Penny glared at her.
"Incidentally, you're more than welcome to enjoy Ed, if that's what you're worrying about. I'm happy for you both."
Rivets of ice formed in Penny's eyes. She didn't like being called to order.
"What, were you expecting me to be upset?" Abby looked at her earnestly. "Do you really think I'd ever let you steal anything that I wanted to keep, you silly girl?"
"It wasn't like that..." Penny muttered, looking flustered, her voice trailing nowhere.
"Of course it wasn't...but if you're still trying to steal my job..." Abby smiled at the other woman's frozen stare. "Well, you're welcome to go for that too, I'm handing in my resignation later today then I'm out of here."
Penny did a fair impression of a fish swallowing air.
"Why don't you run along now." Abby directed her toward the door with a wave of her hand.
Penny's lips tightened to a pinch. She turned on her spiky heels and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Abby spun her chair to the window and allowed herself a brief moment of gratification, before returning to the papers on the desk.
Within a couple of minutes there was another knock and before she had time to answer it, Ed opened the door and walked in. He looked confused, rather sheepish and truly embarrassed.
She stood up in an effort to make him feel unwelcome.
"Abby." He walked towards her. "Penny said you're intending to leave, is it because...." He looked so uncomfortable that she actually felt sorry for him. Momentarily.
"No, Ed. It isn't because of us, you, Penny, whatever."
He didn't look convinced.
"It's time for me to move on. I want to go freelance, I have for a while. The time's right, that's all."
It was if her words didn't quite reach him. He looked confused. She walked to the door and opened it, urging him to go out. He stood in the doorway.
"It's okay, Ed, let's just go our separate ways. We had a short relationship and it was over months ago anyway, wasn't it?"
He frowned. "But I thought we would...I thought you wanted me, that we had a special relationship."
"Excuse me?" Abby folded her arms. She was amazed. "Let me get this straight. You want me to tell you how much I need you, after discovering you with another woman?"
"Well, I..." A confused frown took up residence on his forehead.
"Or perhaps what you really need is to carry the guilt of my broken heart, to make you feel more of a man?" She sighed deeply, shaking her head. "I'm sorry Ed, I'm not going to be able to give you that particular pleasure. It would be a downright lie."
He gave her a pleading glance, clearly confused by her words. It wasn't what he had been expecting. "You're upset, I can see that."
Christ almighty. The man only saw what he wanted to see. Outright rejection was the only thing that would get rid of him now.
"Let's face it, Ed, we had sex occasionally...that is all it was. Let it go, I did. I'm seeing someone else now." She gave him a bright smile, grabbed the door handle and wavered the door to and fro, to scoop him out.
He shuffled a couple of steps, then stopped and turned to face her. "Who are you seeing?"
She sighed again, loudly. "Ed, I don't have time for this. I have to look over my notes and get ready for this meeting." She turned away from him, looking down the corridor toward the board room to make her point.
He began to speak, but Abby didn't hear him any more, because someone familiar had caught her eye. A shiver ran down her spine. Tom was standing in the reception area speaking with another suited man. Zac.
What is he doing here?
Ed's voice had gone quiet. He turned to follow her gaze. "Oh, you haven't met the Ashburn client yet, have you?"
"Ashburn client?" she repeated, her pulse growing erratic, her thoughts in chaos. It can't be. She looked at his familiar face. He was wearing shades, but it was undeniably him.
"Tom just introduced us. He's the son, name's Zachary Bordino. Apparently he recently took over from his old lady."
She stared at Ed, frowning. I've been working for Zac?
"Don't worry, Abby, he might look a bit eccentric, but he seemed sound enough. He mentioned that he thought our work with the account was excellent."
She swallowed, looked back at Zac again. "He did, did he?"
Her breath was catching in her throat.
"You look worried. Concentrate on the meeting, you'll be fine." He reached for her shoulder, squeezing it. "We can talk again later."
He trailed off but Abby barely noticed, she was still riveted to the spot watching Tom introducing Zac to Penny.
As she stared at his profile in dismay he turned toward her, looking over Tom's shoulder, as if drawn by her gaze. No thoughts seemed to form in her mind, just a rush of chaotic emotions. Fear, hope, confusion, love and pain. The confusion was overwhelming.
After the initial moment of mutual recognition finally lapsed Zac reached for his shades, folded them into his hand and revealed his eyes to her. He looked at her with such intensity that it sent her heart tripping. Another wave of chaos through her mind.
But he was calm. He knew.
Her hand went to her face and her breathing flew even further out of pitch. Why the hell hadn't he said something? Confusion swelled inside her.
Meanwhile, Tom gestured toward her and Zac nodded at him, then glanced back at Abby as they walked closer.
Tom was going to introduce them. She just about died on the spot. Clutching at the doorframe for support, she wished the moment away.
But no, he kept getting closer, his expression determined, immaculately presented in a charcoal suit, a black shirt and tie beneath.
"Abigail, allow me to introduce you to Zachary Bordino, the Ashburn portfolio client."
Zac reached out his hand. "I'm pleased to meet you here, Abigail. We've been impressed with your work and I came here today specifically to acknowledge that."
His expression was laden with concern.
"Abigail is our brightest rising star," Tom interjected with a smarmy, possessive smile.
Zac threw him an irritated glance.
It was a nightmare, surely? She felt as if she was on a stage and didn't know the lines. His hand was still outstretched. Reluctantly, she took it. "I'm sorry. I was expecting someone else. Adrianna?"
"Yes, you were. I am Adrianna's son. I thought it best that I attend. I've taken over my mother's business, but I didn't want to interrupt your flow of work with this information earlier." He squeezed her hand firmly, his eyes flickering secret messages to her.
Why, why didn't you tell me? Hurt, angry hurt spilled through her. This was the obstacle that she had felt between them, the secret that he had hidden. Why?
"Your professionalism is unquestionable. You've got my full trust." He paused to let his message sink in. "On everything you do."
He'd well and truly prepared for this, she realized with a wild sense of irony. But then he'd had the time to do so. She bloody well hadn't. Her gaze fell to his hand, which held hers so firmly, so reassuringly.
She pulled away.
Tom glanced at his watch. "Let's get some coffee before we kick off. Abby?" He put out his arm, as if to take her under his wing.
She shook her head and stepped back into her office. "I just need to go over my presentation notes, I'll join you shortly."
Zac's brow furrowed, but then he gave a slight shake of his head—as if the situation was beyond his control—and a hopeful half smile as he walked away from her view.
Abby turned back into her office. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it. Her heart was pounding. Thoughts crashed against one another in her mind. What was going on? He'd known. Not only that, but he must have known all along, because he was so calm when she'd told him in Paris that she wasn't just the receptionist. He'd looked sort of gutted, as she recalled. She'd mistaken it for disbelief, or a sense of wrong that she'd lied to him, but it was more than that. It w
as because of this, the fact she was working for him. That was obvious, now. But how had he known? She paced the office, her mind ticking over frantically.
She stopped, steadying herself with one hand on the edge of the desk. Of course, he would have had the staff dossier from when they first took on the Ashburn account. It was standard company policy to supply full details of all employees to new clients. They were given as much information as possible, to reassure them about allowing their millions to be handed over to complete strangers. He not only had a photo of her, but he knew her whole life story. Everything. What University she went to, her personal interests, her favorite authors, what historical figures she admired.
No wonder he hadn't asked her much about her work—after that initial bout of teasing, which made much more sense now. She'd assumed it was because he didn't want to pry into that side of her life until she was ready to discuss it with him. In reality it was because he already knew it all. She remembered her early feelings of being watched. Watched, or watched over? Had he been observing her at first hand because of her work with his money - or because he hadn't trusted her, after what had happened to him before?
She put her head into her hands, and thought back to the moment she met him. He'd been delivering documents, he'd told her later as a favor to someone. Why hadn't he said who that was? Her blood ran cold as she retraced the sequence of events. I lied to him.
She put her face in her hands. After what he'd been through before, it was no wonder he was wary. She remembered him saying he wondered what she was going to say next, when she'd gone to the venue that Sunday afternoon. He'd probably had notification through from Tom that she was taking over the account. She would have been fresh in his memory when she turned up at the club. He would have questioned her motives, of course he would.
"Oh fuck." He'd been the one at the end of the mail. That's why he knew when she would call and why he was always ready to meet when she was.
Just when she thought she was sorting her life out, now this. Chaos. What on earth was she going to do? She had a sudden desire to flee the building and hide herself somewhere. Keep your head. She sat down and tried to rationalize her feelings.
Seconds ticked by. She stared at her computer screen, letting the familiar sight of the Robertson logo scrolling on the screensaver ground her.
That's when curiosity bit her. She moved her hand to the mouse and shifted it. She took a deep breath. Pulling up Google, she typed in Zac's name. First up was a link to a press release for the current art exhibition at The Hub, but it was the second link that leapt out at her, sending her into a frenzy of embarrassment.
Ashburn heir heads up new arts venture. Zachary Bordino trades in his playboy lifestyle for the art world.
Abby shut her eyes, slumped in her chair and massaged her temples. "How the hell has this happened to me? Why didn't I know?"
She'd been blind to the truth. She'd managed to fall in love with a man without knowing the first thing about him. That's not true. No, it wasn't. The voice of reason just about saved her from cracking up. She knew enough to fall, just not the key link between them. But why hadn't he told her?
There was a solid knock at the door. Her head snapped up and she stared at it. Zac?
"Come in." She said it as loud as she could, quickly grabbing the mouse to close down the web page on her screen.
The door opened but it wasn't Zac, it was Caroline that came in.
Abby breathed again.
Seeing her hunched over the desk, Caroline came over and stood beside her. "I heard about Penny," she said. "That dirty underhanded bitch! I knew she was up to no good, but I never thought she'd stoop so low as to seduce Ed when he was still trying for you."
Caroline looked so disgusted on her behalf that Abby gave a slightly hysterical laugh. Her day was getting more surreal by the moment.
"I just knew there was something funny going on between them." She hitched her skirt up to her knee and sat on the corner of the desk, reaching out to put a reassuring hand on Abby's arm, as if she was standing by her in the face of treachery. "I did try to warn you about her. She was always jealous of you." She rolled her eyes. "Ed should have known better. Men!" She ducked down and peered at Abby closely. "You need to cheek your mascara, sweetie, it's smudged."
"Oh, thanks." Abby snatched a pocket mirror from her top drawer and rubbed away the smudges.
"Now, are you going to be okay with them being there during this meeting?"
Abby put down the mirror and gave her a dazed smile. "Thanks, Caroline. I think I'll cope with Penny and Ed." It was then that she realized they were all going to be in this meeting together. Penny, the underhanded bitch, Ed, who wanted her to be heartbroken, Tom, the leering boss, and Zac. Zac, the man she'd been working for all this time—unknowingly, while falling desperately in love with him. What a bizarre collection of personnel it would be.
She felt light-headed, slightly drunk at the prospect of standing in front of them all, speaking about the serious business of investment and return, to a bunch of onlookers with personal investments of a different kind. The financial stakes weren't the only ones to be concerned about.
"Listen," Caroline said, "I could sit in on the meeting. Tom hasn't asked me to do so specifically, but I could be there for you, for moral support."
Why not? She could certainly do with an ally. "That would be great. Thanks Caroline, I'd appreciate it."
"Good girl, I'll be right there for you." She squared her shoulders as she stood up.
"Could you tell them I need another couple of minutes? I just need to clear my head."
Caroline nodded. "You take all the time you need, honey. Make them wait, the backstabbing bastards." And with that tender sentiment, she headed for the door.
When she reached it, she turned back. "You'll be fine, and just wait until you get a look at the client. He'll take your mind off it." She winked. "This guy is totally gorgeous." She waved her hand in front of her face to indicate his heat level.
Abby gave a weak smile and continued to stare at the door after Caroline had gone, trying to imagine herself walking out through it herself, with true confidence. As she did so, the door sprang open again and Suzanne ran into the office, hair awry, bag clutched in her hand, her jacket done up all wrong.
"Blimey. It's like Piccadilly Circus in here," Abby mumbled to herself in disbelief.
"Abby, oh Abby, I'm so sorry." Her eyes were puffy and red. She looked as if she'd been crying. She slammed the door shut behind her.
Abby stood up, clutching at her desk for support. "What is it?"
"Nathan, he told me everything, he confessed that he only came here and met me because he wanted to find out about you, for Zac."
Abby's eyebrows shot up. "Nathan? The guy you've been seeing is Nathan?" She stared at Suzanne, incredulous.
"Yes." Her cheeks flamed. She looked mortified. "He came here with papers for you last week. I asked him out for a drink and, well...things went from there. But he's just told me this morning that he works for the other guy, Zac." She pointed at the closed door behind her, as if they were all standing right outside it. "And he said that Zac was worried about you lying to him, or something." She frowned, clearly confused.
"Go on," Abby urged, swallowing down her rising urge to run away. She was not only freaked out by what Suzanne was saying, but more than a little unnerved by the way she kept pointing at the closed door.
"He said it didn't mean anything bad." She ruffled her hands through her hair, her eyes squeezed shut. "Damn, I wish I'd listened properly when he was trying to explain." She looked at Abby. "I walked out on him."
Behind her, the door crashed open. Abby clutched the desk and watched in disbelief as yet another person charged in. Incredibly, Nathan himself stood in the middle of her office.
"Jesus," he declared. "This place is a maze. I thought I'd never find you." He ran at Suzanne, who immediately folded her arms across her chest defensively and turned away, lips pursed.
Abby dropped into her chair. If one more person walked into the room, she was definitely out of here. Not one hour ago she thought her life was sorted. Now it was in total chaos.
"Baby please," Nathan pleaded with Suzanne. "Listen to me. I'll leave the job, even though Zac's been my best friend." His voice went low then wavered high. "He saved my life for god sakes!"
"I didn't know that," Suzanne murmured, glancing back at him.
Neither did I. Abby's curiosity was up and racing too, but this wasn't the time to hear the story.
Seeing that he'd caught her attention, Nathan reached out for Suzanne. "I'll do anything you want." He touched her shoulder.
Suzanne shrugged him off, but still cocked her head to listen.
"Please understand that I care about you, I didn't mean to do any harm. I was just supposed to find out if..." He glanced at Abby, as if he'd noticed her presence for the first time. "Abby." He turned to her, cleared his throat, attempted to smooth his hair down and stepped forward.
For one dreadful moment she thought he was going to ask her for Suzanne's hand in marriage.
"Abby, please forgive me, and Zac, he was confused by your motives and he..." He glanced at Suzanne as if he thought she was about to make a run for it and he'd have to chase after her again. "He just wanted to know...dammit, he wanted to know what the hell you were up to!" He looked at her, a man driven by his emotions, eyebrows raised, wild-eyed, hair standing up at cross purposes.
Abby sat back in her chair and put her face in her hands. It started small then got bigger, until her whole body shuddered with laughter, release hitting her hard. Tears ran from her eyes and she wiped them away, mindful of her mascara. When she finally got a grip, the pair of them were staring at her in concern, clearly not sure if she was laughing or crying.
"Right, I feel a whole heap better for that."
Nathan glanced at Suzanne, who shrugged.
Abby stood up. "Sorry about that, this is all a bit surreal. And I'm sorry you two have been caught up in it. Please, Suzanne, don't blame Nathan. Nathan, please don't leave your job. This confusion was mostly my fault for lying about my job. I'm not happy with how Zac has handled this, not at all, but I'll deal with him. Now, if you don't mind, I have a meeting to attend." She gathered the documents that she'd not yet looked over and staggered to the door.
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