His Secretary Mistress(62)

‘Home,’ he answered succinctly, his gaze travelling over her disparagingly, so that she was aware that her hair looked a mess and that she smelled faintly of sick from where she had carried Maisie upstairs.

‘I thought you were going to stay,’ she whispered, despising the note of pleading in her voice but unable to bear the thought of him leaving.

‘I think not. You’ll have to use a different sex toy tonight.’

She paled at the deliberate crudeness of his words, and stepped back, her hands falling helplessly to her sides. ‘I’m not even going to try and answer that. Just go, Alex,’ she told him bitterly when he turned in the doorway and she caught the hint of remorse in his eyes. ‘I’ll look for another job as soon as possible in the New Year. I think it’ll be for the best for both of us.’





Maisie woke at dawn on Boxing Day, and demanded cereal and toast before she set to work on unwrapping her presents.

‘I take it you’re feeling better?’ Jenna noted dryly. ‘But I think it’s a bit early in the day for chocolate.’

‘Daddy was cross when I was sick,’ Maisie confided, her smile fading for a moment. ‘He said I was digstusting,’ she added, struggling with the unfamiliar word. ‘I’m not, am I, Mummy?’

‘Of course you’re not,’ Jenna reassured her, and she determinedly pinned a smile on her face and welcomed her neighbours, Nora and Charlie, who were eager to share Maisie’s Christmas.

Chris had invited his girlfriend for lunch, and by three o’clock everyone was relaxing after the big meal that Jenna had spent all morning preparing. Wearily she glanced around the room at the mound of wrapping paper and party hats, the tree that was doing a good impression of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and shedding needles all over the carpet, and sighed. Ideal home it was not, but it was her home, hers and Maisie’s, and she refused to dwell on the fact that without Alex it felt as empty as her heart.

‘I’ll get it,’ she murmured as the doorbell pealed. ‘It’s probably Claire from my old office; she said she might pop in.’

She opened the door to be met by a mass of red roses—at least three dozen, she estimated dazedly as her eyes moved up to meet Alex’s sapphire gaze. She felt as if she was standing on the edge of a precipice. One wrong move could send her hurtling over the top. She fought to control the thunderous beating of her heart.

‘I’m glad you chose something discreet and understated,’ she said huskily, using humour to disguise her nervousness.

‘Subtlety’s my second name,’ he agreed gravely, and her lips twitched. ‘Alongside Neanderthal.’

‘I can’t believe I called you that.’

‘I deserved it—and worse. I’m not usually quite so unpleasant,’ he offered quietly and she read the sincere apology in his eyes, her smile decidedly wobbly as she stood aside to usher him in.

‘I appreciate that you were defending me,’ she said hurriedly, ‘but Lee had just agreed not to apply for custody of Maisie, and I didn’t want to give him a reason to change his mind. Alex, I’m really not in love with Lee,’ she continued, desperate to clear up the misunderstanding before they were interrupted. ‘I’m not sure I ever was. But I was young and had had a fairly sheltered upbringing. He was bold and daring, and my parents disapproved of him.’ She shrugged. ‘He swept me off my feet, and by the time I hit solid ground I was pregnant with Maisie. You can’t seriously believe I have any feelings for him?’ she pleaded.

She struggled to hold the huge bunch of roses. ‘I think I’ll have to put these in the bath for now; I’ve only got one vase. No one has ever bought me flowers before.’

‘I’ll buy you flowers every day,’ Alex assured her gently, and he tilted her chin and brushed his lips over hers in a sweet caress that instantly had her clamouring for more. ‘I don’t want you to look for another job. The rather staid offices of Morrell and Partners haven’t been the same since you burst through the doors, and neither have I,’ he added, accepting the invitation in her eyes and deepening his kiss.

‘Mummy, I need a cloth.’ Maisie trotted into the kitchen and Jenna reluctantly pulled out of Alex’s arms, frowning at the ominous request. ‘Alex, I’m doing painting, but it’s spilt on the cushion,’ the little girl explained, beaming at Alex as he reached down to scoop her into his arms.

‘We’d better clear it up, then, sweetheart, while Mummy finds somewhere to put her flowers.’





The rest of the day was a joyous hubbub of noise and laughter. Alex chatted to Nora and Charlie, and tried not to wince when Chris gave a demonstration on his electric guitar, and Maisie basked in his attention. As Jenna watched her daughter clamber unselfconsciously onto his knee she acknowledged that it was too late to try and build a defence barrier; Maisie adored Alex, and once again a frisson of fear curled around her heart.