Chapter 5
The next couple of hours went by in a blur for Elizabeth as she went through the motions of speaking to the police to give her statement after they had arrested the attacker. Following that, she was taken to the local hospital to have her head looked at, which luckily was only bruised without any serious harm.
All the while, Theo protectively stayed by her side, not letting her out of his sight, fussing over her, demanding that the doctor should send her for an MRI until Elizabeth told him to calm down. Too emotional and overwhelmed to think clearly, she appreciated the comfort and strength he provided. It was after midnight when she was discharged from the hospital and all she wanted to do was to crawl into bed and close her eyes.
Theo had made a call whilst her paperwork was being completed and as they stepped out of the hospital shortly after, his driver was waiting for them. Elizabeth managed a weak smile in acknowledgment as she crawled into the back seat, Theo following closely behind, giving his driver Elizabeth’s home address as their destination.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, it dimly registered that he knew her address from memory, but at this stage she didn’t have the energy to further process this information. They sat quietly in the back of the car, lost in their own thoughts, Theo’s arm wrapped around her as she rested her head against the hard, warm muscles of his chest. It felt good to be so close to him, breathing in the subtle scent of his cologne and it dawned upon her that they fit perfectly together. More than anything was the awareness that she felt completely safe with him.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at her home and Elizabeth wearily stepped out of the car, already missing the comfort of Theo’s arms around her. She was aware of him muttering something to his driver and then he followed her up the stairs into her flat. As Amber was away for the night, the flat was shrouded in darkness and, for a moment, Elizabeth felt a tightening in her chest and her breathing accelerated.
He must have sensed her anxiety because Theo stepped forward and turned on a floor lamp, the soft glow lighting up the front room as he gently turned her around to face him, placing his hands on her shoulders.
“It’s okay, Beth. You’re safe here.” He gazed into her eyes, concern etched on his features. She looked up at him, seeing him so differently now, how he had exposed to her this caring part of him that he kept so well hidden from the world. Her eyes filled with tears. She owed him so much for tonight and right now, with her jumbled thoughts and emotions, she couldn’t get the words out. Without thinking, she reached up to stroke his face, feeling the short stubble that had grown since his morning shave. His eyes darkened as her soft hands lingered over his rough skin.
“Theo,” she whispered huskily, feeling light-headed, aware of her quickening heartbeat. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, as her skin felt flushed with heat. The air crackled with electricity between them.
Theo screwed his eyes closed, momentarily leaning into her palm. Almost as if he were experiencing an internal battle of sorts, he snapped open his eyes, offered a small smile and stepped back. Gently taking her hand from his face, he lightly kissed her forehead.
“You need to rest, sweetheart,” he said in a low voice.
“Okay,” she concurred, nodding, averting her eyes, not quite sure what was happening between them, her body responding to him in ways she couldn’t understand.
Shortly afterward, after re-checking she had all his contact numbers should she need anything, he was gone.
* * *
Elizabeth spent a quiet weekend at home with Amber. Checking her phone every now and then to see if Theo would call again, he didn’t apart from the brief call on Saturday morning to see how she was doing. Secretly disappointed, she told herself not to be silly for expecting anything else. He was her boss. She rationalized that she was really fortunate that he happened to be there at the right place and right time, and like a true gentleman, he had looked after her. Nothing more.
So, why did it feel like something was happening between them, she argued with her inner self? The sensible part of her interjected with further objections – Theo was used to glamorous, experienced and worldly women – why would she even cross his mind in any sort of romantic love interest way? After all it was pretty obvious that he liked his women, lacked any form of commitment and the last thing she wanted was to have her heart broken again. It was best this way, she reasoned.
* * *
On Monday morning, stepping out of the shower, her mobile phone began ringing. “Good Morning, Miss Morgan?” A formal voice enquired at the other end.
“Uh, hi, yes. This is Beth.”
“Miss Morgan, my name is Edward and I will be your driver from now on. I’m parked just outside your building, in the black BMW. Please, take your time.”
“I’m sorry, but do you have the right person?” She was confused as she hadn’t called for a car.
“Yes, quite sure, Miss Morgan,” the voice loosened up slightly, a smile coming through. “Mr Steele has instructed that I am to bring you to and from work and, in fact, wherever else you desire to travel.”
It took a moment for this to register, somewhat shocked at Theo’s display of protectiveness. She cleared her throat.
“Thank you, Edward. Please give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be right down.” She hung up the call and sat on her bed, stunned. This was clearly too much for her to accept, but she would thank him for his thoughtfulness when she saw him later.
* * *
Theo was in meetings for most of the morning. Nearing lunchtime, she felt his presence before she saw him, the tiny hairs rising on her nape. Engrossed on a call, he barely acknowledged her as he strolled into his office. Feeling slightly miffed, she got up to follow him and went to wait outside his door until he finished his call. It was not quite shut so she could hear the tail end of the conversation as he transferred it to the speaker phone. She was about to walk away when she heard a breathy sounding female voice coming from the speaker. Her feet involuntarily refused to move.
“But Theo, darling, how can you say that?” the voice purred. “You can’t deny that we had an amazing time together.” She laughed seductively. “I’m sure you wouldn’t be against us enacting a replay of–”
“Victoria, stop,” he cut her off, his voice taking on a hard edge. “I told you from the start, no strings. Yes, we had fun together, but I’m sorry, it meant nothing to me.”
Outside the door, Elizabeth visibly paled at his tone.
She heard the woman gasp before she shrieked on the other end. “You’re an absolute pig, Theo Steele. Do you know how many men would kill to be in your position for a night with me? Why, I—”
“Victoria, I said enough.” Theo’s voice silenced what promised to be a tirade. He spoke very quietly and with such contained menace that Elizabeth felt sorry for the poor woman, whoever she was. “I told you to stop calling me. I never promised you anything. Do not contact me again.” He hung up the phone before she could protest any further.
The spurge of courage that had her rooted to the spot, eavesdropping on their conversation, had now evaporated and she was just about to turn back around when she heard his voice.
“Elizabeth, do come in.”
Her face burning with embarrassment, she quietly walked into his office, shutting the door. She slid into the chair opposite him, unable to look at him in the eye.
“I’m, er, really sorry,” she faltered over her words, fiddling with her shirt sleeve. “I didn’t mean to overhear your conversation.” She winced at her feeble words. He swooped round his desk to perch on the edge so that he was looming over her, crossing his arms.
“How are you?” he asked, ignoring her discomfort.
She glanced at his thigh, the pull of fine fabric over his muscular leg distracting her. Dragging her eyes to meet his, his close proximity was having an effect on her as she remembered the strong muscles of his arms wrapped around her. The intensity of his eyes, darker than usual, was unnerving as he studied her. She wondered if he could hear the loud thumping of her heart or see the rush of blood to her ears.
She subtly pressed herself into the back of the chair and smiled shyly at him. “I’m okay. Thank you, Theo.” He continued to stare at her, his gaze unfaltering. “Thank you for sending Edward this morning too. I appreciate it, but really, it’s not necessary as I’m fine now.”
“That’s not up for discussion,” he dryly responded, walking back round to his side of the desk and perusing some paperwork, seemingly ignoring her protest.
“I’m sorry, pardon?” Irritated at his response, she sat up straighter in her chair, her voice more forceful than before. She was not one of his many women that he could dictate to. “I can look after myself, Theo. I don’t need a baby-sitter.”
He put down his papers, giving her his full attention, glaring at her. “I’m not in the mood for any more arguments today.”
“I didn’t realize I was arguing,” she said warily.
“You don’t have to. I can see what’s going on in that head of yours.” He sighed. “Look, Elizabeth. The safety of my staff is paramount. Until we know that bastard is put away, while you work under my care, I owe a duty of care to protect my staff. That’s all.”
Stung by his words, her mouth went dry whilst her brain seemed to seize up completely. Sucking in some air, she had to force herself to breathe evenly.
“I understand,” she said tightly, gritting her teeth as she stood up. “Thank you for the company’s generosity. I hope this mess will be soon resolved so that I don’t have to impinge on the company expenses any further than necessary.” She held her head high and walked out his office, her eyes stinging with tears which she refused to let spill over. How could she have been so stupid to even consider that perhaps he may have been attracted to her? Clearly the man she witnessed from Friday night was long gone, replaced once again by the ruthless machine that was Theo Steele.
Chapter 6
On Wednesday, Theo was lunching with an important client in the city, who was also part of the new investment. Elizabeth was invited along to take some notes following their lunch, so she had taken extra care of her appearance that morning, wanting to represent Theo in her best light.
It was still very warm and the August sunshine was too much to tolerate wearing a suit which she normally wore to the office. Instead, she wore a slim fitted nude-coloured dress, which Amber surprised her with as an early birthday present. She played up the emerald hue of her eyes by selecting some delicate silver and green earrings which matched the solid silver bracelet on her right wrist. Her long hair was pinned up in a chignon style and with a smattering of her usual light make-up, Elizabeth felt polished and sophisticated.
She had barely seen Theo after their exchange on Monday, instead liaising with him over the phone and email while he flew in and out of meetings. Things were cordial between them. He had instructed her to meet him at the restaurant as he was out for the morning, so taking the appropriate files and her tablet, Edward drove her to the restaurant.
The lunchtime traffic was bad, even for London, so by the time she arrived, she was five minutes late. Walking into the restaurant, she announced herself to the maître d’ and was then directed to their table. The place was typically filled with high net-worth city clients and, as she walked through, she noticed some of the men stopping mid-conversation to openly stare at her in appreciation, a couple of them even going to far as to blatantly whisper to their colleague about her.
Tugging on her dress self-consciously, she spotted Theo across the restaurant in a more private area, head bent and deep in conversation with his guest. At that same moment, he looked up and together they locked eyes. The air seemed to still around her as she felt her body respond, a slight stir and tingle all over.
He was wearing a crisp blue shirt, which beautifully skimmed his muscled arms and his fine, navy suit jacket was placed on the back of his chair. Drinking in her appearance from top to bottom he then seemed to gather himself together by blinking a few times. Looking away, his eyes swept the room, noticing the small stir she was causing and then frowned as he looked away. Blushing at his appraisal, she reached their table, and smoothed her hands on her dress.
“Hello, Theo,” she smiled. “Apologies, we got held up in traffic.”
The other gentleman sitting next to Theo also stood, looking not much older than Theo. From his distinctive looks it was clear he was from Spain, the client working on the other side of the deal. With his short dark hair, dark eyes and olive skin, he was a very good-looking man and, from the way he was looking at Elizabeth, grinning, he was certainly pleased to meet her. Noticing the exchange, Theo slightly scowled, and made the introductions.
“Luis, meet my London secretary, Elizabeth Morgan.” Was it her imagination or did he slightly stress the “my” in his sentence? “Elizabeth, this is Luis Salvero.” Elizabeth smiled at Luis, holding out her hand to shake. Instead, he surprised her by grasping it and kissing her. She couldn’t help but laugh at his display of affection. They had spoken quite a few times on the phone, so it was nice to finally put a face to the name.
“Lovely to meet you, Luis.”
“Hello, Elizabeth” he replied, holding onto her hand just slightly longer than necessary. “At last we meet. The pleasure is all mine.”
“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Theo interrupted, flashing a look of annoyance at Elizabeth.
The lunch progressed well, the conversation flowed and Elizabeth noted with pride that both men included her in the discussions so that she wasn’t left to feel like a third wheel.
“So, Elizabeth.” Luis turned his attention to her, dazzling her with his bright smile. “I must compliment you on your ability to pick things up so quickly.” He gestured with his hands, turning to Theo. “You know, Theo, she is even better than some of our junior analysts.” Elizabeth blushed, smiling and gazed at Theo for his reaction. She found he was staring at her intently and her blush deepened as she averted her eyes.
Why, did this man affect her so much, she thought? He did not want her like that and, equally, she knew that he wouldn’t offer her anything permanent. So why was the attraction so strong? Straightening in her seat, she tucked away an errant piece of hair which had escaped her neat hairstyle.
“Thank you, Luis.” Her voice was confident and clear. “But I’m only temping and my time is almost up.” She shrugged her shoulders. “My passion is marketing, so I’m now starting to look around for other jobs.”
She was being truthful, for she hadn’t been approached by human resources to discuss any permanence to her role. With her conflicting feelings for Theo, she was beginning to think that perhaps a new start would be best, although she would terribly miss her new friends.
Theo cleared his throat, so she looked in his direction. His face was dark with anger which jolted her. “You’re not going anywhere, Elizabeth,” he stated evenly. “We’re in the process of ironing out your new role in the Marketing department.”
“Oh okay,” she replied, somewhat surprised at this turn of events, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware.” She would talk to him about this later.
“Theo would be a fool to let you go,” interjected Luis. “And Elizabeth, if he’s not paying you well or does not appreciate you enough, you make sure to pick up the phone to call me.” Elizabeth laughed lightly to dispel the sudden tension at the table. Theo’s jaw looked like it was set in stone, his eyes narrowing.
“That won’t be necessary, Luis.” His voice was laced with anger as he addressed his client. “Elizabeth is a very valued member of our staff and will be looked after well in my company.”
The other male, knowing he had lost this round, gave Elizabeth a cheeky wink and resumed the conversation back to business.
* * *
Three hours later, lunch and discussions were almost over. Needing to use the ladies room, Elizabeth excused herself and stood up, pushing her chair back. She just about caught Theo’s expression as he shouted “watch out” to the waiter, but it was too late. The waiter, walking towards their table with beverages, collided with Elizabeth and she yelped as a carafe of ice cold water spilled down the front of her dress.
As if in slow motion, Elizabeth saw the look of horror on the face of the waiter and of the two men sitting with her, who also looked shocked and speechless. Mortified, she looked down at herself to access the damage. To her utter embarrassment the nude coloured dress she was wearing, with its light-weight material, was now totally soaked and see-through; she may as well have entered a wet t-shirt competition.
Her lacy bra was fully visible and with the shock of the icy water, her erect nipples were also exposed. Her face was burning with heat, whilst she desperately looked for a clean napkin to cover herself up. The waiter, completely flustered started mumbling apology after apology, making a fuss with the towel that had immediately appeared, yet not daring an attempt to touch her.
Cursing under his breath, Theo jumped up from his chair, grabbed his suit jacket and snatched the towel from the waiter as he spun her around from the view of others. He placed his jacket around her to protect her modesty.
She looked at him gratefully, feeling tears prick her eyes from embarrassment and the stir she was causing in the restaurant. He looked at her sympathetically and softly told her to wait in the car whilst he wrapped things up with Luis. Saying a rushed and apologetic goodbye, she fled the restaurant with Theo’s jacket wrapped tightly around her, eyes downcast from the stares and murmurs.
Once in the safety of the car, she buried her face in her hands and wept, as her driver, Edward, tactfully looked away. She felt so stupid and clumsy, most probably very unlike the women Theo was used to being in the company of, who were all classy and elegant. This would never happen to any one of them. After all the effort she went through this morning with her appearance to only end up being a total laughing stock.
Great first impression on such an important client, she thought.
She cried harder, aware somewhere in the midst of her mind that she was probably ruining the cuff of Theo’s very expensive jacket. Within a few minutes, she heard the car door open, knowing it was him from his scent. Too mortified to look at him, she dabbed her eyes and turned her face towards the window, away from him. Elizabeth felt him slide into the seat. For a beat, neither of them said anything.
“Elizabeth?” Theo broke the silence.
Sniffing, she didn’t dare look at him “I’m sorry, Theo,” she said, her voice breaking. “I’m sorry I embarrassed you.” She felt her eyes fill up again and heard him mutter something under his breath that she didn’t catch.
“Look at me.” She still couldn’t face him and continued to stare out the window, blinking away her tears.
“Elizabeth, please look at me.” She didn’t respond, but felt his finger on her chin, forcing her to turn around. The touch of his fingers on her skin sent sparks shooting through her body as her pulse quickened. With red-rimmed eyes, she glanced at him reluctantly. His closeness was distracting and all she could think about as she looked into his darkened eyes and full mouth, was how much she wanted him to kiss her, to make this go away. Heat began to flush through her body as she realized she was holding her breath.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed.” He smirked, looking away. “I think every man in that restaurant felt like they had died and gone to heaven.”
She coloured fiercely, looking down, unsure how to respond. Did that sentiment include him? She moistened her lips. Once again, he tilted her chin towards him so she was forced to look up. He looked at her seriously. “It wasn’t your fault; he wasn’t looking where he was going.”
He smiled – a genuine proper smile at Elizabeth and she felt her heart soar. That beautiful dimple had come out to play and she couldn’t help but return his infectious smile. Then, out of nowhere, as if her body knew that she needed some sort of cathartic release, she started laughing. He looked at her, surprised for a moment, before he started grinning, chuckling and then laughing himself, his blue eyes bright with humour.
The more they looked at each other, the more they made each other laugh until tears ran down her cheeks and her muscles were sore. It was a good ten minutes before they could compose themselves enough to start their journey. She may have felt like the world’s clumsiest secretary, but being in Theo’s company, he somehow made it okay. He made her feel good about herself and she felt her tension melting away. Thankfully, he gave her the remainder of the afternoon off.
* * *
That evening, after a relaxing soak in the bath, Elizabeth was lying across the sofa, having just finished a call with her parents. She smiled as she replayed the conversation.
“Elizabeth, are you eating okay? From that photo you sent us of you and the girls, it looks like you’ve lost more weight.”
“Mum, honestly. I promise I’m eating. Stop worrying.” So the conversation continued, her mother fussing over her whilst her dad tried to get a word in edge-ways. She had decided not to tell them about her attack as she knew that being so far away, they would be crippled with worry and would insist she return home. Settling well into London life, she had no intentions of going back to Taunton. Things seemed to be happening in the background with regards to a permanent role at Steele Global so she was feeling good about life in general. Aside from her intense attraction to Theo, everything else was falling into place.
She heard the lock open to the front door and in walked Amber with a spring in her step. Lately, she was being quite cagey about her whereabouts and Elizabeth was beginning to suspect that she was secretly seeing someone.
“Hi, Ambs.” She popped her head up from the cushion she was resting against.
“Hi, hon. How’s things?” Amber walked into the front room and flopped onto the single armchair.
“Well, obviously you know what happened earlier,” Elizabeth sat up, groaning again, holding her face in her hands. “I think I’ll die if I ever have to step foot in that restaurant again.”
Amber looked at her sympathetically and then let a grin escape. Elizabeth threw a cushion at her.
“Well, at least you had on good underwear – you wouldn’t want Hotness seeing you in one of your grubby grey bras.”
Elizabeth blushed as she remembered Theo’s eyes sweeping over her chest. Changing the subject, she asked about Amber’s job.
“How’s the Italian job going?” She laughed at her own joke and Amber rolled her eyes.
“Ha ha, Beth. Actually, it’s going... well.” Abruptly she stood up, smiling coyly as she headed to her bedroom. Very strange, Elizabeth mused. Amber normally liked to dish the dirt on everything, yet lately, whenever they spoke about work, she was very evasive and quick to change the subject.
Elizabeth smiled to herself as she thought about her birthday plans for the coming Saturday. She would pile some cocktails into Amber and loosen that tongue of hers.
Settling back onto the sofa, she heard her mobile phone ring and idly picked it up from the coffee table. Seeing the caller display, she bolted upright and pressed the accept key.
“Hello?” she answered, somewhat breathless.
“Elizabeth. I hope I’m not intruding on your evening.”
“Err, hi, Theo. No, no. I was just lying down. I mean, just resting on the sofa.” God, the man had her tongue-tied. What was the matter with her? Exasperated, she cleared her throat.
“Elizabeth, this is a quick call. I won’t be in the office for the next two days, but I need you to accompany me to Barcelona this weekend.” His tone was brisk and formal, a stark contrast to the softer side she witnessed earlier.
“This weekend?” she asked, hoping she had misheard.
“Yes, like I said, this weekend. I have an important function to attend and I need you to be aware of what’s going on with this deal. You’ve already met Luis and on Saturday you will meet the remainder of the team.”
“Theo, I’d really like to, but I have plans.”
“Cancel them. I need you this weekend.”
“But—”
“There are no buts, Elizabeth. I did warn you from the outset that it would include occasional weekend work. I expect you to fulfill your contractual obligations.”
He was so arrogant in his tone and she fumed, her jaw dropping at his words. How dare he assume she would just cancel everything for him at such short notice? But that’s exactly what he did – Theo spoke and everyone bowed. She had no choice as she really needed to keep her job right now, with the following month’s rent due next week. Damn him, she thought. She was really looking forward to celebrating her birthday with the girls.
“Fine,” she spat out, reacting angrily to the challenge in his voice. “Email me the details and I’ll be there this weekend.” She hung up the call shortly after.
Clenching her teeth, she was furious. One minute, he was perfect, a true gentleman whose company she relished and the next, his harsh manner was back in full force, treating her just like any other employee. Probably worse. She really needed to get over this crush of hers – time and time again, he proved that she really didn’t mean anything to him. She threw her phone down on the couch and sighed deeply. So much for celebrating her twenty-second birthday.