‘You can never tell,’ Claire said, but she sounded doubtful. But she did it. She came up trumps after two nail-biting days for Amy as she tossed up in her mind the pros and cons of what she intended to do.
Wednesday. He would be working late. She knew that because he was chairing a meeting for all the directors, which wasn’t due to finish until eight-thirty, but instead of leaving with them he would be continuing work at his desk. He had asked her, via his battleaxe of a personal assistant, to make sure that something was prepared for him to snack on if he felt so inclined.
Like a Lord giving his orders, Amy thought. Get me a snack and so it shall be done!
When she joked about it in her head, she could almost believe that she couldn’t possibly have fallen for him. How could she have when she was so different? But she always ended up with the same realisation—that love didn’t always obey the rules your head laid down. Sometimes it broke its leash and galloped all over the place until there was nothing to do but go along for the ride, just as she was doing, never mind the broken bones later.
Which was why she was swallowing back good old common sense and doing something that went totally against the grain.
She only hoped, as Wednesday dawned, that there would be no change of plan.
She didn’t need the trauma of bumping into anyone, all of whom would recognise her, and Claire, having delivered on her promise, had refused to go that one step further and act as lookout.
So nine o’clock saw Amy chatting to the guy on Reception, who recognised her and helpfully asked no awkward questions.
Then she skulked her way up to the directors’ floor, avoiding the lift because she had visions of the lift door opening to reveal James and his band of merry men on their way to their Covent Garden restaurant.
It was quiet. The meeting was definitely done and dusted because she passed by the boardroom, which bore the cluttered detritus of debate. The pads of paper, pens and pencils randomly scattered, the projector still in its position though switched off. By nine the next morning, the room would be pristine, cleaned to within an inch of its life.
Amy padded past the boardroom, skirted around the small, central foyer, which was arranged as an informal sitting area where casual meetings were sometimes held, and followed her nose and then, eventually, saw the glimmer of light coming from an office at the end. She knew the floor very well indeed and so also knew, immediately, that the office Rafael was occupying belonged to James. Poor old James had been relegated, although. remembering his admiring tone of voice as he had chatted to her about Rafael and his big plans, she didn’t suppose he minded too much.
She paused when she was standing by the door, out of sight with the chance to change her mind still within reach.
Before she could take the coward’s way out, she stepped into the doorway and had a few seconds in which to observe him because he hadn’t seen her. His head was bent and he was frowning and tapping on a little pile of papers with the top of his pen.
Rafael Vives, gardener. Rafael Vives, multimillionaire. He had told her that he was the same man but it was hard not to be disconcerted by the aura of power he exuded, which was crazy, especially when you considered that she had slept with this man, laughed with him, forced him to buy a pair of jeans!
She gave a little cough and he looked up.
He was as damn near shocked to see her as it was probably possible for him to be, and in that fraction of time she jumped in before he had time to speak.
Amy hadn’t actually planned what she was going to say. At least not in any detail. She had just pretty much decided that she would proceed on a wing and a prayer.
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‘I heard you’d decided to stay on in London for a while,’ she said, stepping into the lion’s den and shutting the door behind her only to immediately wonder whether that had been a bad move. ‘And I was in the area so I thought I’d drop by…’ She looked at his heart-stoppingly sexy face and wondered how she was going to deal with it if he chucked her out. No questions asked.
‘Oh, really.’ Rafael pushed himself away from the desk so that he could recline back and give her his full and undivided attention. ‘You were just passing by, were you? On the way to where exactly?’
‘Oh…home…you know…’
‘No, actually, I don’t but we’ll let that one ride. You’ve dropped in…for what reason?’
‘Would you mind if I sat down?’
‘You won’t be staying so what’s the point?’
Amy sagged. ‘You’re right. What’s the point?’
‘What did you come for?’ Rafael had cancelled Elizabeth because he had too much work to do. Right now she would be waiting for him at the house, having had a heavy day sightseeing. Two weeks’ vacation, a chance to mend the broken fences between them, and what was he doing? Spending most of his available free time at work. He disliked himself for it but the reconciliation was turning out to be a disaster. Their relationship was flat and he should have left it alone.