The Boss's Virgin(8)

'They make these wonderful cakes,' she'd said enviously. 'Coffee-iced  walnut cakes, chocolate eclairs that melt in your mouth. It's the place  to go, if you can afford it. I've been once and still dream about it.'                       
       
           



       

'Sounds blissful,' Pippa had agreed; she could never have afforded food like that. Her budget was far too restricted.

Mr Harding had put his head round the door at that minute. 'Come  through,' he told Pippa, who had got up, flushed and anxious, while Judy  whistled under her breath.

'Let's hope Dalton doesn't get back while you're with him! Or your head  will roll. Come to that, I'm suspicious, too-why does he always ask for  you? Why never me?'

Pippa hadn't even tired to answer that; she couldn't. Randal had taken  some sort of interest in her from the beginning-was it because of what  he. had found out about her background? Was he sorry for her? She didn't  like that idea.

When she went into the other room and found Randal Harding standing with  his back to her, staring out of the window at the blue, cloudless sky,  she began to breathe rapidly, shallowly. While she gazed at that long,  supple back, those even longer legs, he turned his head to smile at her,  making her heart roll over in a now familiar, disturbing fashion.

'I want to ask a favour of you-this isn't work, so feel free to refuse  if you're not happy about it-but I'm very busy today and I can't spare  the time to do it myself. My son is five tomorrow and I haven't bought  him a birthday present yet. Do you think you could go shopping and  choose something for him?'

Taken aback, since she hadn't expected that request, she stammered,  'Well, of course, but … I don't know what toys he already has or what he  likes … '

'He hasn't got any big vehicles-trucks, farm vehicles, fire engines,  that sort of thing. He loves toy cars, so that would probably be the  best bet.'

'Right, then; okay, I'll do my best. When did you want me to go?'

'Take an extra hour for lunch.' He pulled out a sheaf of bank notes from  a wallet in his jacket, and counted some out into her hand. 'That  should be enough. And would you buy a birthday card, too?'

His fingers brushed hers, making her legs turn weak, but she nodded, smiling, and hurriedly retreated.

She managed to do her shopping in a world-famous toyshop. It only took a  few minutes to choose and pay for a huge bright red fire engine with  expanding ladders and tiny firemen in yellow helmets, coiled water  hoses, all the equipment a boy would need to play firemen. In another  shop she bought a card which she thought quite funny, with a big gold  number five on it and a line of pink elephants dancing and playing the  trumpet.

She had lunch nearby, before returning to work at the usual time. Miss Dalton was at lunch when Pippa got back.

'She was looking for you,' Judy warned. 'Asking why you had gone to  lunch early and who gave you permission. I played dumb, said I didn't  know. Where have you been, anyway?'

'Shopping,' Pippa said, rushing into Randal Harding's office and laying  the package she had bought on his desk, then hurrying back before Miss  Dalton caught her. The last thing she needed was trouble.

'I worry about you,' Judy said. 'What's going on between you and Randal?'

'Nothing! Don't be silly.' Pippa buried herself in her work.

She got into trouble when Miss Dalton returned ten minutes later and demanded to know why Pippa had gone to lunch early.

'I had some urgent shopping to do,' Pippa said, eyes lowered.

'I don't believe my ears! So you just went off to do it without a word!'

Pippa thought of telling her Randal Harding had given her permission to  go, but decided that might merely make matters worse, so said nothing.

'How dare you walk out of here without permission? You will go to lunch  at the time allotted to you in future.' Miss Dalton's voice was acid.  'One more trick like that and you're out of a job!'

Pippa shivered. She needed this job; there was no guarantee she would  get another. Without an income she would find life very hard. 'I'm  sorry,' she whispered.

'You'll be even more sorry if you keep annoying me like this!' the older woman snapped.

Judy rolled her eyes at Pippa behind Miss Dalton's back and mouthed, 'I told you so!'

As the time to stop work came closer Miss Dalton came over to look at Pippa's desk and gave her an icy, triumphant smile.

'You've fallen behind again, I see. Your work is far from satisfactory.  Well, I want all those letters finished when I come into work  tomorrow-understood?'

'Yes, Miss Dalton,' Pippa wearily said; she seemed to spend her life  running on the spot just to keep up. She had never had this trouble  before.                       
       
           



       

When everyone had gone she put her head down on the desk, tears welling  up into her eyes. Day after day Miss Dalton attacked her, overloaded her  with work, watched her like a hawk, and Pippa was exhausted by the  strain of it. She had enjoyed her last job; everyone had been friendly,  she had been able to keep up with her work. But now she didn't know if  she could keep on going; she might have to resign- was that what Miss  Dalton wanted? Was she trying to drive her out?

'What's wrong?'

The voice made her stiffen, instinctively wiping her wet eyes with the back of her hard before she sat up.

'Nothing … sorry … just tired,' she mumbled, avoiding Randal Harding's eyes.

He came over to her desk, put an imperative hand under her chin and  tilted her face, stared down at it, his grey eyes moving from her wide,  wet green eyes to, the tremulous curve of her pink mouth.

'You've been crying.'

'Just tired,' she stupidly repeated, staring up at him, conscious of a  now familiar turmoil in her body. Her heart was beating so hard it  deafened her; she couldn't breathe properly, couldn't focus on his face,  which loomed far too close to her own.

'Nonsense, something else is wrong-tell me!'

She shook her head, her mouth dry and her blood running like fire. Never  in her life had she felt like this; it was terrifying. Was she falling  in love with him? That would be folly, but she had no idea how to stop  herself.

His face seemed to be coming closer all the time. She gazed into those  brilliant grey eyes, so dazed and confused she couldn't think straight,  then her stare dropped to focus on his hard, male mouth, and panic  rushed through her.

Was she imagining it, simply because she hungered for it so much, or was  he about to kiss her? A second later his mouth touched hers and she  shuddered, eyes closing.

His kiss was light and cool for a second or two, then it took fire and  his arms went round her, pulling her up from her chair, dragging her so  close to him that she felt the pressure of his thighs, the warmth of his  body under his elegant clothes, the fierce beating of his heart.

Pippa had never been kissed, touched, like that before. She didn't know  what to do, how to feel. Eyes shut tight, plunged into deep, velvety  blackness, she swayed helplessly in his arms, her lips parting to give  him access to her mouth, entirely given up to him in unconscious  surrender.

Only when he lifted his mouth and broke the spell holding her did she  begin to think again, and then shame and shock made her turn first red,  then white.

'No, you mustn't! You're married!' she broke out.

He looked down at her, his face a battleground of conflicting feelings,  gave a long groan. 'Yes. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have touched you. I  didn't intend to kiss you. I just couldn't help it.' He ran a caressing  hand down her face, trailed his fingers over her mouth, awakening all  her pulses again.

'Don't,' she whispered, dying to have him kiss her again.

'God, if only you weren't so young!' he muttered. 'Practically a child. I  have no right to come anywhere near you; don't think I'm not ashamed of  myself. I just don't seem able to stop thinking about you. I've been  wanting to kiss you for a very long time.'

'Randal,' she moaned, shuddering. 'But we can't … shouldn't …  You're  married.' A pang of jealwrenched her. 'And your wife is beautiful.'

His face hardened, darkened. 'Oh, yes, she's beautiful. But our marriage  is a sham. We rarely even see each other. She has been having an affair  for a year; she's often away-why do you think I asked you to buy the  present for Johnny? My wife isn't at home; she has probably forgotten  his birthday.'

Startled and distressed, Pippa said, 'Oh … I'm sorry. Really, very sorry.  That's very sad. I thought you were happily married; everyone said so.'  Then she bit her lip, frowning, as a new idea came to her. 'But I don't  want you to use me to get your own back on your wife, or to boost your  ego. I'm not a consolation prize, Mr Harding.'

His mouth twisted bitterly. 'I wasn't using you that way, Pippa. Believe  me. I kissed you because the temptation was irresistible, that's all.  The minute I saw you I wanted to kiss you. It has nothing to do with my  wife. I fell out of love with her long ago. Our marriage is over in  everything but name. Her current affair is about the third. They never  last long, but while they last they're all she cares about I haven't  divorced her yet because of Johnny. I don't care a damn if I never see  her again, but I love my son and I don't want him made unhappy.'