Falling for the Boss (15 page)

T
he missing file was completely forgotten as far more alarming thoughts made their way around in his head. Leaving as silently as he’d come, Marcus spent the drive home in a rage. He didn’t know with whom to be more angry – Maggie for her duplicity or himself for being jealous.

Back at Bradford House,
he sat down heavily at his desk and stared unseeingly at the piles of notes awaiting his attention. All he could think of was Maggie being kissed by another man. He remembered the sweetness of her nature, the subtle fragrance she wore, and the pleasure he received from just being around her.

Fists clenching, M
arcus grabbed a folder, opening it with such force that he sent papers flying all over the desk. This action seemed to break the tension inside him. He leaned back slowly in his seat, his brilliant mind coming to his rescue. It was time to look at things logically.

Maggie was
just an employee. The fact that she’d turned out to be just like the rest of her sex shouldn’t have shocked him. Had he ever met a female, with the exception of his mother, who was truthful? The disquieting feeling in the pit of his stomach was simply pique at being taken in. No man likes being made to look a fool.

Chapter
Eleven

Halloween was fast approaching
, and Maggie threw herself into the always-challenging task of planning a costume to wear for the annual masquerade party. Brenda received permission from Marcus to continue the tradition, and the calendar had been accommodating with the ghostly holiday falling on a Saturday.

Aft
er wracking her brain for days, Maggie decided to dress as a Victorian maid in keeping with the historic nature of the house. She found a suitably grim-looking black dress with long sleeves and a clerical white collar in a costume shop. A white cap to cover her hair and a black velvet mask completed the ensemble.

By the time the big evening arrived, the guest list had swelled to include not only the staff and their guests, but various friends and colleagues of Marcus. When
Brenda and Maggie entered the ballroom, both were surprised at the number of people mingling around the loaded buffet tables. Maggie figured she would have little trouble evading a certain person in this crush of people.

The
desire to avoid Marcus was the direct result of their last few encounters. His demeanor had been decidedly cool and his manner abrupt. At first confused and then angered by this treatment, she made a resolution to stay out of his way as much as possible.

Even in
a crowd, her eyes easily found him. Marcus had dispensed with a costume. Dressed in a dark suit that probably cost a small fortune, he looked every inch the confident, successful man he was. Maggie hoped he wouldn’t be as fortunate in locating her.

T
his wish and its initial success were to cause her problems later on. Since her costume closely resembled the uniform used by the catering staff hired for the evening, Maggie was virtually left alone. Relaxing her guard, she watched the antics of the other guests with pleasure, glad she didn’t have to worry about being urged to participate in the various activities taking place in the center of the ballroom.

S
he didn’t realize it, but her cloak of invisibility was about to fall around her pretty ears. Halfway through the evening, Maggie noticed her glass was chipped and rather than chance someone getting cut, she decided to take care of it herself.

She
’d almost reached the door leading to the hall when she saw him. Marcus had his back to her, and his attention was completely on his partner. Hoping their absorbing conversation would keep him too occupied to notice her, she walked quickly past them.

As she tossed away
the damaged glass, Maggie decided it might be wiser to return by a different route. As she meandered down the long hallway, she was surprised to see a light coming from the library. As no one was supposed to be in this part of the house, she stepped inside the room with the intention of ensuring the current occupant was removed.

A quick glance around the room showed it to be empty. With a shrug, she reached out to turn off the lamp, but before she could do so, a
scratch on the shiny surface of the desk caught her eye. She bent to take a closer look, running her finger lightly over the mark.

“It’s real mother-of-pearl if that’s what you’re trying to
discover.”

Maggie
jumped a mile at the sound of those quiet words. Turning slowly, she faced the familiar figure standing just inside the door.

“
I thought I made it clear to everyone that this part of the house is off limits.” Marcus took a few steps into the room and halted; the glance he sent her was impersonal and slightly irritated.

It took Maggie a few seconds to realize why it was so impersonal. Marc
us hadn’t recognized her! At least not yet. He evidently thought she was one of the catering staff. Hoping he would continue to do so, she averted her head.

The movement loosened the pins holding her
cap in place. A cluster of golden hair escaped and clung to her slim neck. Maggie didn’t see the green eyes narrow and then widen. A grim smile came and went on his handsome face.

“
A woman of few words – I wonder why,” he mused softly. Before she could react, he moved closer and drew her into his arms.

“What are you doing?” Maggie asked faintly, her only thought to escape a situation that was spiraling out of control.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he asked softly as he lowered his head and kissed her lingeringly.

For a few moments, Maggie forgot that Marcus didn’t know who she was.
She forgot everything except how nice it felt to be in his arms again. When he finally let her go, his words brought her down to earth with a bang.

“I suppose I should apologize
,” he said mildly.

Go
aded into anger, Maggie broke her silence. “Yes, you should. Kissing a stranger is ridiculous, even for you.”

Laughing softly, Marcus
tugged on the tendrils of hair that had escaped her cap. “Isn’t one woman very much like another? Aren’t all of you a mixture of charm and deceit?”

“
That’s a description that could equally apply to you,” Maggie countered. She didn’t give Marcus a chance to reply. Leaving the room without a backward glance, she wondered if the man she loved was a myth.

Marcus
watched her go with a heavy sigh. He usually avoided emotional scenes, so why had he bothered with this one? A faint smile formed on his lips. In this instance, the scene had found him.

He
hadn’t known who Maggie was at first, partly because he hadn’t seen her the entire evening. Thinking she must have opted to spend the evening elsewhere, he’d been surprised to find her in the library.

T
he rational part of him acknowledged that he had no right to resent Maggie having a boyfriend. The irrational part of him found it intolerable. Added to this frustration was the knowledge of how much he missed her. The next thing he knew he was kissing her.

M
aggie had never been more confused by someone in her life. As for the party, she had never felt less like being in the company of others. All she wanted to do was go home. Before she could make her escape, Luke found her.

She
forced herself to smile and allowed him to escort her back into the ballroom. As her feet carried her across the polished floor, her mind was grappling with what had occurred in the library. Marcus hadn’t known who she was when he kissed her, and it hadn’t bothered him in the slightest.

“
You picked an interesting costume,” Luke commented after a few minutes.

Maggie dragged her attention back to the present.
“Did you think I was part of the catering staff?”

“A
t first I did. Have you been bothered by some of the guests?”

Maggie
felt the heat enter her face as she thought that the guests weren’t the problem, it was the host she had to avoid. “No, nothing like that.” She searched frantically for a change of subject. “I thought Felicia might be here tonight.”

“
She already had plans for this evening.”

The dance ended
, and Luke steered Maggie through one of several pairs of open doors that led to a long balcony overlooking the garden. It was windy and cool outdoors, but neither of them noticed. Luke sighed softly, and the sound brought Maggie’s somber contemplation of the moon to an end.

“
You must be wishing Marcus was here with you,” he added dryly.

Maggie almost laughed.
Marcus was the last person she wanted to see. “No, not really.”

“
How about a stroll before we go back in?”

She
agreed readily; the cold air was beginning to seep through her clothes, but anything was better than returning to the house. Linking her arm through his, they descended the shallow stone steps.

Long before it came into view,
she could hear the rhythmic sound of the fountain. It was a favorite spot for tourists and evidently for Luke as well. He sat down gingerly on the edge and Maggie joined him.

“
You’re not afraid of getting wet?” he asked with a grin.

“I’ll
dry soon enough.”

His w
ry laugh was half admiration and half regret. “You’re a very undemanding companion, Maggie.” Luke’s usually cheerful voice was decidedly melancholy. “I saw you that afternoon when Felicia and I were in the basement. I’m sure you know to what I’m referring.” At her slow nod, he continued. “I’m a fool to torture myself by staying here, but I can’t seem to work up the courage to leave. I’ve loved her for a long time, and love has a way of sticking around, even when the case is hopeless.”

“
I understand, Luke,” she said gently. Much more than you know, she thought, but didn’t say. “But, don’t give up yet. Who knows what may happen?”

“
Not much can happen while Felicia persists in this ridiculous infatuation for Marcus. She refuses to see what is happening right in front of her. And as much as I’d like to blame Marcus, I’ve seen with my own eyes who’s doing the chasing. He draws women like a magnet and just as fast he sends them on their way.” Luke turned to look more fully at Maggie. “All that changed when he met you, of course.”

She
wanted to scream at him to stop. Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. If Luke only knew how wrong he was about her and Marcus. But what could she say? A particularly strong gust of wind came to her aid, blowing the spray from the fountain in their direction, half drenching them in the process. After a moment of silence, they both started to laugh.

“You offered me a walk, not a shower,” Maggie retorted once she could
get her breath.

“
I did ask if you minded getting wet. You’re shivering with cold; we better get back to the house. Marcus will kill me if you get pneumonia.” He removed her dripping mask.

“I’ll be fine,” she managed between chattering teeth.

Luke bent toward her, just touching her lips lightly with his. “That’s for being such a good sport. I hope Marcus realizes what a lucky man he is.”

When they reentered the
house, the first person they met was that lucky man. All the color drained from Maggie’s face as Marcus’ green gaze devoured the two of them from head to foot. For the life of her, she could think of nothing to say with their earlier encounter hanging like a curtain between them.

“Is it raining?” Marcus asked after a few seconds.

Luke laughed. “No, but I’ll let Maggie explain our adventure in the garden. I think she’s had enough of me for one night.”

“I’m not sure Maggie would agree
,” Marcus uttered softly as Luke walked away. Then he turned to Maggie, a sardonic glance on his face. “What happened to your mask? I thought the unveiling wasn’t until midnight.”

“
Oh! Luke took it off when we were…,” she halted abruptly.

“
kissing in the garden,” Marcus finished for her. When she made to speak, he held up a hand. “Don’t bother to deny it; you were directly outside my office window.”

“Why would I deny it? And if you saw us, then you know it was nothing
; I suppose he felt bad about me getting wet.”

“Whatever the reason, it’s
not a good idea to let every man you happen to be alone with kiss you. Sooner or later someone is going to get the wrong idea, and you might find yourself in a situation not to your liking.”

“Like the one in the library?”
she asked in a low, furious tone.

His green eyes gleamed
wickedly. “Exactly.”

Suddenly
Maggie could take no more. She never would have believed Marcus could be so hateful nor that you could dislike someone so intensely and yet love them at the same time.

Without another word, she left him,
not stopping until she reached the hall where she hurriedly grabbed her coat intending to slip out the side entrance. She never noticed the tall figure leaning against one of the columns of the portico.

“
Have you been abandoned?” he asked softly.

“No, but Brenda’s not ready to leave yet.  I can catch one of the buses; it’s only a few blocks to my apartment.”

Marcus’ eyebrows rose at this piece of news. “Catch a bus at this time of night! No, Maggie, you’ll just have to put up with me. I’ll run you home in the car.”

Though angry words formed on her lips, she said nothing. All she wanted was
to get home and the quicker the better. With a surprisingly gentle touch, Marcus took her arm and led her toward the garage.

The ride was conducted in silence.
Maggie hoped Marcus would simply drop her off, but he proceeded to park the car and escort her to the door of her apartment. Not wanting to prolong an evening that was fast taking on all the characteristics of a nightmare, she frantically searched her purse for the key to the door. He took it from her and opened the door.

“
If you don’t mind, I’d like to come in for a few minutes.”

Maggie looked up in surprise
, a denial springing to her lips. Marcus ignored the look, and ushered her in. He took the purse from her hands, laid it on the table, and removed her coat, throwing it on the back of a chair.