His Secretary: BBW Romance (Her Second Chance Book 1) (8 page)

“I prefer to call it determination.”

“What about your father? Do you have any of his traits? Or do you prefer not to talk about it?” She knew she shouldn’t be prying into his private life.

“No, it’s OK. It’s nice to have someone to talk to who understand it a little. My mom never spoke of him, so I have no idea.”

“Did you ever think of tracing him?”

“No. Well ... when my brother got sick I did. It was a combination of wanting him to face up to his responsibilities, and also to know if his family history could shed any light on things.”

“Is your brother’s health bad?”

“No. Not now, it’s manageable.” He turned off, heading to where he would leave his car. It was only then she realised they were going on a private jet.

“We’re not leaving via Heathrow?”

“No. It’s too busy. My jet is ready and waiting for us here. We’ll be in the air in a couple of minutes.”

“You really do live in a different world don't you?”

“Doesn’t mean it’s a better world.”

Before she had a chance to ask him what he meant they were greeted by polite staff who ushered them through the London City Airport. No queuing, they walked straight through security, where Helen held her passport with a visibly shaking hand, and straight into a car to take them to the plane.

It looked so small, next to the big jets she had flown on before, but when she stepped inside, it really did feel like a different, alien world.

They were quickly seated and in the air, and a drink was in her hand before her stomach had caught up with the rest of her. Oliver sat sipping his drink, an amused expression on his face. “Not what you were expecting?”

“No. I thought we’d have to wait for hours in the airport.”

“Are you disappointed?”

“About what?”

“Not having to spend hours in my company.”

“I ... I’m not sure who I’m supposed to answer that.”

“Neither am I, Helen.”

They fell into an all enveloping silence. She took a gulp of her drink, and looked out of the window at the disappearing London skyline while the plane climbed smoothly into the air. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a moment to appreciate the life he lived. But he was right, she wouldn’t give up the struggle of her own life, of her family, to be a jet setter like Oliver.

“Shall we get to work?” she asked, breaking the silence, and reaching for her note book.

“Very diligent.” He smiled, her heart melted, and then she scooped it up and put it away, sealing it off from the man who was her boss, and nothing else. Helen knew she was very probably going to make a complete fool out of herself if she wasn’t on her guard. He obviously enjoyed teasing her and watching her squirm, but there was no way he would ever be interested in her. The journey aboard his jet only pushed home the distance between them. A distance unassailable by a woman as tied down as Helen.

They went over his notes, cross referencing them with her typed pages. All very mundane, all very business like. Neither of them broaching personal subjects again through the rest of the two hour flight. Occasionally Helen’s mind would wander, and she would find herself gazing out of the window, wishing it wasn’t dark, and the sky was clear. She longed to absorb every last second of this adventure. A thrill of excitement had begun to grow by the time the pilot announced their descent into the Nice Côte d'Azur Airport. It sounded so exotic .

A smooth landing and they were ushered out by the flight attendant. “Thank you, Marian,” he said.

“Thank you,” Helen repeated, shying away from the knowing look the older woman gave her. It didn’t take much to read her mind, and the directions her thoughts led. How many other woman had Oliver Pierceson transported on his private jet? The thought made her feel slightly queasy. She wanted to stop, place her hand on Marian’s arm and make her understand this was just business. But no doubt Marion had heard that all before. So she kept a dignified silence, and readied herself for the next stage of this surreal adventure.

***

They could have travelled by car, or bus. Even a helicopter wouldn’t have been so unnerving as reaching the hotel in Monaco by boat.

Exhilarating. Alive for the first time in years, that’s how he made her feel.

“I hope you know what you’re doing?” she shouted at him, as he pushed the throttle forward and the boat leaped forward into the dark. The ocean sprayed up around her, and she tried to cover her papers up with her hands, keeping them safe. Until something fell away from her, and she left the careful woman, the mother of two little girls behind. She ditched being sensible, and threw her head back and laughed.

When he turned to her he was grinning. “Like it?”

She barely caught his voice as it drifted away on the breeze that tugged at her hair. “Very much.”

The bright lights guided them into the harbour. Men with foreign voices called out, and hands reached out to grab the rope, and all too soon it was over. When Helen got off the boat she had no idea how her eyes sparkled, how her smile dazzled him, or how much he wanted to grab her and hold her in his arms, to kiss her under the starlit sky.

However, when he grabbed her hand and pulled her, laughing, away from the harbour, they could have been any two lovers in the world. Breathless and carefree, she followed him, their skin touching, warmth passing between them. Along with something else, so much more subtle.

“Have dinner with me.” Was it a question or a demand? She knew which she hoped it was. If he asked her she would have to refuse. But if her boss demanded her to, she would have to go. It was her duty.

They stood in the elevator, rising up to their separate rooms. She had felt both a sense of relief and defeat when he handed her her key.

She opened her mouth to speak. But was interrupted by quacking.

Mortified she grabbed her phone. “Sorry, my girls love that ringtone.” In her haste she couldn't open her bag, her fingers fumbling while her phone quacked endlessly.

“Hello,” she answered, turning to look away from him, the moment gone. The spell shattered. “Hello darling. No, it’s OK. What’s the matter?” she asked as responsibility and real life crashed down around her.

She’d refused dinner with him last night. He wondered if she would do the same about breakfast. Only one way to find out. He went out of his room, and lifted his hand to knock, this was potentially as nerve racking as his first sole business deal.

Hesitating he lowered his hand. He should leave her alone. But he hadn’t got where he was today without taking a risk.

Before he could change his mind again, he rapped his knuckles on the door.

“Hi,” she said, opening the door, looking relieved to see him. “I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do, so I’ve been sat here waiting.”

“Then let’s have breakfast,” he smiled, she made it so easy in many ways. No guile, no games, it was just one of the ways that attracted him to her.

“I’m starving. You’ll be pleased to know I now wish I’d taken you up on your offer for dinner last night.”

“Why didn’t you?” he asked while they waited for the elevator.

“Because I didn’t think I’d be very good company.”

“Why?” He waited for her to enter the elevator, and then followed, turning to press the button to send them up to the restaurant.

“Because I’m stupid. After Laura phoned I just felt so homesick. Which is stupid when I’d only been gone a couple of hours.”

“It’s understandable if she was upset.”

“She wasn’t. She phoned to tell me about Jeremy.” She was in danger of babbling, she could feel it building up. “I’m sorry, you don’t want to hear the details.”

“I don’t know. I’m intrigued to know there is a man in your life.” Intrigued, and something else. Jealous. He had assumed there was no man in her life, that with her husband gone she was a lonely single woman. But remembering the light in her eyes yesterday when they had been on the boat, the joy and passion exploding from her, he could kick himself for assuming no other man had scooped her up into his arms.

“Man? Oh ... Jeremy. He’s a cat.” She watched him smile, and smiled too. His heart lifted, damn he was smitten. “Stupid name. But Jess named him herself.”

“Ah, the cat. You had me worried for a moment. I thought you had been keeping secrets from me.”

She didn’t have chance to reply, the doors of the elevator opened, and her voice was swept away by the view. “Wow,” was all she managed.

“You like it?”

“Yes. I thought we were going down to eat breakfast outside.”

“Sorry to disappoint. This gives you a birds eye view of Monaco.”

“Oh. I’m not disappointed.”

They were shown to a table and Helen sat down, her mouth still hanging open while she took in the sea and the beach in the distance. Below them was the harbour, and along the beach front she could see the many hotels nestled below the rugged hills in the distance.

“I had no idea this is what it was like here.”

He chuckled, and ordered breakfast while she absorbed the view. He imagined her imprinting it on her brain so she could go home and relive it over and over again. He wanted to take her hand, and tell her of all the places he would love to share with her. Her enthusiasm bringing him to life.

Breakfast with Oliver had been wonderful, the food was complete perfection unlike anything she had ever known. She had resisted the temptation to ask him how much the hotel cost, knowing full well it would be outside of her budget. Yet she dreamed of being able to share this with her children.

Luckily he didn’t press for conversation, he simply sat quietly and looked at her while she looked at the view. And dreamed of winning the lottery.

At last she turned her attention to him. “How do you feel?”

He looked up questioningly, as if no one usually cared about his feelings. “Apprehensive. Here try the French toast.”

She took a bite and closed her eyes to savour it. “That is wonderful.” She licked her fingers, and then said, “So?”

“I’m worried that I’ll upset my uncle, and cause him to have a relapse.”

“That’s not going to happen. He will be grateful that you came all this way to see him and give him your advice.”

“Will he? I was thinking about it while I ate dinner alone last night.” He caught her eye, driving the statement home. Then he smiled, and with all her heart she wished she hadn’t turned him down. But she didn’t speak, or apologise, she knew he was playing with her. “I’m worried that my coming here and offering my opinion will make him feel old and cast aside, as though he's not capable of running his business.”

“What else could you do? At least this way your conscience will be clear. How would you have felt if you’d stayed in London and let the deal go through and then found out you were right. If anything is going to make your uncle ill, it is watching his judgement being pulled out and examined by the board of the bank. I think his shareholders will think he’s too long in the tooth if this deal ends in financial disaster.”

“And that is why I brought you on this trip. I need to hear your level headed opinion.”

She blushed, her appetite disappearing in an instant. His brown eyes danced, and she wanted to stare at them forever, they outshone the perfect view from the hotel a million times over. Yet she tore her eyes away from his, scared of what she might give away about her feelings towards him. They had to stay hidden for two more days. How hard could that be?

***

He went to the hospital alone. She went to roam along the shops and boutiques, looking at the myriad of goods she couldn’t afford. But she breathed it in, until she longed to gaze at the blue Mediterranean Sea and she made her way towards the sound of the waves. In her heart she longed to be standing here with him, and so her thoughts turned to the young man in the hospital, trying to persuade his uncle he was wrong, without any real proof, just his gut instinct.

The day wore on, the sun rose in the sky, and she made her way back to the hotel, and her room. As the time ticked by she worried more, much more than she should about her boss and his uncle.

When he knocked on her door, she jumped, and was across the room, opening it and almost falling breathlessly into his arms. “How did it go?”

“Steady.” He held his hands out, placing them on her arms to stop her falling, or to fend her off, she couldn’t quite decide. “It went OK. Well, at least we're still talking. My aunt and his PA were there, and they both argued my corner. I’ve never seen my aunt like that, but I spoke to her before and she’s desperately worried about him. I think in the end we simply wore him down. He still insists he wants to attend the meeting, although the hospital doesn't want him to leave.”

“So what’s the plan?”

“We spend the afternoon going over everything. Then I go back to the hospital and run through it with him. If I can’t persuade him otherwise the hospital have kindly allowed us to use one of their staff meeting rooms, for a fee of course.”

“So money really can buy anything?”

“Except happiness, Helen. I’ve learned that many times over.”

“Then let’s get started. Although we’ve been over it all so many times I can't think that we’ve missed anything.”

“Neither can I.” He rubbed his face in his hands, shaking off his tiredness. “If we can’t put anything together I think my uncle will let it fly. This thing is going to niggle me for the rest of my life. The one that got away.”

“Hey,” she said, a comforting hand rubbing his back. “You can at least live with the fact that you did your best. But at the end of tomorrow, this has to be your uncle’s decision. It’s his bank, and he won’t hold you responsible. You’ve aired your doubts. Maybe the lesson here is that you can’t always get things to work out the way you want them to.”

“The voice of experience.”

“Now you’re making me feel old.”

“You are. For your age you have an old wise head on your shoulders.”

“You mean I’m boring,” she laughed, but his words hit home.

“No. Not at all.” He turned her towards him, and tilted her chin up in a most inappropriate way for a man who was simply her boss. “Thank you for being here, Helen.”