Deceiving Her Boss (2 page)

 
"It's fine, you know," Anna said kindly.  "I'll miss you, but I
understand."

 
"Thanks.  You're the best.  I'll talk to you later."

 
Hanging up, Allie was surprised to see Sean lounging in the doorway.

 
"You did have plans tonight," he said mildly.

 
"Nothing that can't be changed," she said.  "Let me just grab my
notebook and I'll be right in."

 
Sean stepped back into his office, wondering why he cared.  His assistant's
personal life was her own, and he had no interest in it.  Still, it was clear
that Allie had a boyfriend, and he was curious about what kind of man she was
dating.  Probably a computer guy or an accountant, he thought with amusement. 
Someone equally mild-mannered.  But he hoped that the guy appreciated her.  And
that he got to see her in something other than grey or beige tweed.

 
Allie followed Sean in, wondering why he was suddenly so interested in her
personal life.  He'd never asked her about it before, and never showed any
curiosity in what she did after hours.  So it was probably an anomaly, she
thought.  He was just being polite.

 
Sean sat down in the couch in his office, and dropped his papers on the coffee
table in front of him.  Allie moved to a leather chair across from him, and
arranged her notepad on her lap.  "I'm ready whenever you are," she said
to him.

 
For the next two hours, they went through the contract page by page, with Sean
pointing out things that needed to be changed, and Allie carefully taking notes
and marking the document so that she could make the needed corrections.  They
took a couple of short breaks when Allie needed to find specific documents in
the files, but for the most part, they worked straight through.  By the time
they came up for air, Allie's stomach was growling.

 
"You were very obliging to stay tonight, Allie," Sean said as they
began pulling papers together into orderly piles.

 
"Not a problem, Mr. Greyson," she said quietly.

 
"Still, make sure you mark this on your timesheet for the week.  I'll want
to ensure that you're compensated."

 
Allie nodded.  "I appreciate it, but it's not necessary.  This is part of
my job.  I know that we still need to go over the details of the agreement. 
Would you like me to order dinner in, or were you planning a late supper after
we're through?"

 
"By all means, let's order something.  That way, I can feed you, and we
can just go home when this is done."

 
Relieved, but carefully keeping her expression blank, she asked, "Do you
have a preference for dinner?"

 
"Anything that suits you is fine.  Just get plenty.  I'm starving."

 
An hour later, Thai cuisine ordered, delivered, and eaten over surprisingly
interesting conversation, Sean leaned back on the couch and said, "Excellent
food choice, Allie.  And it's good to have dinner with a woman who eats."

 
Allie began to pick up the food containers, and looked up in surprise.  "As
opposed to...?" she asked

 
Sean rolled his eyes.  "A woman who pushes food around on her plate, then
eats a piece of lettuce and says she's full."

 
Allie laughed.  "If you're telling me that I eat a lot...."

 
Sean immediately held up his hands in front of him.  "Oh no.  I'm not
saying that!"

 
"You'd be right," Allie finished.  "I think I have a high
metabolism.  I seem to be able to eat quite a lot without...." she stopped
then, remembering that she was supposed to be appearing slightly overweight in
her ill-fitting clothes.  "Well, let's just say without putting on as many
pounds as I probably should, given my diet."

 
But Sean was looking at her through narrowed eyes, remembering the feel of her
from when she had fallen in to him earlier in the week.  It was none of his
business, he thought.  If his assistant wanted to wear ugly clothing, that was
her call.  As long as she got the work done, and done well.  Still, he couldn't
understand it.  Most women would be flaunting a body like hers.  But Allie was
different.  Still, he wondered what had happened to her in the past to cause
her to be so modest now. 

 
Allie had cleaned off the remains of their dinner and was picking up her
notebook again.  "I can get started on these changes tonight, if you'd
like," she told Sean as she leafed through the pages of notes she'd taken.

 
"Tomorrow morning is soon enough, Allie.  We're both tired tonight, and it
will go faster  tomorrow, and you'll make fewer mistakes if you're
rested."

 
"I don't make mistakes," Allie pointed out.  "Not with these
kinds of papers."

 
"You're right," Sean said.  "You don't.  Still, a good night's
rest is in order, for both of us.  Unless you're going out on the town
tonight?" he asked.

 
Allie laughed.  "No way.   I'm headed home.  I'll be here first thing, and
I should be able to have this on your desk by 9:00 or so."

 
"No rush," Sean assured her.  "Come on.  Get your things and I'll
take you home."

 
Shaking her head, Allie quickly refused.  "No, but thank you.  I've got a
regular driver who gets me when I work late.  I just need to call him."

 
"Him?" Sean asked.  "A boyfriend?"

 
Allie laughed lightly.  "A taxi driver.  He's working his way through
school, so I like to give him business when I can."

 
"But do you have one?" he persisted, his eyes boring into hers.

 
Allie looked confused.  "One what?"

 
"A boyfriend."

 
Allie stood up straight then, holding her notebook in front of her like a
shield. "Why are you asking me that?"

 
"I just want to be sure that I'm not monopolizing your time so much that
you don't have time for a personal life."

 
Allie flashed him a quick smile.  "My personal life is fine, Mr. Greyson. 
I'll see you in the morning."

TWO

 
The remainder of the week passed quickly.  Allie barely saw her boss, apart
from early mornings and later afternoons when she would appear at his office
door with an armful of papers to sign or comment on.  He would take care of the
work quickly, turn it back over to Allie, and then would shut himself back into
his office to take care of other issues. 

 
On Friday afternoon, Sean called Allie into his office.

 
"I need you to go with me to Vegas next week, Allie.  I was hoping I'd be
able to leave you here to hold down the fort, but I really need to have you
with me.  You have my flight and hotel information, so just call and add
yourself to the bookings.  Be sure to get in the same hotel, and get a seat
next to me on the plane, if possible."

 
"Yes sir.  I'll make the arrangements.  Stan Tully's secretary has already
booked your meetings, so I'll just let her know that I'll be accompanying you. 
I know that you're staying a couple of extra days to meet up with some friends,
so just let me know how long you want me to stay, and I'll book my return
flight."

 
"You're welcome to stay, Allie.  You've been working hard, and I never
know when I'll need you, so why don't you book a few spa treatments and enjoy a
couple of extra days in Vegas?"

 
Allie shook her head.  "That's not necessary, Mr. Greyson.  If you need me
there, that's different of course."

 
"I may need you.  Is that enough?"

 
"I'll take care of the planning, sir.  Anything else?"

 
When Sean dismissed her, Allie headed back to her desk and quietly made the
arrangements to accompany her boss.  She did this frequently, so it wasn't a
lot of added stress for Allie, but she felt a slight twinge of anxiety this
time.  For the past year, the attraction she felt for her boss was easy to
conceal and, in fact, easy to deny, even to herself.  But something had changed
this week.  It was subtle, but it bothered her.  Maybe it was the way he'd
touched her in his office earlier in the week.  Or the way he'd looked at her
the other night, when she mentioned her metabolism.  Or his sudden interest in
her personal life.  But Allie was uneasy about it.  Traveling with a man she
was very attracted to, but, in truth, deceiving... she would need  to be on top
of her game all week, and into the weekend.

 
They left town on Wednesday morning.  The flight itself was uneventful, though
the seating in first class was a luxury for Allie.  She didn't often travel
with her boss, but when she did, she enjoyed being pampered.  The one thing
that was hard was being in such close proximity to him.  Not only was it hard
to keep her attraction to him hidden, but it was also hard to be so close,
knowing that he may be able to see through some of the awful disguise she
wore.  So she usually wore her hair down on trips like these, so she could hide
behind the curtain of hair, and keep her face from his perusal.

 
It didn't really matter, Allie thought as the plane landed in Las Vegas.  Sean
had been buried in work the whole time, and only looked up when the flight
attendant offered a drink, or when he needed to ask Allie a question.  She had
taken a book along with her to read, in between doing what Sean asked of her,
but she spent a lot of time looking out the window, and even managed a short
nap.

 
"Mr. Tully will have a car waiting outside of baggage claim for us,"
she informed her boss as they wheeled their suitcases toward the exit. 
"Hopefully one that is air-conditioned down to about 50 degrees," she
added wryly.  "I forget how hot Vegas gets during the day."

 
Sean laughed.  "And you're buttoned up in your suit.  If you want to take
off your jacket, feel free.  It's just me," he added.

 
"Thanks," Allie said, but with no intention of removing any item of
clothing in his presence.  Fortunately, the suit she had worn this morning was
fairly lightweight, and not nearly as heavy as many of her outfits.

 
As they exited the airport, a driver in a light-colored SUV was waiting for
them, and as Allie had hoped, the air-conditioning was on full strength.  By
the time they made it to the hotel they were staying at, Allie was actually
chilly, and glad she'd kept her suit coat on.  After checking into the hotel,
they each went to their rooms to freshen up before the afternoon's meetings
started.

 
When they arrived back at the hotel that evening, Allie stifled a yawn.  Dinner
had been delicious, but had been eaten during a long and fairly tedious
conversation regarding corporate law.  A nice meal in her room would have been
so much better, she thought, but she knew that her boss relied on her to give
him her impressions of their meetings, and she hadn't wanted to seem
anti-social on their first evening there.

 
"The car will be by for us at 8:00 tomorrow morning.  Would you like me to
have breakfast sent to your room, or would you prefer to eat in the cafe?"
she asked as they walked into the lobby of the hotel.

 
"Why don't you meet me at 7:00 in the cafe?" he replied.  "We
can get a quick breakfast and go over anything that we need to before the day
starts."

 
"That's fine," Allie agreed.  "Then I'll say goodnight, and see
you in the morning."

 
"Would you care to join me for a nightcap?" Sean asked before Allie
could walk away.

 
Allie was surprised, but just shook her head.  "Thank you, sir, but I've
got a few things to type up before I go to sleep, and I want to be sure to be
fresh in the morning."

 
"Tomorrow night, then," Sean stated.  "We'll be on our own for
dinner tomorrow, and we can use the time to walk through any last details that
we'll need to tie up on Friday."

 
"Sure, "Allie agreed.  "Good night, Mr. Greyson."

 
As Sean watched her go, he vaguely wondered why he had asked her to join him for
a drink tonight, and why he was pressing her to have dinner with him tomorrow. 
Normally, he would gladly eat alone, perhaps play some blackjack at one of the
casinos, and maybe even enjoy a harmless flirtation.  After all, it was Vegas. 
But for some reason, he enjoyed the company of his mousy little assistant.  And
it would be fun, he thought, to watch her in a casino.  He wondered if she
would play the slot machines, or roulette.  Or would she stand shyly in the
background, just watching him?  The thought of that was intriguing to him, and
again, he asked himself why.  There was nothing about the woman that was like
anything that normally attracted him.  So why was he looking forward to a
business breakfast with her the next morning?

 
Sean headed into the bar alone.  Allie may not have wanted a drink, but Sean
needed one tonight.  He needed to remember that he was here, alone, in one of
the more interesting cities in terms of a night life.  Why not enjoy it? 
Sitting down at the bar, he ordered a bourbon, then turned to look around the
room.  It didn't take long before a tall attractive woman with long blond hair
sauntered up and perched on the stool next to him.  And it didn't take much
longer before Sean offered to buy her a drink.