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CHAPTER THREE
AMY lost track of time. She found herself sitting at her desk and didn’t remember sinking into her chair. It was as though she’d pressed a self-destruct button and her whole world had slipped out of control, shattering around her.
Vengeance...that’s what she’d wreaked on Jake Carter...paying him out for what Steve had done to her. And she’d had no right to do it. No right at all.
A personal assistant was supposed to personally assist. That was what she was paid for. Any other day she wouldn’t have blinked an eyelid at being left with a baby to mind. She would have taken it in her stride without so much as a murmur of protest, cynically accepting that Jake, the rake, wouldn’t want to be bothered by a baby. Besides which, in business hours, his time was more important than hers. He was the one who pulled in the profits.
She slumped forward, propped her elbows on the desk and dropped her head into her hands. Dear merciful God! Was there some way out of the hole she’d dug for herself?
She couldn’t afford to walk away from this job, not now she was alone. Steve’s departure meant the rent on the apartment would double for her unless she got someone else in to share the cost. These few weeks before Christmas was not a good time for changes.
Besides, who would pay her as much as Jake did? Her salary was more than generous for her qualifications. And she would miss the perks that came with meeting and doing business for rich and famous people.
Her gaze lifted and ruefully skirted the photographs hanging on the walls; celebrities on their luxury yachts, on board their private jets, travelling in style to exciting places, wining and dining in classy surroundings, perfect service on tap.
Of course Jake was in all the photographs, showing off his clientele and what he had provided for them. The man was a brilliant salesman. The photographs were public proof that he was the one to deliver what was desired.
And the plain truth was, however much he provoked her with his teasing and wicked ways, Amy did, for the most part, enjoy the challenge of matching wits with him. He kept her on her toes, goaded her into performing at her best, and the work was never boring. Neither was he.
She’d miss him.
Badly.
Especially with Steve gone.
She’d miss this plush office, too.
Where else would she get a workplace that could even come near to matching what she had here at Wide Blue Yonder?
Her gaze drifted around, picking up on all she could be about to lose. The carpet was the jewel-like turquoise colour of coral reef lagoons, the paintwork the mellow yellow shade of sandy beaches, outlined in glossy white. Fresh arrangements of tropical flowers were brought in every week, exotic blooms in orange and scarlet mixed with glowing greenery. Every modern technological aid for business was at her fingertips—no expense spared in providing her with the best of everything.
Then there was the million dollar view—an extension of the vista that could be seen from Jake’s office—Darling Harbour and Balmain directly across the water, Goat Island, and stretching along this shoreline, Luna Park with its cluster of carnival rides and entertainment booths.
Mortified at her own lunacy for giving none of this a thought before barging in to confront Jake, Amy pushed out of her chair and moved over to the picture window overlooking the grinning clown face that marked the entrance to the old amusement park. Fun, it promised. Just like Jake. Except she’d hot-headedly wiped fun off today’s agenda.
She should go back into his office and apologise.
But how to explain her behaviour?
Never had she struck such a blistering attitude with him. He was probably sitting in there, mulling over what it meant, and he wouldn’t gloss over it. Not Jake Carter. No way would he leave it alone. If he wasn’t thinking of firing her for insubordination, he was plotting how to use her outburst to his advantage.
She shivered.
Give Jake even a molehill of an advantage and he could build it into a mountain that put him on top of any game he wanted to play. She’d seen him do it over and over again. If he let her stay on...
The sound of the door between their offices being opened froze her train of thought. It raised prickles around the nape of her neck. Panic screamed along her nerves and cramped her heart. She’d left it too late to take some saving initiative. In helpless anguish she turned to face the man who held her immediate future in his hands.
He stood in the doorway, commanding her attention by the sheer force of his presence. The absence of any hint of a smile was stomach-wrenching. He observed her in silence for several tension-riven seconds, his eyes focused intensely on hers. Amy’s mind screamed at her to say something, offer an olive branch, anything to smooth over what she’d done, but she couldn’t tear her tongue off the roof of her mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
Soft words... words she should have said. She stared at his mouth. Had they really come from him or had she imagined it? Yet how could she imagine an apology when she hadn’t expected it?
His lips twisted into a rueful grimace. “I was out of line, dumping Joshua on you and taking it for granted you’d mind him for me.”
Incredulity held her tongue-tied.
The grimace tilted up into an appealing smile. “Guess I thought all women melted over babies. I didn’t see it as an imposition. More like a novelty.”
She felt hopelessly screwed up. Her hand shot out in an agitated gesture. “I...over-reacted,” she managed, her voice a bare croak.
He shrugged. “Hell, what do I know? You’re so buttoned up about your private life. There must be some reason you’re not married to the guy you’ve been living with all these years.” His eyebrows slanted in an expression of caring concern. “Is there a problem about having a baby?”
The sympathetic tone did it.
Like the trumpets that brought down the walls of Jericho, it struck chords in Amy that triggered a collapse of her defences. Tears welled into her eyes and she couldn’t find the will to stop them. She wanted to say it wasn’t her fault but the lump in her throat was impassable.
She had a blurry glimpse of shock on Jake Carter’s face, then he was moving, looming towards her, and the next thing she knew his arms had enveloped her and she was weeping on his shoulder and he was muttering a string of appalled comments.
“I didn’t mean it... Honest, Amy!... I was just testing... never thought it was true...”
“’Snot,” she sobbed, her hands clenched against his chest.
“Not true?” His bewilderment echoed in her ears.
She couldn’t bear him thinking she was barren, making her even less of a woman than Steve had left her feeling. She scooped in a deep breath and the necessary words shuddered out. “He didn’t want a baby with me.”
“Didn’t?” He picked up sharply on the past tense.
The betrayal was so fresh and painful, it spilled out. “Having one with her.”
“He knocked up some other woman?”
Jake’s shock on her behalf soothed her wounded pride. “A bwonde,” she explained, her quivering mouth not quite getting around the word.
“Well, I hope you’ve sent him packing.” A fierce admonition, giving Amy the crazy sense he would have done it for her, given the opportunity, probably cracking a bullwhip to effect a very prompt exit.
“Yes,” she lied. It was too humiliating to confess she’d sat like a disembowelled dummy while Steve had gone about dismantling and removing his half of their life together.
“Good riddance,” Jake heartily approved. “You wouldn’t want to have a baby with him, Amy. Couldn’t trust a man like that to stick around.”
“’Sright.” She nodded mournfully, too water-logged to make any cynical parallel to Jake’s attitude to women.
“Still feeling raw about it,” he murmured sympathetically.
“Yes.”
“Guess you only found out this weekend.”
“Tol’ me Sat’day.”
“And I had to slap you in the face with Joshua.”
The self-recrimination stirred her to meet him halfway. “Not your fault.” There, she’d finally got it out. “Sorry,” she added for good measure.
“Don’t worry about it, Amy. Bad timing, that’s all.”
He was being so kind and understanding, patting her on the back, making her feel secure with him, cared for and valued. His warmth seeped into her bones. Her hands relaxed, fingers spreading out across the comforting heat of his chest. She nestled closer to him and he stroked her hair.
Like a wilted sponge, she soaked in his tender compassion, needing it, wanting it. She’d felt so terribly alone these past two days, so bereft of anyone to care about her...
A baby cry pierced the pleasant fuzziness swimming around in her mind. Joshua! Left alone in the other office! Amy lifted her heavy head, reluctant to push out of Jake’s embrace but she couldn’t really stay there. Kind understanding only went so far. This was a place of business. A line had to be drawn.
Jake might start thinking she liked being this close to him. In fact, weren’t his arms tightening around her, subtly shifting their body contact, stirring a consciousness of how very male he was? To Amy’s increasing confusion, she found she wasn’t immune to the virility she’d always privately scorned. For several electrifying moments she was mesmerised by its effect on her.
Another baby cry escalated into a wail, demanding attention.
“Responsibility calls, I’m afraid,” Jake said wryly, confusing Amy further as he gently loosened his hold on her.
Had she imagined the slight sexual pressure?
He retained one supporting hand at her waist as he lifted his other to tilt her face up. His eyes were a warm, caressing gold. “Got your feet back?” he softly teased.
It drew a wobbly smile. “Firm on the floor again.”
“Good!” He nodded approval. The warm molten gold hardened to a glitter. “Better go and wash that guy off your face, as well as out of your mind.”
In short, she was a mess and he wanted his personal assistant back in good form. Of course that was all he wanted. Jake Carter was too smart to muddy up his business with pleasures he could get so easily elsewhere.
Then his fingertips brushed her cheek. “Okay?”
Her skin tingled, most probably from the flush of embarrassment rising to her cheeks. “Yes,” she asserted as strongly as she could.
He gave her a lopsided grin as he dropped his hand and stepped away. “The godfather is on duty. Got to see to Joshua.”
He was already at the door before she summoned breath enough to say, “Thanks, Jake.”
“Any time. My shoulders are broad,” he tossed at her good-humouredly. heading into his office to tend to his nephew.
Amy took several deep breaths to re-stabilise herself, then forced her legs into action. She picked up her handbag and strode off to the washroom, determined on being what she was supposed to be for Jake. She wouldn’t forget his forebearance and kindness, either. Nor the moral support he’d given her. He almost counted as a friend, a solidly loyal friend.
On second thought, she shouldn’t go overboard with that sentiment. Jake Carter was her boss. It was more efficient to get his personal assistant back in good working order than to train someone else to meet his needs. She was well aware of Jake’s strong dash of pragmatism. Whatever it took to get the end he wanted was meticulously mapped and carried through.
All the same, she deeply appreciated his...well, his sensitivity...to her distress just now. He was also right. She was well rid of a man who cheated on her. She should stop grieving and start getting on with the rest of her life.
Though that was easier said than done.
At least she still had her job.
The black hole had closed up before she’d fallen right to the bottom of it, thank God!
Proving she was back in control again, her hand remained absolutely steady as she once more cleaned off her face and re-applied some masterly make-up. Then feeling more in command of herself, she hurried to Jake’s office, determined to offer any assistance he required. After all, Joshua was not Steve’s baby. She could handle looking after him.
As for Jake...well, she’d been handling him for the past two years. Nothing was going to change there. She just had to keep her head and not let him close to her body again. Business as usual.
CHAPTER FOUR
JAKE had left the door to his office ajar and Amy paused there before entering, amused by the crooning voice he was using for the baby.
“We’re on a winning streak now, Josh. Oh, yes, we are, my boyo! We’ve got Amy Taylor right where we want her.”
The smile was jolted off her face by those last words. Though hadn’t she known not to trust his benevolence? Jake Carter always took advantage of what was handed to him. Always. If it suited him. One way or another he was going to capitilise on her lapse in professionalism.
“Well, not precisely where we want her,” he went on.
Good! She’d show him she wasn’t putty in his hands. One breakdown didn’t mean she was a pushover. She knew where the line was drawn when it came to working with Jake Carter.
“Bit of patience needed, Josh. Bit of manoeuvring. That’s a good chap. Hold it right there.”
Unsure of how much of this speech applied to her, Amy stepped into the office to take in the scene. The capsule was on the floor and the baby laid out on the bunny rug which had been spread across the desk. Little legs and arms waved haphazardly as Jake triumphantly shoved a used disposable nappy into a plastic bag.
“Clean one coming up,” he assured his nephew.
Deciding it was safe to interrupt without giving away the fact she’d been eavesdropping, Amy moved forward to offer the assistance she’d resolved to offer. “Would you like me to take over?”
Jake glanced up and shot her a grin. “Nope. I’ve got this all figured out.” He grabbed Joshua’s ankles, raised his bottom off the bunny rug and whipped a clean nappy into place. “Just a matter of getting the plastic tabs the right way around,” he informed her.
Since Amy had never changed a nappy in her life, she was grateful Jake had acquired some expertise. It was quite fascinating, seeing the deft way he handled fastening the absorbent pad on the squirming little body.
“You could heat up his bottle for me.” Jake waved towards the capsule. “Ruth said to stick it in the microwave for thirty seconds.”
“Okay.”
Glad to be given something positive to do, Amy quickly found the bottle in the Disney bag and raced off to the kitchenette where she usually made morning or afternoon teas for clients. She wasn’t sure what temperature to set on the microwave, decided on medium, then watched the bottle revolve for the required time. A squirt of milk on her wrist assured her it wasn’t too hot, and she carried it back to Jake with a buoyant sense of achievement.
Joshua was reclothed and clinging like a limpet to his uncle’s shoulder as Jake patted his back. That makes two of us this morning, Amy thought ruefully. Guilt over her earlier refusal to have anything to do with the baby prompted her to offer full services now. Besides which, she didn’t want Jake holding anything against her. Power came in many guises, and Jake Carter was a master of all of them.
“I can take him into my office and feed him,” she said as ungrudgingly as she could.
“It’s my job,” Jake insisted, holding his hand out for the bottle.
She passed it over, frustrated by his righteous stance. Paying her back, she thought. Rubbing it in.
“You can read me the mail while I take care of Josh,” he added, granting her professional purpose. “I’ll dictate whatever needs to be answered or followed through and leave that to you.”
“Fine!” she agreed and darted into her office for her notebook, determined not to be faulted again. He already had too much ammunition against her... when he decided to use it.
The man was devilishly clever. She had never trusted him with personal information, suspecting he would somehow wield it to gain more power over her. All along, she had instinctively resisted his strong magnetism, perceiving it as a dangerous whirlpool that sucked people in. Especially women. Amy was in no doubt it paid to be wary around Jake Carter.
She deliberately adopted a business-like air as she seated herself in front of his desk, preparing to sort through the mail with him. However, despite her sensible resolution to take guard, she found the next half hour highly distracting to her concentration on the job.
Jake had settled back in his chair, feet up, totally relaxed as he cradled the baby in the crook of his arm and tilted the bottle as needed for the tiny sucking mouth. He looked so natural about it, as though well practised in the task. He even burped the baby halfway through its feed, propping it on his knee and firmly rubbing its back. Amy herself wouldn’t have had a clue how to do that, let alone knowing it should be done.
“Good boy!” Jake crooned as two loud burps emerged, then nestled the baby back in his arm to continue the feeding.
Amy was amazed. Maybe, however improbable it seemed, Jake Carter was a staunch family man when it came to his immediate family. Or maybe his self-assurance simply extended to anything he took on. It was all very confusing. She could have sworn she had her buccaneer boss taped to the last millimetre, but he was certainly adding several other shades to his character this morning. Unexpectedly nice shades.
When they’d dealt with the last letter, Amy felt reluctant to leave the oddly intimate little family scene. It was Jake who prompted her, raising a quizzical eyebrow at her silence.
“All finished?”
“Yes.”
“Anything I haven’t covered?”
“No.” She stood up, clutching the letters with her attached notes.
Jake smiled at her, a genuinely open smile, nothing tagged onto it. “Let me know if you run into any problems.”
“Okay.” She smiled back. Unreservedly.
It wasn’t until she was back in her own office with the door closed between them, that it occurred to Amy how much better she was feeling. The day was no longer so gloomy. Steve’s betrayal had gathered some distance, making it less overwhelming. She could function with some degree of confidence.
Had she nursed unfair prejudices against her boss?
Had loyalty to Steve pushed her into casting Jake Carter as some kind of devil’s advocate who could shake the foundations of a life she valued?
Only one certainty slid out of this musing.
She didn’t owe Steve loyalty anymore.
Nevertheless, she’d be courting real trouble if she ever forgot the reasons she’d named her boss Jake the rake!
Amy spent the next half hour diligently working through his instructions, her concentration so intensely focused, she didn’t hear the elevator open onto their floor. The knock on her office door startled her. She looked up to see a woman already entering, a tall, curvaceous redhead, exuding an air of confidence in her welcome.
Amy felt an instant stab of antagonism. Some of Jake’s women had a hide like a rhinoceros, swanning in as though they owned the place. This one was new. Same kind of sexy glamour puss he usually picked, though—long legs, big breasts, a face that belonged on the cover of Vogue, hair obviously styled by a master cutter, very short and chic, designer jeans that clung seductively, a clingy top that showed cleavage.
“Hi! I’m Ruth Powell, Jake’s sister.”
Amy was dumbfounded. There was no likeness at all. If she hadn’t been presented with Jake’s nephew this morning, she would have suspected a deception. Some women would use any ploy to get to the man they wanted. Though on closer scrutiny, and with the help of the identification, Amy did see one similarity in the triangular shape of the eyes. The colour, however, was deeper, Ruth’s more a sherry brown than yellow-gold.
She had paused beside the door, returning Amy’s scrutiny with avid interest. “You’re Amy Taylor?” she asked before Amy thought to give her own name.
“Yes,” she affirmed, wondering about the testing note in the other woman’s voice.
A grin of pure amusement flashed across Ruth’s face. “I see,” she said with satisfaction.
Perplexed, Amy asked, “See what?”
“Why you dominate so much of Jake’s conversation.”
“I do?” Amy was astonished.
“So much so that amongst the family we’ve christened you Wonderwoman,” Ruth answered dryly.
Amy flushed, suddenly self-conscious of how less flatteringly she had privately christened Jake.
“Actually, we weren’t sure if you were a fire-breathing dragon who kept his machismo scorched, or a stern headmistress who made him toe your line. Now I’ll be able to tell everyone you’re Irish.”
“I’m not Irish,” Amy tripped out, feeling more flummoxed by the second.
“Definitely Black Irish.” Ruth started forward, gesturing her points as she made them. “You’ve got the hair, the eyes, and the spirit. You had me pinned like a butterfly for a minute there. Lots of power in those blue eyes.”
“I’m sorry if you thought me rude,” Amy rushed out, trying to get a handle on this strange encounter.
“Not at all. Call it a revelation. You must have Jake on toast.” She laughed, bubbling over with some wicked kind of sibling pleasure as she strolled over to Amy’s desk. “I love it. Serve him right.”
Amy mentally shook her head. It was an absurd comment—her having Jake on toast. He had enough women to sink a ship. He was hardly dying of frustration because she refused to rise to his bait.
We’ve got Amy Taylor right where we want her...
The insidious words suddenly took on extra meaning.
With Steve written out of the picture...
Held in Jake Carter’s seductive embrace...
But not precisely in his bed!
Amy almost rolled her eyes at the totally over-the-top train of thought. Imagination gone wild. Jake’s sister obviously enjoyed teasing as much as he did. None of it was to be taken seriously and it was best to put a stop to it.
“I beg your pardon, but...”
“Oh, don’t mind me.” Ruth twirled one perfectly manicured hand dismissively. “Relief loosening my tongue. I thought Martin’s injury was worse that it is. It was hell waiting around in Casualty, fretting over what was happening or not happening.”
Martin... that had to be her husband. “His shoulder is all right then?” Amy asked, belatedly recalling it had been dislocated.
“They put it back in. He’s sleeping off the anaesthetic now so I thought I’d pick up Josh.” Her gaze swept the area behind Amy, frowning at not spotting the capsule. “Where is he?”
“With Jake.” Amy nodded towards the connecting door.
Ruth looked her surprise. “You mean he didn’t ask you to look after him?’
Amy grimaced. “Well, we had a little contretemps about that. As I understood it, you entrusted him with your baby, so...”
“You insisted he do it?” Ruth’s eyes shone with admiration.
“I hope that was right,” Amy appealed. “He does seem very good at it.”
Ruth broke into laughter again, her eyes twinkling merry approval. “You are priceless, Amy. I’m so glad I got to meet you. As for Jake being good with Josh, he is. Dogs and children gravitate naturally to my brother. So do women. As I’m sure you’ve noticed,” she added with arch understanding.
“Hard not to,” Amy returned dryly.
“Too used to getting his own way, my brother.”
She was right about that but Amy decided some loyal support was called for. “He does work at it Not much is left to chance, you know. His background research on every project is very thorough.”
“Oh, I wasn’t besmirching his professionalism. Jake was always an obsessive perfectionist. A born achiever.” Her mouth twitched sardonically. “But some things do tend to fall in his lap.”
Like a pile of willing women, Amy silently agreed, but it wasn’t her place to say so. She smiled. “Well, Joshua was in his lap, last time I saw him.”