by Abby Green
Ashling swallowed. He did fancy her. It was too much to absorb for a second.
‘The woman you were with that night...’
‘She dumped me—like I told you. But I didn’t care. I was angry at first, but then I realised that I didn’t even want her any more.’
Because he’d wanted her...?
Ashling shook her head. ‘You’re just saying this. Teasing me. More punishment for what I did.’
She turned to go but Zach caught her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. It felt shockingly intimate.
‘I’m not teasing. I don’t tease women. It tends to send out the wrong message.’
Ashling could believe that. He was far too serious. She wondered what he would be like if he laughed. Properly laughed. Out loud. Smiled.
‘So what...?’ What happens now? She couldn’t say the words out loud.
Zach tugged her closer. He lifted their entwined hands against his chest and curled his other hand around her neck. Just before his mouth descended on hers, Ashling realised he wasn’t asking her permission because she’d made it all too painfully obvious that she wanted him. For a second she wanted to pull back, disconcert him as he did her, so easily, but then his mouth touched hers and the world went on fire.
Ashling could feel the press of Zach’s arousal against her belly. She strained closer, seeking friction to assuage the ache building between her legs, sharp and urgent.
Zach pushed the strap of her dress off one shoulder. He untwined his fingers from hers and Ashling’s hand slid over his chest, revelling in the sheer breadth and strength of him. He was tugging her head back, deepening the kiss, drugging her, pulling her deeper and deeper into a carnal spell where the whole world, her very existence, was reduced to this moment, with her heart beating and the delicious tug and pull of Zach’s tongue against hers.
And then he broke the kiss, trailing his mouth down over her shoulder. She realised through a hot haze that he was resting back on the arm of a couch and had spread his legs either side of her thighs, so that he could trap here there. It placed his erection closer to the apex of her legs, and Ashling bit her tongue at the sharp tug of need.
He pulled down the strap of the dress further, until one side of her dress was peeled away from her bare breast. He looked up at her for a moment, dark eyes hooded and full of something that made her shake. She’d never known she could have such an effect on a man. Or a man on her. Her previous experiences hadn’t prepared her remotely for this rush of sensations and desires piling up inside her, stealing her sanity and her wits and—
Ashling let out a low moan when Zach’s mouth surrounded the peak of her breast in hot, sucking heat.
Her hands clasped his head. She was torn between pulling him back from torturing her and keeping him there for ever. He laved the hard peak with his tongue, teeth nipping gently, before sucking so hard that Ashling saw stars. She didn’t even know if she was still standing. Every nerve cell was straining towards a release that shimmered just out of reach...
And then his other hand was under her dress, reaching up to find her thigh, caressing her there, moving higher, fingers sliding under silk underwear to cup her bottom.
Ashling couldn’t think or breathe, but something was struggling to reach her through the fog. A small voice. A warning. She didn’t really know this man. He was Cassie’s boss! She’d done something awful to him in the past and he hated her for it. So how could he now—?
Ashling tensed and pushed back, dislodging Zach’s mouth from her breast. She pulled the dress back up over her throbbing breast, securing the strap on her shoulder again with shaking fingers. Her blood was pounding. Her body crying out for fulfilment.
But she wasn’t even sure if she liked this man, and yet he’d connected with her on a level so deep and intimate that it made her head spin.
She took a step back and said shakily, ‘I don’t think this is a good idea. You’re Cassie’s boss. She’s my friend. You don’t even like me. You don’t trust me.’
Zach’s hair was mussed. She’d done that, grabbing his head to keep his mouth on her breast. She could still feel the delicious tugging—
She closed her eyes in a bid to stop her imagination.
‘I don’t trust anyone.’
Ashling’s eyes snapped open again. Zach stood up and went over to a drinks cabinet. He poured himself a measure of golden liquid, asked, ‘Do you want a drink?’
Ashling shook her head. Then said, ‘No, thank you.’
I don’t trust anyone.
He looked very remote at that moment, his back to her. Ashling wanted to go and put her arms around him from behind, press close. The men she’d been with before—sweet and kind and ultimately dull—would have let her do that. But this man...he would resist. And the fact that she knew that and yet still wanted to do it told her she was doing the right thing.
Zachary Temple was not looking for comfort. He was not even someone she thought she could admire. He shouldn’t be having this effect on her. It made her wonder about the rock-solid values she’d taken for granted her whole life, having been taught that things like compassion, wellbeing, happiness and good health were more important than wealth and ambition.
This just proved to Ashling that passion was dangerous. It scrambled your brain cells. Made you fall for the wrong person. Made you trust in something that wasn’t there. Like her mother and her father.
Something struck her. Maybe the men she’d been with before had been attractive to her precisely because she’d known they wouldn’t push her to the edge of her boundaries and over. It wasn’t a welcome revelation.
She wondered if she really knew herself at all. How could someone like Zach fascinate her so much when he’d just been handed everything his whole life? When he was so ambitious—pursuing a deal to gain control of one of Europe’s biggest banks just to add it to his portfolio?
She backed away to the door even as her body still ached for satisfaction. ‘This isn’t a good idea. I’ll go.’
Zach didn’t turn around. He just took a swig of the drink and said, ‘That’s probably a good idea.’
Ashling turned and left on very shaky limbs. It was as if an earthquake had just exploded inside her and her cells had been rearranged. She knew that on some fundamental level Zach had triggered a response that she would never be able to bury or deny again. He’d changed her, whether she liked to admit it or not. In spite of who he was.
* * *
Zach knew that no amount of alcohol burning its way down his throat would extinguish the desire that had just knocked him off his feet. He’d felt it last night, but he’d not given it full rein. Just now, though...it had almost overwhelmed him. The feel of Ashling’s mouth under his...her tongue shyly touching his...her slender limbs that belied the strength he’d felt in her muscles...soft breasts, filling his hand and his mouth.
No woman had ever made him lose it. He’d seen his peers fall by the wayside, seemingly driven mad with lust they couldn’t control...he’d pitied them.
But just now he’d been afraid to turn around in case Ashling saw the extent of the need still burning him up inside written all over his face. He felt feral. Animalistic.
He should be secretly thankful that she’d pulled them back from the brink. She was right. They shouldn’t be doing this—for many reasons. Not least of which was because she was not his type at all. And he suspected she’d tell him that he wasn’t hers.
But instead of feeling thankful, all he felt was seriously unsatisfied. And angry with himself for his serious lapse in judgement. He’d shared top secret information with her, and now he had to face the prospect that letting her go was not an option.
* * *
The following morning Ashling felt heavy-headed after a restless night. She’d been too keyed-up to sleep. Too full of aches and wants.
Zach, on the other hand, whe
n she met him in the dining room for breakfast, looked as pristine as if he’d just spent a weekend at a spa resort. Clean-shaven. Hair damp from a shower. Smelling delicious. The worst thing was that she could imagine only too well the power behind his civilised clothes. The warm silky skin over steel muscles.
He looked at her when she sat down at the table, not a hint of what had happened the previous evening in his expression or his eyes. It was disconcerting.
But then Ashling had to remind herself that Zach was far more used to this kind of thing than she was. And in a way she should be thankful they hadn’t slept together, because there was no way she knew how to navigate a morning-after situation with a man like him.
He poured her a cup of coffee. There were delicious-looking pastries and fluffy croissants laid out on trays.
‘What are your plans this week?’ he asked.
Ashling picked up the cup, hoping the coffee might make her feel half as put-together as he looked.
She stared at him. ‘Plans?’
He nodded.
Feeling a little nonplussed, Ashling said, ‘I have yoga classes to teach, and I care for Mrs Whyte—’
‘Mrs Whyte?’
‘The woman whose shopping I buy. I delivered it to her yesterday...when you came to my apartment?’
Zach nodded. ‘Yes, go on, what else?’
Ashling put down the cup. ‘Apart from the yoga and Mrs Whyte I have a couple of shifts at the cafe... I think that’s it. Why?’
‘I need you to work for me this week.’
‘You...what?’
‘I’m still without assistants. Gwen will be out for another week at least. Cassie isn’t due back until the end of the week after next. And Georgios Stephanides wants to move ahead with this deal. I’m hosting an event at my Somerset house at the end of next week and he’s coming with his wife to talk over final details. I’ve told you this deal is top secret. I don’t want anyone else to know what’s going on until contracts are signed. You and my legal team are the only ones in the loop. And Georgios has met you. He thinks you’re part of my team. He likes you. He sent a message this morning saying that he hoped you’d be there, which is as good as an order.’
‘But you don’t trust me.’
Because he didn’t trust anyone.
Had her actions four years ago had this effect on his outlook? Ashling told herself she was being ridiculous. She might have caused him some embarrassment, but she’d hardly have enough influence to cause him to become less trusting. He moved in a world where cynicism pervaded everything.
Zach countered with, ‘Precisely. Not only do I need to keep Georgios Stephanides happy, I also want you where I can see you.’
Ashling chafed at that. ‘I’m not a child.’
Something flared in his eyes. ‘No, you’re not...’
Ashling flushed. ‘I can’t just drop everything at the last minute. What I do might not seem consequential to you, but I can assure you that—’
‘I’m sure your neighbour would appreciate full-time care, no?’
Ashling’s mouth stayed open. ‘What are you saying?’
‘That if you work for me for the week I’ll ensure that she has help for as long as she needs it.’
Ashling struggled to take this in. ‘But that’s...that’s like winning the lottery.’
Zach shrugged minutely.
Anger at his cavalier attitude to something potentially life-changing flared up inside Ashling. ‘People are just pawns to you, aren’t they? You’re angry with me so you’ve moved me around to teach me a lesson. And now you think you can just click your fingers and change someone’s life just because it’s expedient for you.’
‘I don’t let things stand in my way.’
‘Because you don’t have to.’
‘Because I’ve worked for it.’
‘I doubt that,’ she scoffed. ‘Someone like you was born with a golden ticket into the arena.’
Zach’s face tightened. ‘You know this because...?’
A prickle of unease skated down Ashling’s spine. ‘Because it’s obvious.’
Was it, though? a little voice prompted. It wasn’t like her to judge. But Zach oozed privilege. To get to his level of success demanded entry at the very top levels of society from birth. She pushed aside her conscience.
‘You’d really set up care for Mrs Whyte for as long as she needs it?’
‘Consider it done.’
‘I’d have to talk to her...see if it’s something she wants. She’s very private.’
‘I can offer her more consistent care than you ever could. With the best will in the world.’
That stung. But Ashling knew it was true. She couldn’t guarantee that she’d always be there, and Mrs Whyte had grown quite dependent on her.
Zach said, ‘You still owe me, Ashling. There is a deal here that I want very badly. If you can help me close it then we really will be quits.’
Ashling squirmed inwardly at the thought of causing him to lose a deal four years before. The guilt was still fresh. ‘I’d have to sort out my other commitments. My yoga classes. The café.’’
‘Whatever you need to do—do it.’
In other words this was a fait accompli and Ashling was being sucked into Zach’s orbit whether she liked it or not.
Much to her disgust, her prevailing reaction was one of illicit excitement, not outright rejection of this turn of events. And, even worse, she realised that her anger had flared so quickly not just because of his arrogance in knowing that he would prevail no matter what, but because just a few hours ago she’d been a very willing pawn in his arms.
Nevertheless, she forced herself to say, ‘What about...what happened last night?’
Zach’s jaw clenched. ‘That was a mistake. It won’t happen again.’
CHAPTER SIX
ZACH BLINKED. LESS than twenty-four hours later, Ashling stood in the doorway to his office wearing a blue silk sleeveless jumpsuit. A yellow belt cinched her waist and a yellow neckerchief adorned her throat. She wore yellow wedge sandals. A jaunty cross-over pink bag rested at her hip.
She looked bright and fresh. And totally out of place. And yet something perverse inside him made him resist his reflex to instruct HR to discreetly let her know there was a dress code. After all, this was just a temporary arrangement.
You could have let her go.
He should have let her go.
Especially after what had happened the night before last.
Especially because the lust she’d awakened inside him was snapping back to life now.
He ignored his libido and stood up. ‘Come in, Ashling.’
She looked nervous and that caught at him. He told himself he was being ridiculous. She was street-smart and savvy.
But she must have seen his look and she said, a little defensively, ‘I’m not used to this kind of environment.’
‘And you’re really not that interested, are you?’ Zach noted dryly.
She flushed. Looked behind him. ‘The views are amazing.’
Zach rested back on the side of his desk. ‘So is the wealth I generate for my clients.’
‘You hardly need my approval for that.’
Zach cocked his head. ‘You really expect me to believe that wealth, success, means nothing to you?’
‘Oh, it means everything—I just measure wealth and success differently.’
‘Says the woman who loves an Aston Martin, one of the most expensive cars in the world.’
She flushed again. It was fascinating to watch her react to things.
‘I can appreciate a beautiful car without wanting to acquire it as a trophy.’
Zach made a wincing face. ‘Ouch.’
Now she looked contrite. ‘I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair—especially after you let me drive yours.’
/>
Zach stood up, realising he was indulging in exactly the kind of chatter he expressly forbade among his employees. ‘I’ll have HR send someone up to show you how to navigate the computer system. Essentially, though, your job is just about running interference. They’ll explain everything. You can use the desk in the office next door.’
* * *
Ashling took a deep breath after she had put a closed door between her and Zach. She’d only realised when she’d got to his office that morning and seen him in a dark grey three-piece suit that everyone in the building was similarly attired in monochrome colours. Even the decor was muted. No doubt to minimise distraction.
No wonder people had given her second and third glances on her way up here. A familiar sensation washed over her—she didn’t belong here. But she pushed it aside. She hadn’t asked to be here after all. She’d been instructed to be here.
It was as if the universe had conspired with Zach to leave her no option but to do his bidding. Since she’d seen him last Mrs Whyte had met and approved someone from an agency who would help her until such time that she decided she didn’t need it any longer. And Ashling had asked a friend to cover her yoga classes, half hoping there might be a problem. But he’d been delighted at the prospect of extra cash.
Similarly, a friend at the café had jumped at the chance of more shifts because she was saving for her wedding.
So now she was here, her heart still palpitating in her chest.
She had the strong impression that, in spite of Zach’s justification for asking her to work for him, he was just doing it for his own amusement...stringing her torture out for a bit longer. He probably had a personal bet on how long she would last, so she resolved right then to do everything in her power to confound his expectations.
Except one thing.
She refused to dress to fit in with the crowd.
* * *
Two days later, Ashling was making coffee for Zach, expecting his arrival at any moment. She was not a morning person at the best of times, and the effort it had taken for the past two days to be on time—early, in fact—and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed was not inconsequential. But it had been worth it for the look of sheer surprise on Zach’s face the first morning and then, yesterday, his look of disbelief.