Taken by the Boss: His Very Personal Assistant / In the Banker's Bed / The Takeover Bid

Kit raised auburn brows. ‘And which are you?’

‘At this moment? Anybody’s guess!’

She couldn’t help it—she laughed. A light, relieved laugh that seemed to release some of the tension that had surrounded them.

Marcus’s smile was sheepish as he ran a hand through the dark thickness of his hair. ‘I apologize, Kit. I suppose it’s no good asking you to forget it ever happened?’

Well… she could try. But did she really want to? As regards the two of them continuing to work together, she knew that she had to, but as Kit McGuire… she had enjoyed the kiss too much to ever really want to forget it had happened.

‘We could try,’ she answered as noncommittally as she could, her gaze not quite meeting his now. ‘But for the moment,’ she added briskly, ‘shouldn’t we be changing for dinner?’

Marcus sighed heavily. ‘That was the plan.’

‘Well…?’ she prompted as he made no effort to go to the adjoining bedroom.

He gave a perplexed frown as he looked at her. ‘Incredible!’ he exclaimed. ‘And after my self-righteous claim of never becoming involved with my employees…’

‘I promise not to tell anyone if you don’t!’ Kit’s cheeks burned with embarrassment.

‘Kit—’

‘I really do need to change,’ she reminded him firmly before turning away.

But she could sense his presence in the room behind her for several more long seconds before he moved away, the adjoining door closing softly behind him and telling her when she was at last alone.

What had they done?

What had she done?

Her obvious course of action should have been to have stopped the kiss before it had even started. If she hadn’t been enjoying it so much she might just have done that!

But it had been wonderful. All she had ever thought kissing Marcus would be. And she had spent quite a few hours during the last six months wondering exactly that.

Besides, the kiss had certainly taken Marcus’s mind off discussing her ‘friend’, Mike Reynolds!

She paused from unpacking the black dress she intended wearing this evening. Mike Reynolds, of all people. And he’d had the cheek to greet her as if the two of them hadn’t parted on such bad terms seven months ago!

And just how much longer was she going to delay thinking of that other—even less welcome!—guest? Kit asked herself candidly.

The rest of her life, she could have hoped. But it was no good trying to deny the fact that Catherine Grainger was also a weekend guest here.

But would the lady have a clue as to who Kit was? If she did, Kit knew only too well that the other woman wouldn’t be interested.

Kit’s mouth tightened. Irrational though it was, how she disliked Ms Grainger! Her arrogance. Her coldness. Just her complete air of superiority.

But what would Marcus say if he were to know Kit’s secret? Especially since there seemed to be a security leak in his company where Catherine Grainger was concerned… He could think it very odd that Kit hadn’t told him the truth in the first place. But other than telling Marcus everything—something she had no intention of doing unless forced—there was no way she could explain away her knowledge of the older woman. She would just have to keep hoping—and praying!—that Catherine never guessed the truth.

If only she could avoid so much as talking to Catherine for the brief time they were here!

Something she didn’t look like doing when the first person she saw as she came down the stairs twenty minutes later was—Catherine Grainger, who was standing in the entrance hall talking on her mobile telephone.

Kit had knocked on the adjoining door between Marcus’s room and her own a few minutes earlier, only to find that he had just come out of the shower, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped about his waist.

After a first glance Kit’s eyes had remained fixed on the picture on the wall behind him, wings of colour burning in her cheeks. ‘And they say women take a long time to get ready!’ she joked weakly.

‘I was delayed by a telephone call,’ he came back swiftly.

Kit glanced at him. ‘Andrea?’

He gave an acknowledging inclination of his head. ‘How very astute of you!’

‘Not really,’ she assured him; Marcus might have calmly dismissed Andrea’s presence here as being none of his business, but it was a certainty that Andrea, having had time to think about the abrupt end of her relationship with him, wasn’t going to do the same where he was concerned. ‘I’ll wait for you downstairs, shall I?’

‘Unless you want to sit down and wait while I get dressed?’ he taunted, dark brows raised in invitation.

‘No, thank you,’ Kit came back stiffly, already turning towards the door as she heard him chuckle under his breath.

Which accounted for why she was completely on her own now as she descended the stairs to meet Catherine Grainger, the only other person in the huge entrance hall…

CHAPTER SIX

‘I DON’T believe we were introduced earlier…?’

Kit froze two steps from the bottom of the staircase as Catherine spoke to her. No, they hadn’t been introduced, deliberately so, as far as Kit was concerned; she was determined to avoid Catherine Grainger as much as was possible.

‘Have the two of us met before…?’ Puzzlement edged the older woman’s clipped tones as she spoke again.

Kit’s chin rose and she looked down at the other woman, schooling her features into polite disinterest. ‘I’m sure not,’ she replied, only the whitening of her knuckles as she tightly gripped the banister beside her demonstrating that she wasn’t quite as composed as she might appear.

There had been a time in her life when she had imagined a moment like this, when she and Catherine Grainger would come face to face. But that had been when she was still young enough to believe in fairness and justice. Reality was something else entirely.

Catherine was so tall and slim that she looked elegant in whatever she wore, tonight a dress of sparkling midnight blue. Her silver hair lightly touched her bare shoulders, and her throat sported a simple necklace of sapphire and diamonds—her only jewellery.

One of those diamond necklaces that Marcus had wanted to strangle her with only yesterday!

But despite the elegance of her dress, the understated simplicity of the jewellery, everything about this woman spoke of wealth and power.

‘You seem familiar somehow,’ Catherine persisted, her silver-grey gaze focused assessingly on Kit now.

Kit’s own black dress was nowhere near as expensively tailored as Catherine’s, and her only jewellery was a small gold locket suspended between her breasts by a delicate gold chain.

What would Catherine Grainger have to say if she could see the two people photographed inside that locket?

Not a lot, Kit sadly hazarded a guess.

‘Doubtful,’ she answered Catherine, finishing her descent of the stairs, standing only feet away from her now.

Catherine’s gaze remained on her. ‘You arrived with Marcus Maitland, didn’t you?’ she probed.

Kit smiled slightly at the slight edge in Catherine’s voice. ‘I did,’ she confirmed, inwardly pleased to be able to make that claim; the obvious dislike between this lady and Marcus was one sure way to keep her, and her curiosity, at bay!

Catherine’s mouth curved derisively. ‘No accounting for taste, I suppose,’ she drawled scathingly.

Kit stiffened. ‘Please don’t let me keep you from the other guests,’ she replied, hearing the distinctive murmur of voices coming from a double-doored room to their right.

‘You aren’t,’ the other woman countered. ‘In fact—’

‘There you are, Kit!’ Marcus greeted from the top of the stairs, both women turning to look at him as he descended.

Marcus looked devastatingly attractive in a black dinner suit and snowy white shirt, more so than Kit had ever seen him before.

Catherine Grainger’s expression remained impassive, confirming that there was no love lost between the two of them.

‘Catherine,’ Marcus greeted smoothly as he reached the hallway, his hand moving possessively on the slenderness of Kit’s waist.

Kit turned to him, groaning inwardly as she saw the hard glitter in his eyes.

‘Marcus,’ Catherine returned dryly. ‘Your—young friend, and I were just keeping each other company while she waited for you to come downstairs.’

‘Really?’ he drawled sceptically. ‘Well, I’m obviously here now, so please don’t let us delay you any further.’ He looked at the older woman challengingly.

A challenge she was only too pleased to meet, mocking humour to her smile now. ‘I’m in no hurry.’ She shrugged her elegant shoulders. ‘Perhaps the three of us could go to the library and have a quiet drink togeth—’

‘I wondered what was keeping you, Catherine,’ Desmond Hayes called out reprovingly after flinging open the double doors to the sitting-room to find the three of them standing there. ‘Now I see that it was Marcus—’ he strolled over to join them ‘—and his charming companion, Kit,’ he added with obvious intent, his eyes flirting shamelessly as he took in her appearance.

Kit winced as Marcus’s grip on her waist tightened; was she going to do anything right at all this evening?

She knew from Marcus’s response to finding her downstairs with Catherine that he wasn’t pleased to see them together—well, he could join the club, because Kit wasn’t pleased about it either! But he had no right at all to be annoyed with her because Desmond Hayes kept flirting with her—she certainly wasn’t encouraging the man!

‘Kit…’ Catherine repeated consideringly, once again eyeing Kit speculatively. ‘Would that be short for—?’

‘It would be short for nothing,’ Kit cut in firmly. ‘And I’m sure the three of us have already delayed dinner for long enough,’ she finished with a pointed smile in Desmond Hayes’s direction.

‘You two go ahead,’ Marcus suggested tautly.

‘If you’re sure,’ Desmond Hayes accepted as he tucked Catherine’s hand snugly into the crook of his arm.

‘I’m sure,’ Marcus confirmed. ‘Kit and I will join you in a few moments.’ His grip on her waist held her back now as the other couple moved towards the noisy sitting-room.

Kit should have felt relieved at their departure—and she did feel a certain amount of tension ease out of her—but the anger she could still feel emanating from Marcus as he watched Catherine and Desmond was enough to tell her he was far from finished talking to her. In fact, he probably hadn’t even started yet.

He moved away from her as soon as the sitting-room doors closed, looking down at her with accusing eyes. ‘How long have you known Catherine Grainger?’

Kit felt her cheeks pale. ‘I—but I don’t know her!’ she claimed dazedly.

His mouth twisted humourlessly. ‘The two of you looked friendly enough when I came downstairs a few minutes ago.’

Kit scowled as she gathered her wits. ‘How can you say that? We had barely got past the civilities when you appeared—’

Marcus eyed her scathingly. ‘Kit, I had been watching the two of you for several minutes before making my presence known.’

Her eyes widened. ‘You were spying on us?’ she realised incredulously.

‘Of course not,’ he dismissed irritably. ‘I was merely on my way downstairs when I—’

‘Saw the two of us talking together and decided to listen in!’ Kit finished disgustedly, just thankful that he couldn’t possibly have heard anything in the least damning—simply because there hadn’t been anything like that for him to hear!

Marcus drew in a deep, controlling breath. ‘Kit, are you aware of the—rivalry, between Maitland Enterprises and Grainger International?

‘And the fact that they seem to be stealing the march on us lately with several business deals?’

‘Well, of course I’m aware of it. I’m your PA—now just a minute.’ She drew herself up to her current full height of six feet—in the two-inch-high-heeled shoes she was wearing—and was almost able to meet Marcus eye to eye. ‘Exactly what are you implying?’

‘I’ve suggested to Lewis that there may be some connection between the last three deals that Grainger International have stolen from under our noses.’

‘Yes?’ she prompted slowly, remembering all too well Lewis Grant’s remarks on the subject on Thursday. And the implication behind them. ‘When you said lately just now, did you really mean to say in the last six months?’ she pressed resentfully. ‘The exact amount of time I’ve been working for you?’

‘Calm down, Kit.’ Marcus sighed. ‘I didn’t mean to imply—’

‘Oh, yes, you did!’ Kit bit out indignantly. ‘How dare you? How dare you even think such a thing about me and that—that woman?’ she finished for want of something better to say.

The things he was implying about her, that she might possibly have leaked information to Catherine Grainger—presumably, he thought, for some monetary reward to herself?—would be laughable if they weren’t so insulting!

‘For your information, I wouldn’t offer to help that woman—in any way—if she and I were the last two people on the planet!’ Kit was breathing so hard in her agitation that her creamy breasts were clearly heaving beneath the low neckline of her dress.

Not that she was too concerned about that, realising as she saw the sudden change in Marcus’s expression that she had said too much; Marcus was far too intelligent a man to believe she could possibly have come to that conclusion about Catherine Grainger after only five minutes’ acquaintance!

Which she obviously hadn’t. No, her knowledge of Catherine went back much further than that. Too far back to even give Marcus a hint at the reason she felt the way she did.

She made a dismissive movement of her hand. ‘What I meant to say was—’

‘I believe you made yourself more than clear, Kit,’ Marcus assured her dryly. ‘And I apologize if my remarks just now were less than—well, trusting.’ He grimaced. ‘All I’m saying is that I’m inclined to think the only explanation for those three lost deals is that there is someone in my employ who is revealing details of my business interests to Grainger International. But just because you and Catherine were talking together just now is really no reason for me to think that you—’

‘That I’m the disloyal employee,’ Kit completed tautly, having already known—and dreaded—the connection he could make concerning her and Catherine Grainger. ‘Maybe you should try looking a little closer to home for your leak?’ she suggested, still smarting from the fact that he might have thought it could have been her.

He blinked. ‘Such as where?’

Kit gave him a smile of completely insincere sweetness. ‘Did it ever occur to you that maybe you talk in your sleep?’

Marcus looked momentarily stunned by the suggestion. But then his good humour, which had been such a welcome surprise to Kit the last few days, took over, and a wry smile started to curve his lips. ‘I think maybe I deserved that,’ he acknowledged.

She gave an accepting inclination of her head. ‘I think maybe you did.’

‘Hmm,’ he murmured ruefully, still smiling. ‘Am I forgiven?’ His expression was cajoling.

She was still annoyed with him, but at the same time knew how ludicrous were his suspicions that she could have betrayed him to Catherine Grainger. But Marcus couldn’t know that. And she would rather it remained that way.

‘You are,’ she returned lightly.

‘In that case—’ he reached out to take a courteous hold of her arm ‘—shall we join the others, Miss McGuire?’

‘Certainly, Mr Maitland,’ she instantly accepted, knowing that if he had overstepped a line where she was concerned, then she had certainly done the same thing to him with her inference about pillow talk with women like Andrea Revel—and got away with it, thank goodness!

She had no idea what had prompted her to make that completely personal remark, except that it had disturbed her to have him accuse her of somehow being in cahoots with Catherine Grainger, of all people. She would rather ally herself to a rattlesnake!

‘But don’t be under the misapprehension,’ Marcus murmured close to her ear as they entered the noisy sitting-room, ‘that because I made a mistake about Catherine Grainger, I’ve forgotten our need to discuss your—acquaintance, with Mike Reynolds.’

Kit turned sharply, the high colour back in her cheeks. ‘I don’t feel such a need!’ she assured him quickly.

He raised dark brows at her vehemence. ‘Like that, is it?’

‘Exactly like that!’ If she never saw Mike Reynolds again it would be too soon!

Marcus gave her a considering look. ‘There really is a lot more to you than meets the eye, Kit McGuire—’

‘I thought that for this weekend it was to be Marcus and Kit?’ she reminded him, preferring not to have her surname bandied. Especially in Catherine Grainger’s hearing…

‘Oh, it is,’ he replied. ‘Have I told you yet this evening how beautiful you look?’

If anything that colour in her cheeks deepened. ‘There’s no need to keep up the pretence when we’re on our own,’ she informed him awkwardly.

‘It’s not pretence,’ he assured her softly, blue eyes laughing warmly as she gave him a puzzled look. ‘You really are a very beautiful woman, Kit,’ he told her seriously. ‘I had absolutely no idea.’

‘Perhaps it might be better if we left it that way,’ she said stiffly.

‘Too late,’ he responded. ‘I think simply coming in to the office might be a pleasure in future!’

Kit didn’t feel the same enthusiasm, not if it was based on the fact that he now found her an attractive woman. Considering the short amount of time his interest in a specific woman usually lasted, that could mean that her days as his PA were numbered…

‘Especially…’ he looked at her intently ‘… if you really have forgiven me for my remarks of a few minutes ago?’

Kit gave an abrupt nod of her head. ‘I said I had.’

Marcus grimaced. ‘It’s been my experience that women don’t always mean what they say.’

‘Well, this one does!’ she assured him firmly.

Oh, she had forgiven him. Of course she had. But she wouldn’t forget. Couldn’t forget.

Because if Marcus knew the truth about her acquaintance with Catherine Grainger, she was sure he wouldn’t have Kit anywhere near him, let alone working in his office!

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘I THOUGHT the man was never going to leave your side!’ Mike Reynolds complained as he joined Kit beside the buffet table and a mouth-watering array of desserts.

Because of the amount of people staying at the house this weekend dinner had necessarily been a full buffet affair, which actually suited Kit much better than being seated formally at a dinner table and stuck between two men she would probably rather not spend the time of day—or evening!—with.

Which pretty much covered most of the men here this weekend. With the exception of those wealthy businessmen—and women!—Kit had noted earlier, she had so far found them exactly as Marcus had earlier described them, a lot of ‘hangers-on and social bores’. And Mike Reynolds came even further down the social list as far as she was concerned!

‘Marcus will be back in a few minutes,’ she informed Mike frostily, her expression one of utter contempt as she looked unflinchingly into his too-handsome face. ‘He’s just slipped upstairs to collect some cigars he brought with him for our host.’

‘So I noticed,’ Mike responded comfortably, as usual not affected by her obvious dislike. ‘I also noticed Andrea Revel slipping out to join him a few seconds later,’ he added. ‘So if I were you, I wouldn’t count on your boyfriend being back any time soon!’

Kit tried very hard not to show her surprise—and chagrin—at being told that Andrea was upstairs with Marcus. Not that she really was that surprised that Andrea hadn’t given up on Marcus; she had been extremely visible during the last hour or so as they had all stood or sat around eating their sumptuous dinner, her loud laughter ringing out often at something her companion—presumably Derek Boyes—had said to her.

Not that Marcus had seemed to be taking too much notice, but then Kit didn’t know him well enough to really say whether he had been or not. But other than telling her briefly earlier that he had been delayed getting ready for dinner by a telephone call from Andrea, he hadn’t mentioned her again. The fact that he had left the room ten minutes ago, quickly followed by Andrea if Mike was to be believed, and hadn’t returned yet, seemed to mean that he had been…

‘For your information, Marcus isn’t my boyfriend,’ she snapped, giving Mike a withering look. ‘And don’t presume to project your own moral failings onto other people!’

He gave her an admiring glance. ‘You’ve grown up in the last seven months, Kit.’

‘Oh, please!’ Her look of disdain intensified. ‘Haven’t I already made it obvious that you hold absolutely no charm for me? To the point where I actually walked out on a very well paid job just to avoid being anywhere near you?’

The handsome face grew dark with anger. ‘You always did consider yourself superior—’

‘I did not!’ she cut in indignantly, more stung by the remark than he could possibly imagine. ‘I simply didn’t—and still don’t,’ she continued heatedly, ‘find you in the least attractive!’

He appeared unmoved by her outburst. ‘Well, you’re wasting your time as far as Marcus Maitland is concerned.’

‘It’s my time to waste!’ she came back tartly, turning away from the array of desserts, having suddenly lost her appetite.

She already knew how stupid it was for her to be attracted to Marcus, didn’t need this obnoxious man to tell her so!

Mike shook his head, a taunting smile curving his lips. ‘You’re way out of your depth, Kit.’

Her eyes flashed deeply grey. ‘I would much rather have depth than be shallow!’ Like you, her words obviously implied.

So much so that even the thick-skinned Mike Reynolds couldn’t help but know exactly what she meant, his handsome face once again flushed with anger as he grated, ‘As long as you don’t mind being just another pretty face.’

Kit gave him a pitying look. ‘You’re just being pathetic now,’ she dismissed contemptuously, knowing that in a woman his behaviour would have been classed as bitchy rather than pathetic!

“‘The truth always hurts”,’ he quoted nastily.

Kit wasn’t about to give up. ‘You wouldn’t recognize the truth if it jumped up and bit you on the nose!’

To her surprise Mike laughed at this insulting remark.

But his next move surprised her even more as he reached out to pull her against him to kiss her on the mouth. Hard.

She jerked away angrily, totally bewildered by his action. ‘What on earth—?’

‘You always were a lot of fun, Kit,’ he told her cheekily, a maliciously triumphant gleam in his eyes now.

‘Yes, that’s Kit, all right.’ Marcus spoke from just behind her. ‘Fun and laughter all the way!’

Kit’s face paled as she turned to look at Marcus, feeling slightly sick as she saw the contempt in those deep blue eyes of his as he looked back at her.

Deservedly so, she acknowledged heavily, knowing that Mike had done this on purpose, that he must have seen Marcus’s return and had deliberately kissed her.

She pulled sharply away from Mike, uncaring that his fingers bruised her arms as she did so. ‘You can’t possibly believe I was enjoying that?’ She turned to Marcus disbelievingly.

He looked at her searchingly for several long seconds before turning back to Mike, his expression grimmer than ever. ‘I believe you owe Kit an apology,’ he said tersely.

‘Do I?’ Mike came back aggressively.

‘Is there a problem?’ Desmond Hayes enquired as he approached them, having obviously already seen that there was and moved smoothly away from the group he had been conversing with.

‘Nothing I can’t handle,’ Marcus assured him tightly. ‘I suggest that in future—’ he turned back to Mike Reynolds ‘—you save your less than obvious charms for someone who is more interested in them than Kit appears to be!’

‘And if I don’t?’ the other man challenged.