Chapter 3
“It’s you,” she blurted and then winced at her outburst. Her face and neck suddenly felt impossibly hot.
“Miss Morgan,” he said dryly. “Please, take a seat.” His hand indicated the seat across the desk. Feeling frozen, her weakened legs were rooted to the spot. “Today would be good,” he remarked, raising an arrogant eyebrow.
This can’t be happening, she thought as she plastered a false smile on her face and approached the seat.
“Please, call me Beth,” she muttered as she sat down.
“Is that short for anything?”
“Elizabeth, but I go by Beth.”
“Elizabeth,” he said, ignoring her preference. “While you waited, I’m sure you had a chance to go through the details of our latest investment project.” He pulled out a folder from the neat pile of papers on his desk, perusing a section without so much as a glance at her. She had never quite met anyone like him and despite finding him ridiculously handsome, which had somewhat thrown her, she felt her anger rise at his blatant disregard of her. He acted as if he didn’t recognize her in the least.
“Mr Steele—”
“Call me Theo,” he said without looking up.
She took a shaky breath, trying to get her emotions under control. “Theo,” she surprised herself with how clear her voice sounded. “Perhaps you would like to give me a rundown of my duties? I understand you are relocating your secretary, but is there any sort of handover folder I should be looking at?”
“I don’t have time for that, Elizabeth.” He finally looked up from the paper he was reading. “As you know, we’re in the middle of a large deal and my secretary, Alison, is project managing a part of it in New York. Hopefully, she will be able to join me in a couple of weeks. At this stage, neither of us can spare the time for any hand holding so you’ll just have to pick it up as we go along. Besides, I’m sure the agency has sent me someone competent. Hopefully your secretarial skills are better than your ability to walk.” He glanced back at his document.
More colour flooded Elizabeth’s cheeks and she averted her gaze from him, clenching her jaw. “Of course.” Now she wished he didn’t remember her.
“Goddammit!” he cursed, slamming his fist on the table. Elizabeth jumped in her chair at his eruption, quickly pulled out of her annoyance. He fell back against his chair and ran his hands impatiently over his face, cradling his chin. “I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes still flashing with anger. “The clause in this agreement should have been taken out, but it appears that my associate did not pick up on it.” His gaze suddenly softened for a fleeting moment, “I didn’t intend to make you jump.” He smiled at her then, and Elizabeth’s heart started doing some kind of crazy dance. My goodness, he was beautiful, she thought. That dimple which revealed itself in his left cheek would be anyone’s undoing. She glanced at his mouth and then reluctantly dragged her eyes to meet his azure ones. She smiled back, relaxing her stiff posture for a moment and delicately licked her dry lips.
“I need to make a call,” he said, picking up his phone. “Your first task will be to fix me an espresso – you’ll find refreshment facilities through that sliding door by the conference table. Bring that through with your laptop and we can get to work.” And just like that, she was dismissed as he started dialling a number.
Quite unsure what to make of him, Elizabeth managed to find her feet and made her way across his office. She could feel his eyes burning into her back as she walked across the room. Non-confrontational by nature, she had a fierce streak of independence in her which rejected his dictatorial attitude and she slightly simmered as she made his espresso. Still, unable to get his sexy image out of her head, she felt out of her depth, vulnerable in his presence and confused at her body’s reaction to him. Overhearing his conversation on the phone, confident and authoritative, she felt sorry for the receiver who was clearly getting crushed for the oversight on the paperwork he had produced.
Locating her desk outside his office, she grabbed her laptop and brought it through with the espresso.
“Sit,” was the first word he uttered as she re-entered. She took a seat in the leather chair opposite him, bristling at being commanded like a dog. Taking a deep breath she opened her laptop and notebook, ready for instructions.
“Tell me briefly what computer programs you are familiar with,” he sat back in his chair, giving her his full attention.
Elizabeth told him quickly about her experience which seemed to satisfy him.
“Open up your calendar on the laptop. I suppose I better fill you in on my movements for the next week. A lot of it will also be personal, which you will arrange for me.” She nodded politely as they got to work, coping perfectly well under his rapid-fire instructions. He stretched his long legs, walking around the room, every inch of him breathing self-assurance and command.
Elizabeth, feeling like small prey being assessed by a great white shark, fully aware of his presence behind her, managed to retain her composure as she concentrated on taking notes. Whilst bringing her up to speed with their new investment, she noticed his broad shoulders slightly relax, a spark of excitement lighting up his eyes. This was clearly very important to him, and objectionable as she had found him earlier, she soon forgot about it and enjoyed the communal energy they shared.
The remainder of the afternoon flew by as Elizabeth got acquainted with her new workload. It was almost six o’clock when she finally resurfaced from her tasks and, realising she would be late for the dinner Amber was cooking, she began shutting down.
Just then, Theo walked out of his office, appraising her coolly. “Going somewhere?”
“Um, yes, home?” she answered.
“I don’t believe in clock watchers, Miss Morgan. My staff work hard until the job is done. Unless, of course, you have pressing plans? Do you?”
“Actually, I do.” Sitting straight up, she faced him. “I do believe I have worked very hard today – you will find all the documents you requested emailed to you, along with the amendments you asked for. I’m more than happy to work overtime, but I do value my private life.” She knew she overstepped the mark from the narrowing of this eyes and even though she really wanted a permanent job, she wasn’t about to let anyone dictate the parameters of her life any longer. She had left that girl behind in Taunton when she moved here.
“Excuse me?” He seemed taken aback that anyone would dare question him. “I do believe you are getting ahead of yourself. It’s only your first day, so perhaps you may want to adjust your attitude.” Heart pounding, Elizabeth crossed her arms, heat flushing through her body. Her mouth fell open and in return, Theo raised his eyebrows without bothering to help her out of the awkward tension between them.
“I...I am a very hard worker, Mr Steele, er, Theo,” she stumbled on her words. “If you decide to keep me on, you will see for yourself.” She looked away, at a loss of what to say next.
He approached her desk, slowly invading her personal space, resting his hands on her desk. His woody scent filled the small space between them and her breathing quickened as their eyes clashed, blue on green. Suddenly she was very aware of every inch of her body becoming alive, butterflies taking flight in her stomach and her body pulsing with heat. Everything about him was so intensely male and perfect, she was struggling not to react. Involuntarily, she moistened her lips, parting them.
His gaze darkened as he studied her. “You shouldn’t do that,” he said in a low, husky voice. Stepping back, he turned back to his office. “Be here at eight in the morning.” He spoke over his shoulder, his tone was cool as he walked away without another word.
She took a deep breath. Annoyed, she chastised herself for once again reacting to his close proximity, telling herself that she would have to subdue responses like that if she was to be offered a full-time position here.
* * *
Turning the key to enter her flat, Elizabeth was greeted with the smell of a Chinese stir-fry – ginger, coriander and other spices invading her senses.
“Hi, Ambs. I’m home.” she called out, as she hung up her satchel. “Sorry, I’m a bit late...yum, smells delicious.”
Amber popped her head out of the kitchen, giving her a broad smile, her arm impatiently brushing her chestnut hair to the side.
“Hi Beth, no worries, was just running a bit late myself.” She opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of white wine. “God, what a day,” she said, sighing as she reached for two glasses and filled them up with the wine. “Here, drink this,” she said holding out the glass to Elizabeth. “I totally need one of these tonight.”
“Thanks, hon,” Elizabeth said, taking the glass and savouring the cold dry liquid as it glided down her throat with ease. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, all okay. Just a tough client who thinks he knows it all.” She rolled her eyes dramatically, shaking her head. Amber was excelling in her career at interior designing and although still in her infancy, she was fast making a name for herself in the industry. Being so young, she was still fighting for her place at the table at the agency, but those clients who took a chance and commissioned her, were bowled over with her fresh outlook and designs.
“Oh no, sorry to hear that,” Elizabeth said sympathetically. “Where’s he from?”
“Some rich banker from Italy, just bought a pad in Notting Hill, thinks he’s God’s gift to women and argues with all my ideas. At this rate, I’m not sure why he even bothered to hire me.” She sat her drink down and rubbed the back of her neck, closing her eyes as she rolled her neck. “Anyway, I don’t want to talk about him. Tell me all about your day.”
They took their plates to the table and enjoyed light conversation over their dinner and wine. Elizabeth gave her a run down on her day, groaning as she replayed her first introduction to Theo.
“Oh my God, B. So he called you an idiot for bumping into him?”
“Uh huh. I think so anyway. But then again he was also looking at his phone so I couldn’t be sure.” She shook her head. “Nonetheless, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced someone so ruthless before. I couldn’t or still can’t believe how arrogant he is!”
Amber considered Elizabeth’s words thoughtfully. They had finished eating and she stood and picked up her laptop.
“What are you looking for?” Elizabeth asked, circling the contents of her glass, still enjoying the last remaining drops of her wine.
“I thought we should look up Theo Steele,” she smiled mischievously at Elizabeth. Curiosity getting the better of her, she moved next to Amber to see what they could find. Within moments, the search had brought up a picture of his face. It must have been taken at a professional event as he was dressed in a sharp business suit, staring directly at the screen. Elizabeth’s heart rate picked up, it felt like he was looking straight at her, intimidating yet so sexy.
“Hot damn!” Amber exclaimed. “He is too fine.” Yes, he sure is, thought Elizabeth - now imagine working alongside him. “You lucky cow, getting to see him every day, even if he is a dick! I mean, wow, look at these pictures.” She continued to scroll down the page, different images of him on the screen, in various poses, some staged, others more natural. She felt like she was spying on him, but yet couldn’t tear her eyes away. “I think I’ll call him Hotness from now,” Amber giggled, her attention totally focused on him. Oddly, Elizabeth felt slightly annoyed, irritated at the way Amber was drooling.
Thankfully, she moved to a different section to read his bio. “Okay, let’s see....so, aged twenty-eight, brought up in New York by English grandparents as his parents died in a car crash when he was three – oh gosh, how sad, the English link must explain his Christian name.”
She continued to read further down, skipping some parts about the business deals he had invested in. “Dropped out of Harvard Business School as he decided his time would be better spent setting up his own company, Steele Global Investments....wow.” She paused for a moment, both of them in awe of his credentials. “No significant other, although from looking at the photos, it looks like he has dated every top lingerie model out there.” True, she scrolled further down and indeed, the most beautiful goddesses were perched on his arm – photos at charity events, dinners, galas, so on and so forth.
Elizabeth felt slightly sick – why on earth did she even dare to entertain any romantic notions about him? Yes, he was sinfully drop-dead gorgeous and with the world at his feet, he could clearly have any girl he wanted. She came to the conclusion that no doubt, he was what the girls termed, a man-whore.
Amber continued to search through the pictures, which dated back to a few years ago. “Oh look, hon,” she pointed to a photo of Theo with a beautiful, exotic looking, dark- haired girl looking lovingly up at him. “He seems to be pictured with this one quite a few times over that period, but then it’s like she’s totally vanished.” Indeed, they searched a bit further for more evidence of them together, but they couldn’t find any during the past three years.
“Imagine being wined and dined by him?” Amber sighed dreamily, momentarily lost in her daydream, and then started laughing. “You know what? I’d just say, hell, please just take me to bed and give me the diamonds after.” She fell back against the sofa. “Can you just imagine those strong arms around you, those—”
“Enough, enough!” Elizabeth interrupted, grimacing. “No thanks. Besides you’d be dropped like a hot potato the next day, just another notch to his bedpost.” She shook her head, firm in her response.
“Ah, but what an amazing bedpost I’m sure it would be.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down making Elizabeth blush at her errant thoughts of being in her boss’s bedroom. She shoved Amber away playfully.
“Oh well, but a girl can dream,” Amber said wistfully, reluctantly closing the laptop. “Hey, don’t you think he looks a bit like he belongs on a movie set?” No, better, Elizabeth thought, but nonetheless agreed with her.
They spent the remainder of the evening lounging on the sofa, watching dull television. “What is it about Mondays?” questioned Elizabeth, “the television offerings are so lame.” She idly picked at her nails, which were recently manicured with a bright pink polish.
“Stop that,” Amber admonished, slapping away her hands, “you’ll ruin your nails.”
“Yes, Mum.” Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at her.
“Well, I am older than you.”
“By just two months, may I remind you.”
“Speaking of which, it’s your birthday in few weeks, how about we round up the gang and try that new bar in Soho that Jess keeps raving about?”
Elizabeth turned her head to Amber, facing away from the television. “Yes, sounds great. I didn’t have any definite plans anyway, so was just going to roll with whatever.” She smiled at her best friend, grateful for everything she did for her.
“Fab, I’ll get it sorted with Jess.” She stretched as she got up from the sofa. “Night, hon. I’m going to hit the sack. The Italian wants me in at the crack of dawn to go over some new plans.”
“Night, Ambs. Looks like we’ve both got our work cut out, huh?”
Chapter 4
Emerging from the tube ten days later, it occurred to Elizabeth that whatever had been thrown at her, she managed to quickly grasp and therefore found her work genuinely exhilarating. Her brain was being challenged in all sorts of ways as she divided her time between marketing and Theo’s demands. After speaking with him about her career aspirations, which was to ultimately work in marketing, he had graciously allowed her to take on more marketing responsibilities, which greatly pleased both her and Miranda.
She was being paid very well for her efforts and actually found it quite strange that she loved her work so much, given the fact that she completely disapproved of Theo’s private life, which also impacted upon her. When he mentioned at the start that she would also be handling his private affairs, little did she realize that it would include daily gate-keeping and fielding calls from his many female admirers, all breathy and hopeful, vying for his attention after hours.
She objected to his womanizing ways; he had taken out at least five women since her time there, and dropped them within the next day or two. Unfortunately, Elizabeth was left to pick up the pieces by sending expensive floral bouquets and, for the extra-special ones who claimed him for a second evening, a subtle piece of jewellery. Theo clearly did not have to try when it came to the opposite sex, always certain that he would take what he wanted. She objected to his large ego.
However...a little voice popped up in her head, startling her with the clarity that followed. He was so damn sexy. She could not, would not, deny that. She found herself daydreaming about him as she bantered with her new colleagues whilst at work in the marketing department, wondering what he was doing, one floor above her. She pictured his clear blue eyes which seemed to change hue according to his mood, his dark wavy hair, just slightly too long to comply with the standard corporate company appearance.
She thought about him in passing more than she would like and lately, he even seemed to disrupt her thoughts at night as she envisioned the date that he would be on, booked by none other than herself. She felt his presence the second she walked into his office, bringing all his masculinity and energy with him, always dressed with meticulous precision, demanding his morning coffee as he strolled past her.
She jolted herself out of those thoughts, irritated that she would allow herself to wonder down this forbidden path. Christ, she doubted that he even really noticed her, after all, the women she has seen him with were of model credentials, tall, glossy long hair, extremely slim, size zero figures. Why would he ever pay a second glance to her petite, voluptuous figure, when it was clear he had a type. She mentally shook her head from her errant thoughts and continued her short walk to work, dodging the influx of London tourists and enjoying the feel of the warm sunshine on her skin. She was content working for him and certainly did not intend to join half the women in the company who were completely besotted with him. She could daydream, but she was firmly rooted in reality.
* * *
It was Friday, she was two weeks into her role, and even though she was only a temp, her friends from the marketing department had invited her to the monthly company night out which was to be hosted at a bar close to work.
“So looking forward to tonight, Beth,” enthused James as he saw her approaching her desk. “Seriously, we’ll have a really good laugh, letting our hair down and bitching about each other.” He grinned at her, showing off his perfect white teeth and clapping his hands together theatrically.
James, who was very openly gay, had in the short while she was there, become a good friend to Elizabeth and they often took their lunch breaks together. “And, if you are really drunk,” he continued, eyes sparkling, “you can dish the dirt on that mighty fine piece of ass you’re working for.” He paused for effect, fanning his face and fluttering his lashes as she burst out laughing, speechless as he continued. “And then later, we’ll get you to have a go at the karaoke competition.” He winked at her and she agreed that it would be a fun night out and a good way to socialize with her new friends. Amber was away for the day with the Italian client, collecting samples from up north so she would be staying overnight in a hotel. It would be a nice way to end the busy week and she was looking forward to getting to know her new friends.
The day seemed to go past quite quickly; she was based in the marketing department for the entire day as Theo was holed up in meetings and Alison in New York was handling most of his appointments. She was due to arrive on Monday, but Theo had remarked that something urgent had transpired in the New York office so her imminent arrival would be delayed for another few days. Secretly pleased at this news, Elizabeth relished in the fact that she would get to spend more time in his department; once her role was finished up there, she knew she would miss the daily rush of adrenalin and excitement that she found working for him.
At six o’clock, she emerged from the ladies room, freshened up and with her make-up heavier than she normally wore in the day. She took the lift down to the foyer where she met James and their other marketing friends. “Wow, look at you, hottie,” James whistled as she approached, picking up his phone and pretending to answer a call. “It’s for you. I think Hollywood’s calling.”
“Shut up!” She swatted him playfully with her satchel, blushing lightly. It was not the first time her looks had been compared to a famous actress, but she didn’t reveal anything, embarrassed by the attention. “Come on, I’m ready to party.”
“Okay then, the lady has spoken. Let’s get this show on the road.” He linked arms with her as they left the building, their sound of laughter leaving a happy trail behind.
A few minutes later, they entered the bar, which was slowly beginning to fill up with the local city workers, eager to end their busy weeks with some good company and drinks. They had an area booked, which was sectioned off so they headed over and managed to squeeze onto the end of the almost occupied sofa. Easy chat ensued along with banter and laughter, and Elizabeth found herself loosening up and really enjoying herself. Rumour had it that that Theo was supposed to show up for drinks and company bonding, but as he was still no show, disappointingly she assumed he had a better offer in the form of a date.
She looked at her watch a little while later, a little blurry eyed from the three glasses of white wine she had consumed, and noted that it was almost nine o’clock already. Excusing herself for a comfort break, she headed to the ladies room, fighting her way through the crowd of people. Almost at her destination, she felt someone grab her arm. Slightly swaying from the alcohol, she turned around, smiling, thinking it was one of her friends from work. Instead, it was a large older man, who was now gripping her wrist quite firmly, which in turn started to sober her up. The bar was so crowded, with everyone engrossed in their own conversations that nobody paid attention to what was occurring between them in the corner.
“Hey, beautiful,” he slurred, “I’ve been watching you all night. Can I buy you a drink?” He leaned closer to her and, instinctively, Elizabeth moved away as his breath stank of alcohol. He openly stared at her chest, leering at her, making her feel very uneasy.
“No, let go of me!” She yanked her arm away, slightly shaken and darted into the ladies room, her heart beating wildly. Taking a few deep breaths, she calmed herself down a few minutes later, convincing herself that he was harmless and that perhaps she over reacted due to her alcohol consumption. Nonetheless, when she returned to their table a few minutes later, eyes peeled for the offender, Elizabeth found that she was quite tired and decided to call it a night and head home.
It was still early enough to catch the tube so she waved her friends goodbye, grabbed her satchel and unsteadily made her way out of the bar. As soon as the fresh air hit her, she became aware that she was pretty drunk. Having a liquid diet for dinner was probably not the best choice, she reasoned, as she tried to steady herself walking down the dimly lit street to the tube station.
As most people were either in bars or on their way home in transport, it felt strangely deserted as she concentrated on getting back onto the main road. The sound of footsteps behind her, rapidly approaching had her assuming that it was just someone anxious to get on their way, past this narrow street, so she moved accommodatingly to the side to let them by. Then she heard the voice.
“Hello again, blondie.” It sounded menacing this time and she froze with fear and recognition – it was the same drunk man from the bar. She felt the blood drain from her face, her heart racing so fast she thought it would explode.
Please God, no. She slowly turned around to face him as he started to close the short distance between them. “Please, leave me alone,” she pleaded, blinking rapidly, trying to regain her vision. “I’ve got money, if that’s what you want.”
“Shut up, bitch,” he smirked at her. “I offered you a drink and you were so high and mighty back in there. What am I, no good for you?” he sneered, inching closer to her face and she felt nauseated with the stench radiating from his pores.
He was heavy set and a good bit taller, looming over her threateningly. Abruptly, he grabbed her chin and roughly shoved her up against the wall, her head making contact with a bang. She screamed in pain, as he pinned her there, arms reaching up to protect her head, fearful of what was coming next. He was just about to raise his hand, when out of nowhere, he was forcefully grabbed off her and thrown violently to the ground.
“You bastard! Get the fuck off her, asshole!” Feeling rooted to the spot, she looked and saw Theo bending over and landing a few solid punches onto the man’s face. “You fucker!” he roared, nostrils flaring, white hot anger pouring from him as he gripped the man by his collar, who was now barely conscious from the force of Theo’s rage. Blood was spurting out the man’s nose and cut lip, and as Theo was about to raise his fist to make contact once more, Elizabeth managed to find her voice to stop him from doing any further damage.
“Theo,” she called out, her voice trembling. His fist paused mid-air the minute he heard her speak and slammed the attacker back down to the ground with disgust. Stepping over him, Theo cautiously moved closer to her, holding out his hand.
For a second, Elizabeth took in his appearance. He’d been fighting – hair disheveled, suit jacket discarded on the ground, shirt slightly ripped from the scuffle – but he still looked impossibly handsome. She realized she was holding her breath when, suddenly, the enormity of what just happened descended upon her. Fully sobered up, she looked at him helplessly, her eyes misting over, like a deer caught in headlights as her knees gave way. In one swift movement, he enveloped her in his arms before she was anywhere near the ground. Tears streaming down her face, she clung to him, shaking uncontrollably in his arms.
“Shhhh, it’s okay, Beth,” he said tenderly, cradling her in the warmth of his strong body, soothingly stroking her hair, as if speaking to a child. “You’re okay now. I promise sweetheart, it’s over. Ssshhhh, you’re okay. I’m here. It’s over, baby.”