by Abby Green
She avoided his eye, not wanting him to see the conflicting emotions she was feeling right now.
And then he said, ‘Ready to go?’
She nodded, feeling a mixture of relief and disappointment.
When they were in the back of Zach’s car, Ashling said, ‘Your driver can drop me off at the nearest tube.’
‘No way. He’s driving you home.’
‘But I—’
‘No arguments. I’d do the same for Cassie.’
That stopped Ashling protesting further. She knew very well that Zach’s driver often dropped Cassie home after-hours.
She was glad her friend wasn’t around at the moment. The last thing she needed was to have her be witness to the ridiculous crush she’d developed on her boss. Especially when he was a man she’d judged so vociferously in the past, shamefully driven by her guilt about what she’d done when she’d first met him.
Just as they were turning into his street, Zach said, ‘I have to go to Madrid tomorrow for twenty-four hours. I don’t need you to come with me.’
For a second all Ashling was aware of was a rushing sound in her head and the plummeting of her stomach. He was letting her go. He’d seen how much she wanted him and it had embarrassed him. He hadn’t really needed her to work for him except to humiliate her, and now her humiliation was complete—
‘...hold the fort at the office...call me if there’s anything urgent. And don’t forget to pack a bag, Gerard will pick us up from the office at lunchtime on Thursday.’
Zach had been speaking all the time, but she hadn’t heard him. The car had stopped now. He was looking at her.
‘What did you say?’ she asked.
‘The event at my house in Somerset at the weekend. We leave on Thursday. We’ll be back on Saturday.’
Ashling had forgotten. The event at which Georgios Stephanides and his wife were to be the guests of honour. The top secret deal. He wasn’t letting her go. He was just going to Madrid.
‘I... Of course...okay. I’ll be ready.’
Zach got out of the car and walked up the steps. Ashling saw the door open. He disappeared. The car moved off again.
She tried to deny it, but she couldn’t. The relief coursing through her blood was humiliatingly heady.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE FOLLOWING MORNING—early—Zach’s plane took off from the small airfield. His sleep last night had been broken by dreams of dancing with a woman. Of how her body felt against his. Lithe and supple and soft and tempting. With a lush mouth that smiled readily. And huge blue eyes that looked at him as if she genuinely wanted to know what was going on in his head and even deeper. Where he kept things hidden.
At first her hair had been blonde in the dream—a familiar blonde bob—but then he’d realised it was a wig when she’d pulled it off to reveal long red hair underneath, and her smile had turned sly and calculating as everyone around them had stopped to look and laugh.
Zach scowled as the ground dropped away beneath him. He’d made a last-minute decision not to bring Ashling with him to Madrid. But maybe it was a wasted opportunity to seduce her and be done with her. Because no woman ever held any allure for him beyond the conquest.
Ashling might appeal to a different side of him, but once he’d had her she would cease to intrigue him. Cease to have the uncanny ability she seemed to have to be able to tap into his psyche in a way that he really didn’t appreciate.
Zach thought ahead to the weekend. Ostensibly Ashling was going to be there to keep Georgios Stephanides happy. The man seemed to find Zach more trustworthy with Ashling around.
Whatever... Zach didn’t like feeling as if he was depending on anyone else for success, but Ashling owed him a deal at the very least. After the one she’d been instrumental in ruining four years ago, undoing years of hard work.
But the deal had only been part of it. The rest had been ritual humiliation and the erosion of the respect he’d built up.
Ashling wouldn’t really have paid off her debt in full until he had her underneath him, begging for mercy.
Anticipation fired along all his nerve-endings and into his blood as he contemplated the weekend ahead. By the time it was over he would have closed the biggest deal of his life to date and Ashling would have paid her debt to him in full.
* * *
Two days later, Ashling was delivered to the private airfield where she’d taken the plane with Zach to Paris. Thankfully she saw him before he saw her, so she had a minute to compose herself. He’d stayed in Madrid longer than he’d intended, but an absence of some thirty-six hours had done nothing to inure her to his effect. There was a helicopter a little bit away from where Zach was talking to a man who looked like a pilot in uniform. And then she realised what Zach was wearing and her brain went into meltdown.
Faded jeans and a dark short-sleeved polo shirt. Aviator sunglasses. Her imaginings of how he would look in faded jeans could never have come close to the reality. The material cupped his buttocks and his thighs with such indecency that it felt voyeuristic just to look at him.
His arms were crossed over his wide chest and his biceps muscles bulged. The car came to a stop and Zach turned around. Ashling instantly felt she’d chosen the wrong outfit to wear—a short, multi-coloured sleeveless sundress and gladiator sandals. Suddenly she longed to be in one of Cassie’s structured suits.
The driver opened her door and helped her out. Butterflies zoomed and collided in her gut as she walked towards Zach. She was glad of her own sunglasses. Two could play the game of hiding.
She saw the driver giving her luggage and what must be Zach’s to one of the airport staff. The man Zach had been talking to melted away.
‘How was Madrid?’ she asked.
‘Good.’
Ashling couldn’t help wondering if he’d been with a woman. There was a faintly smug—or satisfied?—air to his demeanour. Maybe he had a lover there. A sultry Spanish siren with the kind of curves Ashling had longed for ever since she’d started developing. Maybe she’d enticed him to stay. Maybe she’d made him laugh. Made him forget to be serious. Made him kiss her as passionately as he’d kissed Ashling.
Ugh. She was pathetic. And, even more disturbingly, she was jealous. Sure now that he must have been with a woman, and that he was probably laughing at her, Ashling all but stomped towards the small private jet.
No man had made her jealous before. Not even her ex-boyfriends when she’d seen them with new girlfriends. She’d felt relieved!
‘Where are you going?’ Zach asked from behind her.
She turned around, feeling disorientated for a moment.
He pointed to the helicopter. ‘We’re going in this.’
Ashling blanched.
‘You’ve never been in a helicopter before?’
She shook her head, both terrified and exhilarated at the thought, all thoughts of Zach in bed with another woman forgotten for a second.
‘Come on.’ He held out a hand.
Ashling looked at it suspiciously. Then she told herself she was being ridiculous. She put her hand in his and let him lead her over to the small sleek craft. He stowed her bag and helped her up, showing her how to buckle herself in, helping fasten the belt across her chest when she was all fingers and thumbs.
He was so close she could smell him. Remember how he’d tasted. An awful yearning aching settled inside her.
Before he moved away and before she could stop herself Ashling blurted out, ‘Were you with someone in Madrid?’
He stopped. Looked at her. She was glad she couldn’t see his eyes. Or he hers. After a long moment that had Ashling’s nerves screaming, he shook his head.
‘No—not unless you count a bunch of fellow financiers.’
The relief was so immense she almost felt dizzy. Which was crazy because she had no jurisdiction over this man. And was it her
imagination or was there the tiniest smile playing around the corner of his mouth as he walked away? Damn. If she hadn’t exposed herself before now, she just done it spectacularly.
* * *
‘You’re the pilot?’ Ashling squeaked a few minutes later, when Zach got into the front right-hand seat.
The other man got in on the left-hand side and Zach looked back at Ashling. There was a definite small smile playing around his mouth now, not helping to settle her nerves much at all.
‘I only have a few hours left to log to get my pilot’s licence. This is Steve, my instructor. He’ll bring the helicopter back.’
Ashling smiled weakly at the other man. Then she was being instructed to put on her headphones, and they were lifting into the air with a little wobble.
Zach was obviously a bit of an adrenalin junkie—the Aston Martin, the motorbike, now the helicopter. Ashling didn’t like the way this intrigued her more than it should. She couldn’t just roll her eyes and pass it off as a rich man’s playthings, because she had a very real sense that he didn’t take any of this for granted—and that didn’t fit with the man she’d believed him to be.
* * *
Ashling had been blown away by the view of London from the air, with the Thames snaking between iconic landmarks that had looked like toys far down below. But now they were in lush green countryside and she noticed that they were circling over an area with a grand house in the centre of some woodland and a garden. It was possibly one of the most idyllic scenes Ashling had ever seen.
As the helicopter descended she could see that the house was a classic redbrick Georgian manor, surrounded by bucolic countryside as far as the eye could see. There was a lake near the house, beyond the trees, and a walled garden and an orchard. A marquee was obviously being set up for the function. People were milling about.
And then she spotted an outdoor swimming pool with a pool house, tucked away in another corner of the garden.
To Ashling’s shock and surprise, a well of emotion caught her off-guard. She’d dreamed of a forever-house like this ever since she was a little girl, living in the basement of Cassie’s father’s grand house in Belgravia.
They landed in an empty field just a little way off from the house, where a staff member met them with a golf buggy.
Ashling was very aware of Zach’s hard body next to hers as the small vehicle went over the bumpy ground, knocking them off-balance and into each other.
When they approached the back of the majestic house the full impact of the grounds and the level of work going into the function that would take place the following night was apparent.
They got out of the golf buggy and walked along a winding path towards the house through the garden.
Finishing touches were being put to an area that looked as if it would be a dance floor. Ashling caught a glimpse inside the marquee, where it looked as if an army of interior decorators were hanging up swathes of material and putting out tables and chairs.
There was a huge expanse of garden blooming with flowers of every colour from the rainbow. The scents, even from a distance, were heady. This was exactly the kind of garden she adored. A little bit wild. Unstructured. And a terrace ran the length of the back of the house, where gardeners were artfully twining foliage and flowers along a wall to create a backdrop.
‘Wow,’ Ashling said. ‘I didn’t realise this would be so elaborate.’
An attractive slim woman with short silver-grey hair, who looked to be in her sixties, approached them from a back door. Zach embraced her easily and smiled.
‘Diana, everything seems to be in order.’
The woman smiled back. ‘Exactly as a Zachary Temple event should be.’
Zach turned to Ashling, who’d come to a stop beside him. ‘Ashling, this is Diana, my housekeeper. She and her husband Rob take care of pretty much everything here for me.’
As Ashling smiled and shook the woman’s hand Zach was saying, ‘Ashling is a friend of Cassie’s who has kindly stepped in temporarily while Cassie is abroad and her PA is out of the office.’
‘Nice to meet you, Ashling.’
Ashling liked the woman on sight. ‘You too, Diana.’
Zach said, ‘Diana will show you to your room. I’ll take a quick look around while you’re settling in. This afternoon I have a meeting with Georgios, and this evening we’ll have dinner with him and Elena.’
‘They’ve arrived and had lunch,’ Diana told Zach. ‘They’re resting in their suite now.’
* * *
Diana led Ashling into the house. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but the manor’s interiors were open and airy, with polished parquet floors and elegant soft furnishings. Tasteful antiques dotted the downstairs reception rooms and bold modern art popped from the walls, providing a contrast.
The décor reminded her of the apartment in Paris. Where she could have slept with Zach if she hadn’t had a fit of sanity. She couldn’t seem to recall why it had been a bad idea. But the moment was gone now. All she’d done was remind Zach that he didn’t really want her.
Diana took Ashling up to the first floor and stopped outside a door, opening it. ‘These are your rooms, my dear.’
Ashling walked into the plushest, most luxurious bedroom she’d ever seen. A massive four poster bed dominated the room, dressed in soft blues and greys. Her feet almost disappeared into the carpet, it was so thick. There was an ottoman at the end of the bed, and through a doorway was an en suite bathroom that took her breath away. A romantic rolltop bath, and a marble floor matched with marble sinks and discreet silver fittings. Modern elegance in a house that had to be two hundred years old at least.
And there was a dressing room.
After the Paris apartment, Ashling wasn’t all that surprised to see a selection of clothes hanging up. Dresses, men’s shirts and suits. Also casual wear. She saw brand-new jeans and women’s shirts and cashmere sweaters. Even raincoats.
Diana said, ‘Zach employs a local boutique to keep a stock of clothes at the house, in case a guest stays over, or there is a mishap at one of his parties and someone needs to change. We keep them in this dressing room—I hope that’s not an issue?’
Cassie shook her head. ‘No, of course not.’
‘Feel free to help yourself if you need something to wear this evening.’
Ashling saw long shimmering gowns in bright hues and her fingers itched to explore, but she said almost reluctantly, ‘I’ve got everything I need with me, but thank you.’
Unable to resist, when Diana had left Ashling explored a little more. She guessed this floor was where the guest bedrooms were. There was a set of stairs at the end of the corridor and she went up them, finding that they led into another corridor.
From a window up there she could see the outdoor pool, its water shimmering under the afternoon sun. The blue mosaic tiles glistening under the water made it look very enticing. Diana had told her that she should feel free to use it and to help herself to swimwear from the dressing room at the pool house.
The sheer luxury of this place was truly intimidating—and this was after she’d seen Zach’s London townhouse and his Paris apartment.
She heard a sound from behind a doorway—the low rumble of a voice. She walked closer. The voice stopped. She moved and a board under her foot creaked. The door opened. Zach.
‘Sorry, I was being nosy.’
He stood back. ‘Come in.’
Ashling went in, curious, and saw that it must be Zach’s office. Actually, it was a suite of rooms. It was a masculine space. Dark furniture. Floor-to-ceiling shelves. She could see through to what looked like a boardroom with a big table, and there was another room with a couch and armchairs. A TV with the news on mute.
‘You could run an industry from here,’ Ashling noted.
‘I do.’
Zach was leaning back against his de
sk, arms folded. Watching her. She felt self-conscious. ‘Sorry, you’re busy. Is there anything I can do? Check on the event plans?’
‘I have an event manager, and Diana is pretty much in control of everything else.’
‘Okay...do you need me to do anything for your meeting with Mr Stephanides?’
Zach shook his head. ‘No, it’s very informal—just he and I, here in my office.’
Ashling felt as if Zach knew something she didn’t. It made her nervous. ‘I don’t think you really need me here at all. Maybe I should go.’
‘You’re here because Mr Stephanides requested that you be here.’
And because he didn’t trust her.
The thought that those were the only reasons she was here made her feel prickly now more than nervous. ‘But I don’t even work for you—not really. I think you just enjoy watching me dance to your tune. Anyone could have done what I’ve done these past few days.’
‘We haven’t lied to Georgios. He knows you’re only a temporary employee... But you have a point. I don’t think we need to fool ourselves any longer.’
‘Fool ourselves about what? The fact that I’m not really an employee at all and the only reason I’m here is because you want to punish me and you don’t trust me?’
He inclined his head slightly. ‘All of that—and the fact that we’re ignoring the elephant in the room. The only way your debt will be fully paid to both our satisfaction.’
The last time Zach had said something like this she’d misinterpreted him, but this time she didn’t think she had it wrong. And this time she wasn’t indignant...she was something much more ambiguous.
‘What exactly are you saying, Zach? Why am I here?’
‘Because I need you for this deal and because I want you.’
Heat bloomed in her belly. Between her legs. Under her skin. ‘I thought we discussed this. You agreed it wasn’t a good idea... Cassie—’
‘Cassie has nothing to do with this. We’re two adults who have insane chemistry. We don’t have to answer to anyone.’