Bound By His Desire (3 page)

‘Oh, get a room, you two.’

The words were spoken behind them but it was enough for Pam to remember where they were and what a spectacle they were making of themselves.

‘I’m sorry, that shouldn’t have happened.’ Nick’s muttered words had the effect of a bucket of water being thrown over her. Pam pulled out of his arms and smoothed down her dress. She heard a muffled groan coming from him. She looked up and found his eyes focused on her chest. She looked down and her nipples were standing proudly against the silky fabric. Pam cursed the soft material and the fact she couldn’t wear a bra underneath the halter gown.

‘You don’t have to apologise, Nick. I was with you every step of the way.’

‘Still, if I want you to work for me, I shouldn’t be kissing you.’

He still wanted her to work for him? After everything she’d said and done? It didn’t seem possible.

‘You’re still offering me the job, even though I said wouldn’t work for you?’

‘Yes,’ he ran his fingers through his hair. She knew how soft it was to touch. ‘I’ve spoken to both Luc and Jasmine, they both say you’re a fantastic assistant. Neither wants you to resign. I need someone I can trust to help me get this deal, which is falling apart as we speak, back on track. I think you’re the person who can help me achieve that.’

Pam should feel honoured that both Luc and Jasmine thought so highly of her. But part of her still held back, and she didn’t know why.’

‘You don’t even know me. Why are you so sure I can be the one to help you?’

‘I saw what you achieved last night. I walked into the rehearsal dinner and all I saw was chaos. There seemed to be something going on, I don’t know what, but there was anxiety in the air. When we sat down for dinner, not ten minutes after I arrived, the room was calm and peaceful. And today this wedding has gone off without a hiccup, which, from my understanding of weddings, is amazing. Jasmine is so calm and serene, enjoying her day the way a bride should. All because of you and your organisational skills. You’ve managed to keep this wedding on track without even getting a hair out of place, and you’ve managed to keep up with your maid of honour duties too. I’m seriously impressed.’

So was Pam, that Nick had noticed everything he’d mentioned. She also felt pride swell up inside her. It had been her goal to make sure that happened for Jasmine. If he’d told her all of those things outside on the balcony, then she would’ve jumped on the job straight away.

But you wouldn’t have experienced his kiss if he had
, a little voice inside of her insisted. It didn’t matter what that voice said, there was no way they were going to kiss again.

‘Thank you, Nick, that means a lot. I’m blown over you think me competent enough to do the job. But there’s still so much going on here. Can I think about it, overnight?’

‘Sure, that would be fine. Do you want to meet for breakfast here tomorrow morning?’

Seeing as she was staying at the hotel, courtesy of Jasmine, it seemed like a good idea.

‘Yep, that will be fine. What time do you want to meet?’

‘Say about eight thirty? I’m flying back to New York the day after tomorrow, so I would like this sorted out before I go.’

‘New York? Does that mean if I took the job I’d be going to New York?’ The prospect of seeing a place she’d heard so many people rave about was too good to be true.

‘Will it sway your decision if I said yes it was?’ Nick asked with a teasing glint in his eye.

‘It may.’ Pam surreptitiously pinched herself. She couldn’t believe they were having this conversation in front of the ladies room.

‘Then, yes it is. The job with me is in New York, currently. After this deal is completed, who knows where I’ll be headed. I could be headed back to Sydney or back here in Perth and head office, or I may have to go to Europe. Depends what deal Luc wants me to work on next.’

The job was becoming more and more tempting with every word Nick uttered. She’d wanted to travel the world, experience new places, but had lacked the freedom and the funds to do so. Now she had one, and the other looked like being a perk of the job. It really was too good to be true. Plus being on the other side of the world would give her the necessary breathing space she needed to sort her finances out, and hopefully keep the debt collectors at bay.

However, she didn’t want to get too ahead of herself. They still had a lot of things to work out. Come tomorrow morning, Nick might have had a change of heart and not want to proceed with the offer. It would probably be best if she finished up the conversation before she blurted out she’d take the job and bugger the consequences.

‘Okay, as I said, let me sleep on it and we can talk about things in the morning. I still have a lot of things to think about.’

Nick nodded. ‘Sounds good. Oh, one more thing,’ he paused and she wondered what he had to say next. ‘It’s about the kiss we shared.’

She wanted to say, what about the most amazing kiss I’ve ever experienced in my life, but somehow knew that wasn’t the direction he was heading. ‘Yes, what about it?’

She hoped she sounded casual.

‘It can’t happen again. If you’re going to be my assistant, we draw a line in the sand, forget everything that has happened before and start fresh.’

Was he saying that he regretted the kiss? She had too much pride to ask. He couldn’t take the kiss back. He may think by drawing the metaphorical line in the sand the kiss could be forgotten, but she knew it had happened. It would always be there between them. But she also knew if she wanted the job, and quite frankly she did, then she would have to agree with him.

‘Yes. I can work with that.’

‘Good. Well, I’ll see you back in the ballroom. I think there’s still cake to be cut?’

She laughed and nodded. ‘Yes, I’ll see you back there.’

As he turned and walked away, Pamela wondered if he would look back and if he did, would it mean something, like everyone talked about in the movies. How if a guy looked back as he walked away, it meant he wanted her?

Her breath caught when Nick looked back over his shoulder and winked.

Pamela looked at herself in the mirror wearing her plain black trousers and sensible white blouse. They were perfectly suitable clothes for the office; understated, efficient and boring. They would work for the breakfast meeting she had with Nick, but she wished she had a sexy little dress. The type of dress some of the girls in the office wore. Wraparound dresses which accentuated the body, but were still demure enough to be worn in a professional capacity.

She sighed and pinned her hair back with a boring black clip. She recognised the girl in the mirror. It was the girl she’d always seen. But after yesterday, experiencing what it felt like to be all dressed up and looking beautiful, she wanted to be that girl again.

The room phone ringing had her pulling her attention from the mirror and walking over to answer it.

‘Hello?’

‘Good morning, Pam, I hope you slept well?’

Pam gripped the phone a bit tighter, her heart beating a little faster as it recognised the voice on the other end of the phone.

‘Hi Nick, I slept well, how about you?’

Such a mundane conversation they were sharing, so domesticated and a little surreal.

‘I slept fine. I wanted to let you know I’ve got to make a quick call before I can meet you. I didn’t want to let you get down there and think I’d forgotten we had arranged to meet up.’

‘Oh, okay, no problems. Do you want to change the time to meet?’

Pam was crossing her fingers in hope he would agree and she’d have time to run down to the hotel boutique, to see if they had something a little more fashionable for her to wear.

‘No, it’s fine, you go down and order and I’ll get there as quickly as I can.’

‘Right, I’ll see you then. Bye.’

She hung up the phone on the sound of Nick saying goodbye to her. She shouldn’t feel disappointed there was no time to go down to the hotel boutique. What was she trying to prove anyway? The way she was dressed today was who she was. She was discreet, reliable Pamela Bishop. The girl no one ever saw in the office. The girl who went about her duties, each day, in a quiet and efficient manner. The girl who caused no ripples or disruption to the mechanics of how the office operated. She laughed when she realised she’d pretty much echoed the same words Nick had said about her last night. They were true and, up until yesterday, she had always been proud of her achievements and how she conducted herself in her professional life. Why, all of a sudden, was she finding herself lacking? Why was she feeling so out of place in the corporate world?

Pam pulled herself out of her funk. It was probably the let-down from the buzz of organising the wedding. It had been exciting to go over the plans with Jasmine. To hear the way she spoke about Luciano, love infusing each and every word. She wanted that type of love in her life, and maybe taking off to the other side of the world could be one way to achieve the dream. Perhaps her knight in shining armour was waiting for her in New York right now. Biding his time until they met. Perhaps her new and exciting future was about to begin.

Nick finished up his call and put some papers into a folder. He was anxious to get back to New York and sort out the mess he’d left behind. He was picking up some of the pieces here and sorting them out. Once he got back on the ground in his office, everything would go back to normal.

As he made his way down to meet Pam, he tried not to let his mind wander to how it had felt to hold her in his arms. The way her lips had tasted sweet under his, a combination of champagne and strawberries from the dessert.

He felt his body stir to life again and he forced himself to remember what had happened to his family when his father had gotten involved with his assistant. He wouldn’t let that happen again. Last night was one of those odd nights. When the romance of the evening had somehow gotten under his skin. He wasn’t romantic. He wasn’t the type to let his emotions get the better of him.

Nick paused at the entry to the hotel’s restaurant, trying to locate Pam. He felt calmer when he spotted her sitting at a table next to the window, which looked out over the hotel’s indoor garden.

He breathed easier and a little portion of the tension taking up residence in his shoulders eased when he saw Pam wearing her no-nonsense clothes. He’d been stunned yesterday by how beautiful she’d looked in comparison to the rehearsal dinner. Today she still looked lovely, but efficient and capable. The traits he was looking for in an assistant. Seeing her sitting at the table waiting, he knew Luc had been right. Pam was going to be the perfect assistant for him, and he wouldn’t have to worry about her falling for him. Nor would he be reminded of the kiss they’d shared. Or how good it felt to hold her in his arms. The way his body responded to the scent of her. His reaction to her yesterday had been an aberration. If she maintained the look she was sporting today, there was no way he’d compromise his beliefs. As his assistant, she would be untouchable.

He weaved through the tables and put a smile on his face as he approached her.

‘Sorry to keep you waiting.’

His smile widened a little bit when he saw he’d made her jump a little. He wondered what she’d been thinking so deeply about.

‘No, it’s fine, I haven’t been here long. Did you sort everything out with your call?’

Straight to business, he liked that. Nick placed the folder on the corner of the table and took the seat opposite her. As he spread the napkin out over his lap, he scrutinised Pam. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail; unlike the other evening when there had not been a strand out of place, some wisps were falling softly around her cheeks. Unlike the other night, her hair fell softly over her forehead. She’d definitely had a style change for the wedding. But a haircut was only a haircut. He knew it wouldn’t change how she worked in the office.

‘Do I pass your inspection, and is this something I’ll have to deal with every day if I do decide to take you up on your offer?’

‘You’ve had a haircut.’

He could see he’d surprised her; he had surprised himself. What the hell was the matter with him? He was always all about business and he needed to get his focus back on why he was sitting at a table opposite Pam.

He needed an assistant, an assistant who wouldn’t cause any problems. Or do something stupid like fall in love with him.

Nick cleared his throat and straightened in his chair. ‘Let’s order. While we’re waiting for the food to arrive, I’ll tell you exactly what I need, want and expect from my assistant.’

‘Sure.’

Once he had her agreement, he picked his menu up and looked over the contents. Whatever had come over him in the last day and half could only be put down to stress. There was no other explanation. When he was back in New York everything would make sense again.

The waiter arrived and they placed their order for food and coffee. As he left, Nick picked up the folder beside him. He handed it over to Pam.

‘Here is a preliminary work contract. It outlines the position, your salary and what my expectations are. There’s the standard three-month probationary period clause in it. In addition, I’ve added another clause that states if, for some reason, either one of us feels this arrangement is not working out, either party can give one week’s notice. I think you’ll find all the benefits to be quite generous.’

‘If I take this position, how long will I be away for?’

‘Well, as I said last night, how long I need to get back to New York for is up in the air; it could be two months, it could be two weeks. The length of time we’re there is determined by how quickly we get the deal sorted out. Then it depends on what else we have in the pipeline. The longest I’m in one place is usually three months. Will this be an issue?’

Her throat moved up and down, like she had something stuck. He had a feeling she was going to decline and he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. The more time he spent with her, the more he thought she would be a perfect assistant.

‘I’m not sure,’ she said finally. That he could work with. He negotiated million dollar deals. He could get rid of any worries she had.