Her Not-So-Secret Diary(12)

Since he'd asked her to stay on and she'd agreed, changing her mind and  phoning the office in the morning wasn't an option. Her pride wouldn't  allow it and an extra week's pay would be more than welcome. She  considered herself a responsible employee. She didn't let people down,  particularly Pam, the one person who'd been there for Sophie when she'd  needed support.

But this thing with Pam's boss couldn't continue. It would affect their  working relationship and her ability to do her job. Tomorrow she'd  inform Jared she'd do her best to cover for Pam but that outside office  hours she wanted nothing whatsoever to do with him.



After a practically sleepless but mercifully dream-free night of trying  not to think of the mess her life had become, Sophie spent the morning  filing and typing up reports that had been accumulating in Pam's inbox.  She'd beaten Jared to the office by ten minutes, organised his agenda  for the day and greeted him all cool, smooth politeness on his arrival.  He'd been no less courteous, with hardly more than a flicker in his eye  to remind her of last night.

But that single flicker was the killer.

It was more than hot enough to set her cheeks aglow and remind her that  beyond these walls she wasn't going to get involved with him. She'd  needed to excuse herself and make a dash to the bathroom to pat cold  water on her face with a tissue and think calming thoughts.

Jared was in the town centre somewhere busy with appointments all  morning and this afternoon he was driving into the Gold Coast  Hinterland. Good. He hadn't asked her to come with him. Even better.  Instead, he'd left her with a further list of proposals and phone calls  to follow up. Those she could manage.

Then just before midday the helium balloons arrived. A dozen  heart-shaped pink foil balloons tied to a small pink and white striped  box.

'This can't be right,' Sophie told the uniformed delivery girl who was touting the arrangement in front of her desk.

'I was told to bring them over here.' She glanced in Mimi's direction,  shrugged, then set them on Sophie's desk with a smile. 'Have a nice  day.'

'And you.' Sophie's smile felt brittle and, inside, her anger built like  a tropical storm. Ignoring the attached envelope, she picked up the  whole thing, carried it into Jared's office and dumped it in front of  his computer screen.

She scowled, its pretty, cheerful presence only infuriating her further.  After his assurance to the contrary, how dare he bring their attraction  and what had happened between them last night into office hours? And so  publicly. She couldn't believe it.

And yet … something deep down, something she'd almost forgotten how to  feel, let alone respond to, fluttered around the region of her heart.

She shoved it down deeper. A solitary lunch in the fresh air would be a  timely and welcome distraction so she took her sandwiches to the beach, a  few minutes' walk away.                       
       
           



       

She'd been back at her desk twenty minutes when she heard Jared's voice.  He was too far away for her to hear what he was saying but the relaxed  delivery in those deep sexy tones sent her pulse into overdrive.

Suddenly she wished she hadn't been so hasty with the balloons and,  since she'd not read the note, she didn't know what to accuse him of …   She pushed out of her chair. If she could just duck back into his office  and undo …

She swore inwardly. Too late, he was coming this way. With his sister.  Her heart pounding, she grabbed a file she'd set aside to take down to  Accounting on the floor below. Now seemed like a good time …

'Sophie.' He slowed as he passed her desk on his way to his office. 'Any  problems this morning?' The expression in his eyes told her he wasn't  only referring to computer glitches and client complaints.

'No.'

The denial sounded like a sharpened icicle, and he blinked in surprise.  So she smiled-for Melissa's benefit. 'Everything's fine.'

Jared paused, then must have decided whatever he was going to say could wait, nodded and kept walking.

Sophie turned to his sister, glad of an excuse to look away. 'Hello, Melissa.'

'Hi. You must think I have nothing better to do than hang around my  brother.' She grinned. 'I assure you nothing's further from the truth.  But he's giving me a lift back to uni after we've been to the hospital.'

'Right, let's go.' Jared reappeared, briefcase in one hand, balloons in the other.

'Oh, they're gorgeous, she'll love them.' Melissa reached out and ran a hand over the foil ribbons.

Sophie stared. Uh-huh. R-i-g-h-t …  The balloons were for the new arrival.  How stupid and naïve of her to presume and she'd presumed so wrongly.  She wished they'd leave now so that she could have her third-or was it  her fourth?-hysterical breakdown.

But Melissa was in no hurry. 'I want to show Sophie the baby bracelet  first. We're going to put it in the little box with the balloons.'

Jared's phone buzzed. He muttered, 'Liss, Sophie looks like she's busy,' as he pulled it from his pocket.

'It'll only take a minute.' Melissa pulled a little packet from her bag,  opened it and poured the contents into Sophie's palm. 'Isn't it  precious?'

Sophie stared at the delicate gold links, the tiny heart clasp with  Arabella's name engraved on it. Beautiful. But not nearly as precious as  the tiny new life it was named for.

'It's the sweetest thing,' she agreed, forcing a smile and returning the  bracelet to Melissa. 'Crystal will love it and so will Arabella when  she's old enough.'

Jared was still talking as he walked back into his office and closed the  door. Sophie grabbed the opportunity to escape further face-to-face  contact and waved her folder. 'If you'll excuse me, I was just on my way  down to Accounts … enjoy your visit to the hospital.'

She walked swiftly towards the elevators, then changed her mind and  veered towards the stairs. She didn't want to have to wait for the lift  and risk sharing it with them, especially with last night's memories  still steaming up the walls.

In Accounts she took her time delivering the folder. Introducing herself  to George, the balding fifty-something head honcho. Waiting while he  fumbled through the mess on his desk for a report to take upstairs to  Jared. Long enough to give Jared and Melissa time to leave the building.  But in case they hadn't, she decided returning the way she'd come was  the safest option.





CHAPTER SIX




TEN minutes later Jared disconnected and exited his office to find Lissa  balanced on the corner of Sophie's desk, fiddling with the balloon  ties. Sophie was nowhere to be seen.

He must have frowned because Lissa smiled as if she knew something she  shouldn't and said, 'She went downstairs,' then glanced at her watch.  'We need to-'

'Did she say anything to you?' he demanded before he could rein in his  impatience. Professional communication with his PA was key and Sophie  was avoiding him.

Lissa raised her brows. 'Like what? Come to think of it, she did look kind of flustered. Did you upset her?'

'No. Wait in the car.' He tossed her the keys and headed for the elevator.

'She took the stairs,' he heard Lissa call behind him. 'Don't be long, I've got a class … '

The smell of cool musty concrete invaded his nostrils as he yanked open  the door to the stairwell. It swung shut with a hollow boom, cutting off  Lissa's voice.                       
       
           



       

He started down, taking the steps two at a time. He needed an assistant  who could put personal issues aside during office hours and work with  him. He didn't have time for this game of denial she seemed to be  playing.

He heard the door on the floor below open, close. Peering over the  railing, he saw Sophie starting up. Slowly, as if she didn't have an  afternoon's work awaiting her.

As if she was making sure he'd left before she made her reappearance.

A file she was holding slipped and she grabbed at it, giving him a peek  of cleavage. Smooth, dusky, inviting cleavage. He ran a tongue over his  teeth. She wore a conservative dress the colour of watermelon. Square  neckline, straight skirt, wide emerald-green belt.

His body hardened as he remembered last night. The taste of her skin,  her sexy little moan as he'd tucked her against him. The way her eyes  had clashed with his when she'd felt his erection. She'd been  all-the-way with him. Willing, wanting, desperate. Until Pam had rung.

She was still interested. If he'd found another temp he could have been  seeing Sophie socially this evening. He'd not been thinking straight  when he'd talked her into staying on as his PA. He'd just wanted to see  her again and the sooner, the better.

Okay, she was a current employee, but not for long. A few days, then  nothing was stopping them acting on that attraction for however long it  lasted. She was off overseas indefinitely in a matter of weeks, which  suited him fine-he was nowhere near ready for anything long term. And  obviously she didn't want serious either at this point.