Dream Lover

by Peterson, Nicola

  The next time he placed the food in her mouth she made sure she knew what she was saying, so when he asked if she liked it she could tell him truthfully, ‘Yes, what was it?’ When she saw the twinkle in his eyes she knew it was the frogs’ legs, besides the snails the meal was a success.

  In fact the whole evening was a success, Quinn realised her boss was nothing at all like the man she worked for of a daytime. He laughed easily, told her silly jokes making her laugh; when they stood up to leave the restaurant he slipped his arm around her shoulders as though it was the most natural thing to do and Quinn accepted leaning slightly into him.

  As they strolled back toward their hotel he stopped under the shelter of a bridge that crossed the river, and looked down into her eyes, he rested his hand against her shoulder pulling her closer, while he ran other hand through her hair then cupping her face he tilted her chin to him and lowered his head.

  For a long moment Quinn stayed still, mesmerised by the way his eyes darkened and the way his tongue moved from behind his perfectly white teeth across his lips.

  ‘What are you doing?’ she asked him, stupidly.

  Maxwell looked down into her eyes, ‘Kissing you.’

  Then before she could stop him his lips were on hers, and she knew even before his lips touched hers his kiss was going to be something special. And it was, so she ignored the warning voice in her head and encouraged his mouth against her own. Quinn felt a moment’s disappointment when his lips left hers but only for an instant because then she sighed as he started to kiss her throat and neck then slowly toward her ear where he murmured soft breathy words. She turned her face toward him for another of his devastating kisses; there was something strangely familiar about his kiss, like the way he ran the tip of his tongue across her lips before sliding gently into her mouth. Even the taste of his skin and the way he held her she recognised. When he deepened his kiss any attempts to recall who had kissed her this way were scattered to the wind. But deep down inside some sixth sense told her; only Maxwell Cordell kissed her this way. Her heart beat hard against her ribs, a million voices in her head called out to ask her ‘what the hell are you doing?’ Quinn closed her ears to the sensible side of herself, lifted her hand and ran her fingers through his thick dark hair.

  ‘Max,’ she murmured softly when he ran his hand down her body moulding her closer to his own, she was sure he had forgotten they were in a public place.

  ‘Of course,’ he released her from the tight hold, ‘we should go,’ he whispered softly against her throat, but still kissing her one more time, while running his hands through her long soft hair.

  Maxwell wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they started on their way back to their hotel, but every so often when there was no one around he would pull her into his arms and kiss her passionately.

  ‘Max,’ she whispered as she pulled her lips from his, ‘I... I’m not sleeping with you.’ She recognised the desire in his eyes, in his kiss in the way his body pressed against her own.

  ‘That wasn’t why I said we should go,’ he said smoothing down her long hair, ‘it’s late, I wasn’t presuming you would.’

  Quinn was glad it was dark she could feel her face burn with embarrassment; hopefully it was too dark for him to see.

  ‘Sorry I would rather you know... so there’s no miss understanding,’ she looked up into his face she had to know if he was angry with her, to her relief he was smiling, ‘I didn’t mean to presume…’ she finished lamely.

  He was still smiling, ‘No neither did I,’ he wrapped his arm around her shoulders kissed her gently one more time before heading off toward their hotel.

  Quinn declined when he offered her a nightcap, ‘I’ve had a lovely evening thank you,’ they were outside her room now and she was still concerned about what he expected from her.

  ‘Will you have breakfast with me?’ he asked taking her key from her fingers and unlocking her door. He smiled when she nodded, ‘Just one more thing,’ he said pushing her into her room, ‘can I kiss you good night?’

  Quinn stepped into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck, running her fingers through his thick dark hair. If she thought he had kissed her passionately before, those kisses paled into insignificance with the way he kissed her now. He swept her into his arms, moulding her body tightly against his own until there was no part of them that didn’t touch. Sliding his hand down her back until he covered her shapely bottom he held her tightly against his hard arousal.

  She couldn’t have moved if she had wanted too, he held her so firmly, turning her so her back was against the wall he ran his hands down the length of her body. Touching lightly here firmer there, until her legs trembled and she could hardly hold herself upright.

  Maxwell only released his hold when her breath caught and she gave a soft gasp, ‘I’ll give you a call at eight for breakfast,’ he said, as he spoke he took her hand resting it against his chest, she could feel his heart thundering against his chest muscles, against her palm.

  She nodded dumbly unable to speak, it was only as he started to move away she realised she had opened his shirt and one hand was still caressing his bare chest. Maxwell smiled then pressed his lips gently against hers once more and disappeared from her room.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Quinn had never found it necessary to contemplate having a cold shower before in the whole of her twenty-four years of life, but at that moment an ice-cold dip was just what she needed. The man should carry a hazard warning she was ready to burst into flames!

  Long after Max had gone, long after she had got into her bed she was still thinking about him. Why should she recognise his kisses? Why should she know he would do a certain thing just before he did? But the main thing she pondered was just why had she allowed him to kiss her in the first place? In one sweep she had gone against all of her rules; don’t get involved with anyone you work with, especially the boss.

  Quinn lay her head down on the pillows, but this time instead of trying to blank the dream which had puzzled her for weeks from her mind she allowed herself to remember.

  She saw herself in their hotel lounge, then by her bedside where Max took her in his arms. She was afraid of something, closing her eyes tightly she tried to recall what it was but couldn’t. Still trying to remember she eventually fell asleep but this time she dreamt a new dream.

  Right on eight o’clock Maxwell knocked on their adjoining door, dressed to perfection, as always, this time he was wearing a slate grey business suit, a snow white shirt and a dark blue tie.

  When she opened the door he took a step forward, she one back as she realised he was about to kiss her. While showering and getting ready she had thought of nothing except how their relationship had moved from employer and employee to possibly lovers. Quinn had sat at her dressing table for over a minute trying to pinpoint the moment her feelings for him changed so dramatically. It would have been hard not to be attracted to Maxwell Cordell; he was a stunningly handsome man but and it was a big but he was still her boss. Rule number one never get involved with the boss.

  If Maxwell was troubled she avoided his kiss he took it well and smiled, ‘Good morning, I’ve had our breakfast brought up to my room. We can eat on the balcony if that suits you,’ he stood aside for her to pass into his room.

  His room like hers enjoyed a view of the River Seine, ‘This view is too good to miss,’ she smiled as he held her chair out for her. This time she couldn’t avoid his kiss; he held onto her shoulders and gently caressed her lips with his own.

  ‘You didn’t really think I was going to go without a ‘good morning’ kiss did you?’ he smiled into her eyes while pressed his lips against hers.

  She returned his kiss and his smile but said nothing until after they had finished eating.

  ‘Max,’ she said softly, ‘I’ve been thinking,’ she wasn’t afraid of Maxwell Cordell all he did was shout, so why was she so nervous now?

  ‘Yes,’ he prompted.

  ‘About last night,�
�� she moved her hand away as she realised he was reaching for it.

  ‘Quinn,’ he said her name so softly her eyes flew to his.

  ‘It’s a mistake, us. I’m not into ‘flings’ with the boss,’ she took a deep breath before her courage failed. ‘It’s not that I don’t find you attractive, it’s just I make it a personal rule never to date anyone I work closely with, especially with the boss.’

  She missed his raised brows as she admitted she found him attractive, she was one of the few women he had met that didn’t make eyes at him at every opportunity. Not that he was vain about his looks it was just something he was aware of that happened.

  ‘What if it wasn’t just a ‘fling’ as you so tastefully put it?’ he leaned back in his chair and watched her through his half-lowered lashes.

  Quinn shook her head, ‘Until yesterday you yelled at me every chance you got. I don’t understand what happened…’ she started.

  ‘I’ve also been nice to you, lots of times,’ he cut in and looked hurt when she raised her brows. ‘What about on the plane, I held your hand. I took care of you when Giles hit you and I didn’t bill you for ruining my suit and two shirts,’ his mouth curved into a generous smile. ‘And I introduced you to frogs legs,’ he added with another smile.

  She shook her head and ignored his humorous banter, ‘It would never work, not while we work together,’ she said seriously.

  Maxwell fell into the same serious mood, ‘Okay, so what about when Paul returns to work?’

  Quinn shook her head, ‘I will still be working for your company,’ she argued but only half heartedly.

  ‘I could sack you,’ he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

  Quinn couldn’t help herself and laughed, ‘What for?’

  He shrugged her shoulders, ‘Oh I could probably think of something.’ He tapped his brow with his finger while pretending to think, ‘I could say you…. you seduced me while I slept!’

  Quinn knew he was teasing but it didn’t stop the colour draining from her face, his joke was a little to near to the bone. Before she could stop herself she leapt up and ran from his room and in to her own locking the door behind her.

  ‘Quinn,’ he shouted as she ran across the room, ‘I was teasing…’

  ‘Leave me alone I won’t sleep with you!’ she shouted as she slammed the door in his startled face.

  ‘It was a joke, open the door Quinn,’ he demanded.

  ‘Leave me alone... go to your meeting you’ll be late,’ she called through the door. A few minutes later she heard his door slam and the sound of his feet as he dashed toward the staircase.

  Quinn couldn’t believe he could be so insensitive to make a joke about something that had caused her great distress in the past. Sighing unhappily she dropped onto the sofa, she should never have let him kiss her; should never have accepted his invitation to go to dinner with him, not when she knew there would only be the two of them. But what had she been thinking of to let him kiss her in the first place?

  Quinn had been with her previous employer for nearly a year when she was offered the position of personal assistant to one of the junior executives. She had only been working for him a few weeks when he asked her out, Quinn refused explaining that she didn’t think it was a good idea much to her relief Devlin appeared to accept her refusal graciously. Unaware of his reputation for bedding his secretaries she had happily gone along on all of his business trips. Even though nothing had happened between them stories started to spread through the office while Quinn carried on blissfully unaware of the rumours of her alleged affair with Devlin.

  But Devlin Maher was a spiteful man and when Quinn had rejected his advances he promised he would find someway to pay her back. When she and two other secretaries had been away on a two-day computer-training course, Quinn had been found in the hotel reception at two in the morning. When she explained that she often sleep walked the hotel staff where sympathetic. Unfortunately one of the secretaries told Devlin who then bent the truth and started stories about her, adding fuel to his own lies.

  Every year the company held a staff Christmas party at one of the large hotels in Manchester City centre. Over the night a number of the male staff walked passed her and told her their room number, some even went as far as to leave their key with her. At first she took it as a joke, a not very nice joke but still a joke. It was only when she was in the restroom and she over heard a group of women from the office talking that she realised what the significance of the room numbers meant. Distraught she went to her room with every intention of packing her case and going home immediately; to her dismay when she reached her room there were two of the men from the office waiting for her.

  ‘What do you want?’ she asked angrily. When they very crudely told her she turned away and made her way to the hotel reception and requested the hotel manager accompanied her to her room while she packed.

  The next day she went to the one person she felt she could trust within the company, the personnel officer, and told them what had happened. To her relief he believed her. Quinn resigned from her post swearing she would never work for another man again. She had managed to achieve this until the day she started to work for Maxwell Cordell.

  Quinn walked toward the full length mirror and swept her eyes over her reflection. She was tall, a little over five feet eight, slender but shapely, but she always made sure she wore clothes that hid her figure, which was why she had been dismayed when Max had commented on her curvy figure. For work she nearly always wore her long hair tied back or in a French pleat, her face was to her pretty ordinary, although she did admit her eyes were an unusual shade a mix of brown and gold. Her nose was small her lips a bit on the full side, all in all as far as she could see nothing outstanding. But what she didn’t see was what every man who looked at her did, a very beautiful sultry woman.

  Sighing Quinn took her suitcase from the wardrobe and started to pack, she couldn’t stay. She would not allow herself to be used and manipulated again in the way Devlin Maher had done. Her friends had told her to take him to a tribunal, but the thought of her personal life being dragged through the court filled her with horror.

  ‘You have your rights,’ her friend Sophie had told her, ‘you’re still a virgin how dare he tell people you slept with him!’

  ‘Please just drop the subject,’ she pleaded, ‘people will soon forget.’

  But Devlin made sure they didn’t forget and whenever she applied for references her supposed indiscretion was mentioned. Which was? That he had woken in the night to find her in his bed.

  When Quinn applied for the position with Cordell and Smyth she told them the full story about Devlin and to her relief the personnel officer had a friend who worked for Traynor Industries and was aware of his reputation, and even though she was not given a glowing reference they still offered her the position she applied for.

  Of course she could not and would not stay any longer to work for Maxwell, and so dragging her clothes from the wardrobe she started to pack. The one big problem she had was how on earth was she going to board that plane to make the journey home?

  It was almost an hour later when there was a light knock on her door, thinking it was the maid to make up her bed she opened the door to a very stern faced Max.

  ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ he demanded when he saw her case.

  ‘Packing...’

  ‘Like hell you are I need you here,’ he told her as he tipped the contents back onto the bed.

  ‘What for to yell at or seduce?’ she snapped snatching up her lace bra and pants when she realised he was staring at them.

  ‘No to work, if I wanted to seduce someone I would only have to go back down into the reception, the check in clerk looks very willing,’ he told her with a smug smile. ‘As you have made it quite clear you only want a professional relationship, that is just what you’ll get,’ he drawled smoothly while reluctantly dragging his eyes away from her underwear, ‘I have no need to find anyone else to yell a
t… I have you,’ he glared at her for a moment. ‘I know I said you could spend tomorrow as you wished, well there’s been a change of plan I need you to work after all.’

  He dropped a folder on the dresser and gave her a list of instructions, and then without another word he turned toward the door. She realised at that moment she didn’t want their relationship to be ‘just professional’ as he reached the door she called to him deciding that she would explain why she had been so upset.

  ‘Max… I’m sorry if I over reacted...’ she began only to have him interrupt her.

  ‘You were right we should keep things professional,’ he told her coldly, ‘and one other thing,’ he half turned but kept his hand on the door handle, ‘I don’t like being called Max.’

  Quinn couldn’t stop herself from saying, ‘You told me to call you Max,’ she said not quite able to keep the catch out of her voice.

  ‘I’ve changed my mind,’ he hesitated for a split second, ‘you can call me Mr Cordell,’ without another word he stepped through the door and closed it quietly.

  As the door closed Quinn slumped down on the edge of the bed and for a few moments could do no more than sit trance like state as her heart felt ready to break as a terrible realisation started to form in her mind.

  Quinn worked like a wild woman for the most part of the day she had to, too keep from falling apart, to stop her heart from breaking. Maxwell Cordell was an unforgiving uncaring tyrant but heaven help her; she was falling in love with him. The realisation hit her like a thunderbolt from heaven making her feel sick and dizzy while wondering how on earth that had happened.

  It was turned seven when he knocked on her door to retrieve one of the files she had been working on. He looked cool and aloof, just as he had been when she had first met him, the tone of his voice distant. But then she looked equally cool and aloof, speaking to him as though their brief romantic interlude had never happened.

  Taking the file from her barely steady hands he flicked quickly through the contents. While he read through the work she had prepared for him, she couldn’t stop herself from looking him over. He was obviously going somewhere special, she thought, he was wearing his dinner jacket, probably a client dinner she thought, although she didn’t recall seeing anything in his diary for one. She was busy studying his highly polished black shoes when he spoke.