“I see that you’ve loosened up some, Mags.” A voice said from behind her and Maggie froze. No, it couldn’t be! Slowly she turned around and gasped in horror. There, standing before her was her former boss, Martin Blake.
“Martin,” she said as calmly as she could, even though she felt like she was about to be sick.
“I see you’re still giving the come on to your boss,” he said snidely. “Tell me, will you go back to the hotel and cry foul again?”
She wanted to punch him in his smug face. “There’s nothing to cry foul about,” she said crisply. “I finally work for a man who knows the difference between someone being polite and someone issuing a come on.” She was rewarded when his expression faltered slightly. “Plus, I haven’t had to fight my way out of a locked room to get away from someone who is no better than a rapist.”
Martin’s expression turned to pure fury. “You little bitch,” he sneered. “You led me on for months and then you had the audacity to run out and play the victim?”
“I was a victim,” she fought back. “I never led you on; I never wanted you to touch me. Ever. You’re disgusting and I hope to never see you again.” She spat the words at him and then turned and walked away with her head held high until she was around the front of the restaurant. Then she nearly crumbled to the ground. Her heart was racing and she felt ready to wretch.
Never in a million years had she expected to see Martin Blake again and right now all she wanted to do was get in the car and leave. But she’d have to go and find Jason first. The thought of going back inside and chancing another run in with Martin was overwhelming. She gulped in several breaths and tried to calm herself.
“Maggie?”
Suddenly Jason was standing in front of her and gently pulling her to her feet. “What happened? Are you okay? Are you sick?”
She had never been so grateful to see anyone in her life. Well, that wasn’t completely true. The last time she had felt this way it had been William Montgomery saving her. “Can we leave?” she asked a little too urgently, clutching the front of Jason’s shirt for support. “Please?”
“Of course,” he said and pulled her into his embrace. “What happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now. Can we please just go?”
Jason pulled back and looked down at Maggie’s face. She was pale and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Something was wrong; something had happened and while he wasn’t going to push her right this minute, he knew that he wouldn’t rest until he found out. He led her to their waiting car and they rode in silence back to the hotel. Once inside he let Maggie walk to the elevator while he headed to the concierge desk and ordered some tea to be sent up to her room.
He joined her moments later and when they arrived up on their floor, he took the room key from her and opened her door and then followed her inside. Jason could be patient when he needed to be but right now he felt anything but. He stood back and watched as Maggie kicked off her shoes and placed her purse and briefcase on her desk before collapsing in the oversized chair next to the window.
“Maggie?” he asked softly. “What happened back there? Did someone upset you?” By now he had figured out that she wasn’t sick. There’d been no signs of that on the ride back to the hotel so his next thought was that it was someone who had caused this. “You can trust me, Maggie,” he said when he saw the hesitation on her face.
Ever since that fateful trip, the only people that truly knew what happened were herself, William Montgomery and Martin Blake. Maggie tried to never think about it and certainly never talked about it. Maybe it was time.
“Three years ago your father saved my life,” she said with a voice that was void of emotion. “I worked for a big company as an executive assistant and I was away at a conference with my boss.” Maggie stared out the window because she didn’t want to look at Jason’s face as she talked about the worst experience of her life. “I had no idea that my boss had no real interest in the conference; he had brought me there to seduce me.”
Jason felt fury rising inside of him. He tried to think of every face he had seen tonight and figure out who it was that had done this to Maggie. His thoughts were interrupted when she continued to speak.
“I was so naïve. I honestly had no idea what was going on. He had booked all of the travel arrangements when that was normally my job and instead of questioning it, I was thankful to have had one less thing to do.” She grew silent for a moment and collected her thoughts before going on. “We arrived in California and I was so excited because I had never left the East Coast. When we go to the hotel, he checked us in. Again, I didn’t see anything wrong with that. I had never gone on a business trip before so to me, it was all completely on the up and up.”
“Maggie, you don’t have to…”
She faced him briefly. “No, it’s okay, Jason. I want you to know.” Maggie turned to look back out the window again. “It wasn’t until we got up to the room and he closed the door behind me that I realized that something was wrong. He was so quick; one minute we were talking business and the next all of my personal belongings were snatched from me. He laughed and said how he’d been planning ways to get me alone for months. I tried to leave; I was clawing at the door as he was clawing at me. When I finally got free he told me that if I went to the management or to the police, he’d tell them it was a lover’s spat and that I was blackmailing him for money. I knew they’d believe him over me. After all, he was a big time executive and I was a nobody.”
“That’s not true, Maggie,” Jason protested but she wasn’t listening.
“So I left the room and got down to the lobby and realized that I had no place to stay, no money and no I.D. That’s when your father found me. He was so nice.” She stopped and smiled at the memory. “I was so scared and he just sat with me in the lobby on the sofa and told me about himself, about his family and then he offered to buy me a cup of coffee. He showed me his I.D. By the time we were done with coffee, he had worked out a way to get my belongings back and offered me a chance at a new life and a new job.”
Jason couldn’t help but smile. That was his dad. William Montgomery took care of people and it was just one of the reasons that people loved him. He thought back to his first meeting with Maggie and how he had sensed that there was more to the relationship between her and his father and now he understood it.
Standing, Maggie walked over to her mini fridge and pulled them each out something to drink. Jason waved her off. “I asked the concierge to send up some tea for you. It should be here any minute.”
She smiled sadly at him. “You are so much like your father, Jason,” she said softly. “You take care of people.”
“I only hope that I can be like him. Dad’s an incredible man.”
“You’re more like him than you think.” They were interrupted by a knock at the door and Jason walked over and let the uniformed server in. He set up the tray with tea and an assortment of fresh fruit and cookies on the table. Jason tipped him and thanked him and then went back toward Maggie. She poured them each a cup and they sat in silence for several minutes, each absorbing all that had been revealed.
“He was there tonight?” Jason finally asked, breaking the silence. “Your former boss?”
“Yes.”
“Did he speak to you?”
Maggie nodded. “When Alan called you over after dinner, I went outside and walked down to the beach. I just wanted a few minutes to feel the sand between my toes,” she gave a mirthless laugh. “I never heard him approach. I was just standing there enjoying the sunset and the ocean breeze and then there he was. He asked if I was going to lead you on back at the hotel and then cry foul.”
“Son of a bitch,” Jason muttered and then stood and began pacing the room. “Why didn’t you come and get me?”
“I had to face him, Jason. I have been hiding for three years. I never saw him again after your father found me in that lobby. If I was ever going to be free of this…this nightmare, I
had to face him. I did my best, I really did. I held on to my dignity and didn’t let him bully me and then I walked away with my head held high. By the time you found me, I just crumbled. I held it together as long as I could.”
Her voice broke on the last word and then the tears finally fell. Jason was instantly at her side and he pulled her close. For the first time in three years, Maggie finally let herself openly cry in front of another person. Maybe now it would finally be over. Maybe now she wouldn’t have to feel like an idiot. Or a victim. She had gotten away from Martin before he was able to do anything and she knew now that she had done nothing wrong. It was a relief. It was three years of her life that she had let him have and now she was free.
She cried into Jason’s shirt and when she realized what she was doing and made to pull away, he simply held her closer. “Your shirt,” she whispered.
“Don’t worry about my damn shirt,” he said gruffly and led her over to the bed. Gently he sat her down and then went over and closed the drapes. “I think you’ve had enough today. A good night’s sleep will help a little, I hope.” He smiled down at her. She was still dressed in her black pencil skirt and white blouse but her hair was mussed up from her walk on the beach and all that had happened afterwards and her makeup was practically gone and yet she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
“Sleep in tomorrow. I can handle the Hardwell people on my own,” he said as he took a step away from her.
“That’s not necessary, Jason,” she protested and stood up. “You hired me to do a job and…”
“To hell with the job, Maggie!” he snapped and then cursed himself when she winced. She’d had a traumatic night and yelling at her wasn’t helping. He took a calming breath. “Look, it’s just that I know you’ve had an emotional night and I want you to rest and relax. I don’t want you to have to be looking over your shoulder in case this guy shows up anyplace else, okay?”
She nodded and Jason took a step toward her and gave her a gentle shove to make her sit down again. “Try and get some sleep, Maggie,” he said softly.
“I doubt I’ll get much sleep. If I close my eyes, I’ll just see him,” she said sadly. “I’m probably going to channel surf for a while.”
Jason sat down beside her on the bed and took her hand in his. “You have to at least try and sleep.”
Maggie turned to him and gave him a weak smile before shaking her head. “It took months before I was able to close my eyes and not see his face after it happened. I’d sleep with the TV on just so that I wouldn’t hear his voice in my head.”
“Where was your husband during all of this?” Jason asked although he really didn’t want to know.
Maggie didn’t understand the question at first. Husband? What husband? In all of the turmoil, that little white lie had been forgotten. How was she supposed to respond? What would a husband do? “Um, we weren’t married yet but whenever I let it get to me, he would just hold me until I fell asleep.” She hoped that’s what husbands do but right now, she couldn’t find the strength to care.
Jason nodded and released her hand. A million thoughts were racing through his mind but first and foremost was that he wanted to be the one to hold her until she fell asleep tonight. It was beyond inappropriate and he knew that he could never voice that out loud. Maggie had been through enough tonight with her previous boss without having to worry about her current boss harassing her, too.
“I wish there was something I could do or say right now to help,” he admitted. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so helpless in my life. Thank you for trusting me with this, Maggie, but I have to tell you, I want to know who it is and go after him and beat him senseless for what he’s done to you!”
Jason stood and was about to walk away when Maggie reached out for his hand and pulled him back to her. “That won’t help anything, Jason. And I should be the one thanking you.”
“For what? For making you go to that damn dinner? You said that you didn’t want to go and I forced you. That means it’s my fault that this happened, Maggie! Do you know how that makes me feel?”
She knew exactly how he felt because it was written all over his face. He had a beautifully expressive face and she wanted to reassure him that he wasn’t to blame. Without thinking, she reached out and cupped his face in her hands. “Jason, you have nothing to be sorry for.” She held her gaze steady with his, willing him to see how sincere she was. “No one could have predicted this happening. Thank you for being there when I needed someone and thank you for sitting here with a near hysterical woman and calming her down.”
Jason reached up and placed his hands over hers before pulling them away from his face. Her touch was killing him. “I wasn’t there when it really mattered, Maggie,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion.
“You’re here now,” she whispered. “And I don’t want you to go.”
He stared down at her. What was she saying? “Maggie…I…”
“I don’t want to be alone,” she admitted. “I just want…I need…”
“What?” he asked so softly that she almost didn’t hear him. “What do you need? Anything, Maggie. Anything you need, I’ll do.” He took a step closer.
She took a steadying breath. “Will you hold me?”
As if she were made of spun glass he carefully enveloped her in his embrace. “Yes,” he whispered into her hair and just reveled in the feel of her wrapped in his arms.
“Stay with me tonight, Jason.”
He leaned back and looked down into her face. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”
She gave him a small smile and stepped out of his arms and turned to pull down the comforter on the bed and turned out the bedside lamp. “I trust you, Jason.” She sat down on the bed and reached for his hand. “I just need you to hold me.”
Jason kicked off his shoes and removed his belt and then joined her on the bed. There they lay, completely clothed and clung to one another for the rest of the night.
Chapter Seven
Jason woke first. They were still wrapped around one another as they had been last night and he found that he could get very used to waking up with Maggie in his arms. Her hand was resting right over his heart; the hand that bore the ring of another man.
“Dammit,” he whispered and then gently tried to disentangle himself from her. Maggie let out a small sound of protest and when Jason was standing and looking down at her, her eyes fluttered open.
“What time is it?” she whispered.
“It’s almost six,” he said, trying hard to not let the anger that he felt at himself show. When Maggie made to rise he held up a hand to stop her. “Go back to sleep, Maggie. It’s early yet.”
“I have to pack and we’ve got the meeting at nine and…”
“I’m going alone. I told you that last night. You can stay here and pack and I’ll send the car for you around eleven and we’ll head to the airport.”
Maggie knew that Jason thought he was being considerate but she didn’t want his pity. “I can be packed in fifteen minutes, Jason,” she countered. “There’s no reason for me to not go with you.” She rose from the bed and stood before him.
With a huff of frustration, Jason took a step back. “This isn’t up for discussion, okay? I’m telling you, as your boss, that I am going to this meeting alone. I want you to stay here and make sure that everything is packed up and ready to go when the car arrives.”
As if the ‘boss’ line wasn’t enough, his tone of voice said it all. It was clipped and sharp and was almost enough to make Maggie burst into tears. Again. “Fine,” she said softly. “I’ll make sure that everything is taken care of.” Before Jason could say another word, Maggie stepped around him and went into the bathroom and closed the door.
He took the hint.
Silently leaving the room, Jason walked across the hall to his own room. Once the door was closed behind him he slumped against in and cursed himself. What the hell had he been thinking spending the night with Magg
ie? It was all innocent and he knew that but did it really make a difference? She was another man’s wife and he had no right to spend the night in her bed. And the fact that she was his employee only made it worse.
Jason always considered himself a reasonable, level-headed man and yet right now he was feeling anything but. He could go to this meeting this morning without Maggie and it wouldn’t be a hardship but what was he supposed to do once they were in the car together riding to the airport? Or flying home? Hell, what was going to happen once they got back to the office? How could he possibly look at her, spend time with her knowing that he had crossed so many lines with her?
If her husband came and kicked his ass, he would take it. It was no less than he deserved. Jason had never gone after a married woman. He’d never even given one a second look. That was a line he never crossed because he believed in the sanctity of marriage and he never wanted to be the cause of someone’s marriage breaking up.
Until Maggie.
What was it about Maggie Barrett that had him breaking all of his rules? She was supposed to be the answer to all of his problems and had ended up causing a lot whole lot more.
Jason dragged himself away from the door and went about the task of packing. It would be good to get home and sleep in his own bed tonight. The thought of this trip finally being over was more of a relief than he ever thought possible. He needed to get his head back on straight and maybe by the time they returned to the office on Monday he would have an answer as to how to work with Maggie without working with Maggie.
It was early and he was organized and the process of packing took little to no time and Jason found himself sitting on the edge of the still-made bed wondering what the hell to do next. Reaching for his phone he decided that he needed to talk to someone other than Maggie.
He decided to call the one person who would understand what he was dealing with better than anyone else.
“Somebody better be dead or dying for you to be calling this early,” Lucas said sleepily into the phone.
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