Authors: Linda Kage
Delinquent Daddy (32 page)
Tomorrow...yeah, yeah, yeah. Ellie didn't need a recorded message. She needed to know if Boston was here or not.
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But thank God a familiar voice called out, "Ellie?" or she might have strangled the aggravating receptionist.
Ellie spun around and saw Cameron, Chinese takeout in tow, approaching her with a wide, welcoming smile.
Oh, thank God.
Shoulders slumping in relief, Ellie stepped from the receptionist's desk and moved toward him.
"Wow, you're a sight for sore eyes," he told her and, to her surprise, enveloped her in a warm, one-armed hug. "Couldn't stay away from me, huh?" he finished with a friendly kiss on her cheek.
But she was so nervous and focused on accomplishing her mission, she couldn't even answer or rebuke his tease. "Do you know where Boston is?"
He paused, gaze turning worried. "He's taking a client to supper," he said, reaching out to take her arm. "Is everything okay?"
Unable to speak a lie aloud, she merely bobbed her head yes. But he didn't believe her silent reassurance. Keeping a hold of her elbow, he said, "Let me show you where his office is." Then he glanced at the receptionist. "Patricia, could you have an unrestricted pass made up for Miss Trenton? She's allowed to visit Boston or me at any time."
Patricia's gaze sliced curiously toward Ellie, but she answered with a curt, professional, "Certainly, Mr. Banks."
"Ellie's the newest member of our family," Cameron elaborated with a proud grin Ellie's way. "I don't think either Bos or I have gotten around to informing you of the addition.
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Oh! And while you're at it, could you make up a pass for her daughter, Cassidy, as well?"
"Cass—" The receptionists eyes went wide, and she gaped at Ellie in a new light. Now, there was a name she obviously recognized. "Oh," she breathed out in new understanding.
"I'm so sorry," she said in a rush. "I didn't realize—"
"Quite all right, Pat," Cameron interceded as he turned and ushered Ellie toward a bank of elevators. "This way, El."
After pressing the elevator button with his elbow, he glanced at Ellie. He seemed to take in everything at once. But he drowned the worry in his eyes by grinning at her.
"Have you eaten supper yet? I've got plenty here to share."
Ellie didn't think she'd ever be able to eat again. "Ah, no.
But thank you."
Cameron nodded and turned to watch the lights above the elevator with her. When the doors finally opened, he motioned for her to precede him inside. "It won't bother you if I eat in front of you then, will it?" he asked once they were closed alone in the metal box.
Ellie shook her head.
Cam's shoulders deflated in relief. "Thank God. I'm starving. Haven't eaten since breakfast. We've been swamped around here. I was actually supposed to be the one taking the client out to dinner tonight, but I had other things to do. So, I forced the job on Boston. He hates social schmoozing, so that made it even sweeter." He grinned at Ellie and winked. "It makes my day when I get to piss him off."
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"If he's not going to be in a good mood, maybe I should just come back—"
"Nonsense," Cameron cut in happily. "He's always in a pissy mood. That's just our Bos for you. Ah, here we are," he said as they stopped. The number above the opening door read Eight.
"He shares the top floor with me," Cameron explained as he turned right and led Ellie toward an opened doorway. "This is his side."
His
side
? As in, the entire half of the eighth floor was his office?
Ellie could only gape in amazed wonder as she followed Boston's cousin into his
side
. It was beyond extravagant, and she had to question how she'd ever become acquainted with someone like Boston Kincaid in the first place. He lived so far above anything she was used to.
"There's a wet bar behind here if you're thirsty," Cameron offered, pressing a panel until part of the wall slid open.
"Television's here," he continued, opening another wall.
"Bathroom in there. And...there's a phone in here or one on the secretary's desk. I'm extension 801 if you need anything.
Well..." he started to back toward the exit. "I've got to get back to my work. Want to get home to Livy before she falls asleep."
Ellie wrung her hands as she glanced around. "Are you sure it's okay for me to wait for him here...by myself?"
Cameron paused and gave her a funny look. "Why not?"
"Well, I..." Ellie just gave him a blank stare.
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When she couldn't come up with a verbal reason not to wait for Boston here, Cameron sent her a slow grin. "Good luck," he murmured and then winked, disappearing out the door before she could say anything else.
Letting out a little sigh of frustration, Ellie ran her hands through her hair and turned in a slow circle. She went about closing all the wall panels Cameron had just opened. Then she returned to the secretary's outer office and sat in one of the black leather waiting chairs.
Boston showed up less than five minutes later. She could hear his voice mixed with a stranger's as soon as the elevator doors opened down the hall. Clasping her cold hands together in fear, she waited until he and his client, an older gray-haired man, appeared in the door before she pushed to her feet.
"Ellie?" Boston said and stopped dead in his tracks.
"Hello," she said, sending an apologetic look his client's way. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. Cameron said I could wait here until—"
"Nonsense," Boston's companion told her. "I was just popping in to schedule another meeting with Kincaid here.
Then I'll be on my way. We just got back from dinner," the stranger explained as if he thought Ellie should be privy to everything Boston did.
"Cassie?" Boston asked, looking concerned as he stepped toward her.
"She's with your mother?"
That news stopped him cold. "My mother?"
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"Diane seemed more than happy to watch her for a few hours."
It took a second, but Boston finally treated her to a slow smile. "I'm sure she was," he murmured. Then he realized he still had a client standing there, watching them.
"I'll be right with you," he said quietly, giving her a slightly concerned look before turning back to his job and flipping open a datebook that lay on the secretary's desk.
But just as the two men began to hash out their schedules, the phone rang. Boston frowned at it and looked indecisive for a moment before he turned the datebook toward his client.
"Just pencil in any free spot during the weekdays," he told the man and quickly started for the open door of his office. "I have to get that."
The man waved him on distractedly as he studied the open dates.
Wondering if she should just go, Ellie stood there fidgeting.
The client finally chose a time and after writing it in, he glanced her way. "Could you tell him I picked the fourteenth at ten?"
Ellie offered him a warm smile. "Sure," she said.
He nodded and left.
Boston was still on the phone, looking engrossed in his conversation. Ellie bit her lip. This was a bad idea; she should go.
But before she could turn her hide around and get out of there, the phone in the reception area of his office rang again.
Ellie glanced at it and then into the doorway at Boston.
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Letting out a small sigh, she reached for the secretary's phone and pressed line two.
"EarthNet," she answered. "Boston Kincaid's office."
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Chapter Twenty-Two
As soon as Ellie set the phone on the cradle, it rang again.
Someone had wanted to cancel an appointment. Since Boston's planner had been sitting right there in front of her, Ellie had twisted it around and penciled in the cancellation.
She then wrote down a note to inform Boston of the news.
Gritting her teeth as the phone rang again, Ellie leaned forward to peek through the opened doorway into Boston's office. He was still busy with his first call. The phone kept ringing.
"Oh, all right," she muttered. "I hear you. EarthNet." She changed her tone to "pleasant secretary" as she picked up.
"Boston Kincaid's office."
There was a pause. Then, "Ellie?"
She frowned. "Yes? Who is this?"
The male on the other end chuckled. "It's Cam."
She felt herself flush from the base of her neck all the way up to the top of her head. Busted. "Oh...uh, hi," she offered, not sure how to explain herself.
"Hello again," he returned cheerfully. "Whatcha doing?" His tone had lowered to a husky pitch as if to ask,
Whatcha
wearing
?
"I...uh, well...Boston's on the other line and..." Hmm.
"Well, the phone was just ringing and..."
"You thought you'd just answer it, hmm?" he finished for her. He sounded more amused than he did annoyed about the fact she was answering Boston's phone, so she shrugged.
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"I thought I could take a message just as well as an answering machine, and his customer's would be more pleased with a more personable...uh, human voice."
"Mmm hmm," Cameron replied as if he didn't buy such an excuse.
Not sure what he really thought her ulterior motive was, Ellie shifted uneasily and scratched at the back of her neck.
"So, uh...can I leave a message for you?"
"Actually, I was just being snoopy. I wanted Bos to give me the dirt on what you're doing here. But...since you're still there, guess I'll just have to pry later."
Ellie laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't even gotten to speak to him yet. First there was a client, then a phone call. I'm just sitting here, twiddling my thumbs and waiting my turn."
"Want me to come over and keep you company? I just finished what I wanted to get done tonight. Maybe I can get
you
to tell me what your visit's all about."
She couldn't help it; she laughed again. "Thank you for the offer, but I think I can only say this once, so I'll let Boston fill you in later."
He sounded disappointed. "You sure?"
"Positive."
"Okay, fine. Suit yourself." Thinking he was going to hang up with that, Ellie was surprised when he changed gears and conversationally said, "So...ah, Cassidy tells us you're a secretary at a law firm."
Ellie frowned. "Yes," she said, cautiously. Oh, God, did he knew know she'd been fired? Did Boston already know?
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"Well..." He drew out the word as if he were a used car salesman preparing to make her the ultimate pitch. "Due to an unfortunate incident, we've recently lost our legal secretary and are in dire need of a new one...like, immediately."
"Boston lost his secretary?" She frowned, glancing around the deserted secretary's desk. No wonder he'd looked so flustered when the phone started ringing, and his client wanted to make an appointment.
"Yeah..." Cameron's voice echoed in her ear. "Livy sort of, uh, tried to claw her eyes out, and then she fired her...on the spot."
"
Olivia
did that?" she asked, burrowing her eyebrows even more. She couldn't picture the petite blonde she'd met being so violent.
"Uh huh," Cameron added. "She kind of caught Boston's secretary coming onto me."
Ellie's mouth dropped into an "O" formation. "Oh my God.
Seriously?"
"Truly. But, hey, you've met me. So you should understand why women find it nearly impossible to resist my charms. Honestly, I really can't blame the girl for wanting a sample."
"Yes, I found myself having just that problem when I met you too," Ellie reported dryly.
Cameron paused. Then, sounding totally stunned, he said,
"Really?"
Ellie could only laugh.
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When he realized she was joking, he chuckled as well. "I guess she tried to get it on with Boston first," he continued, picking up his tale where he'd left off.
Ellie immediately stopped laughing. The smile dropped from her face as she tried to picture Boston kissing some faceless woman behind this very desk.
"But since Kincaid doesn't have a significant other to beat the woman off, he had to let her down himself," Cameron unknowingly reassured her. "And ever the diplomat, he turned her down so gently she didn't quit...but rather moved on to take a try at me."
"Hmm," Ellie answered. She couldn't help the leap of jealousy she felt at some secretary she'd never even met. Not that she could blame the unknown woman, but she thought Olivia had a good idea with the scratching-the-eyes-out thing.
"So, anyway, Boston really needs a good assistant now.
And I know you probably love the job you have, but I'm willing to double your salary if you want to come here. I mean, you're making, what, thirty, forty thousand a year where you are, right? I can easily—"
"Wait a second," Ellie said when it finally struck her what Cameron was saying. "
What
?!"
"Yeah, I know we'd have to sell Bos on the idea. But if you moved to town to work here, then Cassie would be moving to town as well. And he'd just love that. And—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ellie cut in. "Slow down. There's no way I could..."
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It would be emotional suicide to work for Boston. Seeing him every day and not being able to have him? No. Uh-uh.
That wasn't going to happen.
