Australia: In Bed with the Boss: The Marriage Decider / Their Wedding Day / His Boardroom Mistress

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.”

“Right! It’s been fun talking to you, Amy. Hope to see you again someday,” Ruth said warmly, taking her exit into Jake’s office.

Fun…Jake’s family seemed addicted to fun. Amy wondered what it might have been like, growing up in that kind of atmosphere. She remembered her own childhood as being dominated by fear of her father. Not that he had ever stooped to physical abuse. He didn’t have to. He could cut anyone down with a word or a look. In hindsight, she could identify him as a control freak, but at the time, he was the authority to be escaped from whenever it was possible.

Her mother had been completely cowed. The only escape for her had been in death, and it was her death that had released Amy from staying any longer in her father’s household. Her two older brothers had already gone by then, driven away by their father’s unreasonable demands. She hadn’t seen them in years. She no longer had any sense of family.

What she did have was a strong belief in living life on her own terms. Which was probably why she hadn’t pushed for marriage with Steve. The thought of a husband was too closely connected to her father. She didn’t want to be owned like that. Ever. In fact, she’d found Steve’s much quoted term of being “free spirits” very attractive. Until she found out what “free” meant to Steve.

What a stupid, blind fool she’d been!

Amy shook her head at herself and turned back to work. There was nothing to be gained by maundering over her mistakes. Her best course was to learn from them and move on. She was briefly tempted to pull out the magazine she’d bought this morning and read the article on exit signs. The thought of Jake catching her at it put her off. No more gaffes today, she sternly told herself.

We’ve got Amy Taylor right where we want her...

Amy didn’t like that smug little boast. She didn’t like it at all. She liked not precisely much better. She hadn’t spent two years honing her defensive skills with Jake Carter for nothing. Whatever he had in mind, she was not going to be a patsy, falling into his lap.

It was Jake who’d made a gaffe, blabbing to the baby. She’d be on her toes from now on, ready to block whatever little one-upmanship game he was planning to play. This time she’d be one step ahead of him.

Yes…she was definitely feeling better.

Jake certainly had a knack of putting zest into her life.

Which was a big improvement on the black hole.

CHAPTER FIVE

IT WASN’T long before Jake came in to check how Amy was doing. Ruth had apparently left through his door to the corridor since there was no sight or sound of her and the baby. “On top of it?” he asked casually.

“No problem,” she answered, nodding to the printout of the work she’d done.

He picked up the sheets, then propped himself on the front edge of her desk to read them. As always, his proximity put her nerves on edge and she had to concentrate harder on keeping her fingers moving accurately on the keyboard. She was even more aware of him than usual, remembering how he’d held her earlier…his body, his touch. She wondered if he was a sensitive lover.

Her gaze flicked to his hands, the long tapered fingers wrapped around the sheef of paper. They’d stroked her hair so gently. She reminded herself Jake was very smooth at everything he did. Sexual sensitivity didn’t necessarily mean he actually cared for the person. Stoking his own pleasure more likely. Though he had seemed to care about her this morning. Had it been entirely a pose for an ulterior purpose?

“Couldn’t have worded this better myself,” Jake said appreciatively. His smile had a caressing quality that almost made Amy squirm. “You have a great knack of filling out my instructions, Amy, applying the right touch to get through to people without pushing too hard.”

She quelled the whoosh of pleasure at his praise. “I have been learning off a master the past two years,” she pointed out, her eyes lightly mocking.

“And an apt pupil you’ve proved,” he was quick to add, his admiration undimmed. “Don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re my right hand.”

He was laying it on with a trowel. Amy instinctively backed off. “So what’s next on the agenda?” He was probably buttering her up to land some task he didn’t want to do himself in her lap.

“Two years, mmh?” he mused, ignoring her question. “You deserve a raise in salary. Ruth is right.”

“About what?” This was very doubtful ground.

He grinned. “You’re priceless.”

Amy frowned. “Do you make a habit of discussing me with your family?”

He shrugged. “Perfectly natural. You are my closest associate. Don’t you mention me to yours?”

“I don’t have a family.” It slipped out before she could catch it back.

His eyebrows shot up. “An orphan?”

The interest beaming at her was not about to be sidetracked. Amy sighed. All this time she’d worked with Jake Carter and managed to keep him at arm’s length where any personal issues were concerned. Today she’d blown it in more ways than one.

“Not exactly,” she muttered, telling herself her family was so far removed from her it didn’t matter. “My mother died when I was sixteen. My father’s remarried and we don’t get on. I have one brother living in the U.K., and another settled in Alaska. Hardly what you’d call close.”

Having rattled out the bare facts, Amy constructed a dismissive smile which she found difficult to hold when faced with Jake’s appalled reaction.

“You mean you’re alone? Absolutely alone with no one to turn to? No backup support?”

“I’m used to it,” she insisted. “I’ve been on my own a long time.”

“No, you haven’t,” he fired back at her. “Which was why you were weeping on my shoulder this morning.”

Amy gritted her teeth and glowered at him. “Must you remind me of that?”

“At least I was here for you. Just remember that, Amy. When your scumbag of a lover let you down, I was here for you.”

“You’re my boss! You weren’t here for me,” she argued hotly. “It was purely a matter of propinquity.”

“Nonsense! I took your side immediately. I know what you’re worth. Which is a damned sight more than that fool did.”

She knew it! He just had to take advantage of any slip she made. He revelled in it. “I do not wish to discuss Steve any further,” she grated out.

“Of course not. The sooner he’s wiped out of your life, the better. Eminently sensible. Though there are practical matters to take into consideration.”

“Yes. Like getting on with work,” Amy tersely reminded him.

“You might need help in shifting to a new apartment.”

“I like the apartment I’ve got, thank you.”

“Not a good idea, keeping it, Amy. Memories can be depressing. I realise shifting would be another upheaval you might not want to face right now, but a clean break is the best medicine. Gets rid of the hangover.”

“Well, I’m sure you’d know that, Jake,” she said with blistering sarcasm.

The acid didn’t make a dint. “I’ll help you,” he said, as though she’d conceded to his argument instead of commenting on his quick turnover in women.

“I don’t need your help.”

He smiled and blithely waved her protest aside. “Consider me family. It’s times like these that family bucks in and picks up the slack. Since I’m the closest thing you’ve got to family…”

“I do not…remotely…associate you…with family,” Amy stated emphatically.

“Well, yes…” One shoulder lifted and fell. Devilment danced into his eyes. “…That probably would be a bit incestuous, wouldn’t it?”

“What?” she squawked.

“I can’t lie to you, Amy,” he declared loftily. “What zips between you and me could not be called sisterly…or brotherly…or motherly…or fatherly.”

She flushed, biting her tongue so as not to invite more along this line.

“However, I am genuinely concerned about you,” he said, projecting such deep sincerity it swallowed up the devilment and threatened to suck Amy in right after it.

She fought fiercely for a bank of common sense, needing some safe ground between her and Jake Carter. The danger of him infiltrating her private life felt very acute and every instinct told her it wasn’t wise. He could badmouth Steve as much as he liked but was he any better? His record with women was hardly in his favour!

“I’ll ask around,” he burbled on. “Find you a nice apartment. Closer to work so you won’t have far to travel. Bondi Beach isn’t really suitable for you.”

“I like Bondi,” she protested.

He frowned at her. “Not good for a woman on her own. A lot of undesirables gather out there at weekends. You wouldn’t be safe going out at night without an escort.”

He had a point, but where was safe at night without an escort? Life without Steve was going to take some adjustment.

“Why not have a look around Balmoral if you want to live by a beach?” Jake suggested. “It’s a respectable area. Doesn’t draw any trouble.”

She rolled her eyes at him and his big ideas. “It’s also a very expensive area.”

“No more than Bondi. And being on the north side of the harbour, it’s much handier to Milsons Point. You won’t have to drive across the bridge to work.”

“I can’t afford it. I can’t afford where I am without a partner.”

“I said I was upping your salary. Let’s say another twenty percent. That should let you live decently.”

Amy’s mouth dropped open. Her mind flew wildly into calculation mode. “That’s more than Steve earns!”

He grinned. “You’re worth it. I’ll just go and ring a few estate agents I know. See what they can come up with. In the meantime, send these off.” He handed her the replies she’d printed out. “They’re all fine.”

He hitched himself off her desk and left her gaping after him like a goldfish caught in a bowl, looking out at a foreign world. Jake Carter had always been a shaker and a mover, but never before on her behalf. Was it out of concern for her or did he have other motives up his sleeve?

Amy ran her fingers through her hair, trying to steady the mad whirl in her mind. What could she believe as irrefutable fact? Both Jake and his sister were into gameplaying, scoring points. Nothing they said could be taken too seriously.

On the other hand, Jake always delivered what he promised. He wouldn’t backtrack on the money. Her salary would now be more than she’d ever dreamed of earning, putting her on a financial level where she was truly independent. Which meant she had options she didn’t have before.

A grin broke across her face.

Such a large salary would certainly make her life considerably brighter and it was wonderful to be valued so highly. This morning she’d felt her future had fallen into a black hole, but it wasn’t true. There was life after Steve. And she was going to make the most of it, thanks to Jake.

Though if her devious boss was thinking he could attach personal strings to that big hunk of money he’d just handed her, he could think again!

CHAPTER SIX

AMY had just finished filing copies of the letters she’d sent when Jake erupted into her office.

“Grab your handbag,” he commanded. “We’re off.”

“Where to?”

“I’ll explain on the way.” He checked his watch as he crossed her office to the door. “We’ve got precisely twenty-five minutes to make the rendezvous.”

Amy grabbed her handbag and scooted after him.

Jake had the door open for her. She strode into the corridor and summoned the elevator, glad they were going to be involved in some outside activity. Jake would be busy with other people who would take his focus off her and she could get back to feeling relatively normal in his company again.

She always enjoyed these meetings with clients, watching Jake work his brand of magic on them. “Who’s the target?” she asked as they stepped into the elevator together.

“Not who. What,” he said enigmatically, pressing the ground floor button.

“A new boat?”

He shot her a look of exasperation as the elevator descended. “We do not deal in boats, Amy. Only in yachts,” he reminded her.

“Sorry. Slip of the tongue.”

“Watch it,” he advised darkly. “I want my P.A. to impress the man we’re going to meet.”

“What’s his name?”

“Ted Durkin of Durkin and Harris. Big property dealers.”

The name meant nothing to her but clearly it was well known to Jake. The elevator opened onto the re-ception area before she had time to question him. Jake steered her out and pointed her to the stairwell that led down to the back of the building where he parked his car in a private yard reserved for himself and clients.

“Kate,” he called to his front woman, “we’re out of the office. Take messages.”

“When will you be back?”

“Don’t know. If it’s anything urgent I can be reached on my mobile.”

He hurried Amy down the stairs and outside, using the remote button on his key to unlock the BMW M3 supercar which he currently fancied. Amy headed for the passenger side of the two-door coupe. Haste precluded courtesy. They both took their seats and Jake handed her a folded piece of notepaper as he switched on the ignition.

“What’s this?”

“Where we’re going. Better get out the Gregory’s Street Directory and navigate for me. Haven’t got time for wrong turns. I’m right to Military Road. After that, you direct me.”

She extracted the guide book from the glove box and settled back for the ride. The scribbled list on the notepaper did not enlighten her as to their destination. In fact, it looked as though Jake had picked up the wrong sheet. What was written appeared to be information about a woman.

Her mouth curled. It seemed he did research on them, as well. “This says, ‘Estelle, 26, 8, no smoking, no pets, no WP…”’

“Wild parties,” Jake elaborated. “The address is 26 Estelle Road, Balmoral. Apartment 8. The rest are the conditions for rental.”

Amy’s sardonic humour dried up. Her heart per-formed a double loop. She waited until it settled back into seminormal rhythm, counting to ten in the meantime. “I take it this is for me,” she said as calmly as she could.

“If you like it and if we can swing it.”

“Jake, this is not your business.” He’d been en-croaching on her private life all morning. She had to put a stop to it before it got completely out of hand.

“I said I’d look into it for you,” he replied, unshaken from his purpose.

“You said you’d make some calls, not escort me to view places during business hours. I cannot accept…”

“It’s almost the lunch hour,” he reasoned. “You’re always obliging about working overtime in emergencies. The least I can do is this small favour in return.”

“This is not an emergency, Jake,” she argued, barely holding on to her temper. “I can look for an apartment—if I want to move from the one at Bondi—in my own time.”

He frowned at her. “Why are you nit-picking? There’s no harm in looking at a place you might like. It could be the ideal change for you.”

Amy stubbornly stuck to her guns. “You could have given me the address and…”

“No good! You need me with you for this one. I’m your reference. I pressured Ted into showing it to you ahead of his listing it and he’s on his way there now to meet us. He’s a handy business contact, Amy. I wouldn’t like to waste his time.”

She heaved an exasperated sigh, accepting she’d been outmanoeuvred. He was her boss. It would be wrong for her to mess with his contacts. But a stand had to be taken. She didn’t want him pulling strings on her behalf, entangling her in them without her knowledge or permission.

“You should have discussed it with me first. I haven’t made up my mind on this.” And she hated the feeling of being steam-rollered by Jake.

“There’s no obligation to take it. Sounded like a great deal for you, though. Worth seeing if it’s as good as Ted says. And I might add, he’s proved spot-on in his advice to me in the past.”

“What’s so great about it?” she demanded tersely.

“Location for a start. Ted reckoned it was a pearl for the rent being asked.”

“How much?”

He rolled out a sum that was only marginally lower than the rent for the Bondi apartment. Even with her new salary, it would take a bigger chunk of her income than she felt was reasonable for her.

“Ted told me it could command a much higher rent,” Jake burbled on. “But the owner’s fussy about getting the right tenant in and has scaled the rent to suit. The apartment was recently purchased and is in the process of being refurbished. The owner doesn’t want any damage to it, so…”

“No smoking, no pets, no wild parties.” Amy looked at the list again. “What does ‘SCW’ stand for?”

“Single career woman. Someone who respects property and has a tidy mind.” Jake flashed her a teasing smile. “I said you fitted the bill. Never met a woman more intent on keeping things in order.”

Including you, Amy thought darkly. He was such a tempting devil, too attractive for his own good, and he thought he could charm his way into anything. Not my life, she fiercely resolved. It was bad enough being dumped by Steve. If she let Jake get too close to her, she had a terrible suspicion he had the power to steal her soul. Then where would she be?

Every self-protective instinct screamed alarm in his presence and today the scream was louder than ever. Raw and vulnerable from the weekend’s revelations, Amy admitted to herself she was frightened of Jake slipping past her guard, frightened of the consequences. She fretted over the knowledge he now shared that Steve couldn’t be used as a barrier between them anymore.

Though that wasn’t entirely right.

Steve had been much more to her than a barrier against Jake.

Much more, she insisted to herself.

She opened the Gregory’s Street Directory and started plotting their course to Estelle Street, trying her utmost to ignore the man beside her. His power was threatening to swamp her; powerful masculinity, powerful car, powerful friends, and they were all being used on her. Or so it felt.

We’ve got Amy Taylor right where we want her.

Not precisely.

A bit of manoeuvring.

The provocative words clicked through her mind again, conjuring up another scenario. An apartment in Balmoral was Jake’s idea. He’d given her a raise in salary so she could afford it. He’d found one for her, supposedly to order. He’d tricked her into his car so he could take her there, pressured her with the importance of a business contact.

Was it some kind of put-up job between him and his friendly property dealer, Ted Durkin?

But why?

What good would it do Jake to have her in Balmoral?

He was screwing her up again.

The only way to be sure of anything was to thwart him by making her own decisions her own way. In the meantime she’d play along like a good little girl. Which meant giving directions from the directory.

Amy had never lived on the north side of Sydney and didn’t know the Middle Harbour area at all. Her only previous reference to Balmoral was an interview she’d read about a TV celebrity who lived there and loved it. Which undoubtedly meant it was very classy. And expensive. Any place on the harbour was expensive.

Having found Estelle Street on the map, Amy stared at its location with a sense of disbelief. It was only one block back from The Esplanade which ran around the beach. It faced onto a park that extended to The Esplanade, giving residents a view of greenery, as well an uninterrupted vista of the water beyond it. This had to be a prime location.

She frowned over the rental Jake had mentioned. It was steep for her to pay alone, but it had to be amazingly cheap for an apartment on this street. Even the most run-down place would surely command double that amount, and Jake had said it was being refurbished.

“This doesn’t make sense,” she muttered.

“What?” Jake inquired.

“I’ve found Estelle Street. It’s almost on the beach. The property there has got to be million dollar stuff. Even with the strict rules, the owner could ask a really high rent.”

Jake must have made some under-the-table arrangement with Ted Durkin. She just didn’t trust this sequence of events. Or coincidences.

“I did tell you Ted said it was a bargain. For the right person,” Jake reminded her. “There is the catch of the six months’ lease,” he added in the throwaway tone of an afterthought. “But even if this is only a stopgap place for you…”

“What catch?”

She’d been waiting for a “catch.” Jake was being altogether too persuasive about this wonderful chance for her. There had to be a “catch.”

“Seems the owner plans to take up residence there. Only waiting on selling the current home. Doesn’t want to hurry that.” He sent her a wise look. “Always best to hang out for the asking price. It’s a losing game, selling in haste.”

“So it’s only for six months.”

“Mmh…more like a house-sitter than a tenant, according to Ted. Someone who’ll value the place and look after it. Never a good idea to leave a property empty for an extended period of time.”

It was beginning to make more sense. Maybe her suspicions were unwarranted. It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that Jake might want to do her a good turn. If she hadn’t overheard those words…was she reading too much into them?

Whatever the truth of the matter, it didn’t make a great deal of sense for her to shift house if she had to shift again in six months’ time. Changing apartments was a high-cost exercise what with putting up bond money and the expense of moving her furniture, not to mention the hassle of packing and unpacking. Nevertheless, she was curious to see the apartment now. Especially since Jake was investing so much time and talk on it. She still wanted to know why.

They were well along Military Road so she started giving him directions. Within a few minutes he’d made the turns she gave and they were heading down a hill to Balmoral Beach. Amy was entranced by the view. The water was a dazzling blue this morning. A fleet of small yachts were riding at anchor, adding their interest to the picturesque bay. The curved shoreline had a welcoming stretch of clean sand, edged by manicured lawns, beautiful trees and walkways.

This beach had a quiet, exclusive air about it, unlike the broad sweep of Bondi which invited vast public crowds. Even the populated side of The Esplanade looked tidy and respectable, no litter, no grubbiness, not a tatty appearance anywhere. Amy was highly impressed by its surface charm, wishing she had time to explore properly. She made a mental note to come here another day. After all, with Steve gone, she would have plenty of free days to do whatever she pleased.