His Secretary Mistress(2)

‘No problem,’ he assured her, his voice rich and dark. ‘It’s obviously a popular doorway.’

‘I must go,’ Jenna muttered distractedly, dragging her gaze from him to the storm outside. Hailstones were still thundering down, and she quailed at the thought of braving them, but at this rate she would be sacked from her new job before she had even arrived.

‘You can’t possibly go out in that,’ the man said equably, but she sensed the resolution beneath his tone and had the feeling that he would drag her physically back under the shelter should she attempt to leave.

It was all right for him, she thought, irritated by the way he continued to hold her arm, as if she was a small child in need of restraint. He didn’t look like a man whose life depended on him arriving at work on time. With his exceptional height and stunning looks he had the appearance of someone who had stepped from the pages of a society magazine, but there was something about him, an air of quiet authority, that made a mockery of that idea. He must be a businessman of some sort, she surmised, and a successful one at that, for even her untutored eye could recognise the quality and superb cut of his overcoat. He was urbane, sophisticated, and from the gentle amusement in his eyes she realised that he was well aware of his affect on her.

Skin prickling with embarrassment, she dragged her eyes from his face, and as she stared down at the floor she spied the ladder in her tights.

‘Someone up there really doesn’t like me,’ she wailed despairingly, and his gaze dropped to her legs. ‘Tip five is to always carry a spare pair of tights.’ She was babbling like an idiot, she realised, transfixed by the way his mouth had curved into a wide smile. She was having the morning from hell—and falling into the arms of the sexiest man she had ever met was not helping!

His eyes travelled the length of her legs, skimmed her hips and settled on her breasts, and as she felt them swell and tighten she was grateful for the protection of her jacket.

‘So tell me, why have you accepted a job when you don’t like the sound of the boss, and haven’t even met him?’ he asked curiously.

‘Money,’ Jenna informed him bluntly, ‘lots of it. I’d work for the devil if he paid the salary I’ve been offered.’

Was that a look of disdain that crossed his face? If he knew the size of her mortgage he might be more understanding, she thought grimly. She doubted he had ever had to juggle his finances to such an extreme that it was a choice between paying the bills and eating. He was rich and pampered, she decided. His clothes, his general air, exuded extreme wealth, and standing beside him in her cheap suit she felt shabby and unsophisticated. With an impatient wriggle she shrugged out of his hold and peered past the crowd to see the rain still lashing the pavement.

‘I can’t stay here all day,’ she announced firmly. ‘Do you know if there are any shops nearby? I need to buy another pair of tights.’

‘Further down this road,’ the man informed her. ‘Why don’t you phone your work and explain that you’ve been delayed?’

‘I don’t have the number,’ Jenna admitted. ‘It was in the memory of my phone, but somehow I erased it. Don’t you dare laugh,’ she warned, noting the flash of amusement in his eyes as he tried to hide his smile.

She was just as he had guessed, he decided. A scatterbrained miniature Venus. But at that moment another blast of icy rain sent the crowd sheltering in the doorway surging inwards, and as she pressed up close against him he caught the drift of her perfume, a light, fresh fragrance that stirred his senses. Stirred rather more than his senses, he acknowledged.

This was ridiculous—to be so aroused at nine-thirty on a Monday morning. He had been too long without a lover, he decided grimly. At thirty-eight he was no longer at the mercy of his hormones. His days, or rather nights, with a variety of girlfriends were past, and he had certainly become more selective in his choice of lovers. But there was a huge difference between selective and celibate, and just lately he had definitely veered towards the latter. Work had become his all-consuming mistress; perhaps his body was simply reminding him that it had other needs. ‘Let me buy you a coffee,’ he offered as the shop door opened and the rich aroma of freshly ground beans assailed his senses. ‘You can phone Directory Enquiries for the number of your office. You’re late now anyway,’ he added persuasively. ‘Another five minutes can’t harm.’

For a few seconds Jenna was tempted to throw off the weight of responsibility that had hung on her shoulders for the last three years. She stared at the stranger and her heart began a slow, thunderous beat in her chest. It wasn’t just coffee he was offering, she acknowledged. The invitation was in his eyes, in the sensual curve of his mouth, and for an infinitesimal second she imagined his kiss, the feel of his lips on her neck, sliding lower to linger in the hollow between her breasts.