Buttoned-Up Secretary, British Boss (13 page)

Alexander and Sabrina had been reading and listening to music, and now he looked across at her as she snapped her phone shut.

‘That was one of my old workmates telling me about a post coming up that I should apply for,’ she said briefly, picking up her book again.

Alexander resumed reading his magazine. ‘Oh? And…are you going to?’ he enquired, as if it was the last thing in the world that interested him.

‘Oh, I shan’t know until I’ve learned what it’s all about,’ Sabrina replied. She turned a page casually. ‘Shall we have that steak we bought yesterday for our supper?’

‘Sure,’ he said, though wondering whether he’d have any appetite to eat it. His spirits had dramatically plummeted at the thought that Sabrina might even be
thinking
of leaving him—leaving him to pursue a different path, which would mean he wouldn’t be seeing her every day, that she wouldn’t be there any more.

Much later after supper, as they were sitting under the heater by the pool, Sabrina turned to glance at Alexander. ‘I don’t want to spoil your well-earned rest, Alexander,’ she said. ‘But have you given any thought to the next blockbuster? I told you I’d come prepared to do some work.’

‘I haven’t thought about it at all,’ he said.
No—all I’ve been doing is enjoying myself here with you, Sabrina, with someone who feels like a part of myself.

‘Well, I just thought it my duty to mention it,’ she said lightly.

It was past midnight before they left the poolside and climbed the stairs to the first floor where Sabrina slept. Before going up to his own room, Alexander paused briefly.

‘Sabrina, thank you for another perfect day,’ he said softly, and she turned to look back at him.

‘Alexander,’ she said. ‘Any thanks are due to
you
. And…you’re giving me such wonderful memories to take back with me.’ She smiled tentatively. ‘They’re going to last me a lifetime.’

Silence between them hung in the air like a question waiting to be answered. Then, totally unable to stop himself, Alexander moved slowly over to Sabrina. Bending his head, he parted her lips with his mouth and kissed her fully, expertly, aware of a surging tide of passion tightening his groin. And, with her eyes closed against the intensity of the moment, Sabrina felt her senses exploding into a state of helpless longing…

Then, gently, he released her and without another word went upstairs. Sabrina heard his bedroom door close softly.

With her heart beating violently in her chest, she went in and sat on the edge of her bed, watching her knees trembling uncontrollably.

That was a
terrible
thing to have happened! she told herself, knowing that she should never have let it take place. To allow her boss to kiss her, really kiss her, in an unbelievably heart-stopping way, was pure madness! Their relationship—association; whatever the word was—was going somewhere neither of them wanted. Well, she was sure
he
didn’t want it, and she couldn’t
afford
to want it! They could never have a business arrangement now, after that, surely?

After a few moments, Sabrina felt her heartrate lessen and she stopped trembling, a feeling of quiet resignation sweeping through her. She knew that those erotic few moments just now had ruined all her good intentions, put paid to her common sense. She knew just how much
she’d wanted it to happen deep down, had longed for it. To be held in Alexander’s arms and feel his body press against hers had been bliss, pure bliss, proving once and for all that she must face up to things, to the inevitable. She was tired of running away; she’d been doing it for too long.

After a few moments, she got up and left the room—not even stopping to close her door—and slowly climbed the stairs towards Alexander’s room. Without bothering to knock, she went inside, closing the door behind her.

He was standing by the window, and when he heard her come in he turned and looked down at her, a slow smile touching his seductive lips.

‘Alexander,’ Sabrina said, her voice cool and steady. ‘Would you mind helping me undo this little hook at the back of my neck?’

A
FTER
a few seconds of complete silence, Alexander came over towards Sabrina, his arms outstretched. As he reached her she collapsed against him, automatically resting her head on his neck, a long sigh escaping her lips. They stood there, motionless, not uttering a word, letting this first breakthrough in their unspoken need for each other take them over.

Then with casual ease he picked Sabrina up, carried her over to the bed and sat down alongside her. Sabrina dropped her head forward so that he could undo the hook of her top, and as she felt the warmth of his hands on her skin a raging tide of feeling surged through her, making all her senses crawl erotically, making her whole body limp with surrender.

With infinite patience, Alexander slipped off her top and released the clasp of her bra, cupping his hands under her aching breasts and dropping a tender, lingering kiss on the back of her neck, making Sabrina want to cry out with desire.

Slowly he began to undress her, then laid her down on the bed before removing his own clothes until he, too, was completely naked.

For several breathless moments, he gazed down at her, drinking in the beauty of her tender curves, the
smooth creaminess of her skin, and his eyes glittered like granite, glittered bright with heady anticipation. With wide and misty eyes, Sabrina looked back at him, the open, tender curve of her lips inviting him to take her…

Then Alexander lay down beside her and, taking his time, began to slowly explore her body with gentle, thrilling caresses, before his mouth, hot with passion, travelled from her lips to her neck, to her breasts and the flat plane of her stomach…Their hearts raced in tandem as they trembled on the edge of fulfilment.

In a state of dizzy euphoria, when time seemed to stand still, Sabrina felt herself drifting on a cloud of pure ecstasy as Alexander’s expert, unhurried love-making made every nerve in her body deliciously painful. Then he raised himself up and over her, and she felt the hardness of his muscles tight against her until, with irresistible grace and confidence, he slipped inside her. She clung to him with desperate exhilaration, her whole world seeming to explode into a vast display of star-studded emotion.

For a long, long time they lay clasped in each other’s arms, neither wanting this magical experience to come to an end, but eventually he eased himself away and lay down beside her again. Then he brought her head onto his chest, holding her to him protectively, and gave a long sigh of emotional revelation.

As a pale moon shafted its gentle beam on to the lovers, they gave themselves over to a glorious sleep, a sleep which was filled with colour, wonder and total release.

When Sabrina awoke, dawn had barely broken; realizing that she was alone, she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Then
she took the huge duvet which had covered them all night and wrapped it around her, before hobbling over to peep out of the window. It had been the sound of water being thrashed about which had roused her, and she smiled faintly as she saw Alexander, half-submerged, thrusting forcefully towards the far end of the swimming pool directly beneath the window. Then he turned and swam back, his powerful stroke covering the distance in a matter of seconds, before swimming back again and again…Perhaps all this activity was to make up for his lack of gym sessions, she thought.

He swam to the side, treading water for a second. Sensing that he was being watched, he glanced up and smiled, waving briefly before resuming his powerful overarm stroke.

He knew he had needed to do this, to energize, to be on his own to think about what had happened last night. Because where should he go, what should he do now? he asked himself. Although Sabrina had left him in no doubt that she had welcomed his ardour—and had returned it with a passionate lack of inhibition—he had no idea what to do next. What, if anything, did she expect would happen now? When they got back to the UK, would the situation be what it had been before—business as usual? But for him that would be unthinkable. He could not bear to be near her and not be able to hold her in his arms; he didn’t have
that
much will power! But Sabrina had told him that no other man would ever claim her as his own, that that part of her life was over.

He cursed inwardly. Had he taken her by surprise, was it something which she might already be regretting?
And, worse, would she feel in the cold light of day that he’d taken advantage of her?

He lessened his pace for a few moments, his brow clearing slightly as he remembered. After all, it was she who had come to his room last night. Yes, it had been supposedly for him to help her with that hook on her top, but she’d never asked for his assistance before. And the hook was a simple enough one to undo; she could have done it easily by herself.

Well, he had taken it as an invitation, and he hadn’t waited for a second one. There was less than a week before they returned home. Had he spoiled the remainder of their holiday together? He was feeling as insecure as a teenager after a first date. Still deep in thought, he swung himself out of the pool.

From her vantage point, Sabrina saw him walking towards the door to the games room. He was without swimming trunks, and her helpless gaze was riveted to his bronze, muscular body, the powerful strength of his physical being ravishing her senses once again.

Turning quickly, Sabrina remembered that she, too, was naked and should get back to her own room. But almost before she could reach the door he had opened it, and they stood looking at each other. Then, as if making a sudden decision, he went over to her and kissed her gently, once, on the mouth.

‘You should have joined me—the water was perfect this morning,’ he said lightly, as if what had happened last night had never taken place.

Sabrina swallowed, then said shakily, ‘Do you mind if I borrow this for a minute?’ pulling the duvet more closely around her.

‘Feel free,’ he said, going towards the bathroom to
shower. ‘And I’ll take your turn to fetch the bread this morning,’ he added.

Picking up the clothes she’d had on last night, Sabrina turned and made her way down to her own room, feeling dizzy with mixed emotions. She hadn’t known how he would treat her this morning, but one thing was crystal clear: his incredible love-making was par for the course. Today he’d barely looked at her—not properly, not meaningfully—and that swift kiss just now was merely a little acknowledgment that they were on slightly more personal terms than they’d been before; that well, hey, casual love-making was what people did, what grown-up, sophisticated people like him and the women he knew did.

As she showered and got dressed, Sabrina suddenly felt a huge wave of depression flow over her. Last night had been a wonderful miracle cure for all ills, but today she was completely downbeat, a state she rarely allowed herself to sink into. And it didn’t take long to work it out.

Alexander’s need for her was purely superficial and meant nothing to him. And why should she be surprised? He liked women well enough—he’d admitted that a long time ago—but only up to a certain limit. And that limit had been reached in the privacy of his room last night. So, having known all that, why had Sabrina allowed her own need to lead her astray? She had walked right into it, had walked uninvited into his room, and her not-so-innocent request that he undo the hook on her top had had the result she’d hoped for. So what was the problem?

She knew the problem. She was not needed by anyone in the emotional sense. Not by the man she was hopelessly
in love with and now, apparently, not by her sister either.

For the first time in both their lives, Melly seemed to be standing perfectly well on her own two feet without Sabrina there to support, encourage and patch up.

Stepping out of the shower, Sabrina reached for a towel and began to dry herself. Pausing reflectively for a second as she caught a glance of herself in the mirror, she remembered Alexander’s rather hurtful words the other day about her relationship with her sister. Perhaps he’d been right after all—perhaps it was a specific need, that she’d made herself more or less indispensable to Melly when it was being proved that she was not indispensable at all. But, what she really was, was guilty. Guilty of being over-protective, of stepping forward when she should have stepped back sometimes.

Well, Sabrina thought, she was beginning to see the light. About everything, about everyone. She was wising up, mostly about herself. And she might as well accept it: emotionally, she was not essential to anyone. They could all do without her, thank you very much.

Sabrina straightened her shoulders. She’d faced up to reality many times before in her life and she was good at sorting herself out. She’d do it again. There was still plenty of world out there waiting for her.

And, as far as her employer’s future professional needs were required, he’d be able to find someone else, some other PA, easily enough when the time came. Just as he was going to have to do when—fingers crossed—she secured that post on offer.

On the last night in France, Alexander invited Marcel and Simone over for supper.

Sabrina had decided on her menu—chilled prawn
bisque to start, followed by blanquette of veal with fresh vegetables, and a Victoria sponge-cake with cherry sauce and cream for dessert. And, as Alexander was no cook, he’d been only too happy to let her get on with it and confine himself to selecting the wine.

For Sabrina, spending some time shopping and cooking was a welcome break from having had rather too much free time. She’d never been this long without having things to do.

Now, as she spooned the sponge mixture into the tins carefully, she felt relieved that they were going home tomorrow. It wasn’t that she hadn’t enjoyed herself, but ever since their fateful love-making things had been different between her and Alexander. He had seemed to be deliberately careful not to touch her much, and hadn’t made a single move that could be interpreted as amorous. And she certainly hadn’t invited herself into his room again. It was hard to actually describe the position between them, she thought. Their attitude towards each other was warm enough, and once Alexander had put his arm around her waist briefly. But she did feel that a sea change had taken place, that the waters had been temporarily ruffled and were now flat and calm again—with nothing to show there’d been any disturbance at all.

Yes, it was time to go home, she thought as she slid the pans of cake mixture into the oven to cook. But what was she going to find when she got there? Melly’s new man might be sleeping under their roof for all she knew—how long might that be for? If he was, would Sabrina feel like an intruder in her own home?

Much later, with Sabrina’s menu exclaimed over, and after every last morsel had been eaten, Simone and
Marcel made moves to go home. Simone put her arms around Sabrina and hugged her tightly.

‘It has been good,
très bon
, to meet you,
chérie
,’ the Frenchwoman said. ‘And so good that the Barn has been occupied—even for a short time.’ She paused, darting a quick glance at Alexander. ‘You will bring Sabrina back again soon, won’t you, Alex?’ she said. ‘Your lovely home needs to be lived in, and we love having you as neighbours. So…why not come for Christmas? We do Christmas very well here. Our little hamlet looks like fairyland with all the lights, and we all go carol singing, and eat and drink far too much! Do say you will come,
mon ami
?’

Alexander grinned down at Simone. ‘I’ll give it some thought, Simone,’ he said. ‘But I don’t know whether Sabrina would want to come with me; she has family at home who need her, would expect her to be there at that time of the year.’

Sabrina looked away, not bothering to respond. She had no doubt that as far as Melly was concerned this year it would be two’s company, three’s a crowd.

‘Well, anyway, before Christmas comes Sabrina and I have some serious work to do,’ Alexander said. ‘Two weeks off are as long as I can afford.’

After the couple had gone, Alexander and Sabrina cleared up the supper things together, and as he wiped the last of the wine glasses he glanced down at her.

‘You’ve made a definite hit with those two,’ he said. ‘Marcel couldn’t keep his eyes off you, and Simone has taken a real fancy to you as well.’ He paused. ‘I shall be got at now, and nagged every time I ring them, to bring you back here.’

Sabrina smiled at his words but said nothing, and in a minute he went on.

‘I’ve never spent Christmas here myself, but from what Simone said it sounds as if it might be OK. Maybe I’ll give it some thought.’ He paused. ‘But I suppose you’ll be needed at home to cook the turkey, Sabrina?’

‘I have a feeling that there could be a distinct change in routine this year,’ Sabrina said casually. ‘But I don’t want to think about Christmas…not yet. Christmas is a long way off.’

‘Not all that long,’ he countered. ‘And before that I’ve got to get started on the next novel. And I always crack on pretty well with the first section, so you’ll be kept busy too.’ He deliberately avoided mentioning the phone call from Sabrina’s ex-colleague about a possible appointment. Let sleeping dogs lie, he thought.

‘So I’m needed at my desk on Monday, then?’ Sabrina asked, thinking that that would give her less than forty-eight hours to collect her thoughts, do some washing and assess the situation at home.

Alexander put his hands firmly on her shoulders and looked straight into Sabrina’s eyes.

‘You are,’ he said flatly. ‘And for as far into the future as it is logical to expect.’