hour’s notice.

She almost laughed when she thought of the note he’d left her. Let him extract his ‘appropriate references’ while he tried to explain her charges to Longworth, Hart and Holtz. Grant MacLean, eminent lawyer, was about to become Grant MacLean, tightrope walker. And if he lost his balance and fell, thanks to her, it was exactly what he deserved.

‘I take it you’ve gotten the information I require.’ The cool male voice made her jump. Hannah spun around, hand to her throat. MacLean was lounging in the doorway to her office, arms folded across his chest, a dark scowl on his face.

‘Mr MacLean!’ Mr MacLean? she thought, hearing herself. And said in a squeaky voice, too. Damn! That was hardly a good way to start.

‘Who did you expect?’

‘But—where did you come from?’ she said, much more calmly. ‘I checked your office...’

‘I was in the washroom.’

Of course! He had a private lavatory; all the partners did. And he’d either tossed water on his face or showered—she could see little droplets glistening in his hair. He hadn’t shaved yet—there was a rough stubble on his face, just as there’d been last night when he’d kissed her. But the stubble didn’t feel rough at all. It had felt silken against her skin, silken and——

‘Should I have left you a note to that effect?’

She blinked. He was glaring at her, his mouth set and stern. A flush rose and arced across her cheeks.

‘No,’ she said quickly, ‘No, of course not. I just—you startled me, that’s all.’

What was she doing? First her thoughts had drifted in a way that made no sense whatsoever, and now she was stumbling all over herself in what sounded, even to her, like an apology.

She drew herself up, her fingers clutching her notice of resignation even more tightly. All right. He’d caught her off guard. He was good at that. But that was no reason to retreat. It was important that she take the offensive here, that she be the one to——

‘I asked you a question, Hannah.’

She stared at him. Her mind was blank.

‘What question?’

His mouth twisted. ‘Have you found the information I requested?’ His gaze went to the file folders stacked on her desk. ‘I can see for myself that you haven’t.’

Her glance followed his. ‘Well, no. I haven’t. But——’

‘I’ll need that information by one o’clock. I’ve an important meeting this evening, and I’ll want time to incorporate what you find into my notes.’

‘Yes, sir. I...’

Hannah clamped her lips together. Yes, sir? Yes, sir? She took a deep breath.

‘What I mean is, yes, I understand. But——’

‘Good.’ He peered at his wristwatch, then swung on his heel and stepped back into his office. ‘Bring me what I need as soon as you have it. Until then, I don’t want to be disturbed.’

‘Wait a second——’

The door slammed shut. She stood staring at it for a moment, and then she uttered a short, succinct word, marched towards it, and yanked it open.

‘Mr MacLean.’

He looked up from his desk. ‘Hannah,’ he said irritably, ‘when I said I didn’t want to be disturbed, I meant it.’

‘Mr MacLean,’ she repeated, ‘about those files——’

‘Is there a problem?’

Is there a problem? She wanted to laugh in his face. Instead, she nodded and gave him a cool smile.

‘Yes. There certainly is.’

‘I know they’re not very well organised.’ He frowned, capped his pen, and leaned forward, clasping his hands on his desk blotter. ‘My former assistant was in charge of such things, and I’m afraid she wasn’t very well organised.’

‘That’s not the point, Mr MacLean. The files aren’t——’

‘But then, I’m sure you’ve already figured that out for yourself, haven’t you?’

Hannah looked at him. ‘Figured what out for myself?’ she asked helplessly.

‘That Mrs LaMott wasn’t the most qualified of paralegals.’ He sighed deeply and rubbed his hands over his face. ‘Hell, I’m sorry I’m such a bear this morning.’ He gave her a quick, easy smile, the sort she’d seen fewer than half a dozen times in almost as many months. ‘I guess I’m not at my best before my first cup of coffee.’

Was that a reminder that she hadn’t put up the usual pot? Hannah’s expression grew cool.

‘How unfortunate.’

MacLean nodded. ‘You’re right. It’s a bad habit-tone Mrs LaMott almost broke me of by making the worst cup of coffee this side of China. Nothing like the coffee you brew.’ He smiled again. ‘Nor was she ever as capable or efficient as you are.’

Hannah stared at him. Did he really think he could gloss over what he’d done last night by patting her on the head as if she were a child? Next he’d be offering her a bribe to forget it all, only he wouldn’t call it a bribe, naturally, he’d call it a raise or a bonus——

He frowned. ‘I don’t suppose you’ve made coffee just yet?’

‘No,’ Hannah said coldly, ‘I did not, and I’ve no intention of making any. In fact——’

‘That’s all right.’ He rose from his chair and strolled to the built-in bar across the room. ‘I drink too much of the stuff as it is,’ he said, opening the concealed miniature refrigerator and taking out a small bottle of chilled mineral water. He poured a glass, then looked at her, brows elevated. ‘Would you like some?’

‘No,’ she said coldly, but somehow the words ‘thank you’ slipped out, as well. All right, she thought, enough of this. He had managed to defeat her every thrust with a parry, but that was over now. She cleared her throat and took a step forward. ‘Mr MacLean.’

‘Grant,’ he said, quite pleasantly. ‘I should think that would be appropriate, after last night, wouldn’t you?’

So. They were about to get down to the nitty-gritty.

Hannah’s head lifted. ‘That’s precisely what I want to talk about,’ she said grimly. ‘Last night.’

‘Yes.’ He put down the glass and walked back to his desk. ‘About last night,’ he said as he sank into his chair. ‘I want to thank you for your co-operation.’

Whatever she’d expected him to say, it wasn’t that. Hannah frowned. ‘Thank me?’

‘Of course. After all, I dragged you out of here at the very last minute, without so much as a by-your-leave.’ He smiled, and she thought crazily that perhaps she ought to be writing down the frequency of those smiles. ‘You weren’t just being polite when you assured me you had no prior engagement, were you?’

‘No,’ she said automatically.

‘Good, good. I thought about that on my way to work this morning, you know. After all, an employee as diligent and dedicated as you might well put her own needs after the needs of the firm.’

Her eyes flashed to his face. Was he being sarcastic? If he was, she couldn’t see any signs. He looked—he looked the way old Mr Longworth looked at the Christmas party each year, when he gave gold watches to the employees that were retiring. He looked serious and forthright. He looked—he looked sincere.

‘Your assistance was invaluable.’

She swallowed. ‘It was?’

He nodded. ‘Not only did you help me avoid Magda Karolyi, but you also did quite a job of spreading goodwill for the firm.’

Don’t answer, she told herself, but the words were already bursting from her lips.

‘I did?’

‘I’m ashamed to admit that it hadn’t occurred to me that it might be a good idea to try and please the female members of the delegation.’ She looked at him sharply, but his expression was completely guileless. ‘They were delighted to find that Longworth, Hart, Holtz and MacLean employs attractive, intelligent women in responsible positions.’

She stared at him intently, trying to find even a hint of laughter or condescension in his eyes. Because if that’s what he was doing, by God, if he was playing her for a fool again...

‘At any rate, I hope it’s not too late to offer my thanks, Hannah.’ He rose and offered his hand to her. ‘I’ll see to it that there’s a note of commendation placed in your personnel file.’

She stared at the outstretched hand as if it were contaminated with poison. A letter of commendation was the adult equivalent of a nursery-school gold star! Even if he was foolish enough to think she could be bribed, he was far too intelligent to attempt to do it so cheaply.

Her gaze flickered to his face. He was still smiling, very pleasantly and politely, and all at once she understood.

The man was absolutely serious! What had happened at her door, those heated kisses, even her embarrassing response, had meant so little to him that he’d forgotten it. He’d set out to humble her, he’d succeeded, and that was the end of it. He had wiped the slate clean.

But it wasn’t. He might have forgotten, but she hadn’t. He’d kissed her. He’d taken her in his arms. He’d—he’d turned her world upside-down and left her to lie awake half the night thinking about the taste of his mouth and the feel of his body against hers...

‘Hannah?’

She looked up, horrified.

‘Are you all right, Hannah?’

‘Yes,’ she said. But she wasn’t. Her mind was racing almost as swiftly as her pulse. Where had such ridiculous thoughts come from?

‘Are you sure?’ He came around the desk quickly and put his arm lightly around her shoulders. ‘Here, sit down. You’re as white as a sheet.’

‘I’m fine,’ she insisted.

‘How about some water?’ He looked at the glass on his desk, half-filled with water, and handed it to her. ‘Here. Take a sip.’

Their eyes met as his fingers brushed her lips, rough against the soft flesh, and she looked quickly at the glass.

‘Thank you,’ she said, and put it to her lips.

‘I hope you don’t mind sharing the glass,’ he said.

She looked up quickly, but his face was expressionless.

‘No,’ she said, and gave him a tiny smile. ‘Not at all.’

She sipped at the water, not because she wanted it but because it seemed safer to do that than to try and understand what in heaven’s name was going on. After she’d managed a couple of swallows, she handed the glass to him.

‘That’s better,’ he said pleasantly. ‘The colour’s coming back into your cheeks.’

‘Mr MacLean...’

‘Grant,’ he said, and smiled.

She looked at him. If she didn’t confront him in the next few seconds, it would be too late. But how could she, without making herself look more foolish than she already felt? How could she make an indignant speech about an incident so meaningless to him that he’d already forgotten it?

‘Hannah?’

Say something, she thought furiously. Dammit, Hannah, say something. Anything.

‘It’s just occurred to me...’ He frowned. ‘Are you ill because of something you had last night? The wine, perhaps?’

The wine. Of course. She seized on the thought the way a drowning man would grasp a bit of driftwood. They’d both been under a strain to begin with, he worried about Magda Karolyi, she about the act she’d been forced into. And they’d both had some wine. Too much, perhaps. He had been aggressive, and she had been abrasive. Yes. It made sense—more sense than going off half-cocked, making a scene and losing the best job she’d ever had.

‘Hannah?’

She took a deep breath.

‘I’m fine, Mr...’ His brows rose. ‘Thank you, Grant,’ she said with a polite smile. Her hand closed tightly around the letter of resignation and she crumpled it up and stuffed it into her pocket. ‘Really.’

‘Good.’ He rose to his feet and she did, too. ‘Now, then,’ he said, his tone brisk and businesslike, ‘do you think you can manage to go through those files by one o’clock?’

She nodded as they reached the door to the outer office. ‘Of course. I’ll get right to it.’

‘Perhaps you should take some aspirin.’ He opened the door and stepped aside. ‘You might be coming down with the flu. Everyone seems to be catching it.’

‘I doubt it,’ she said, her tone as pleasant and impersonal as his. ‘I don’t feel ill at all.’

‘Tired, then,’ he said.

‘Yes. Just a little...’

The words caught in her throat. The expression on his face had not changed, but his eyes had gone dark and smoky, and all at once she felt that same light-headedness she’d felt when he’d taken her in his arms and kissed her.

‘Didn’t you sleep well last night, Hannah?’ She didn’t answer, and his smile tilted just a fraction of an inch, hinting at something intimate and shared. ‘No,’ he said, ‘you didn’t. And neither did I.’

His gaze swept over her face, lingered on her parted lips. Hannah held her breath. God. Oh, God...

‘Hannah?’ Sally rapped lightly against the half-open door and smiled brightly. ‘Oh. Mr MacLean. Sorry to bother you, sir. I didn’t realise you were in yet. I was going to ask Hannah if she wanted to take her coffeebreak now, but if she’s busy...’

Sally’s words faded as Grant swung towards her, his face a cold mask.

‘At this hour?’ He frowned as he looked past the two women to the wall clock in the outer office.

Sally cleared her throat. ‘Well, sir, those of us who get in early usually go to the lunch room for coffee and a Danish just about—’

‘Spare me the details, please. I don’t care what you have or where you have it, just as long as it doesn’t interfere with your work. You will have the material I want on my desk by one, Hannah, won’t you?’

Somehow, Hannah nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘Good.’

The door swung closed. Sally stared at it in silence, and then she gave a dramatic shudder.

‘Brrr,’ she said. ‘The temperature goes down fifty degrees when he’s around. Honestly, I don’t know how you put up with it! Well, never mind. Listen, wait until I tell you what Betty said when she saw that nightgown...’

Hannah smiled faintly as she followed the other girl into the corridor, even managing to look as if she was listening to Sally’s story and laugh when the other girl laughed. But she didn’t really hear anything she was saying. She was, indeed, still caught in that moment when Grant had looked at her with the memory of last night burning deep in his eyes.

What might have happened if Sally hadn’t come bursting in?