‘Not being feeble, are we, Abigail?’ she asked with authority. ‘Not just those things, are you? What else is there? You are a—’
Cavendish woman. I am a Cavendish.And I looked tempting as fuck today.I opened my eyes and squared my shoulders.
I had left my hair out in the waves I knew he liked to touch; I pushed it aside, revealing the neck his lips liked to graze and, as Iaccidentallypushed my stapler off my desk, I stood slowly, giving him a cool smile before I bent over at the waist to grab it. My tight skirt and seamed stockings played their part as his step faltered. His eyes skimmed my curves hotly before correcting themselves.
He had a satchel and a brown paper bag in one hand, and was carrying two coffees in a tray with his other. A small smile graced his handsome face. He knew exactly what I was about, and he respected it. He put down a coffee in front of me and dropped his bag at his feet, placing the paper bag on the desk. He pulled out two bagels.
‘Apparently,’ he drawled, as he pulled a chair to my desk, ‘this is tradition. The CEO tells me if I do this today, you do it tomorrow.’ His eyes were sparkling with amusement at me. ‘He also said you are less inclined to be cranky when you eat.’
‘Did he now?’ My voice remained cool, even as the smell of the food met my nose.
‘Mmmhmm.’
‘Interesting,’ I said, tearing open the bag, starving.
‘Careful, Abs. There is sauce and you do not want it to end up on that beautiful blouse.’
My eyes flashed him a warning.
‘You’re annoyed with me.’
‘Annoyed? Me? No, I’m fine. Not annoyed with you,boss. Never.’
‘Liar.’
‘Nick, I’m not prepared to get into it.’
‘That outfit looks like you want to get into it, Abbey.’
‘Are we going to flirt or work?’
He contemplated this for a second and then leaned closer to me. ‘A little HR birdy told me it’s your birthday in two weeks.’ He lifted his bagel, taking a bite, amused by my hiss of displeasure.
It was completely fine that I was turning forty-three. I was not freaked out at all about how fucking old that sounded.
‘I was thinking of having a welcome-home party for Ollie,’ he continued. ‘And I had the rather fabulous idea that we could all get together and celebrate both your birthday and Ollie on the mend. It would give me the opportunity to thank you and Kate. So invite Kate, Granny Iris and Lionel, oh, and the hot doctor?’
Interesting. Happy Birthday, Abbey. Bring a date.It seemed he was living in an alternate universe where we were friends. I remembered my self-preservation tactics.We cannot be friends.
‘Don’t forget we have dinner tonight with my sister.’
I went to protest that, but had a mouthful of bacon and egg.
He pressed his advantage. ‘Also, we have had a few problems in Melbourne since Friday afternoon, so I’m going to need you to come down there with me to sort it out. I’m keen to look at that hotel, so I thought we would stay the weekend and experience it, see what the customers see. It seems to have some sort of cool factor that the Sydney property doesn’t, and I want to know what it is, exactly. I know you don’t have Ella.’ He reached out and touched my hand.
‘Oh, nope,’ I said, swallowing a lump of bagel.
‘Nope?’ This with his best Australian accent.
‘No. That’s not going to work here.’
‘The touching or the coming to Melbourne?’ he raised a dark eyebrow in query.
‘Either. Or both.’ The minute he had touched my hand, it confirmed I had an immense problem. My body reacted to him as if it belonged to him. I had to try, somehow, to get my body to comply with the desire I had not to desire him. ‘I’m so sorry. I can’t do that with you. I have a date with the hot doctor on Friday night.’
‘I need you in Melbourne. We have trouble brewing in the restaurant. The celebrity chef is throwing tantrums.’ He gave me a dazzling, disarming smile. ‘Mike was telling us that the chef down there finds you compelling. I believe “alluring” was the word he used.’
When he said ‘alluring’ it was probably the hottest word I’d ever heard spoken by a voice, and I looked at his mouth for too long after he finished talking.
