The Billionaire Boss's Innocent Bride(7)

'I'm not in the habit of lying.'

'But-' she shook her head a little dazedly '-you were the one who wanted   me to look more-more with it. I actually was rather convinced you were   afraid I might be an embarrassment to you.'

'For my sins, so I was.' He smiled austerely. 'You know, even if you   were expecting me to make some crushing remark about your appearance, I   wouldn't have thought it would have bothered you a lot.'

Alex blinked at this disclosure.

He shrugged. 'I was pretty much convinced you didn't give two hoots about what I thought.'

She thought through this and a slow tide of pink coloured her cheeks   again as she wished fervently she could assure him she didn't. But of   course it was too late for that. She bit her lip.

'I-' she began tentatively. 'That is … look-' she gestured frustratedly '-it must be a

"girl" thing. I mean, it must be the one area where I really don't know   what I'm doing.' She paused and gathered composure. 'I couldn't help   wondering if I'd ended up looking completely wrong,' she told him   tentatively.

'No. The opposite.'

Alex gazed at him wordlessly for a long moment. She'd never thought much   about men's tailoring before and was not to know his suit was made  from  the finest wool/cashmere blend, but anyone could see it fitted   perfectly. The smooth charcoal-grey fabric was beautifully stitched   along the lapels and he wore a white shirt with a broad stone stripe and   a tie with tiny emerald hexagon motifs. Gold cufflinks glinted at his   wrists.

His shoes simply looked as if they had cost a fortune. And add to the whole his dark good looks …

Talk about stealing the show, she thought suddenly. Max Goodwin could be   the one to do it. So why wasn't he married? Why had he eluded it until   his middle thirties and why was he not amused to discover he had a  son?                       
       
           



       

'Ms Hill?'

Alex came out of her thoughts with a little start. 'Sorry. You said?'

'I said nothing. You were looking at me as if I were-I'm not quite   sure.' He narrowed his eyes. 'Reprehensible? Or some kind of specimen   that was completely foreign to you?'

Alex chuckled involuntarily, a little breath of sound. 'That could be it. But-look, do you want me to race home and change?'

He took his time about replying, studying her a little askance as if he   was going to take issue with what she'd said first, then he glanced at   his watch and shook his head. 'We don't have the time anyway. We shall   have to make do. Just ignore any excessive adulation that comes your  way  and-'

Alex broke in, 'I am not a silly, impressionable young girl, Mr Goodwin!'

'No. But you may never have appeared in public as if you could grace the   cover of Vogue. Plus, it is only human nature for people to wonder if   I'm bedding you as well as employing you!' He looked irritated again.   'What was I saying? Ah. Just ignore the adulation and don't leave my   side. By the way-' he frowned as if at a sudden thought '-did you say   you were a restraining influence?'

Alex nodded after a moment with just the hint of a smile in her eyes.   'There was a much shorter skirt I could have had with this top.'

'And Margaret would have been happy with it?'

Alex narrowed her eyes, suddenly sensing dangerous ground for some   reason. 'I can't remember. I did try on an awful lot of clothes. Does it   matter?'

'No,' Max Goodwin said somewhat grimly at the same time as he thought, I   don't believe you, Ms Hill. And what game is Margaret playing at?   Pairing me off with this girl?

He paused his thoughts as it suddenly struck him that this Alex Hill was   not only drop-dead gorgeous, she was refreshingly different and   unusually engaging and in any other circumstances he would be intrigued   by her on a different level altogether. A physical, personal level that   had much more to do with those stunning legs and eyes, that lovely  slim  body rather than her fluency in Mandarin …

He shook his head and broke off that train of thought abruptly.

'Oh.' Alex swung her small bag on its long chain off her shoulder and   opened it to produce Simon's badge. 'This should help.' She pinned it   onto her blouse. 'Surely I look like part of the staff now?'

Max didn't reply.

The cocktail party lasted for two hours.

Alex didn't once leave Max Goodwin's side and was happy not to do so because, as he'd predicted, she did attract some attention.

People, mostly men at first, were anxious to be introduced to her and   were taken aback to discover she was actually working. Then, as she   spoke her fluent Mandarin, many of the wives were also intrigued and   struck up conversations with her. After the first shock of it, she   managed to handle it as briefly and courteously as possible and for the   most part she clung stringently to her role and concentrated fiercely.

The one occasion that nearly tripped her up was, gallingly for Alex, exactly what Max had predicted might happen.

Paul O'Hara was introduced to her as an intern working in Max Goodwin's   office as part of his pursuit of a Master's degree in Business   Management. And, Max Goodwin had revealed with a grin, he was a cousin.   He was about twenty-five, fair and pleasant-looking with humorous grey   eyes. He also took one look at her and the stunned admiration that   gripped him was all too clear to see.

But then-Max Goodwin had turned away by this time-a frown filled those   grey eyes as Paul O'Hara looked from Alex to Max's back, and his gaze   came back to her with a clear question along the lines of, Are you his   property?

Alex blushed and her lips parted, but how could you refute something   like that in the middle of a cocktail party when you were working? What   had it to do with a man she'd just been introduced to anyway?

So she tilted her chin imperiously and turned away.

It took an effort of will, though, to gather her concentration, but,   fortunately, this first social event was less formal than what was to   come and there were no welcome speeches, no 'meaningful conversations   outside the conference room' for her to deal with.

It was mostly introductions as the South Pacific background enchanted   many of the guests and obviously melted a lot of constraints. So it was a   success, the opening cocktail party, a lively throng that was a blend   of Chinese businessmen and the top management echelon from Goodwin   Minerals, also, in many cases, accompanied by their stylish wives.                       
       
           



       

But as the last guests departed Alex looked wordlessly at Max Goodwin and drew a deep breath she let out very, very slowly.

His eyes crinkled at the corners. 'That was quite a performance, Ms   Hill. I salute you. But would I be right in thinking you're exhausted?'

'I feel as if I've been through a wringer,' she said candidly.

'Then go through to the green room,' he instructed. 'I'll bring a restorative.'

Alex hesitated. 'I should be going home.'

'In a while. Here we go.' He scooped two glasses of champagne from a passing waitress. 'After you.'

She hesitated a moment longer, then did as she was told. This time, her   second visit to the green room, she sat down on a settee and removed  her  shoes with a genuine sigh of relief. 'Sorry,' she murmured as she   arched her feet and accepted her glass from him. 'New shoes.' She   studied her feet, then lifted her head to him. 'That was quite a party. I   guess it's going to take some deconstructing.'

'Margaret and Jake are experts at it-they're like generals in the   field,' he said with a glimmer of a smile. 'They'll both stay the night   downstairs and by tomorrow morning you'd never know the South Pacific   had come to town.'

He sat down opposite in an armchair and sipped his champagne. He'd only   had one glass during the party, and she, of course, hadn't drunk at  all.  Alex took a sip herself and smiled suddenly. 'Now that is nice.'

'It should be-it's very expensive champagne. Your convent didn't warn   you off alcohol and all the darker things it could lead to?' he queried   rather dryly. Alex made herself more comfortable. 'Naturally they  didn't  approve of it and I very rarely indulge in it, but thanks to my  father I  can distinguish between the good and the bad.'

Max Goodwin watched her with a frown in his eyes. 'You have-' he paused   '-an innate composure about you, Alex. I guess that comes from living  in  a Diplomatic Corps environment.'

She shrugged. 'It could.' She looked at him with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

'Does that mean I passed more than one test tonight?' she teased. Max   Goodwin rubbed his jaw. 'You certainly did.' He got up and pulled his   jacket off, loosened his tie and stretched.