Chapter 4
Marie sat down in her chair, her fingers trembling as she typed up the letter, refusing to give in to procrastination any longer. She didn’t want to, but it had to be done. She had to leave. There was no way she could work with Phillip after he married Lillian Sousier. The lady was elegant and perfect, always immaculately groomed, wearing the most beautiful clothes, all perfectly matched up with understated jewelry that were probably heirlooms and cost more than her annual salary.
A spike of jealousy hit her but she pushed it away. She had no right to be jealous of Phillip and Lillian. They’d become engaged several months ago and, well, they really did make a beautiful couple. They had been friends for a long time and, as the story went in the newspaper article she’d read about their engagement, their friendship had simply grown into love over the years.
It was the stuff fantasies were made of, she thought, as she deleted yet another spelling error. She muttered a curse under her breath, irritated that she couldn’t seem to stop making errors today.
There was nothing to do about it. Phillip would be married in a few days and off on his honeymoon the day after. By the time he came back from a luxurious two weeks in Aruba, she would be gone. She’d already accepted another job in Chicago, far away from the beautiful city of New Orleans. Her apartment was completely boxed up except for the clothes she’d pack into a suitcase for the drive up there. Movers were scheduled to pick up all of the boxes in ten days. She didn’t have an apartment in Chicago yet, but she had a plane ticket to fly up there this weekend and she’d find a place to live. She already had several appointments scheduled, it wouldn’t take her long to pick a suitable place.
The timing worked out perfectly. She’d be in her new apartment just in time for Christmas. If that holiday was going to be painfully lonely this year, so be it. Marie would simply busy herself between Christmas and New Years unpacking boxes and getting her new life organized. She’d then start her new job right after the New Year and begin the painful healing process. Eventually, she wouldn’t feel this brutal, aching pain whenever she thought about Phillip. Eventually, this gaping hole in her chest would heal.
At least, she hoped.
Today, she’d hand in her resignation and she already had several potential replacements scheduled to interview with Phillip tomorrow. While he was on his honeymoon, she could teach her replacement about the job and he’d come back to a fully trained assistant with minimal impact to his day.
Yes, there would be a learning curve, but the men and women she had pre-screened came highly recommended. Marie had complete faith that whoever Phillip chose could fill her shoes with ease.
“Hey Marie,” Joan Henshaw greeted as she stepped up to Marie’s desk. “Remember that legal issue with the guy who was flashing employees coming into the building last month?”
Marie grimaced. “Yes. He was disgusting.”
Joan laughed, nodding her head in agreement. “In more ways than one,” she said. “Anyway, the lawyers called today and they want to go over a few more issues, just to make sure the employees are protected. Does Phillip have time today to talk with me?”
Marie clicked a few keys on her keyboard, trying to guess how much longer he’d be in there with Lillian. “Well, he’s leaving Friday afternoon and won’t be back for two weeks. But…”
“I’d need to talk with him today. It’s important, but just a few…”
Marie understood and nodded. Standing up, she stepped over to Phillip’s door. “I’ll just see if he can talk to you before his next meeting. Just a sec,” she knocked quickly before opening the door.
Unfortunately, she should have avoided entering his office. Phillip and Lillian…they were…
Gasping, she closed the door once again, pain ripping through her chest area. She stood there for a long moment, trying to breathe through the pain.
It wasn’t working.
“Are you okay, Marie?”
Marie looked up, startled to see Joan standing there. She’d forgotten that the woman was waiting to speak with Phillip. “Oh. Um…” she looked around, trying to think. Her eyes shot back to the door, then to Joan. Nothing came to mind.
“Is he in his office?” Joan prompted.
Marie blinked rapidly, fighting back the tears. Turning away, she dug through the files next to her desk, pretending to be searching for one of them. It was a ruse to hide her threatening tears, probably wouldn’t work since Joan was a smart woman, but she tried anyway.
“He’s in with Lillian, his fiancée, at the moment, Joan. Can I call you when he is finished with his conversation?”
There was a chuckle from the woman, but Marie didn’t lift her head.
“Sure. When they’re finished ‘conversing’, just give me a ring.”
A moment later, Marie heard the other woman walk away and breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, it was bad that she’d allowed Joan to think that some sort of hanky panky was going on in Phillip’s office when, in reality, they were merely talking. Lillian’s beautiful, blonde head leaned endearingly against Phillip’s shoulder – a completely innocent pose. But it had appeared heartbreakingly sweet and intimate, causing that ache in Marie’s chest to throb. The picture of them like that…it only reinforced her decision to leave.
And with that in mind, she…
The door burst open and Marie swung around, unable to avoid looking at the two of them. But this time, she pasted a professional smile on her face and stood up, mentally bracing herself for their goodbye kiss.
“Thanks Phillip,” Lillian called behind her as she left. Walking through the doorway, Lillian was still shockingly beautiful, with her blonde hair and her immaculate sweater set. And pearls! Could the woman be any more perfect?
Another stab of jealousy hit her and she glared as Lillian made her way towards the elevators.
“If looks could kill!”
Marie gasped and swung around. Phillip was leaning one shoulder against the door frame, watching her. Immediately, Marie straightened her shoulders and smoothed the jealousy from her features. “Joan stopped by while you were in with Lillian. She wanted to discuss the…”
“Forget about Joan. Come on into my office. We have some things to discuss.”
Marie stared after him, wondering what was going on. He hadn’t kissed Lillian before she’d walked away. In fact, he had barely even touched her. And although Marie was grateful for not having to witness affection between the two of them, she was still very confused.
Picking up the file Phillip would need for his next meeting, she grabbed her notebook as well.
“Here is the information for…”
“Marie, let’s talk,” he announced.
Marie swung around, finding him over in the sitting area instead of behind his desk. She blinked, not sure what was going on. He was always behind his desk. In fact, she couldn’t remember any time she’d seen Phillip sitting on the couch or one of the leather chairs.
He gestured to the couch, but she remained frozen in place. “Talk?” she parroted, still unsure of what was going on. “What do you need to talk about?”
Phillip stared at the lovely brunette for a long moment. Her hazel eyes blinked at him from across the room and he knew that he was acting out of character. But Lillian had just walked out after breaking things off with him and he felt…free! Damn, he hadn’t even realized how much he’d been dreading the wedding until it was no longer looming in his future.
And now that he was once again a single man, he could allow his mind to consider alternatives. Marie was definitely the woman that his mind wanted to focus on. But he acknowledged that she had never been an alternative. She’d been the focus of too many dreams to be an alternative.
Damn, how had he been so blind? How had he let things with Lillian get out of hand? “Did you know that my mother is actually how I ended up engaged to Lillian?” he started off, wanting Marie to understand.
She blinked again, staring at him with those huge, hazel eyes. Eyes that he loved. Eyes that he wanted to see when she was…
Clearing his throat, he focused on his plan. One step at a time, he told himself.
“Your mother?” she asked, her voice sounding strangled. A giggle burst from her and she quickly slapped her hand over her mouth. “Phillip, tell me you’re teasing me.”
He shook his head, laughing himself. “Nope. My mother and Lillian’s mother have been friends for…well, as long as I’ve been around. They sort of collaborated and worked things out.”
Another laugh and he could see her eyes twinkling with her amusement. “Did she get down on one knee to propose for you as well?”
His head tilted slightly and he tried to give her a punishing look, but he was just too happy at the moment. He couldn’t let her get away with that though.
“Ah, now you are maligning my masculinity,” he replied. He walked towards her until he was less than a foot away. “I can’t have you thinking I’m not a strong man, now, can I?” he asked softly. He kept his hands in his pockets so he wouldn’t reach out and touch her. The temptation was too strong. “What could I do to prove my manliness?” he teased right back.
She giggled again, shaking her head, and causing the wisps of hair to float around her face. “Now that I know your mother got you engaged, I believe your manliness is no longer in question,” she replied right back.
“Ah, you think it has been blighted forever, huh?”
Marie felt almost dizzy! He was no longer engaged? He wasn’t going to marry the lovely Lillian? This was…amazing! Shocking! Hard to take in! For months, she’d been mentally preparing for this Saturday, for the day when he would be married. And now…it felt as if she’d been given the key to prison. She’d escaped!
Standing there, so close to Phillip, closer than she’d ever been before, she was shocked by the power of him. He was…awesome! So powerfully built, tall and…just overwhelming!
“Um…Phillip, could you just…” she walked away, placing the files on his desk because…well, it was either put them down or drop them on the floor. She preferred order over chaos. Turning back to face him, she opened her mouth to ask him something else but found he was, again, incredibly close.
“I don’t think I’m going to cancel my honeymoon,” he announced, his voice deeper than normal. Huskier in some odd way that sent shivers of awareness throughout her whole body.
Huh? Wait, this didn’t…not cancel the honeymoon? “You’re not?” She shook her head slightly, trying to clear the haziness. “Why not? Why would you go on your honeymoon without Lillian?”
“Because we won’t be married.”
Still not clear. And that smile tugging at the corners of his lips…what did that mean? She blinked, shaking her head slightly as if she could shake out the cobwebs and finally understand. It didn’t help, and Phillip was still looking at her like…well, like a tiger ready to pounce!
Goodness, the heat in his eyes…she didn’t understand it, but that look had always caused excitement to simmer in her stomach, twisting her insides into a chaotic mess. Only Phillip had this kind of impact on her! It wasn’t fair!
Reverting back to business, where she was comfortable, she took a deep breath and pulled her eyes away. “Well, your calendar is still cleared for the next two weeks. Your pilot is standing by tomorrow. I can keep your schedule clear and just…”
“You have a passport, right?” he asked, moving away. He walked around his desk and Marie breathed a sigh of relief when he was safely back where he should be. The desk between them was safer. She could think when he was further away. And she wasn’t thinking about how good he smelled or how tall he was or any one of a thousand thoughts that were constantly flitting through her mind, but at least now she could focus.
“Of course.”
“Good. Go home and pack a bag.”
She stared at him, not sure she understood. “Um…Phillip, why would I need to pack a bag?”
“Because you’re coming with me. We’ll make the next two weeks a working vacation. We can spend a few hours each morning working before doing something more interesting.” He glanced down at his watch. “I’ll go down and see what Joan needs to discuss with me, then head home. You call my pilot and tell him that we’re leaving today instead of Saturday. I’ll call my housekeeper and tell her to pack up for me, then swing by to grab my bags. Then I’ll come by to pick you up at your apartment in…” he glanced down at his watch again. “Two hours.”
A moment after announcing that, he walked out of his office, assuming that she would fall in line with all of his plans.
A working vacation? In Aruba?! Was he serious?
She turned and stared at the empty doorway. Marie knew that he was already gone, but she stood there, waiting for him to pop back into the office and tell her he was just joking.
Aruba? Wedding canceled?
This wasn’t happening. Nope, she’d just dreamed the last few minutes.
Walking back to her desk, she pulled up his schedule for the day. And tomorrow. She had six interviews scheduled for tomorrow. For several minutes, she stared at the schedule, not sure what to do.
If he wasn’t getting married, then she didn’t have to quit, did she?
But…no, this was too much to take in.
The phone ringing by her elbow startled her and she jerked, glaring at the phone for a long moment. But professionalism kicked in and she straightened, picking up the phone by the second ring. “Mr. Martineau’s office.”
“Marie, you haven’t left yet! If you’re going to get everything packed in two hours, you need to hurry.”
It was Phillip and she stared at the wall blankly. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath before she replied. “Phillip, I’m not sure what’s going on. Why would we go to Aruba?”
“Why not? It’s been on my schedule for months. I need a break. You need a break. We’re heading to Aruba. Shut down everything and go home, Marie. Pack a bathing suit, in fact, pack several, and I’ll come by to pick you up. It will be fine,” he promised. A moment later, he’d hung up the phone and she stared blankly at the receiver, trying to process the last ten minutes.
Phillip wasn’t getting married. Okay, she could understand that. He was still taking the two weeks off that he’d originally planned for his honeymoon. Check. That made sense.
He wanted her to go to Aruba with him?
Well, she’d traveled with him before. Many times over the past year. He flew off to various cities and countries, talking with investors, corporate heads, and various groups to get a better understanding of certain investments. That’s what a fund manager does, she knew. And Phillip was brilliant at working the investments under the fund’s portfolio, ensuring that thousands of investors had plenty of money on which to retire. She admired his diligence and his intelligence but…
Aruba?
If there was ever a place to recover from a broken engagement, Aruba was definitely in the top ten. Maybe the top five! A private house, white sands, snorkeling…it was all there.
But he didn’t need his executive assistant there to help him heal.
Her eyes caught on tomorrow’s schedule and she gasped. “The interviews!” Quickly, she lifted the receiver to her ear but before she could dial Joan’s office, Phillip was stepping out of the elevators, walking towards her.
“Phillip!” she gasped, standing up as he approached.
“You haven’t moved since I called you fifteen minutes ago, have you?” he asked. He didn’t stop until he was close. Very close!
Tilting her head backwards, she looked up into those dark eyes, still confused. She remembered the interviews, her schedule, her packing. Her whole apartment was already in boxes stacked up on top of one another. Even her furniture was shifted around, making room for the movers to get things out easily.
“Um…well, I’m not sure that…”
“Don’t worry about anything. Just pack and I’ll come by.” He started to walk away from her, heading into his office and she just…she couldn’t do it!
“I can’t go to Aruba!” she yelled, interrupting whatever he was about to say. She hadn’t realized that she’d closed her eyes, but when she opened them again, he was looking down at her with an odd look. “Sorry,” she muttered. “And you can’t either.” She shook her head. “Of course, you can go to Aruba, Phillip. You can go anywhere you want to go. But you can’t leave until Saturday morning.” She took a deep breath, then leaned over her desk to the printer where she’d printed out her resignation. “Here,” she said and handed him the single piece of paper.
Looking down, Phillip read through the words, slowly absorbing what they meant. “What the hell is this?” he demanded, angry now.
She wasn’t afraid of Phillip’s anger, but nor did she want to hurt him. So as soon as he looked down at her, she hurried through her explanation. “I have six interviews scheduled for tomorrow, Phillip. All of them are very good candidates and can fill my shoes easily. I was going to train them while you were on your honeymoon. But if you’re still going to Aruba, then I can still train them and they’ll be ready to help you out once you return. Minimal impact on your daily routine and they are all competent men and women who come highly recommended by their previous employers.” She stood there, enduring his glare for as long as possible, trying not to fidget under his angry, steady gaze.
Phillip stared down at Marie, his eyes taking in her lovely hazel eyes and the resolute pressure of her normally soft, pink lips. She’d already chewed off her lipstick, he thought. She normally wore a mauve color in the mornings, but while she worked at her computer, she nibbled on her lips. Nothing harsh, just her way of focusing. He’d always thought it was cute and he knew to stay away from her when she was doing that, not wanting to break her concentration.
But at this particular moment, he was having a hard time not pulling her into his arms and kissing those soft, full lips. It was a shocking revelation and perhaps his mind only allowed him to think that way now because he was no longer engaged. He wouldn’t be cheating on Lillian now and…hell, the fantasies floating through his mind were hard to deal with. Obviously, he’d suppressed his feelings for his assistant more than he’d realized.
Crossing his arms over his chest, and tucking that offensive letter out of the way, he glared at her. “Who are these people? And where are you going? Why are you quitting?”
He watched her swallow and knew that she wasn’t going to tell him the truth. Well, not the whole truth. Marie never lied. She was painfully honest, even when she’d messed up on something. Of course, her idea of messing up would be a minor issue – something like a typo on a document he’d already signed. If an issue was significantly important, Marie was careful and meticulous.
But he knew her well enough to know that whatever she said now, wasn’t going to be the whole truth. He wanted to laugh, but was curious enough to hear her out.
He watched her shoulders straighten and her cute chin lifted ever so slightly. “Well, I took a new job.”
He waited, thinking she was going to tell him more. But the stubborn lift of her chin told him that she finished. “That’s it? No reason why you’re leaving this job?”
Her pretty, kissable lips fell open as she struggled to say something. Once again, he knew that she wasn’t going to reveal all to him. “Well, I just…” her eyes shuttered. Bingo. She was hiding something. Something important. “I just felt that this was the right time to move on to a new role.”
“Did my wedding in two days have anything to do with your decision?” he asked gently, carefully watching her eyes. And yep, there it was. The truth. She tried to hide it, but he’d been working beside her for a year. All day long, Marie was with him. They usually ate lunch together and often dinner as well, working late into the evenings. There were times they also had breakfast together, but not very often. Marie wasn’t a morning person so he discouraged her from scheduling meetings too early in the morning, wanting her to sleep in whenever possible.
That didn’t stop him from being her first phone call each morning. No way would he give that up. He loved telling her something funny, hearing that smile in her voice. It was his secret thrill and, he just realized that, if his plans worked out, he’d be able to actually see that smile.
“I’m waiting, Marie.”
Marie watched Phillip’s stern expression and tried to come up with a good answer. Normally, she would be flippant, distract him. But the look in his eyes told her that there was no way she could brush this conversation aside.
Besides, he didn’t deserve that. Oh, she wasn’t going to tell him that she was madly in love with him and wanted him to lock his office door so she could do wicked things to his body. No, that was one secret that she would take with her, never to see the light of day.
Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and looked directly at him. “Phillip, I just think it is time for us to go our separate ways.”
He leaned against her desk. “Do you still think that, now that I’m no longer getting married on Saturday?”
Oh, he was good! But she had to be firm. Just because she was in love with him didn’t mean he needed to know about her silly fantasies and feelings. “Your wedding and honeymoon presented a very good time to make a break,” was all she said. And yes, it was the truth.
He chuckled. “I can see that you’re pretty proud of yourself for that explanation, but it still doesn’t tell me the whole truth, does it?”
Damn it, she mentally cursed. Why was he so perceptive?! “It’s enough of the story to get on with our day,” she said and straightened, ready to move on. “You have several meetings this afternoon. If you are still intent on leaving for Aruba, then I’ll reschedule them.”
He stood up as well. “We’ll keep the same schedule for Aruba, but plan on coming with me. We’ll get work done.”
She swung around, her mouth falling open with the realization that he was still asking her to come with him. Well, not asking. He was telling her as her boss that she was going to Aruba and they would be working. “But…what about the training for the new assistant? I was going to be here to train whoever you select tomorrow. It’s perfect timing, Phillip!”
He laughed softly, thinking she was adorable when she tried to boss him around. “Well, seems that your perfect plan has a few flaws in it. Primarily that I haven’t accepted your resignation, I haven’t chosen anyone to replace you and you’re going to be in Aruba for the next two weeks, so even if the first two items get checked off of your list, the third is still set in stone.”
With that, he walked back to his office. “Can you get me the files for the Burris account? We’ll review them over lunch. Where are we dining?” he asked as he walked over to his desk, knowing that Marie would follow him.
But she didn’t follow him. In fact, she stood there, staring at the door where he’d just disappeared, trying to figure out what she was going to do! He’d messed up all of her plans. Her perfectly laid out plans to leave New Orleans and start her new life. A life without the painful sadness of seeing Phillip marry…
Wait a minute! She rushed into his office, her fingers trembling so badly she could barely hold the pen in her hand.
“You’re really not marrying Lillian on Saturday?”
He pulled some papers from his desk. “That’s correct.”
“But…why? What happened?”’ This news was just starting to sink into her befuddled mind. She’d been too focused on NOT going to Aruba and NOT telling him the whole truth about her resignation, she hadn’t let her mind get to the most important detail of their conversation.
Phillip sat down in his desk chair, his chocolate eyes tempting her closer. “Because Lillian and I realized that we weren’t sexually attracted to each other.”
Marie blinked, her mind still racing to catch up. “You’re not? Not at all?”
“Not even a little bit,” he confirmed. “Lillian pointed out that I’d never even kissed her.”
She pulled back with that, unaware of the anger in her eyes. “I don’t believe it. I’ve seen you kiss Lillian. I was at your engagement party last weekend, remember? You kissed her…”
“Not passionately. We both realized that I only kiss her cheek or her forehead, her hands. I’ve never really kissed her. All of our affection was similar to how I would treat a sister.”
Marie stared at him. She seemed to be doing a lot of that this morning, but…well, she could be excused from that faux pas since Phillip’s revelations, including this one, were astounding.
“But…Lillian is so beautiful!”
He smiled slightly. “I agree. But she just…doesn’t do it for me.”
Marie wanted to back away from the heat in his eyes. Surely she was misinterpreting that look. If she were a less sane woman, she’d think that Phillip was silently telling her that she “did it” for him. She had to remind herself that Phillip was her boss. That’s all!
Shaking her head – again – she focused on something other than the way Phillip was looking at her. “Okay, so you…aren’t attracted to Lillian. And she…? She felt the same way?” she asked, worried that something bad had happened.
Phillip laughed. “Lillian was actually the one that pointed this out to me.”
Marie swallowed past the lump in her throat. “How did she do that?”
He moved around his desk, standing in front of her, tall and incredibly handsome. “She asked me to kiss her. Truly kiss her.”
Marie stared at him, her neck craned so that she could see those dark eyes. “And…did you?” she asked, her voice squeaking slightly.
He looked down at her for a long moment, her lips softening as she imagined the kind of kiss that Phillip would give to a woman he was truly attracted to. Could she ever be that kind of woman? Or did he simply see her as the mousy, overly efficient assistant that kept his day organized and on schedule?
“No. I couldn’t do it.” He lifted a finger to her cheek, the pad rough from his weight lifting routine, skimming down the smooth skin of her cheek. “I couldn’t touch her in a sexual way.”
That was news. Because the way Phillip was touching her…sex was all she could think about. She wanted his finger to slide down her body to other places. Places other than her cheek. But for the moment, she’d take this touch. He’d never touched her before and she…what was she thinking?!
“Was Lillian hurt?” Her eyebrows snapped together in defense of the lovely woman who had always been kind to her. “Did you hurt Lilian’s feelings by dumping her only days before her dream wedding?”
Phillip chuckled but stepped back. “Stand down, Tiger,” he ordered affectionately. “She’s the one who pointed out that we weren’t attracted to each other that way. So no, I didn’t hurt her feelings. And if anyone broke off the engagement, it was probably her, but it really was a mutual agreement when we both realized that we thought of each other as friends or siblings and not lovers.”
She watched as he walked back around his desk. “So…the wedding is off. What’s next?”
He smiled as he lifted the files for his next meeting. “Next, we deal with your resignation. I’m going to try and convince you to explain the real reason why you are trying to leave me. Then we’re heading to Aruba, where we’ll relax in the sunshine, drink copious amounts of alcohol and I’m going to try to…” he stopped, looking at her with a strange light to his eyes. “Well, we’ll get to that later. Don’t we have another meeting?”
She jerked out of her stupor and looked down at her notebook, which wasn’t in her hands. She was still holding the pen though. After this morning’s revelations, she’d put that accomplishment in the win column. Turning, she headed back to her desk and grabbed her notebook and the other files Phillip might need.
“Ready?” he asked.
She spun around, shocked to find him so close to her. He was close enough to reach out and touch. Goodness, what was she going to do?
“Ready,” she replied, using the files and notebook like a shield.
“Let’s go.”
The next few hours were a challenge. She tried very hard to focus, but it wasn’t easy. She kept thinking back to their conversation, to everything Phillip had revealed. No wedding. Phillip wasn’t marrying Lillian Sousier. He was free! But he wasn’t free. Phillip was New Orleans royalty. He might not be marrying the reigning New Orleans princess, but he would marry someone like her. It was just a matter of time.
Her cell phone buzzed, indicating a text message. Looking down, she read the message from Phillip. It was the way they communicated with each other during meetings – texting so that he didn’t have to tell her things out loud when others might overhear. Usually, his messages were requests for files, reports, or data. Sometimes, they were funny quips about what was going on and it took everything in her not to laugh. Phillip had a razor sharp wit and an evil sense of sarcasm.
This time, however, he texted about lunch. At her favorite restaurant!
She looked over at him after reading the text, not sure what to say. The restaurant he’d suggested, Martin’s, was her favorite, but it was also a sweet, romantic-feeling environment. In the past, they’d gone there for lunch or dinner, discussing business or just relaxing after a tough meeting. The small, brick covered restaurant had only about twenty tables but each was surrounded by flowers and plants. At this time of the year, it was perfect. The whole place would be beautifully decorated for Christmas. If there was a more intimate setting in New Orleans, she didn’t know about it.
Immediately, she texted back a different suggestion, a more open and noisy restaurant. One that was safer.
His response was immediate. “Nope. We’re going to Martin’s.”
Marie turned to glare at him, silently telling him that he was wrong. He simply stared right back at her, one eyebrow lifting in challenge.
She couldn’t help it. When he pulled the “boss” card, she laughed. He was so hard core with others, but when he tried to pull that with her, she knew he was teasing. It was almost as if they had a secret language. Oh, she didn’t fool herself into thinking that was truly the case, but she still chuckled, then covered her mouth when others turned to look at her.
Phillip snapped questions at the members of the meeting who were distracted by her inappropriate laughter, but as soon as the meeting was back on track, he gave her the look that said, “Do it!” and she walked out of the meeting.
She didn’t make reservations for Martin’s, but at another place that was near the office. And even as she sat back down in the meeting, she refused to look at him. He had to know that she’d defied him and it made her whole body tingle with anticipation of his disapproval. She couldn’t wait to see what he would say or do to her. Oh, it was such a delicious game. One that they’d played before, but never before had it been this fun.
Was it because he was no longer an engaged man? Did that make the difference?
She pushed that thought out of her mind. She wasn’t going to think about that right now. She would simply focus on this meeting and the next. She’d do an excellent job and enjoy her last couple of days with Phillip.
The meeting broke up about thirty minutes later and Phillip followed her out of the conference room. But instead of heading back to their office area, he steered her towards the elevators. “So, I know you didn’t follow my instructions. Where are we eating lunch?” he demanded as he pressed the button to call the elevator.
She laughed and he moved so that he was directly in front of her.
He did his looming thing, pretending to intimidate her. It never worked, but she privately thought it was amazingly hot.
“Oh, you think it’s funny that you can defy me?” he asked, his voice smooth and scary. Well, not really scary but…sexy. Yeah, incredibly sexy. Low and threatening, but she knew that Phillip would never, ever, hurt her.
“I think it’s funny that you think you can tell me where we’re eating lunch, when you have no idea who to call to make reservations at any of the places we prefer to dine.”
He looked at her for a long moment, then tilted his head, indicating that she had a valid point. “Yes, I’ll concede that you have the power there. But…” he leaned his head closer, “the true power isn’t all yours, now is it?” he asked, his voice going even lower this time.
She stared up at him, wondering what he meant. Oh, she would love to have him…well, that wasn’t an option. “You’re the boss,” she replied. Was her voice huskier than normal? She certainly hoped he didn’t hear that tone. She cleared her throat and looked down, unable to maintain eye contact with him.
His soft laughter told her that she wasn’t fooling him. Not even a little!
The elevator opened up and it was filled with others. So they had a silent ride down to the building’s lobby. When they exited, he wrapped his long fingers around her arm and steered her out to the street. Once again, Marie was startled by his touch. He was always the gentleman, but never before had he touched her in any way. It was shocking and the heat hitting her system was more than she could handle.
“I called Quinn’s Tavern for a table,” she told him, pointing across the street to his favorite restaurant.
He looked down at her with a, “You’ll pay for that!” look and she only smiled up at him. It was all she could do to remain calm when he looked at her like that. She wanted to drag him into one of the long alleys between the buildings and throw herself at him, kiss him until he swooped her up into his arms and carried her back to his place to make love to her.
Ugh! Her unrealistic dreams were going to make her crazy.
They were seated immediately at one of the best tables in the restaurant and a waiter arrived to take their order.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Martineau, Ms. Stein. Ice tea with extra lemon?” he asked.
Phillip didn’t even open the menu. “Ms. Stein will have a glass of chardonnay and I’ll have a bourbon,” he told the man, shocking both the waiter and Marie.
When the waiter disappeared, Marie looked across the table at Phillip. “I’m taking it this isn’t a business lunch?” she asked carefully.
“No. Today isn’t a business lunch. We are celebrating.”
She lifted her eyebrows in surprise. “Celebrating?”
He chuckled. “How soon we forget.” The waiter arrived with a chilled glass of white wine and Phillip’s bourbon. When the waiter was once again gone, he lifted his glass. “To no more wedding!” he toasted.
Marie wasn’t sure what to say. So instead of trying to figure things out, she simply lifted her glass and toasted his “freedom”.
Their meal arrived and, despite his comment that they were celebrating, the pink elephant of his canceled wedding was not discussed further.