Sweet Deception

by Tara Bond

  The offices were pretty much deserted at this time on a Friday night. There was only a handful of people still around, and they were on deadline, so no one stopped me to talk. They didn’t have time for idle chitchat.

  The executive offices were all shut up, and the secretaries’ desks empty, their computers powered down. The door to Richard’s office was closed, but I didn’t even think about knocking. I just turned the handle and walked straight in—which was unfortunate, because at that exact moment, he strolled out of the en suite bathroom, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans.

  I could feel my mouth forming a cartoon-like O, as my eyes ran over his bare chest. He had a towel thrown round his shoulders, but it did little to cover him. He was seriously ripped, with an actual six-pack, every muscle perfectly defined, like an underwear model.

  I wasn’t sure why his perfectly sculpted physique surprised me so much. I knew he worked out a lot and did a lot of sport. But somehow seeing him semi-naked like that had shaken me. I was so used to seeing him in suits, looking smart and commanding. I’d forgotten what existed beneath. I also had to admit that for all the naked male bodies I’d seen in the last few years, I’d never come across such a perfect male specimen in the flesh before. I was used to guys who drank and smoked too much, and would have to sit down after running twenty metres.

  “Can I help you with something?” Richard’s amused voice jolted me out of my daydream.

  “S—sorry.” I stuttered a little, feeling flustered that he’d caught me staring at him with such blatant approval. It was so unlike me—where were the smart remarks and general air of nonchalance that usually came so easily? “I wasn’t expecting to see you here—and not like, well . . .”

  I didn’t want to look, but my eyes seemed to have a life of their own, and I found my gaze running over his naked torso again.

  “I’ve just been to the gym,” he said to my unvoiced question of what the hell he was doing strolling round like this. “And I prefer to shower up here.”

  “Oh, right. Of course.”

  A fresh shirt hung on the handle of one of the filing cabinets. It looked like it had just been picked up from the dry cleaners, given the plastic cover on it. Richard walked over and, turning his back to me, slipped the towel from his shoulders, and shrugged the shirt on. “So what can I do for you?” he asked, turning back to face me, as he buttoned up. “Or did you just stop by in the hope of ogling me?”

  Usually I’d fire off a witty comeback, but for the first time ever my mind was blank. I cleared my throat, trying to pull myself together and focus. I nodded down at the storyboards in my hand. “I’ve got some sketches with our ideas for the Brite campaign.”

  Richard’s eyes brightened with interest. “Great. Bring them over. I’d love to see them.”

  “What—now?”

  “No time like the present, is there? Unless you need to rush off?”

  “No, not at all.”

  I walked over and laid my drawings on his desk. He came to stand by my side, and I tensed a little. I could smell the musky, masculine scent of his shower gel, and somehow I felt suddenly aware of him as a man—something I’d never felt before.

  He appeared completely oblivious of how I was feeling, as he stood there flicking through my work. “These drawings are great,” he said finally. “I’d forgotten how talented you are.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, both pleased and embarrassed by his praise.

  “And Helena told me this was all your idea?”

  “It was a team effort.”

  He looked up and smiled at me. “I’m glad to hear all the praise hasn’t gone to your head.” He perched on his desk, growing serious. “But honestly, I’m really pleased with how everything’s worked out. You’re doing a great job.”

  “I’m enjoying it. More than I thought I would.” I glanced away, knowing that there was something I needed to say, but not wanting to put it into words—to admit it to him, or to myself. I cleared my throat. “You were right,” I said finally. I forced myself to raise my gaze to meet his. “Working here has been good for me.”

  His eyes glinted. “Do I get to say I told you so?”

  “Not if you value your front teeth.”

  Richard laughed. It was a rare sight, seeing him relaxed like that. His eyes crinkled and his strong cheekbones seemed more pronounced. It suddenly struck me how good-looking he was. I wondered why it hadn’t occurred to me before.

  His eyes dropped to the TAG Heuer watch on his wrist. “Look, I was heading off now. Do you want to walk out together?”

  To my surprise, I couldn’t think of anything else I’d rather do. “Sure. Why not?”

  He grabbed his gym bag, and we headed towards the lift. We walked in silence, which was unusual for us. Usually we were bantering about something or other. But tonight I felt strangely shy around Richard. I guessed it must have been the shock of seeing him half-naked.

  “So what’re you up to this weekend?” Richard said as we stepped into lift. He gave me a sideways glance. “Or is it best if I don’t know?”

  “What do you mean by that?” The teasing about my excessive lifestyle was standard for us, but for the first time ever it bothered me. “Oh, right, I get it. You don’t want to know because I must be up to something debauched?”

  He looked a little taken aback by my snappiness. “Sorry . . . I didn’t mean anything by it. I just know you like to go out a lot, and I assumed you’d have plans tonight.”

  “Well, I don’t.” I sounded prissier than I’d intended. I couldn’t understand why I was feeling so defensive. And then an idea entered my head. “In fact, do you want to grab a drink?” I said abruptly. The words were out of my mouth before I was even aware of what I was doing. “Maybe even dinner? My treat. To say thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” I wasn’t entirely sure that was the reason I wanted to take him for dinner, but I didn’t want to examine my motives too closely right now.

  Richard’s eyes flicked over to me. I saw a hint of surprise there, and then it was gone. “I’d love to.” His words were clipped. “But I’ve got plans tonight.”

  I was surprised by just how disappointed I felt. “Oh, right. Of course.” I forced my voice to sound bright. “Another time perhaps . . .”

  He didn’t respond.

  I stared at my feet, feeling a little awkward and embarrassed. Fortunately the elevator door pinged then, alerting us to the fact we had reached the ground floor. But any relief I felt at the chance of making a quick getaway evaporated as the doors pulled open, and I saw Petra sitting on one of the couches in reception.

  She looked up as the lift doors opened, and when she saw it was Richard, she got to her feet, reminding me just how annoyingly tall, slim and elegant she was.

  “So I take it you two made up?” I said to Richard, as we crossed the reception floor.

  He didn’t bother to reply, and there was no more opportunity to ask questions, because we’d already reached Petra. I stood by as she exchanged a quick kiss hello with Richard. I felt small and scruffy next to her, like I’d been thrown together. I caught a glance of myself in the glass frontage of the building. Even in my more sober clothes, I still looked cheap and trashy. Not smooth and classy like her. I blamed my hair. The bleach was just too much . . .

  Richard turned to me. “Petra, you remember Charlotte?”

  Petra’s smile dimmed a little. “How could I forget her? Richard mentioned he’d found you a job here. He said it was difficult for you at first, but that you’d settled in now.”

  “He did?” I couldn’t help feeling a little betrayed that he’d been talking about me with her.

  Petra must have sensed my discomfort, because I saw a small smile playing on her lips as she ploughed on. “He’s so sweet to you, isn’t he? Talks about you all the time, like he’s a concerned big brother.”

  I’d heard this said before, but for the first time it annoyed me.

  “Really? He talks about me all the time?” I smi
led pleasantly, to take the sting out of my next words. “That’s funny—because he never mentions you.”

  Petra blinked in surprise, and then her green eyes narrowed a little, as she studied me more carefully. Richard frowned at me, looking perplexed.

  “I hate to be rude,” Petra said as she slipped her arm through Richard’s. The knife twisted farther in my gut. “But we really should be going. We’re already late for our reservation, darling.”

  “Sure. Let’s grab a cab.” Richard looked over at me. “Can we drop you somewhere?”

  The look of horror on Petra’s face at the prospect of me crashing their evening was almost enough to make me take him up on his offer, but I had no desire to play third wheel. “Thanks, but I’m fine.”

  They bid me goodnight, and hurried outside to hail a cab. I followed them, but turned in the direction of the Tube station. I glanced back in time to watch Richard opening the car door for Petra. She paused as she was getting in, to say something to him, and he threw back his head and laughed. I hadn’t seen him so relaxed for ages. But it wasn’t the sight of Richard looking happy with Petra that took me by surprise—it was the flash of jealousy that ripped through me.

  Chapter 15

  “Earth to Charlotte,” Rex said. “Is anyone in there?”

  He waved a hand in front of my face. I blinked a few times, as I came out of my daydream. I looked up to see Rex standing above my desk and staring at me with a quizzical look on his face. “Sorry. What did you say?”

  “Forget about that.” He perched on my desk. “I want to know what the hell was going on in that head of yours just now? You looked miles away.”

  I felt my cheeks heating up a little. Although I’d never admit it, I’d been thinking about Richard. It was strange, since walking in on him half-naked the previous Friday, he’d been on my mind. Whereas before I’d go out of my way to ignore him at work, this week I’d found myself looking out for him all the time, hoping that I might run into him or find an excuse to talk to him. I’d even caught myself spending more time over my appearance in the morning, thinking about what I was wearing and how my hair and make-up looked.

  I hadn’t really understood why at first. Then the truth had hit me like a ten-tonne truck. I had a crush on Richard.

  It was as if I was seeing him for the first time. I’d previously found his seriousness irritating, thinking he was just uptight—but now I could see that made him commanding. His passion for his work and his single-mindedness—how had I never appreciated those qualities before? And maybe I didn’t usually go for conventional good looks, but it was amazing how they grew on you—the strong jaw and nose; the perfectly proportioned, clean-shaven face; the athletic build . . . Suddenly rocker boys who shunned showers and razors seemed far less appealing.

  Rex must have noticed the blush on my cheeks, because he gave me a knowing smile. “Oh, so that’s it. Someone likes a boy,” he said in a sing-song voice.

  “What?” I tried to convey just how ridiculous that was. “Please. I’m just tired, that’s all.”

  “Oh, don’t give me that. You can’t fool me. I know that look.” He turned to Helena. “Hey, Hel,” he called into her. “Charlotte fancies someone.”

  “Good for her.” She didn’t bother glancing up from her desk.

  “Ugh,” he tutted. Unable to evoke any interest from her, he turned his attention back to me. He leaned over my desk, lowering his voice in a conspiratorial manner. “So just between us girls, who is it? You can tell me.” He pretended to zip his lips shut. “I won’t tell a soul. I swear. I’m very discreet.”

  As much as I adored Rex, I also knew what a gossip he was. Whatever he said, if I told him anything, it would be all round the office in an hour.

  “I told you before. You’ve got it all wrong. There’s no one I like.” The last thing I needed was this getting out. The teasing would be merciless. I wouldn’t be able to show my face. Not to mention the awkwardness it would cause with Richard . . .

  “Hmmm.” He gave me a disappointed look. “You know I don’t believe you for a moment, right? But don’t you worry, I’ll get it out of you in the end. No one can keep a secret from me.”

  I hoped he was wrong about that, because I didn’t relish anyone finding out I had romantic feelings for Richard. Especially not the man concerned. For one thing, he had a girlfriend. And as much as I didn’t like Petra, I wasn’t the type to start trying to steal another woman’s guy. I had a lot of flaws, but that wasn’t one of them.

  * * *

  I managed to avoid any more awkward questions from Rex for the rest of the day. I threw myself into my work, which helped to put Richard from my mind, too.

  I got home that night to find a message on my answer phone from my mother. It was the sixth message she’d left, and I could hear from her tone that she wasn’t going to tolerate much more of me avoiding her, so I had no choice but to call back.

  I sat curled up on the couch, half listening and saying uh-huh in what I hoped were the appropriate places, as she caught me up on what she had been doing. Then she hit me with it—the real reason she’d phoned.

  “I was hoping you might be free to come down to Claylands this Sunday.” Hearing that, my shoulders slumped. “We haven’t seen you since our anniversary.” When I didn’t answer straight away, she added, “And I know your father would love to see you.”

  I’d already been formulating my excuse, but hearing that I knew there was no way I could get out of it. It was the only way I got to see my father, so I would have to go.

  I was going to accept the invitation, but my mother was still speaking. “Unfortunately your sister and Toby won’t be able to make it.”

  “Shame,” I muttered. Well, that was one small mercy, at least.

  My mother appeared not to catch my sarcasm. “Although just to warn you, Richard will be here.”

  Hearing that, I sat up straighter. “Richard’s going?” Suddenly the prospect of lunch didn’t seem so bad after all.

  “Yes.” My mother sighed. “I know you get irritated with him ‘interfering’ in your life, but I like to see him. It makes me feel closer to—well, to your brother.”

  Hearing her speak about Kit, I felt bad then. We spent so much time bickering that sometimes I forgot how hard it was for her to lose her son.

  “I know that, Mum.” For once my voice was soft, understanding. “And don’t worry, I’ll be there.”

  “You will?” She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice. It must have been the first time she’d got me down to the house without a battle for years. “That’s wonderful news, Charlotte.” She sounded so pleased at the thought of seeing me that I almost felt guilty for demonising her all the time. Then she said, “So we’ll see you around midday? Try not to be late this time, though. I don’t want to hold everything up for you again.”

  And there it was. The reason we would never get on.

  We said our goodbyes, and I lay back on the couch, hands behind my head, staring up at the ceiling.

  She was right—I hadn’t seen my parents since my performance at their anniversary lunch. I also still hadn’t told my mum that I was working at Davenport’s. I’d asked Richard to leave it to me to break the news. My dad wouldn’t pass much comment, but my mother was bound to have an opinion—and one that was inevitably going to annoy me, I would put good money on it.

  But right now, none of that was of any importance. All I cared about was that it would give me an opportunity to spend some time with Richard, so I could try to figure out what the hell I was feeling for him.

  * * *

  I dressed carefully for work the next day. I chose a cute flirty dress, with an A-line skirt, in a rich royal blue. I washed and dried my hair smooth, and kept my make-up to a minimum. It was still me, but a fresher, softer version.

  Unfortunately my efforts with my appearance didn’t go unnoticed. Rex commented on how nice I looked with a knowing smile—he clearly suspected my crush was on someone in the office
. I made a mental note that I had to be careful of that. The last thing I needed was for him to figure out the truth.

  I waited until he went out for lunch, and then headed up to Richard’s office.

  Outside his door, I hesitated. His PA wasn’t around, which meant I couldn’t check if he was free to see me. But that was the least of my worries. Before, I’d have had no qualms about talking to him—I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But now I felt unsure of myself and worried about saying the wrong thing. It was strange. I wasn’t used to feeling nervous around him.

  I took a deep breath and knocked.

  “Come in,” he called out.

  Trying to ignore the squirming in my stomach, I pushed the heavy mahogany door open.

  He didn’t even look up as I walked in. He was too engrossed in typing something on the keyboard of his computer.

  “Just give me a second . . .” His eyes trawled the screen—I presume he’d just written an email—and then he clicked, no doubt to send. Finally he turned his attention to me. “Charlotte.” He seemed surprised to me. “What brings you to my office?” He leaned back in his chair, contemplating me. “In fact, let me guess. You were hoping to catch me coming out of the shower again.”

  I knew he was teasing, but it was too close to the truth to raise so much as a smile from me. Not trusting myself to answer, I simply ignored the question, and walked over to slip into the seat opposite him.

  “So I heard my mum roped you into Sunday lunch?”

  “That’s right.” His eyes narrowed. “Why’re you asking?” Then his expression cleared, and he chuckled. “Let me guess—you want a lift down there?”

  That was exactly what I wanted—a chance to spend some time together. I knew he wouldn’t suspect anything, because I was always blagging lifts off him. “Well, since you’re offering . . .”

  “You never change, do you, Charlotte?” He shook his head, in a slightly exasperated way. “I’ll come over about half ten.”

  “Great. I’ll be ready.”

  I got up to leave, but I was halfway to the door, when he said, “Just one thing.” I turned back to see him regarding me with an amused look in his eyes. “This time I don’t want to have to see any naked men in your bed. That’s all I ask of you.”