At the Boss's Command

by Darcy Maguire

  She stepped back, sucking in a deep breath. ‘Oh, gawd, I totally forgot why I came in,’ she said strongly, sounding more like the Tahlia he knew.

  ‘Understandable.’

  She shrugged, swiping down her white blouse and short office skirt, taking his attention to her legs, firing his body with memories of the feel of her wrapped around him, of making incredible passionate love to her.

  ‘I need to talk to you.’

  He nodded, watching her move to his desk and sit down opposite his chair as though nothing had happened, all cool and collected. She glanced at him and the soft look in her eyes clawed at his gut.

  It was time to tell her. There was only one person who knew who he really was and he wasn’t about to let Raquel come between them.

  There was no reason to wait until after this little assessment was done. Waiting wasn’t worth the risk of enjoying anonymity any longer.

  Sure, before he would have said he needed assurances before he risked telling her the truth. Assurances that she wasn’t another Celia to run knives through his heart. But that wasn’t Tahlia.

  She was special. Amazing. His.

  Case moved to the desk and propped himself on the edge in front of her. It would probably be a good idea to solve her concerns first. ‘What is it?’ he asked. ‘Is there something I can do? Something wrong?’

  A shadow flitted across her face. ‘Yes.’

  Case’s gut tightened. He’d do anything to make things right for Tahlia. What else could be wrong?

  ‘WWW Designs has just been sold to some conglomerate,’ she said softly, looking up into his face, her eyes wide.

  ‘Oh?’ He watched her carefully. Did she know who he was? Please let her not have found out from anyone else.

  Tahlia crossed her legs. ‘Odds are they’ll send an efficiency expert in to assess the way the place is run.’

  ‘They probably will,’ he said, breathing out. He’d have to tell her, before this went any further. Better the truth came from him and not from someone else.

  ‘No. I know they will.’ She jerked to her feet and paced the floor in front of him. ‘Don’t you get it? I know.’

  Case’s gut tightened. ‘You know?’

  ‘Yes. I know that Raquel hired you because you knew someone that knew someone and that you’re very easy on the eye.’

  ‘I’m easy on the eye, am I?’ He couldn’t help feeling a thrill when she said it, or the heat that ran through him at the look in her eyes, her sweet voice.

  She threw up her hands. ‘You are, I assure you, but you’re not getting it. It’s not about you being a tall, dark, handsome hunk of a guy—’

  ‘Is that all I am to you?’ he asked slowly, tongue in cheek. He wanted to be so much more than that to her. Was he kidding himself that there was more to this? She had said she wanted an affair… Could he get her to want more?

  She stopped in front of him and kissed him on tiptoe. ‘No, idiot. Listen, you have to get up to speed and fast. I don’t want you to lose your job.’

  ‘Lose my job?’ he echoed.

  ‘Yes, you idiot.’ She slapped his shoulder. ‘You’re not exactly the most qualified person for the job, if you hadn’t noticed. And sure, you had connections to get you into the position, but with an expert coming in you’re going to have to do a lot more than sit in that chair and look at personnel files.’

  He pulled her closer, tucking her fringe behind her ear. ‘You don’t want me to lose my job?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Why?’ he asked, pulling his knuckles back across her smooth cheek to her lips, which were just begging to be kissed.

  Tahlia slapped him on his chest, glaring up at him, her heart pounding. ‘Because…’ Was it too early to say? She knew she felt it—it pumped through her entire body, filling her chest with a warmth to rival the sun. ‘Because I think I like you. Okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?’

  ‘Yes. Actually.’ He caught her chin in his hand and tipped her face up, wondering whether there was more she wasn’t admitting to. ‘How can we find out for sure?’

  ‘I can tell you all the things you need to know about the job if you’ll let me help you—’

  ‘Tahlia—’

  She shook her head, picking up the file she’d made on him and propelling him back to his desk. ‘No. You may think you know it all, but truly an expert will wipe the floor with you. You have to know everything.’

  Case perched himself on the edge of the desk, holding both her hands. ‘Tahlia—’

  Tahlia shook her head. ‘Just listen. Liam is our top programmer, distracted at the moment by the opposite sex, but the best. He’s being poached by our biggest competitor and if thwarted in love will go somewhere else if he doesn’t get the right incentives to stay on.’

  Case frowned. ‘Does Raquel know this?’

  ‘The Rottie? She’s so out of touch.’

  ‘The Rottie?’ Case echoed, stifling a smile. The woman would certainly be livid if she found out that was what they called her but, he had to admit, it suited her.

  Tahlia waved a hand dismissively, slapping the file on to the edge of his desk. ‘Keely is heading out on maternity leave in a fortnight and needs to be assured her job will not only be there when she gets back but that she can create website designs at home until she’s ready to come back full-time.’

  ‘She could.’

  ‘Emma has accepted an offer from a firm in New York and she’s leaving. She brought in Harold’s House and is marrying the owner of Harold’s House so it’s in WWW’s interests to have an open invitation for her to return.’

  Case pulled her closer to him, tucking her between his legs, drawing her on to his lap. ‘Tahlia, I need to tell you something—’

  She smiled. ‘I know…’ She loved him too. It was crazy but she was going to do this right, unlike her mother. ‘Chrystal is a valuable asset but needs far more to occupy her; she’s under-motivated and finds herself trouble, a lot.’

  ‘Short frizzy redhead on the prowl?’

  ‘Yes.’ Tahlia hooked her arm around his neck, snuggling closer to him. It was time to tell him what she’d been thinking and doing for the last week. ‘And me; you need to know something about me. That I was—’

  Case smothered her with a kiss that washed away the tension knotted inside her. It was a soft, dreamy kiss, a kiss for a tired soul to melt into.

  She finally pulled back, her lips tingling. ‘What was that for?’

  ‘To get you to shut up for a minute. I have something important to tell you.’

  ‘Uh-huh.’ She sighed, running her tongue over her lips.

  Case’s gaze dropped to her mouth. He leant closer and brushed his lips over hers again, slowly deepening the kiss, a hand sliding up her waist to cup the fullness of her breast.

  She’d never felt so amazing before, so complete, so totally and utterly safe. Nothing could go wrong.

  The door burst open.

  ‘What in hell is going on here?’ Raquel’s nasal whine echoed through the room.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The best-laid plans of mice and women.

  TAHLIA froze. She broke away from Case and straightened her jacket, casting a look at the Rottie, who looked as if she was about to break some capillaries.

  What could she say to save this situation? She had slipped and fallen on her new executive, or just that she was falling in love with him? ‘First aid,’ she said in a rush, making the space between them larger.

  She lurched forward and picked up the file.

  Raquel strode into the room. ‘Right, Ms Moran. First aid,’ she bit out, swinging her gaze to Case, looking as if she was trying to swallow a melon.

  Case stood casually where she’d left him, as though being caught by the boss was nothing to him, his eyes still shining and his mouth curved sensuously in her direction, as though all that mattered was her.

  Tahlia’s chest ached. He was amazing. He had no idea who he was messing with but he was about to find out
all about the Rottie’s bark.

  Would she sack him? Both of them?

  She bit her lip. This couldn’t happen to Case. He was innocent, a decent guy who’d just happened to get the job she’d been obsessed about.

  She had been crazy to care so much about that promotion. Her mum loved her for who she was, was proud of her no matter what she did, was okay with her living her life just the way she wanted to.

  She didn’t have to be afraid any more—her mother wasn’t.

  Tahlia moistened her still-tingling lips. She didn’t care what happened to her now, but Case couldn’t be punished for her stupidity. She loved him.

  She touched her chest where her heart echoed her thoughts. She loved him. How it had happened, she had no idea, but she knew there were other jobs but there was only one Case.

  She stepped towards the General Manager, who had terrorised the entire office for years, holding the file close to her, her heart thundering in her chest.

  She couldn’t let Raquel know she’d made a mistake employing Case; she wanted to keep him, no matter what chair he was sitting in.

  ‘It was my fault,’ Tahlia blurted. ‘Don’t blame anyone but me. I was the one who kissed him—he’s been nothing but the nicest guy.’ She glanced at him. ‘Decent and caring and keen to get to know the staff like a good manager of people should—’

  ‘Right,’ the Rottie snapped. ‘If you’ll excuse Mr Darrington and myself, we have business to discuss.’

  Tahlia glanced at her watch. Of course that was why the woman was here. It was eleven a.m. and Raquel was right on time.

  She should have remembered the Rottie was coming and, dammit, she’d proven Case’s weaknesses all too well.

  ‘We do?’ Case asked, straightening his tie.

  Raquel swung to him. ‘Yes. Your assistant arranged for me to come in.’

  Case stared at her blankly.

  ‘You didn’t know? Where’s your assistant? I’ll have a few words to say about interrupting my very busy schedule for fictitious meetings. Everyone knows how busy I am keeping this office running smoothly.’

  Case swung his attention to Tahlia, the light in his eyes fading. ‘Tahlia?’

  Raquel stared at Tahlia. ‘You? No way. You’d never take a step backward…’

  Tahlia’s blood chilled. This was not good. ‘I need to talk to you,’ she offered Case, mentally crossing everything she had that this stopped here.

  ‘You’re his assistant?’ Raquel crossed her arms over her chest. ‘I know I said to help the man out, but I never expected you to do that much, especially considering…’

  ‘Considering what?’ Case asked, his voice deep and cool, his face a mask of stone.

  No. This couldn’t be happening. She stepped forward, brandishing his file at the man she loved. ‘Case—’

  Raquel snatched the file from her hands. ‘Considering that she’s been after the Marketing Executive job for months.’

  Case swung to face her. ‘Why is Raquel here?’

  Tahlia tore her gaze from the incriminating file in the Rottie’s hands and fixed her eyes on Case. What could she say?

  Would he ever look at her again with those warm blue eyes, whisper sweet words with his deep, smooth voice, touch her lips again with his or hold her in his arms if he knew how crazy mad she had been at him for taking her job?

  Raquel flicked through the file and cleared her throat. ‘Well, Mr Darrington, I believe I’m here to see just how committed Miss Moran is to her job.’

  Tahlia stared at the Rottie, her calm tone sliding down her spine. She wasn’t upset? How could she not be barking blue murder at the repeat performance of the last executive, of having a file full of evidence supporting her very questionable decision to employ Case?

  ‘This is fascinating.’ She shook the file. ‘Documented evidence that you, Mr Darrington, aren’t qualified for the position she feels she should have got.’ She shook her head slowly. ‘And what was that intimacy in aid of? I’d love to hear how you thought that could help your cause, unless you’ve discovered—’

  Raquel swung to Case, lifting an eyebrow.

  He turned to her, piercing her with a chilling look. ‘Tahlia?’

  Her name slid from his lips like poison from a broken glass. No. How could he believe that she’d wanted anything other than to be with him after the week they’d spent together, after last night, after they’d shared so much, after she’d surrendered her heart to him?

  Tahlia felt the rattle in her chest, staring at the file she’d filled to justify being his assistant, spending time with him, going out with him, wanting to know him.

  A tearing ache ripped through her chest as the enormity of what was at stake hit her. She’d been an idiot, making a mess of the one thing that mattered.

  She couldn’t lose him. She didn’t want him fired; she needed him.

  ‘I was stupid.’ Tahlia sighed.

  Case couldn’t be hearing this. There had to be a mistake. There was no way that Tahlia was the sort of woman to manipulate her way up the ladder. Not a chance. Not with all he knew about her, unless it had all been lies.

  Could she know who he really was? Had her revelations of all the ins and outs of the employees just been a ruse to ensure she kept his attention when it came to the hirings and the firings?

  Raquel swung to face him, tucking the file under her arm. ‘Mr Darrington, I’m sorry about this. I take full responsibility,’ she said sweetly. ‘I just didn’t think Miss Moran would go to such lengths to ensure her promotion.’

  His gut tightened. Raquel was certainly going to great lengths to ensure her position and rightly so; she’d been on shaky ground from the start.

  He turned to face the woman he had thought he knew. ‘I was placed in the position you were after…so you had to prove there’d been a mistake.’ He took the file from Raquel, flicking through the pages, his blood going cold in his veins.

  ‘I was angry. It meant so much to me—’ Tahlia blurted, her eyes wide.

  Her words hit him full force in the chest. It was true. The only reason she had wanted to be near him was to prove her point.

  Celia’s face lurched to his mind, her memory a dull ache to the darkness tearing through his chest. He swung to face the window.

  He couldn’t have walked right into a relationship with a woman just like his ex-wife, couldn’t be attached to a manipulating liar who was just after what he could give her, couldn’t have given his heart away to someone who didn’t love him for who he was.

  He couldn’t have done it again.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Tahlia’s rule number one: don’t fall in love.

  TAHLIA crossed her arms in front of her. ‘So are you going to fire me?’ she asked Raquel, forcing herself to keep her tone soft, really only wanting one answer from the woman with the power—was she going to fire Case and punish him for Tahlia’s stupidity?

  Raquel smirked.

  Tahlia knew the answer. The Rottie wouldn’t hesitate to fire her. She hated having Tahlia breathing down her neck, spouting ideas on improvement, undermining her authority, especially when Raquel had messed up that contract.

  ‘Fire you?’ Raquel snorted. ‘Why in heavens would I do that when you’re hammering all the nails into your own coffin?’

  Tahlia glanced at the Rottie, her mind trying to subdue the storm of emotions to make out what the woman was saying. What was going on?

  ‘That file is interesting reading,’ Raquel said, lifting her sculpted nose. ‘But I think that little interlude I witnessed takes the cake. Case Darrington isn’t a fool.’

  ‘Of course he isn’t,’ Tahlia said, straightening tall and looking at him by the window, the urge to go to him and hold him, wrap him in her arms and tell him it was all okay burning in her.

  Did this mean the Rottie wasn’t going to fire him? A bubble of hope rose in her chest. He’d be okay? If she was fired, would he be safe?

  Tahlia shook her head, trying to clear it.
r />   ‘Look, I’ll let Mr Darrington explain why he’s really here sitting in the Marketing Executive’s chair, sorting through the personnel,’ Raquel simpered, swinging around and heading out through the door. ‘If you really need it spelt out to you…but you’re an intelligent woman and, judging from your behaviour when I walked in, I’d say you know already, don’t you think, Mr Darrington?’

  What? She turned back to Case, who stood at the window, stiff like a tin soldier, his arms crossed tightly across his chest, his brow heavy.

  The Rottie closed the office door.

  Tahlia shook her head. ‘Case, I feel there are a few things I need to say.’

  ‘Likewise,’ he said, his voice a monotone.

  Tahlia sucked in a breath, a cold chill clawing at her belly. ‘I have to say I was incredibly put out by your getting the position I’d coveted and I may have had ideas to rectify the situation, but that all changed.’

  ‘I can imagine.’

  ‘Case, look at me.’

  He turned and faced her, his gaze steel-blue, his mouth pulled thin. ‘And then you decided it was more in your interests to seduce me with your beautiful body, your sweet voice and your innocent damsel-in-distress act?’

  ‘Yes. No. I didn’t mean to,’ she said softly. ‘It wasn’t an act.’ How could he think that? She’d never enjoyed being with someone as much as she loved being with him, knowing him, loving him.

  He shook his head. ‘Not an act until you heard that the new owner had already put in the efficiency expert.’

  Tahlia’s blood chilled. Someone was already here going through the staff files? Who? Surely she’d have noticed, but she had been so busy focusing on her own problems, her loss, the frenzy of strange emotions she was having for her new boss.

  She froze, ice seeping into her toes. ‘You,’ she said, her voice devoid of the emotion that rocked through her.

  Oh, gawd. She was an idiot. Of course it was him!

  He’d waltzed in, distracting everyone with his good looks and charm, diverting her attention to him and not to what he was doing.