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And she was wasting mental energy when her fifteen minutes were almost up! She needed to take stock. Put steps in place to ensure she could emulate the operation here and seem reasonably competent during the standard ‘unfamiliar territory’ phase. But surely once things settled down a bit Zachary would be ready to take Deborah in her place?
‘Do you have everything organised with your assistant, so you can focus solely on your work here from now on?’ He stood in his office doorway, shirt sleeves rolled up, tie loosened.
What if she couldn’t turn off the way she noticed him? What if this awareness of him didn’t go away? Just kept increasing and deepening, as it was even now? ‘Yes. It’s all organised, although it involved a certain amount of reshuffling.’
She wished he would comb his ruffled, unruly hair. And, while he was at it, don the jacket he had removed the moment she’d agreed to his demand.
‘I’m glad you’re organised, because you’ll need to be to do a good job here.’ His mouth lifted at the corners as though to soften the challenging statement.
Why did he have to attract her, anyway? He was so not her type. If she ever took another man into her life—which was highly doubtful—he would be gentle, perhaps scholarly or poetic.
A man who would dress in twill trousers and misshapen pullover sweaters, not power business-suits of darkest grey that emphasised every muscle and sinew.
‘I’ll do the very best for you that I can, Mr Swift.’ She deliberately avoided mentioning duration of time, and tried not to let anxiety get the better of her. She should be able to fool him long enough.
Her mentor at the institute might have said she should be open about her limitations, should tell people up front. But he didn’t know what it was like to see the change in their faces, to read the pity, and worse, in their eyes.
And she would get over this mild, unexpected reaction to Zachary Swift. She would! She flipped her diary open and put it in a prominent place where she would be sure to see it at frequent intervals. ‘I’ll go through all this clutter, sort it out, and get to work on the most urgent of it.’
‘Zach will do.’ His hands rested loosely at his sides. ‘And the clutter will have to wait a bit longer, I’m afraid.’
‘If not this muddle…’ She waved a hand. ‘What do you want me to tackle first, exactly?’
‘There’s a group of proposals on tape on the desk somewhere that should have been done Friday.’ He lifted a pile of papers as though to search for the tape, seemed to think better of it, and replaced them. ‘Standard beginning for each one, but individualised for the last couple of pages. And a meeting scheduled for 12.30 today in the conference room for ten people, plus us.’
‘No problem.’ Just a heap of overdue proposals and a lunch meeting to prepare for all in the space of, oh, what—an hour and a half? Panic snapped at her heels, scrambled up her ankles and sank its claws into her calves. She swallowed hard, and forced a calm tone she didn’t feel. ‘I’ll attend to typing the proposals. What’s required for the meeting?’
‘I’ll want a copy of the proposals for each guest, plus one of each for myself. You’ll also organise the meal, and take notes of anything pertinent said while we meet. Is that all clear?’ He glanced up in time to catch her scribbling furiously into her notebook, and his face softened a little. ‘You’re certainly diligent, taking notes of everything…’
‘It’s the way I work.’ She tipped her chin up and hoped he wouldn’t question her about it. ‘I’ll get started straight away. If that’s all for the moment?’
As soon as Lily said the words, she wanted to hyperventilate because she’d gone blank. She couldn’t remember any of his instructions. Not a one. They’d fallen into one of those holes inside her head, and disappeared. If her notes didn’t make sense once he turned his back, she was toast.
‘That’s all.’ He started to turn away, and then stopped. For a moment he watched her, as though he wanted to puzzle her out. ‘There are millions of dollars tied up in today’s meeting. The largest project belongs to a man who can be difficult. I don’t want him to have a reason to criticise my company.’
In other words, Lily had better not let Zach down! She focussed on breathing deeply in and out. ‘I understand.’
He must have believed the act, because he gave a short, satisfied nod. ‘I’ll leave you to it. I trust I’ll have the proposals very soon.’ He walked into his office and shut the door.
Please let me get these things done in time. Lily re-read her notes. Fortunately, they made sense. Then she scribbled the meeting details onto the wall chart and into her diary, sticky-noted the need to find, type and collate the proposals, and dived for the phone book.
Thankfully she could cajole people when needed. That is, people other than the unshakeable Zachary Swift. Minutes later, with the meal agreed upon and delivery promised by 12.15 for a 12.30 start, she began to type.
The proposals were out, copied and onto Zach’s desk with just minutes to spare. A convincing summation of several of Swift Enterprises’ recent success stories, and individual offers to each company or business.
If his guests weren’t duly impressed, well, Lily was. He dealt in big business. The knowledge of his prowess was quite…stimulating. Intellectually.
Even as she thought it, she studied his down-bent head from her vantage point in front of his desk, and acknowledged that no other male had appealed to her as much or as quickly as he had. What was wrong with her? Since moving to Sydney she had avoided even the slightest interest in men. It hadn’t been difficult to make that choice until now.
‘Good work.’ Zach skimmed the final page of the last copy, and rose to his feet. ‘Very accurate. Your typing speed must be as fast as your short—eh, note—taking.’
So he had noticed already that her code wasn’t the usual shorthand script. If he asked, she would explain it as a newly developed recording style, which was nothing but the truth. Sort of. But it worried her that he had picked up on that so quickly. What else might he see and wonder about?
When he stretched to relax his shoulders, she tried not to let her gaze be drawn to him. But she failed dismally. The man appeared to have some rather nice muscles under that suit, and something in her feminine make-up was attracted by that knowledge. In defence against her own thoughts, she crossed her arms.
‘I’m glad you’re happy with my work, although I know Deborah would have done just as well.’ She had to get that in, the first building block towards her own imminent exit. ‘These offers will mean a lot of new work, if they’re all accepted.’
His gaze tracked over her hair, then her shoulders, before taking a leisurely path downward, and back up again. It was cold comfort to her to know that in this case, unlike when they’d discussed the Rochelle debacle, the attraction appeared to be mutual. She didn’t want to want him, whether it was reciprocated or not.
He seemed to catch himself, and his glance shifted to the windows. ‘Yes, but we’re geared to handle that sort of influx. It’s what my finance and planning gurus thrive on.’
His forehead creased in thought. ‘This lot are an interesting mix of people. It’s not always those in financial trouble who need a partner or to sell out. Two of them, for example, are estate inheritances.’
‘Estate inheritances.’ She repeated it while her fingers itched foolishly to smooth the attractive wrinkles from his brow. ‘Stuck suddenly with a monstrosity they’re not prepared to take on? Yes. I can understand why some people would simply want out. And you can make all these businesses profitable?’
He turned, his eyes lit with interest. ‘I’ve already suggested other avenues for the ones that wouldn’t have been.’ Her temporary boss smiled, moved to sit on the edge of the desk, and leaned back just enough that she had a breathtaking view of the cleft of his chin and the long, tanned neck. ‘You think like a businesswoman. I can see you’re going to be even more of an asset than I’d hoped.’
‘Well.’ She tried to ignore the view, the elevation of her pulse. The warm feeling it gave her to receive his praise, however prosaic. She didn’t plan on being here long enough for him to appreciate her very much! ‘We’d best make our way to the conference room.’
‘Let’s hope they’re all on time for the meeting. What did you choose for the food?’ He rose, scooped up the pile of meeting notes and handed them to her.
Their fingers touched. Warmth. The slightest sandpapery feeling as his skin grazed hers. She experienced a swift, sharp wish to feel those fingers stroke her forehead, her jaw, her neck.
His gaze locked on her face, roved it, touched her eyes, nose, and lingered on her lips. ‘Lily…’
‘We…ah…’ Her mouth dried. This was not anticipation, and he was not about to kiss her. For heaven’s sake. When had she developed such an overactive imagination? She hurried into her office. Anything to gain a moment’s reprieve.
And he had asked a question. The food! He had asked about the menu. The food…
Something good that would keep people happy.
That was all she could recall. So innovate, Lily! ‘You’ll like what I’ve chosen. Just wait and see.’ There. Good enough, but she should have written the choices down as she’d agreed to them. ‘I just need to get a couple of things and I’ll be ready.’
‘Good afternoon. It’s a pleasure to meet you.’ Lily’s mellow words sounded calm. Unfazed. She looked completely relaxed as she worked to put their visitors at ease.
But Zach stood at her side at the entrance to the conference room and felt the tension that radiated from her. He nodded, smiled, shared a few words with each delegate, but he wasn’t relaxed either. Wasn’t calm. He hadn’t been since that accidental touch as he’d handed her the approved proposals for this meeting, when a flood of heated response had rushed his system.
Indeed, he had wanted her from the moment they’d met, and he would be a fool to pretend otherwise. He might not like the knowledge, but he prided himself on facing the truth. Now he just had to find some way to overcome this unwelcome interest in her.
Since Lara had showed him five years ago what his life had to be, he had dated women casually. No friendships, no commitments, no compulsions driving his interest. He wasn’t about to alter that credo. He couldn’t.
But he and Lily stood so close now that they breathed the same air. And all he wanted was to snatch her up and get answers to the questions that pounded through his bloodstream. If he kissed her, would the lips that drew his gaze press in passion against his?
If he drew her close, would their bodies fit as though meant to be together? Would it feel right? Would desire flame in an instant, or ignite slowly? It was ridiculous. Too much. They had only just met, yet he couldn’t seem to stop the distracting thoughts.
‘Wallace. Please make yourself comfortable with the others.’ He gestured towards the oval table laid for the upcoming meal, but part of his thoughts remained with the woman at his side.
She smelled of lily of the valley. Had she always worn her signature scent? He wanted to search out every pulse point and hidden place that carried it.
He suppressed a groan, and stuck out his hand as the final delegate arrived. ‘Hardy. Welcome.’
‘Am I?’ Hardy gripped his hand with more force than was necessary. ‘We’ll soon see when I read the proposal you’ve concocted.’ The man puffed out his ample girth. ‘It had better impress me, or you can forget any chance of a sale. I’m only considering this move. Haven’t decided yet.’
‘Whatever decision you make will be respected.’ But they both knew Hardy’s trophy wife had run the company into the ground since he’d bought it for her.
‘Hmph.’ Andrew Hardy’s gaze narrowed. ‘Fashion can be a fickle business, might well turn around of its own accord before too long.’
‘Anything’s possible.’ Zach tried not to show his disbelief.
When Hardy spotted Lily, his demeanour changed. Predatory interest rose in the florid face. ‘And who might this beauty be?’
Mine. The thought was instantaneous. Unsettling. Possessive. Outrageous, because he and Lily had met only hours ago. ‘Hardy, this is Lily Kellaway, my assistant. Lily, meet Andrew Hardy.’
The words fell from his mouth with bland disinterest. But his body growled, a rumble of warning deep within, and his gaze communicated that warning to Hardy. The man’s eyes widened, then narrowed as he absorbed the silent message.
‘Nice to meet you. I hope you enjoy your time with us today.’ Lily’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. With her free hand, she pushed a folder towards the man’s mid section.
The aggressive heat in Zach eddied away. She hadn’t been taken in by Hardy’s façade, had recognised something in the known womaniser that made her cautious.
‘You’ll find the proposal for your business in there.’ Lily waggled the folder. ‘You might care to take your seat and peruse it while lunch is being served.’
She was as cool as green salad. Zach suppressed a grin as Hardy stepped back to clasp the folder. A moment later, he had moved on.
They took their seats at the table. Lily sat at his right, and it felt as though she belonged there.
‘Now that they’re all seated, can you name them again for me, please?’ She turned her face to his. ‘Start with the person on my left and work your way around the table. Don’t leave anyone out.’ Her notebook rested on her knee, her pencil at the ready once again.
If he hadn’t seen her hand clenched around that notebook, he wouldn’t have known she was anything less than utterly confident. The knowledge that she was uneasy, a little uncertain, only made her more human in his eyes, more appealing.
Zach lowered his head to murmur the name and a short description of the business of each person. She scribbled it all into her notebook, and nodded now and then to show she was keeping up.
He could brush her ear with his lips, and he doubted anyone would notice. His breath soughed across the object of his thoughts. She shivered, gave a soft gasp and looked up into his eyes.
So responsive. His gaze moved over the honey-gold hair, then shifted to her mouth, to kissable lips and a short, straight nose. To blue eyes the colour of deep tropical seas beneath a hot sun. Without conscious thought, he supplied the final name and relevant details.
She noted the information in her book, released her breath on a choppy sigh and leaned back. ‘Thank you. That will make it easier to match up any comments I need to record.’
Did she know that her eyes took on a dreamy hue when she looked at him? Not avaricious or predatory, like Rochelle’s, but something soft, almost vulnerable, and definitely sexy.
‘Now, you wanted to know about the menu.’ Lily’s lashes fluttered as she whipped out a hand-written sheet of paper Zach had watched her garner from one of the waiting staff when she’d first entered the room. She dropped her gaze to the sheet. ‘We discussed a few options, but what I chose in the end was seafood cups and mini beef-and-vegetable pies for starters…’
‘Which gives us a chance to sample both red and white wines.’ Zach no longer wanted to hear about the menu. He let his gaze linger on her. He wanted to kiss her instead.
She outlined the rest of the menu, and looked into his eyes. Warm spots of colour formed on her cheeks, but she only murmured, ‘Your wine bill will be sky high. I thought you’d want the best.’
He dipped his head. ‘Money is no object in this exercise.’
The guests perused their proposals while the meal was set out. Lively discussion ensued. Zach did his best to throw himself into it and put thoughts of Lily Kellaway’s soft skin, and his desire to touch it, out of his mind.
‘Once a proposal is accepted, it’s handed to one of my team of experts.’ He leaned forward as he explained the procedure to the man seated across the table from them. ‘They either supervise the buy-out, or move straight in to manage the re-shaping if it’s a share situation. No time is wasted. We’re about making things work in the fastest, surest way we can.’
Over the entrées and a fine Sauvignon Blanc, Lily scribbled into her notebook, and picked at delicate prawns and Tasmanian scallops. Zach answered questions, parried comments and told himself he was doing well.
But all the while he was aware of her. In every break in discussions, his gaze went to her unerringly.
He looked at her now, and felt each bite of food she took explode on his own tongue, wanted to meld those tastes in exploration of her mouth. ‘You chose the caterer well. Is it one I’d know?’
‘Possibly not.’ She glanced at the group discreetly situated at the far end of the room, then looked at him again. ‘They—they’re sort of like a galloping garçon. Zippy little van, go anywhere in a hurry. Several local offices have used them.’
‘And you know this because you phoned other secretaries, rather than going at it blind and ringing restaurants and caterers first. Clever.’
Clever, determined, so eager to do her work well, that he couldn’t stop himself from wondering if she’d be equally as enthusiastic and unwavering about pleasing a man under the enveloping cloak of a long, sensual night. It wasn’t a question he should be considering.
But his praise brought her gaze back to his face with startled gratitude.
‘I have to—I try to think outside the box.’ She made it sound like an impediment, and hurriedly took a taste of saffron-rice paella, closing her eyes to savour the sharp, tangy fragrance and taste.
Despite his best intentions, his lids drooped as he watched her enjoy the food.
‘Mmm.’ She glanced at her plate. ‘I have to admit, this is very pleasant.’
He ate salade de boeuf with buttermilk mash, and noted the fineness of her bone structure, the delicate shoulders beneath the blazer. His body twitched. Yes, this was pleasant—in a torturous sort of way.
Her attention focussed on him. The colour in her face deepened, and she looked quickly away again.
‘You’ve done a good job with the lunch, Lily.’ He tried to bring his thoughts back to business. Was it to be like this any time they got closer than the width of a desk away from each other? ‘If the rest of your work for me is equally as professional and useful, I’ll be very pleased, indeed.’
She straightened in her chair, primmed her mouth and clutched at her notebook again. ‘You can rely on Best Secretarial Agency to take care of your business needs. You won’t be let down again.’
When the desserts arrived, conversation lulled in favour of enjoyment of the delicate fare. Lily relaxed, let go of the deathly grip on her notebook and turned her attention to her food.
Instead of relaxing with her, Zach’s tension increased. Why hadn’t he been able to banish personal thoughts of her from his mind?
Maybe it wasn’t his mind that was causing the problem. Maybe he needed to indulge his curiosity. He twirled the stem of his wine glass between his fingers. One little taste test. Just to see. So he could put it out of his thoughts once and for all…
‘The coffee crème is delicious.’ She turned to him and smiled. A simple smile, yet he wanted to rush her into the supply closet at the rear of the conference room and kiss her among the broom sticks, buckets and mops.
He was losing his mind. Could only think of tasting her, nothing else, even though every fibre in his being warned him it was dangerous to think this way. Even for a moment. ‘Um—’
‘I hope the lemon panna cotta and fruit coulis equals it.’ She dipped her spoon into the confection again. ‘Would you like me to ask the caterers to give you a serving of the coffee crème, too? I’m sure they’d have some spares, if you’d like to try both.’
‘No. Thank you.’ He cleared his throat, forced civil words out, couldn’t quite hide the deeper timbre of his voice. ‘I’ll be fine with…what I have.’
He tried his lemon panna cotta, praised her choice and tried not to think about her mouth. They were in the middle of a conference meeting, and his awareness of her was off the scale.
She blinked. That rapid flutter again of her lashes. ‘That’s very good. I’m glad you’re enjoying your…dessert.’
‘Yes.’ The coffee arrived. With relief, he turned to the man on his right and engaged him in conversation until things began to wind down.
Finally, the time came to deliver his short closing speech. He got to his feet. ‘You’ll all need time to think, to confer with colleagues, to run the figures. I suggest phone conferences tomorrow and Wednesday to conclude our business. Phone Lily in the morning. She’ll let you know what time slots are available.’
From the corner of his eye, he saw Lily scribble something in her notebook and underline it.
With murmured thanks, the guests moved out. Zach saw them off at the door while Lily set the caterers to work on the clean up. She returned to his side just as Hardy clamped an unlit cigar into his mouth and said around it, ‘A phone conference doesn’t suit me. Come to my office tomorrow at 4.00 p.m. I’ll give you my answer then.’
‘I’m not available at that time.’ Zach tried to instil regret into his tone. ‘Nor will I be available for anything but phone conferences for the rest of the week. You’ll understand that I’m busy.’
As a concession, Zach acknowledged the other man’s probable commitments. ‘I’m sure you must have a full schedule, too. Perhaps you’d like to call on Thursday or Friday. I’m prepared to extend the deadline for you.’
‘We’ll see.’ Hardy barged out the door, proposal tucked beneath his arm and a scowl on his face.
‘Nice exit.’ Lily’s chuckle washed over Zach, sensual and free. She looked into his eyes, the smile still lingering on her lips. ‘Do you think he’ll accept your proposal?’
‘I expect he will, eventually.’ He dipped his head closer to her face. Wanted her. Didn’t want to.
She gasped. A soft sigh of sound that revealed her reaction to him. ‘Well, um, I’ll just have one last word with the caterers, then. To make sure they’re, um, all finished catering.
‘Don’t wait for me. You go on back.’ She drew in a shaky breath. ‘I’ll join you when I’ve calmed—in a minute. I’ll join you in a minute.’
He left. It was either that or snatch her into his arms and kiss them both senseless, momentary acquaintances or not.
CHAPTER THREE
‘CAN I help you?’ Lily closed the filing-cabinet drawer, and offered a questioning smile to the boy who stood in school uniform in the middle of the reception area of her office, his shoulders hunched, his profile to her.
Two and a half weeks had passed since she’d started work at Swift Enterprises. Two and a half weeks filled with a growing, unspoken awareness between her and a man unlike any she had known.
Clients had come and gone. Lily had managed the appointments, ploughed through the pile-up of work, and hadn’t bungled anything too badly. Earlier today, Hardy had finally signed on the dotted line, yielding to what he knew was a great deal, just as Zach had predicted he would.
Lots of things had happened, but this was the first time Lily had seen a child in the offices. The boy should have seemed out of place, yet somehow he didn’t.
‘Oh, hi. I didn’t see you there. Is Zach ready?’ He turned fully to face her, slung his backpack onto one of the chairs and pushed his hands into his pockets in a gesture she had seen Zach use countless times. ‘He said we’d have to go by four o’clock.’
‘And it’s almost that now, isn’t it?’ Slowly, she returned to her desk as she tried to assimilate what she was seeing. This boy was the image of the man on the other side of the closed office door. The same thick-fringed hazel eyes, same hair. Same mannerisms, same frown. Everything. It was all there.
Zach’s son?
The possibility hadn’t occurred to her until now. Faced with it, she felt…unnerved. Her mind leapt immediately ahead. Where was the mother of this child? What relationship did Zach have with her? Why didn’t the boy call his father ‘Dad’?