Playboy Boss, Live-In Mistress
Kelly Hunter
Getting very personal with her boss! Playboy billionaire Alexander Wentworth is the man who has it all – and regularly acquires more! More wealth, more power and more women… His personal assistant Sienna Raleigh, however, is determined to keep things strictly business – no matter how tempted she is!But when they are forced to work and live together, Sienna soon discovers that Lex is just as demanding away from the office. He wants her to be his mistress – and he isn’t a man to take no for an answer!
Praise for Kelly Hunter’s debut novel, WIFE FOR A WEEK:
‘WIFE FOR A WEEK is an amazing debut for author Kelly Hunter. Warm and enticing, this novel sucks the reader in. The characters are engaging and entertaining with their banter, the secondary characters shine like gems and the hero’s mother, effervescent… Exciting new talent Kelly Hunter has managed to produce a novel that not only whets the appetite but leaves the reader craving more. I can’t wait to see what’s up next!’
—CataRomance
WIFE FOR A WEEK was awarded Best First Category Romance of 2006 by CataRomance, and SLEEPING PARTNER was a 2008 finalist for the Romance Writers of America RITA® Award in the Best Contemporary Series Romance category!
‘It’s not so wild,’ Sienna whispered.
Lex covered her hand with his and guided it to the back of his neck. ‘Yet,’ he muttered, and bent his head to hers.
Sienna didn’t stop to think. She didn’t want to think, just feel and taste and take. He’d promised her wildness. He’d deliberately sown the seeds of her need for it. Sienna parted her lips and tasted him with her tongue, a leisurely slide along the join of his lips, a request for permission to enter. She expected consent, but instead he pulled back.
‘Be very sure,’ he said gruffly. ‘I’m not playing, Sienna.’
‘Yes, you are,’ she said, her gaze firmly fixed on his mouth. But right now she didn’t care. ‘You always do.’
‘Not always,’ he murmured, and set his lips to hers.
Accidentally educated in the sciences, Kelly Hunter has always had a weakness for fairytales, fantasy worlds, and losing herself in a good book. Husband… yes. Children…two boys. Cooking and cleaning…sigh. Sports…no, not really—in spite of the best efforts of her family. Gardening…yes—roses, of course. Kelly was born in Australia and has travelled extensively. Although she enjoys living and working in different parts of the world, she still calls Australia home. Visit Kelly online at www.kellyhunter.net
Recent titles by the same author:
WIFE FOR A WEEK
PRICELESS
SLEEPING PARTNER
TAKEN BY THE BAD BOY
PLAYBOY BOSS, LIVE-IN MISTRESS
BY
KELLY HUNTER
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For those who dare to believe
CHAPTER ONE
ALEXANDER WENTWORTH THE THIRD could be a very patient man when he wanted to be.
Take the stock market, the money market, the futures market, any market, for example… When it came to waiting for the opportune moment, Lex had been known to exhibit the patience of Job.
If an eight-knot wind was blowing north-north-east off the Cornwall coast, and he had no place to be but on his yacht and nothing to do but set a course and peel a diamond-encrusted bikini off a beautiful woman, Lex could be very patient indeed. Journeys of seduction were meant to be savoured and savour them he did. Frequently.
Yes, indeed. Patience was one of Lex’s many virtues.
Unfortunately, his current stock of patience was fading fast, and it wasn’t just because he was fifteen hours into a twenty-five hour flight from London to Sydney, with a stopover in Singapore still pending. It was because his temporary personal assistant had a God-given talent for driving him nuts.
Sienna Raleigh was her name; personal assistant and right-hand man her latest trade. She had a doctorate in Renaissance Art, impeccable if somewhat colourful lineage, and a smile that could drop a man at fifty paces. Sienna had been five when they’d first met. Lex had been all of eleven, and her failure to acknowledge his superiority in all things had both irritated and intrigued him. He should’ve taken it as a warning never to employ her, he thought glumly. He really should’ve made an effort and crushed her insurgency some twenty years ago, the moment he’d first set eyes on her, he deduced with a sigh. Because he didn’t have a hope in Hades of crushing it now.
‘Any more stock reports to read?’ he asked her.
‘You mean apart from the dozens you’ve already read?’ she said, without lifting her gaze from the book she was reading. ‘No.’
‘Any more newspapers?’
‘You’ve read all those too.’
‘Just checking.’ He waited a beat. ‘What’s that you’re reading?’
‘An airport novel.’ Sienna’s long-suffering tone served only to amuse him. Clearly the nut-driving worked both ways. ‘I’m up to the part where our hero—due to a combination of strength, determination, brilliance, luck, and fortuitous plotting—single-handedly nabs the villains and then walks away from the traitorous yet agonisingly beautiful woman who betrayed him.’
‘Sounds reasonable,’ he said. ‘Keep me posted.’ He drummed his fingers on the armrest, flicked through the entertainment channels. Sighed.
Sienna looked up at him from her book, those golden brown eyes with their tiny flecks of green revealing acute exasperation and a refreshing lack of guile. ‘Admit it,’ she said. ‘You have the attention span of a gnat.’
‘I do not.’
‘And you want my book.’
‘No, I don’t. Unless of course you’re finished with it.’
‘I’m not.’
‘Because it certainly sounds like the end to me.’
‘There’s an epilogue.’
‘You actually read epilogues?’
‘Wouldn’t want to miss anything,’ she said sweetly. ‘Attention to detail is what you pay me for, remember? It was in the job description.’
‘Wasn’t catering to my every whim in the job description too?’ he asked. ‘I thought it was.’
‘Maybe in your draft. Your former PA removed all references to slavery before she sent it out.’
‘She was an uncommonly good PA,’ he said on a sigh, and meant every word. ‘I still don’t understand how she could choose marriage and motherhood over working for me.’
‘Unfathomable,’ said Sienna a little too dryly for comfort.
‘You like working for me, don’t you?’
‘Lex, I’ve been working for you for three days and so far it’s been bedlam. I’ve rescheduled five meetings, changed our travel arrangements twice, kept an investment bank president on hold for fifteen minutes, begged your former PA to return on a daily basis, and vowed to shoot you at least a dozen times.’
‘What can I say?’ he said. ‘It’s been a slow week. You’ll like the set-up in Australia, though. Trust me.’
Sienna ran her hand along the leather armrest and looked around the spacious cabin area as if assessing the benefits of business-class travel, before turning an amused gaze on him. ‘Speaking of the set-up in Sydney…I still don’t think it’s a good idea for us to share a house while we’re there. A month is a long time, Lex.’
‘It’s not a house, it’s a business hub,’ he said. ‘And you’ll have an entire wing to yourself and a commute to work of approximately fifty metres. None of my other PAs ever complained of it.’
‘None of them are still working for you either. What if I want to get away from you and the work? What if I want to entertain? What if you want to entertain?’
‘Will you have time to entertain?’ he countered.
‘Who knows?’ She stood and stretched, giving him a nose to navel view of an impossibly tiny waist and firmly rounded buttocks. ‘I might.’
Not if he had anything to do with it. Which—as fortune would have it—he did.
It occurred to him, not for the first time during these past few days, that Sienna might just have a point. That sharing adjoining quarters with her these next few weeks was going to prove far more of a challenge than he’d anticipated. He and Sienna hadn’t seen much of one another these past few years. Different paths, different lifestyles, that was what he’d told his mother and anyone else who’d asked. Childhood friends often drifted apart, end of story, and if there was another reason he’d kept his distance lately, well, that was for him to know and no one else. When it came to Sienna, Lex’s body and brain were not in alignment. His brain wanted his role in Sienna’s life to be much the same as it always had been. Protector, mentor, occasional antagonist.
His body just wanted her naked beneath him. Hotly responsive. Possibly begging…
‘Lex.’
Right voice, wrong tone altogether. Where was the breathless pleading? The dulcet whimpers of a woman with nothing but fulfilment on her mind?
‘Alex!’
Whoa! He looked up with a start to find Sienna staring down at him in exasperation as she dangled some sort of report in front of his nose—a prospectus for a Shanghai construction company about to list on the New York stock exchange, to be exact. He’d mentioned the company in passing a couple of days ago but hadn’t expected her to follow up on it. ‘For me? Aw, you shouldn’t have.’
‘Think of it as the toy truck every mother in the known universe keeps in her handbag for when she’s out and about and wants her fractious toddler to behave.’ She fixed him with the queen of all challenging smiles, then picked up her book and settled back into her seat. ‘Enjoy.’
‘No, really. You shouldn’t have. They’re heavily invested in the US sub-prime housing market. They’re going down.’
‘Then see what you can pick up in the fire sale. Isn’t that what you do?’
She had a point. She did have a point. But he didn’t feel like reading any more. He needed to diffuse some of the sexual awareness currently tying him in knots, and if seduction wasn’t an option—and it wasn’t—then an argument would have to suffice. All he had to do was pick a reason, any reason. Maybe he should voice those mostly brotherly instincts and tell her that entertaining another man while living under his roof was out of the question. ‘About us living together…’
‘You mean about us occasionally meeting each other outside of working hours in common entertainment areas?’ Sienna arched a delicate eyebrow and smiled a hoyden’s smile. ‘And what we should do if the other person has someone else with them?’
Lex smiled back, every sense sharpening beneath his lazy façade. She did want to fight. It would be churlish of him not to oblige. ‘If you happen upon me while I’m entertaining, I will of course introduce you to my companion and quite possibly ask you to join us, at which point you will in all likelihood refuse and give me one of those looks—yes, that’s the one—and take yourself off elsewhere. Does that sound reasonable?’
‘Does that scenario work both ways?’
‘Well…no.’ He loved the way her eyes flashed fire and her chin came up. ‘Should you wish to entertain, I’ll require three days’ notice and a thorough background check on the individual, or individuals, concerned. How does that sound?’
‘Restrictive.’
Perfect. ‘One can never be too careful. Imagine how you’d hate yourself if you were played for a fool by a reporter after an inside story on me. You’d be crushed. And I just know that somehow—in some nebulous parallel universe accessible only to the female psyche—it would be all my fault.’ He shook his head sorrowfully. ‘Make that five days notice. I hate being the one at fault.’
‘You think I can’t recognise a reporter when I see one?’ she said with the quirk of an eyebrow. ‘With my family background?’
‘You’re right,’ he said, conceding yet another strategic point. Not a problem to his way of thinking given that the entire aim of this conversation was not necessarily to win but to fight. Sienna’s mother had been many years older and several hundred million dollars wealthier than her artist husband. The press had feasted on the disparity for years, but the banquet had really started with Sienna’s mother’s alleged suicide. The squandered millions. The faithless husband. The forged will and the missing paintings. Two months after Sienna’s mother died, her father had played chicken with a freight train and lost, and the gutter press had started up again. Eventually, thankfully, they’d moved on to newer, juicier stories but Sienna’s loathing for the press and her reluctance to step anywhere near the limelight remained. ‘Bad example. A reporter wouldn’t last five minutes with you. But what say a thief tried to woo you in order to gain access to the complex? Know anything about thieves?’
A fleeting smile crossed the generous curve of her lips. ‘People call you a thief, Lex. I know a lot about you.’
He knew what people called him. He’d heard it all before and was prepared to let the insult pass. Actually, no, he wasn’t. This time the insult rankled. Time to ramp this argument up a notch. ‘I pay for what I take.’
‘You pay a pittance for what you take—then you break it down, repackage it, and make a fortune,’ she said with brutal accuracy. ‘Doesn’t matter if it’s legal, Lex. To some people’s way of thinking, you’re still a thief.’
‘The technical term is corporate raider.’
‘Raider, brigand, pirate…thief.’ Her eyes challenged him to explain the difference. Presuming there was a difference.
‘Those companies have been ruined by mismanagement, overextension, or plain old neglect long before I ever arrive on the scene,’ he argued. ‘I’m not responsible for that.’
‘No,’ she said. ‘You’re right, you’re not.’ Sienna opened her mouth as if to say more, but closed it again without uttering a word. She opted instead for opening her book and trying to ignore him, but he wasn’t about to let her off the hook that easily. He reached over, took the book from her hands and shoved it down the side of her seat.
‘Say it,’ he said curtly. ‘Whatever you were about to say, say it.’
Sienna looked mutinous, not to mention defensive. Lex knew from experience that following orders—his or anyone else’s—was not her strong suit. But then she spoke.
‘You could save those companies, Lex. Turn them around rather than tear them to pieces.’
‘I knew that was where you were heading with this. I knew it!’ He’d wanted an argument, he reminded himself bleakly. Just not this one. ‘It’s not that simple.’
‘I realise that. But you could save them—’
‘You give me far too much credit.’
‘—if you wanted to,’ she finished. ‘You just don’t want to.’
‘You’re right. I don’t,’ he murmured and felt his shoulder muscles bunch and tighten, and all because of a criticism he’d heard a thousand times before. He’d had enough of this flight. Of Sienna’s criticism. Of wanting Sienna in his arms with one breath and wishing her a million miles away with his next. He’d had more than enough of that.
He half rose from his seat, trying to get past her so he could go somewhere else. Somewhere Sienna’s measuring, questioning gaze wasn’t, but she didn’t shrink back in her seat to let him past like any normal person would do. Oh, no, she didn’t do that. Now that he’d pushed her to state her case, she wanted a reply. ‘This isn’t about fixing other people’s mistakes,’ he said curtly. ‘It’s about capitalising on them. Darwin’s theory of evolution fits the corporate business model to perfection. It’s survival of the fittest, the fastest, the strongest, and the smartest. Not to mention the most ruthless.’
‘Where’s your sense of social responsibility?’ she asked quietly.
‘With me and mine.’
‘Working with you these past few days has been such a revelation.’ Her green on gold gaze held him prisoner; she would not back down. ‘Just when you think you know a person…’
He smiled mirthlessly. ‘What? You didn’t think I was ruthless?’
‘Not that ruthless.’
‘Well, now you know.’ He could have brushed past her then, would have if he hadn’t made the fatal mistake of dropping his gaze to her lips, those soft, perfectly shaped lips. He leaned down, put his hands on the armrests either side of her and moved in close, until his mouth almost brushed hers. ‘Want to be mine, Sienna?’ he whispered with more than a lick of temper to his words.
She went perfectly still. As if she’d forgotten how to move, how to breathe. As if he were the predator and she the prey, thought Lex, and felt his body respond to the notion with savage satisfaction. Embracing it, savouring it, as simmering temper turned into a different kind of heat altogether. ‘Breathe,’ he whispered.
‘No.’ Her voice sounded thready, uncertain, and the beast inside him purred.
‘You’ll die if you don’t.’
She took a breath and released it raggedly before easing slowly back against the seat, her startled gaze not leaving his. ‘Breathing’s not the problem here,’ she muttered and took another shaky breath. ‘I’m on it, see? But I’d rather not be yours.’
‘No?’ Lex smiled grimly and slid his gaze down her body. At first glance, Sienna’s body language backed up her words. Her hands were ironing out the creases in her little pink skirt, smoothing the material down towards her knees as if she would have liked a couple more inches of fabric. Her knees pressed primly together, barring his way, and she’d tucked her legs tightly against the seat, demure-schoolgirl-style. Alas, there was nothing demure about her delicate pink sandals. Those shoes were all grown up.
So were other things about her.
At her throat he noticed the frantic beating of a pulse gone wild.
Outlined against her fitted white business shirt he could see the unmistakable imprint of nipples gone hard.
Sienna Raleigh, childhood nemesis and bane of his existence, was all hot and bothered. By him.
Somewhere down in the purely primal recesses of his being, Lex found the notion deeply, deeply satisfying. He pulled back to stare broodingly down at her. That tiny telltale reaction was going to cost her. It was going to cost them both. ‘Just when you think you know a person…’ he echoed softly.
Sienna was the first to look away.
‘Tell me something, Sienna. If you don’t like what I do for a living and you don’t want to share a house with me for the next month, why the hell did you come to me and ask me to train you as a PA in the first place?’
‘You could have said no,’ she said finally, still not deigning to look at him.
‘You have no idea how close I came to saying exactly that.’
‘Then you should have!’ She speared him with a lightning glance before looking away again quickly. ‘I’d have understood.’
No, he thought. You wouldn’t have. Not until I’d shown you exactly what I want from you these days. Not until now. Lex smiled tightly as the bonds of childhood friendship warred with the desires of a man well used to taking what he wanted. ‘You started this,’ he said softly.
‘You could have said no.’ Her voice was low, stricken. She knew damn well what she’d set in motion. She knew him. ‘Why didn’t you?’
‘When have I ever said no to you, Sienna?’ He had to get out of here, now, before he covered her lips with his own and smashed a lifelong friendship to smithereens. ‘When?’
Sienna watched through hot eyes as Lex strode down the aisle away from her, her mind whirling as she replayed the events of the last few minutes. How on earth had they gone from good-natured bickering to smouldering awareness to outright warfare in the space of a few heartbeats? Lex was her friend. Practically the brother she’d never had. He spent half his life needling her and the other half protecting her. That was what he did. What he’d always done. That was how their relationship worked. How dared he bring his sexuality into play and use it against her? How dared he give her The Look.
Sienna knew that look. It had brought countless perfectly sensible, rational women to their knees, desperate for more of him.
Sometimes Lex gave more. Any lover of his could expect a significant initial outlay of his time and attention. Rumour had it they could expect generous access to his money and possessions. Extremely generous access to his body. Unparalleled dedication to theirs.
For a time.
Until Lex had satisfied his curiosity, at which point he was gone, leaving hitherto sensible, rational women weeping in his wake, savagely cursing his focus, his stamina, and the sheer animal beauty of him, right before begging him to return.
Lex was a charming rake—just ask any woman he’d ever taken to his bed. Sienna knew that. Accepted it. Despised it. And for the most part ignored it—secure in the knowledge that her relationship with him was different. It always had been different.
Until now.
What was he doing messing with a perfectly good friendship that was manageable, mildly acerbic, and, above all, safe? Who in their right mind would throw away twenty years of friendship on a brief bedroom romp?
Not her.
So what if she’d found the full force of Lex’s sexuality exhilarating? So what if she’d come closer than ever before to understanding why women were willing to accept Lex on his terms—on any terms—and to hell with the heartbreak? That still didn’t mean she wanted to become one of them. No, no, and no!
Oh, look. He’d found a flight attendant. Now he was smiling crookedly at the woman; murmuring to her. Now she was smiling back. Surprise surprise.
Now Lex turned to look down the aisle towards her, a vision of careless elegance in a miraculously rumple-free business suit minus the tie. What was it about lean, dark-haired, grey-eyed men in charcoal-coloured business suits and snowy white shirts that made a woman look twice, and then—if it was Lex—again? Did his obvious wealth lend him an air of sophistication, success, and sex appeal or was it all just Lex? Would her sudden acute awareness of him disappear if she pictured him standing there in, say, grandfather pyjamas? The ones where the waistband of the trousers resided just below the armpits and the buttons went all the way to the neck. Not the sexy low-slung grey-striped cotton trousers she’d shoved in his carry on luggage yesterday. Now was definitely not the time to imagine him in those.
Oh, dear.
Sienna grabbed for the arm of a passing attendant. ‘Water,’ she croaked. ‘Please.’
‘Of course.’ The attendant took one look at her and decided to hustle. Did she look pale? She felt ashen. Did she look ill? She felt as if the world had suddenly tilted off its axis and no matter what she did she couldn’t set it right again. She didn’t want Lex to look at her like that. She didn’t want to be one of his conquests.
Did she?
Lex started down the aisle and Sienna quickly looked away and braced herself for his return to a seat that was suddenly far too close to hers for comfort. She tucked her legs against her seat as Lex swept past her. Keep going, Lex, well done, breathe out.
‘Good news,’ he said as he settled into his seat, his voice casual, as if he’d decided to forget all about their earlier altercation. ‘We’re landing in Singapore in twenty minutes. We can go into the terminal. Stretch our legs, stock up on airport novels and newspapers. There’s an executive lounge area that has internet access. Showers too.’
‘So much to do, so little time,’ she said, but she was grateful for both the impending stopover and Lex’s efforts to put their relationship back on its normal footing. Forgetting all about the upheavals of the last ten minutes was a mighty fine plan to her way of thinking. Being able to get away from Lex for a spell was an even better idea. ‘You shop, I’ll shower.’
‘A good PA would stay by my side and see to my needs,’ he said.
She knew the basic philosophy but even so… ‘Even in transit?’
‘Especially in transit.’ Lex smiled grimly. He’d been doing that a lot lately. ‘Maybe it’s a good thing I was prepared to take you on and train you up. Imagine if you’d taken that job with the oil sheik in Dubai? OPEC would never have been the same again.’
‘The sheik didn’t think I’d make a mess,’ she said tartly. ‘He thought I could do it.’
‘The sheik was besotted with you, Sienna,’ said Lex darkly.
Unfortunately, Lex was correct. It was one of the reasons she hadn’t taken the job. The other reason, and it galled her to admit it, had been her lack of experience in all matters pertaining to the business of being a good personal assistant. She’d needed experience. Lex had needed an assistant for a month while he was in Australia. Sienna had no aversion whatsoever to visiting the colonies. Sienna had long overdue personal business she could attend to while in Australia. The entire plan had seemed like such a good idea.
At the time.
‘Thank you for agreeing to this, Lex,’ she said awkwardly. ‘I do appreciate it. Really. And I didn’t mean to question your business ethics, earlier. I just…wanted to understand.’
‘And now that you do?’ He looked wary. Defensive. ‘Do you still want to be my PA for the month, Sienna?’
‘Yes.’ She shoved her newfound awareness of him aside, took another deep breath and collected her scattered wits. ‘If you’re skilful enough to take bits and pieces of broken companies and put them together in ways that work, then I’m all for it. I was in fix-it mode before. Now I’m thinking salvage. Corporate recycling. I’m all for recycling.’
‘Recycling,’ he said disbelievingly.
‘Absolutely.’ She offered up a smile for good measure.
‘You’ve missed your calling,’ he told her. ‘Corporate public relations needs you.’
Sienna felt her smile widen. This was the Lex she knew and understood. This Lex she could handle. ‘So what exactly is it that you want me to do while we’re in transit?’
He stared at her through narrowed assessing eyes and Sienna stared back with as much calm as she could muster. After what seemed like an eternity Lex bestowed on her a smile an angel would’ve been proud of. He was up to something. Nothing surer.
‘Tell you what…’ he said graciously. ‘I’ll shower, you hold the towel.’
CHAPTER TWO
TWENTY minutes later the plane touched down in Singapore and Sienna preceeded Lex along narrow nondescript corridors towards the transit lounge. She felt a lot better now that they were off the plane—more in control of herself and her surroundings. Far more inclined to think that her and Lex’s sensually loaded altercation had been nothing more than edginess and boredom on his part and a never-to-be repeated moment of insanity on hers.
Sienna’s internal clock told her it was long past her bedtime, but the arrival and departure boards inside the terminal said it was six p.m. and the light outside the windows confirmed it. She was tired, she realised belatedly. Add that to the list of reasons for her strange reaction to Lex. She added it to his side of the equation too. The hours he’d worked during these last few days leading up to the trip had been phenomenal. And there hadn’t been a beautiful companion in sight. Not for months, according to her godmother, Adriana, who also happened to be Lex’s mother. Sienna added ‘overdue’to Lex’s list of reasons for uncharacteristic behaviour. Wonderful things, lists.
The standard array of shops graced the terminal corridors. Coffee bar, newsagent, chain-store music and books, lotions, potions, and soap… Wait! Soap. Gorgeously scented luxury soap. To use in the shower… Sienna stopped abruptly and Lex all but crashed into her in the process.
‘What did you forget?’ he said.
‘Nothing.’ He of little faith. ‘I just want some soap.’
‘I already have soap.’
‘Why is it always about you?’
‘It just…usually is.’
‘Well, not this time.’ Honestly, the man had been thoroughly indulged for far too long. ‘The soap is for me.’
‘My mistake.’ Lex wandered over to the nearest display. ‘What kind of soap do you want?’
‘I’ll know it when I smell it,’ she said.
‘I see.’ His expression said he didn’t understand the delights of scented-soap shopping at all. ‘What say we forgo your PA training for the next couple of hours and I meet you back on the plane?’ But the ancient Asian saleswoman had already made her move.
‘Come. Come,’ she said, waving them into the shop proper. ‘It is good for the man to choose the soap for the woman. Choose now, benefit later, no?’
‘No,’ said Sienna, but the saleswoman ignored her.
‘This one,’ she said, and handed Lex a block of soap. ‘Ylang ylang and lemongrass. Smell good, no?’
Lex sniffed. Considered. Decided. And all without giving Sienna a second glance. ‘No,’ he said as he handed the soap back to the woman. ‘She’s more of a rosehip kind of girl.’
‘I am not!’ said Sienna.
‘Rosehip and vanilla?’ said the saleswoman, picking up another block of soap and offering it to him. ‘This one you like?’
‘Hello,’ said Sienna. ‘Over here.’
‘Got anything with ginger in it?’ said Lex.
‘Sandalwood and ginger,’ said the woman and passed that one to him as well. ‘Also matching body lotion, hand cream, and shampoo.’
‘Sold,’ said Lex and produced a wallet from his trouser pocket. ‘Don’t bother wrapping it.’
‘How sweet,’ murmured Sienna. ‘You think we’re done here.’
‘We are done here.’ He strode towards the register. ‘You wanted soap. You got soap. And moisturiser, and shampoo. What more could you possibly need?’
This wasn’t about need. It was about shopping. Possibly about revenge. ‘There’s a men’s range.’
‘No,’ he said hastily.
‘Oh, yes.’ Sienna studied him serenely. If he thought he could treat her like a charity case and pick up the tab for her expenses he was mistaken. She wasn’t on the poverty line yet. She could still afford soap.
The saleswoman studied him too. ‘So much hurry,’ she said. ‘Does he have airplane to catch?’
‘He just got off one.’ Lex opened his mouth to speak. ‘He’s about to tell you he already has soap,’ Sienna murmured. ‘Anyone would think he’s not a patient man.’
‘A man with no patience is like an ocean without fish,’ said the woman, and continued to study Lex. ‘Why even cast the net?’
‘I have fish,’ said Lex indignantly. ‘I have plenty of fish.’
‘Of course you do.’ Sienna couldn’t quite hide her smirk. Who’d have thought there’d be such joy to be had in a transit terminal soap shop?
‘Allspice and lemon thyme?’ offered the saleswoman.
Close. There was no denying the man’s edibility, although she fully intended to. ‘I’m thinking cinnamon.’
‘Cinnamon and orange,’ said the woman, picking up a nearby block of soap and handing it to her. ‘Good choice.’
Sienna took it. Sniffed it. ‘I don’t know… I’m not sure…’ And with devilry in mind she said, ‘He may need to try it on.’
‘How—?’ he began, and then spied the basin and tap. ‘No.’
Oh, yes. ‘I’d hate to choose wrong. Imagine if the aroma didn’t complement your manly essence?’
‘Sienna, it’s soap.’
‘How little you know,’ she said and reached for his arm, pushing his jacket sleeve up to his elbow before taking his wrist and turning it to expose the inside of his forearm. ‘Think of the fish.’
The saleswoman slapped a damp cloth on his skin and deftly wet him from elbow to wrist. ‘The soap will slide,’ she said.
The soap did slide. And somewhere between elbow and wrist Sienna lost the upper hand and Lex found it.
‘Now you rub with your hands,’ the saleswoman told her. ‘I take the soap.’
Lex’s mouth curved lazily and his eyes gleamed. ‘I like a firm touch,’ he murmured.
He got one and winced, doubtless from pleasure.
‘She’s so obliging,’ he told the saleswoman. ‘Really. Ouch!’
‘A woman without spirit is like a sky with no clouds,’ said the woman.
‘Perfect?’ said Lex.
‘No. Such a sky will never quench your thirst.’
‘Isn’t that what bottled water’s for?’ said Lex, and winced some more as Sienna’s thumb accidentally encountered another soft spot. ‘Easy, sweetheart. You’re bruising the goods.’
‘Sorry.’ Sienna trailed her fingernails lightly down his arm, leaving a row of wavy snakelike tracks in the lather. Lex shuddered ever so slightly and his eyes flashed a heated warning.
‘Keep it up, Sienna, and you will be.’
Oh, dear. There it was again—exhilaration, illumination, and a powerful curiosity about what Lex might bring to a sexual relationship—all of it coalescing into a tight ball of sensation deep in the pit of her stomach. Sienna moved to the sink, washed the soap from her hands and stood back to let Lex wash his arm, acutely aware that lathering him in cinnamon soap hadn’t been one of her better ideas.
She wasn’t six any more; Lex wasn’t her indulgent older playmate.
She wasn’t a skinny, smart-mouthed fifteen-year-old any more either; Lex wasn’t her confidante and protector.
Lex dried his hands and arms with a paper towel and turned towards her, every movement a subtle challenge, and Sienna realised with blinding clarity that those days were over.
He put his forearm to his nose, took a whiff, shrugged, and held his arm up towards her, those knowing grey eyes daring her to play out the scene to completion. Maybe she ought to add ‘too easily led’ to her side of the equation, she thought wryly, because she knew instinctively that breathing him in was going to cost her control she could ill afford to lose. But she closed her eyes and breathed deeply anyway.
The aroma of cinnamon came first, then citrus, then Lex. The ache in her stomach pulled tighter.
‘How does it combine with my manly essence?’ he murmured, his voice a low, husky rumble that sounded like sin and burned like the devil.
‘Quite well,’ she whimpered, her eyes still tightly closed.
‘I was aiming a little higher than quite well.’ Had he moved closer? Was it his body that was on fire or was it hers? Because something here was burning, nothing surer. Something brushed her ear and she shivered hard. His hair, she thought at first. No, maybe his cheek. His lips… ‘Maybe we should try a different soap on the other arm,’ he whispered.
Sienna stumbled back a step and opened her eyes and immediately wished she hadn’t. There it was again: The Look. And Lex didn’t look tired or edgy or in any way bored. He looked focussed and sexy as hell and the reckless hunger in his eyes called to needs she’d never known she had. ‘No need to try another one on,’ she said, adding a weak smile for good measure. ‘This one combines very well.’
‘I appreciate the adverbial upgrade,’ he countered with a lazy grin. ‘But the fact remains that the basic assessment is mediocre. Are you sure you don’t want to make me try on another one?’
‘It lifts your manly essence into the realms of the sublime,’ she practically yelled. ‘I am trembling with lust.’
‘I think she likes it,’ Lex told the lady. ‘I’ll take a month’s worth.’
Sienna fled Lex’s company after that and Lex let her. The scent of cinnamon and orange soap and Lex the marauder stayed in her mind and on her hands until there was nothing for it but to shower it off, wash it straight down the drain, and replace it with plain old airport hotel soap and shampoo, never mind the gorgeous goodies from the soap shop burning a hole in her handbag. Even then her mind strayed as she lathered up and scrubbed hard. She imagined a man’s hands on her, but not just any man’s hands. These were knowing hands, demanding hands.
Lex’s hands.
‘Why me?’ she whimpered. Why Lex? ‘Why now?’
Oh, there’d been that time on her eighteenth birthday when Lex had commandeered her for a slow dance at the end of the evening and she’d been a mass of nerves for fear he was planning to kiss her, but that had been years ago. Besides, he hadn’t. Not on the lips. He’d kissed her temple instead, told her to watch out for Bobby Carmichael’s wandering hands, and left with the beautiful blonde events manager that Adriana had hired to oversee the evening.
The beautiful blonde hadn’t lasted a week.
Neither had Bobby Carmichael.
Then there’d been that time when Lex had turned up at her flat one morning and the very sweet Aidan Russell had chosen that particular moment to wander out of her bedroom. Lex hadn’t liked coming face to face with Sienna’s love life, never mind that his own had spanned three continents by then, the ice in his eyes could have frozen the Thames. After about two minutes of stilted conversation, including introductions, Aidan had become visibly nervous.
Aidan hadn’t lasted long either.
How many years ago was that? Two? Three? There’d been no one for Sienna since then. Sighing, Sienna added ‘long overdue’ to her list of reasons for her sudden uncomfortable awareness of Lex’s manly attractions and tilted her face beneath the spray. Moments later visions of Lex in the shower with her—with his hands on her—began to assail her. She turned the cold tap on full and concentrated on getting clean rather than aroused, but occasionally an image stuck and when it did it ripped into her with cyclone force. Her body bowed and her skin ached for a lover’s touch.
A lover’s touch, she told herself fiercely. Not Lex’s touch.
Any lover would do. There was such a thing as taking the edge off.
And then her relationship with Lex would be the same as it always had been. Sacrosanct.
Sienna emerged from the shower feeling suitably clean but in no way relaxed. The thought of Lex showering with his soap and Sienna having to sit next to him on the plane for another eight hours, breathing him in, wasn’t a reassuring one to a woman whose body ached for fulfilment and whose mind had remained back in London. If he turned that lazy charm on her again, heaven forbid if he touched her, she was likely to implode. Lex would probably find it amusing. Sienna didn’t find the notion amusing at all.
Think, Sienna, think. She’d known this man for most of her life. She knew his strengths and all his flaws. She knew full well that he was only amusing himself with her on account of a distinct lack of anything else amusing at hand. The obvious solution, therefore, was to find something else for him to focus on.
She hit the shops again and bought him a book. An adventure story with ticking bombs and many villains. That’d doubtless keep him occupied for, oh…five minutes. She bought him a book of mastermind sudoku puzzles. That’d hold him for longer. What else? A major crisis of confidence on Wall Street would be good. She skimmed the newspapers for just such an occurrence, but it wasn’t to be. What else would a good PA collect for her boss before getting back on that plane?
Probably her composure.
Definitely her wits.
Her resolve to not become romantically involved with old friends, new bosses, or millionaire playboys for whom romance was just a diversion. Which pretty much ruled Lex out on all counts.
The final boarding call came about far too quickly and Sienna stepped gingerly back inside the plane, armed to the teeth with distractions, only to find Lex already seated, with his computer open on his lap. His gaze was penetrating but his smile was the one from their childhood as she tucked her purchases into the webbing of the seat in front of her and her carry bag into the locker above. She settled into her seat and took a tentative breath. No cinnamon or orange. Lex had showered—his hair was still damp—but not with his new soap.
Hallelujah.
Lex shut down his laptop for take-off, his impatience a tangible force, those long, lean fingers drumming rhythmically on the slim machine, his gaze distracted and far away.
‘Something I should know about?’ she queried, feeling ever so slightly guilty that she hadn’t stuck with him during the stopover.
‘The breakdown of the Scorcellini assets has come in,’ said Lex. ‘They’re in surprisingly good shape for a company going under.’
‘Is this a good thing?’
‘It is for them. Means their chances of attracting a rescue bid are higher than I thought.’
‘So where does that leave your bid?’
‘In need of readjustment.’ He shot her a glance. ‘You’re not going to suggest that I rescue them?’
‘No. I have a new approach when it comes to dealings of a financial nature. I won’t criticise your decisions.’
‘I like it,’ he said.
‘And you don’t criticise mine.’
‘You had to go and spoil it.’
‘Do we have a deal?’
‘No.’ He smiled crookedly. ‘Criticise away. I may not always like or agree with what you have to say, Sienna, but I still want to hear it.’
Sienna sighed heavily. Now he was being charming. ‘Would you want to hear the opinions of a PA you hadn’t known since childhood?’
‘Probably not. But, then, you’re not a regular employee, are you? Which means some of the regular rules simply don’t apply. I can give you the workload a PA would get from me. I can show you how to do it. But don’t ask me to treat you like a proper PA this coming month because I can’t.’
‘You could try.’
‘And I’d fail. I don’t look to you for instant obedience, Sienna. I look to you for truth.’
Sienna went all marshmallow-soft inside; she couldn’t help it.
The seat-belt lights went off. Lex opened his laptop and started opening files. ‘And trouble,’ he muttered. ‘Trust me, Sienna, you bring that to the table too.’
At five fifty-five a. m., local time, Sienna and Lex stepped off the plane, collected their luggage, cleared customs, and stepped into the arrivals area. Sienna had never been to Australia before. The dress code of the people waiting for passengers seemed far more informal than that of the people at Heathrow. People smiled more and walked slower, the air was warmer and the general vibe felt a whole lot more relaxed.
Or maybe she only thought it felt more relaxed because she was so glad to finally get off that plane. Lex had focussed on his work for most of the Singapore-Sydney leg of the trip, stopping only for meal breaks. There had been no awkward moments of heart-stopping sexual tension, nothing out of the ordinary at all, not on Lex’s part at any rate. But Sienna still hadn’t quite been able to relax in his company. Not until they’d left the plane behind.
‘The trick to jet lag and adjusting quickly to the new time zone is to stay awake for the rest of the day, local time, and crawl into bed around midnight,’ Lex told Sienna as he collected both his suitcases and hers.
‘Uh-huh,’ Sienna replied with increasing good humour as they strode through the glass doors and out onto the Sydney pavement. Fresh air, heavily laden with exhaust fumes and the promise of a hot summer’s day, greeted her. ‘It sounds perfectly sensible in theory, don’t get me wrong. Remind me again when I fall asleep in my soup at lunchtime. How far is it to your place from here, again?’
‘Half an hour.’ Lex steered the bags towards a waiting limousine, gave the driver the address and opened the back door for Sienna to get in. ‘Watson’s Bay lies just inside the southern entrance to Sydney Harbour. The land there tapers off to a point, with one side facing the bay and the other side facing the ocean. It’s a nice spot. You’ll like it,’ he told her with a boyish smile that told of his enthusiasm for his latest cubbyhole. He’d always had dozens of special places tucked away in the grounds of his family’s estate as a child. Sienna had delighted in seeking them out during her visits, and Lex had always shared them with her with good grace and enthusiasm, just as he was doing now. It had taken her years before she’d realised that Lex was a whole lot more careful about sharing himself with anyone else. He’d grown up wary of reporters and social climbers; people who saw the money and the position in society rather than the man, never mind that the man himself was spectacular.
If she could just think of this Sydney home as Lex’s latest cubby rather than the abode of a man who could damage her calm with nothing more than a single heated glance, they would get along just fine. ‘And the house?’ she questioned. ‘The hub? Which side is it on?’
‘The bay side. I needed somewhere to put the yacht.’
‘Of course,’ she said dryly. ‘The yacht.’
‘There’s a housekeeper too. His name’s Rudy. He used to be a Navy frigate midshipman. He likes things tidy. Cooks extremely tasty French frou-frou food but you might want to stay out of his kitchen. He’s territorial.’
‘Pity. I like kitchens.’ Kitchens had been her refuge as a child, especially when her parents had been mid-argument, which had been most of the time. She tended to gravitate towards them, even as an adult. A boiling kettle and the fixings for a cup of tea provided comfort and warmth on too many levels to count.
Lex sent her a sharp glance but stayed silent.
‘Is the presence of Rudy the former frigate midshipman supposed to be reassuring when it comes to the thought of sharing a house with you for a month?’ she said next.
‘I figured it would be,’ he said mildly.
‘What if he wants to entertain?’
‘Don’t dwell on it. I never do. Rudy lives in the apartment over the garage. What he does there is his business.’ And at her raised eyebrow he added, ‘All I’m saying is that we’re not going to be entirely alone in the house, that’s all. You might want to factor that into your decision-making process.’
‘Thanks. I will.’ Sienna chewed pensively on her bottom lip. She didn’t want to be contrary or difficult. She just wanted the month to go as smoothly as possible. ‘In the interests of exploring all options, have you any idea how expensive the rents nearby would be?’
‘Expensive,’ he said. ‘Watson’s Bay isn’t a budget area, Sienna.’
‘What about housing a little further away?’
‘Then the commute will be longer.’
‘It’s called compromise.’
‘I know what compromise is,’ he said curtly. ‘The business world is full of it. What I don’t understand is why you feel the need to make such a compromise.’
‘So I’m frugal,’ she said lightly. ‘Not all of us have deep pockets, Lex. You know I’m not in your league.’
‘I also know that parting with a month’s worth of high-end rent—unnecessary as it would be—shouldn’t really bother you.’ Lex’s gaze had sharpened; his interest had been piqued. ‘Sienna, are you in financial trouble? Is that why the sudden push to become a PA?’
‘No! And no. Of course not.’ She sent him a bright smile, but she couldn’t hold his gaze. She opted instead for staring out the window at Sydney’s suburbia. Subterfuge never had been her strong point. She didn’t have to see Lex’s diamond hard gaze to know that it was boring into her. She could feel it. ‘There simply aren’t that many advancement opportunities for art curators at the moment, that’s all. I figure if I can combine business skills with my knowledge of the art world I might be able to pick up a PA position with a collector or gallery owner. Broaden my horizons.’ Find some missing paintings… ‘I will confess that a bigger pay cheque would also be most welcome.’
‘So you do need money,’ he said next. ‘I knew it. I knew there was something to all of this that you weren’t telling me. How much?’
‘I said my money situation was fine. Just fine.’
‘I swear you’re the worst liar I know,’ he muttered, and lapsed into a brooding, simmering silence. Lex didn’t know the true extent of her woeful financial circumstances, none of the Wentworth family did, and Sienna took great pains to keep it that way. They’d given her refuge and protection as a child and friendship and family closeness as she’d grown older, but there were some things that Sienna didn’t share with anyone. The small matter of her rapidly dwindling financial resources was one of them.
‘What does it cost you to maintain that ridiculous mausoleum your mother left you?’ demanded Lex suddenly. He didn’t wait for an answer, he saw it in the dismayed glance she sent him because he cursed and his expression turned even grimmer. ‘If it’s draining you of every cent you have, sell it. Realise some profit or cut your losses, but get rid of it.’
‘No.’ There was no defending her emotional attachment to the old summer house set high on the cliffs of southern Cornwall. She didn’t even try. ‘Are we done with the commerce lecture yet?’
‘You are impossible to help,’ he said from between gritted teeth. ‘Why can’t you just tell me what you need like any normal person?’
‘I have!’ Sienna glanced over at him again, nothing more than a fleeting stab of desperation and pain, but it might as well have been a sword because it certainly made Lex bleed. ‘I need to learn how to be a good personal assistant and you’re going to teach me. That’s all I want from you. That’s all I need. Don’t value add.’
‘Dammit, Sienna!’ Didn’t she understand yet that that was what he did? ‘I’m asking you one simple question. How much money do you need?’
‘You don’t understand,’ she said quietly.
‘ThehellIdon’t!’ Lex turned to stare out the window at the passing suburbs, cursing Sienna’s long-dead mother for willing her a keepsake she couldn’t keep, cursing himself for not figuring it out sooner. He knew Sienna was touchy when it came to money, knew he shouldn’t have pushed her for answers she wasn’t prepared to give, but, dammit, why couldn’t she just confide in him the way she used to?
It wasn’t until the limousine pulled into the circular driveway and stopped at the entrance to his sprawling luxury mansion that Lex made a determined effort to shake his black mood and play the host. He didn’t bother pointing out again that it would be far cheaper for Sienna to live here with him than find somewhere else to stay. She knew that already.
The front door opened and Lex felt his lips curve ever so slightly as the dour and imposing Rudy stepped out. Rudy was doing his bodyguard-butler impersonation today—black trousers, a black T-shirt that strained across his massive torso, black wrap-around sunglasses, and an almighty scowl.
Sienna had seen him too. ‘Rudy the territorial?’ she queried with a glance that held equal parts wariness and apology.
‘Yes.’
‘You didn’t tell me he looked like Steven Seagal.’
‘That’s because he doesn’t.’
‘Does he talk like Steven Seagal too?’
‘Steven Seagal doesn’t talk,’ said Lex. ‘His skills lie elsewhere. Come to think of it, Rudy doesn’t talk either, unless he has to.’
‘I swear you make some of the strangest decisions when it comes to choosing hired help,’ she said.
‘So I’m noticing,’ he said and stifled a smile as her chin rose defiantly and those remarkable eyes narrowed in silent warning. ‘Come on, I’ll introduce you.’
Rudy nodded curtly in greeting as they got out of the car, then he headed for their luggage. Sienna followed.
‘Sienna, this is Rudy. Rudy, this is Sienna Raleigh, my new PA. Sienna’s a little different from my old PAs. She’s practically family.’
Rudy’s sunglasses zoned in on Sienna first and then Lex. What he thought was anyone’s guess. The limo driver began unloading bags from the boot and setting them on the steps. Rudy joined in. Sienna went to retrieve the smaller of her two suitcases only to have Rudy swipe it at the last minute and set it firmly behind him. ‘What’s she doing?’ he asked Lex gruffly.
‘Hard to say,’ said Lex. ‘Sometimes she goes looking for an argument.’
‘She picks up that suitcase and she’ll get one,’ muttered Rudy. ‘Inside. Now. There’s iced tea, chicken and cucumber sandwiches, and crème brûlée waiting for you in the west-wing drawing room.’ The sunglasses zeroed in on Sienna again. ‘You eat the crème brûlée last.’
‘I knew that,’ she said loftily.
‘Family, you said,’ said Rudy darkly.
‘I’ve known her since she was five,’ said Lex.
‘Six,’ said Sienna.
‘And you employed her.’
‘Believe me, point taken.’
Sienna stared from Lex to Rudy in indignation. ‘What is this? Some kind of boys’ own shorthand?’
‘Did I mention the handmade French chocolates?’ said Rudy pointedly.
‘Nice try,’ she said. ‘But I’m more of an ice-cream person. Now if you’d said you had handmade triple-cream French Vanilla ice cream waiting for me in the west-wing drawing room I’d be there already.’
‘There’s one in every family,’ muttered Rudy.
‘I know,’ said Sienna agreeably. ‘Annoying, isn’t it?’ She looked up at the house, her expression faintly wistful. ‘Thing is, Rudy, I’m not family and I may not be staying here so could you leave my bags by the door?’
Rudy ignored Sienna and looked to Lex. ‘She’s not staying?’ he queried ominously. ‘I’ve laid in provisions for two.’
‘Family spat,’ said Lex. ‘I’ll handle it.’
Rudy glanced towards Sienna, who’d abandoned the conversation in favour of making her way towards the front door. ‘Does she sail?’
‘Like a champion.’ Lex had seen to that part of her education himself.
‘Her bags will be in her room,’ said Rudy. ‘I hate clutter at the front door.’
‘Don’t mind me,’ called Sienna. ‘I’m moving through the front door and into the beyond. No clutter here. Come to mention it, there’s nothing here but space and sunshine. What happened to all the furniture? Where’s the umbrella stand? The sideboard and the vase full of flowers?’
‘It’s all right,’ said Lex reassuringly. ‘She’s not serious.’
‘You need sleep,’ muttered Rudy. ‘You’re becoming delusional.’
This was a distinct possibility. He’d packed too much work and far too much wanting of Sienna into this day already. It was time to set things back on track.
He caught up with Sienna in the atrium, just inside the doorway looking curious and tentative all at once. ‘What do you think of it?’ he asked her casually, trying hard to pretend that it didn’t matter what she thought. The house was a modern-day masterpiece, all sleek lines and open spaces. Lex hadn’t designed it, the previous owners had, but it suited him well and Rudy kept it immaculate. Sienna would like it, he knew she would. She just had to give it a chance.
‘It’s lovely. Very private. Bigger than I expected.’
‘I told you there was plenty of room. South wing’s yours,’ he said and, heading left, proceeded to show her the guest wing, complete with luxury spa, sitting room, breakfast nook, and four bedrooms. ‘Take your pick,’ he said. ‘It’s all guest accommodation.’
He led her downstairs next, to the pool area and gym, tennis court, boat shed, boat ramp, and dock.
‘Yours?’ she said, glancing towards the yacht moored at the end of the dock, and Lex nodded.
‘Sienna meet Mercy Jane. There’s also a speedboat called Angelina in the boat shed for getting places in a hurry,’ he told her. ‘Rudy maintains both boats and, when I say maintain, I mean he’s fanatical about their function and their finish.’
‘So…no getting to know the girls,’ she said.
‘Wrong. Befriend the girls by all means. Just cut your nails, take all your jewellery off first and don’t lead them astray. Should you want to go somewhere and should Rudy decide that you’re suitably attired, he’ll have the speedboat in the water before you can say wouldn’t it be easier to take the Porsche.’
‘How protective is Rudy of the Porsche?’
‘You can have a set of keys to the Porsche,’ he told her with a grin. ‘Rudy doesn’t give a fig about the Porsche.’
He took her back upstairs and showed her the middle section of the house next, otherwise known as the west wing. ‘Kitchen,’ he said, and opened the door onto a spotless stainless-steel wonder. ‘Library,’ he said next, and showed her a room containing dark leather lounges, the odd desk or four, and floor-to-ceiling bookcases covering three walls. ‘The billiards room,’ he said, opening another door and affording Sienna a brief glance of yet another manly entertainment area.
‘Is Rudy precious about his felt?’ she asked him sweetly.
‘You have no idea.’ He ushered her through to the formal dining area with its floor-to-ceiling windows and multimillion dollar view of the harbour, the bridge, and the skyscrapers of the city proper. Adjacent to that was the west-wing drawing room where Rudy had set out the food. This room had been furnished with comfort in mind rather than to impress, even though it boasted floor-to-ceiling windows and that panoramic harbour view. There was more in it, for starters. Deep, comfortable chairs, a settee for lounging on, footrests and reading lamps, table and chairs for two, a couple of sideboards…
‘Nice,’ said Sienna, wistfully eyeing the food. ‘Where’s the business hub?’
‘Third floor. The staircase to the left of the atrium just inside the front door will take you straight there.’
Sienna nodded. Inched her way a little closer to the food. ‘Where do you sleep?’
‘Same floor as this, north wing.’ Lex beat her to the food, poured two glasses of iced tea and handed her one. He picked up a chicken and cucumber sandwich triangle—no crusts—and ate it in a couple of bites before washing it down with tea. He had another, then another, then reached for a chocolate with a pistachio nestling on top of it. Would she stay? Would he be able to keep their relationship platonic if she did stay?
He didn’t know.
He still wanted to protect her. Some things never changed. He wanted her to confide in him so that he could fix whatever financial difficulty she was in. She shouldn’t have to give up the curator’s position she loved for an all-hours job where she’d be constantly at someone’s beck and call, even if the pay was better. He couldn’t stand the thought of it.
The only person whose beck and call he wanted her to be at, he realised grimly, was his.
‘Rudy will ask you what you thought of the chocolate, you know,’ he murmured. ‘Try one.’
‘You’re trying to win me over with food,’ she said.
‘Not at all,’ he replied, selecting a dark chocolate truffle and letting the taste of it explode in his mouth. ‘These are good.’
He’d keep.
Sienna ignored the chocolate and reached for a sandwich instead. There was something very virtuous about selecting a chicken and cucumber sandwich in the face of crème brûlée and handmade chocolates. Besides, if she was going to stay here she needed to start building her resistance to items of extreme temptation. Like tempting truffles and ruthless rogues in sexy suits. She needed to start building it now.
‘Rudy knows I’m not much of one for chocolate,’ she said. ‘He won’t mind if I don’t have any. I think it’s good to come to an early understanding about such things, don’t you?’
‘Only if you’re bent on declaring war.’ Lex smiled in a way she was fast coming to learn was his ruthless pirate’s smile. ‘Rule number two for all successful personal assistants is to try and get on with the rest of the staff.’
‘I’ll do my best,’ she murmured. ‘What’s rule number one?’
‘Don’t annoy the boss.’
Ah. Rule number one was the kicker. ‘I’ll work on that too. Speaking of which, when do you want to start work?’
‘That depends on whether you still want to find alternative accommodation. If you do, then we’d better sort something out today.’ He looked at her, his expression watchful, more old Lex than new. It didn’t change her awareness of him one little bit, though. Her awareness was here to stay. All the appearance of the old Lex did was increase her confusion and add mightily to the overall appeal of the new. ‘It’s up to you, Sienna,’ he said quietly. ‘Nothing you don’t want.’
Why-oh-why did he have to play the man of honour now? Why couldn’t he have stayed the raider of hearts and made her decision on whether or not to stay here an easy one? Sienna looked at the food on tap and that glorious view. She thought of that fifty metre commute to work and the money she’d save by not having to pay rent. She thought of how blissfully easy life would be for the next month if only she and Lex could stick to work and friendship and forget all about the sexual curiosity kicking around between them. They’d managed friendship well enough for the past twenty years, hadn’t they? They’d managed it without any romantic inclinations whatsoever, for the most part.
Nothing you don’t want.
Well, she didn’t want to become his latest conquest and that was that. Lex would honour her wishes in that regard; she knew he would. He was honouring them now.
‘I’m prepared to give this place a chance,’ she said awkwardly, and immediately wished she didn’t sound quite so ungrateful. Lex was helping her out by taking her on as his PA. He didn’t have to. He could afford to employ the best, but instead he’d agreed to train her, and he was paying her triple her old wage for the inconvenience. She tried again. ‘You have a beautiful house, Lex, with an amazing guest wing and I appreciate the convenience. I’d like to stay.’
‘Good.’ Lex loaded up a plate with sandwiches, and topped up his tea. ‘Get unpacked. Settle in. Go for a walk. Take a look around the bay. I want you in my office, ready to work, at two o’clock.’
‘Yessir!’
Lex shot her a dark glance.
‘Yessir, Mr Wentworth?’
‘God give me strength,’ he muttered.
‘Well, what do your PAs usually call you?’ she asked him.
‘Lex.’
‘I’ll be there,’ she said. ‘Two o’clock sharp. Ready and willing to learn. You’ll see.’
Sienna went straight to the south wing after Lex headed north with his plate of bounty in hand. She found her luggage in the largest bedroom and, mindful of rule number two, figured she might as well stay there. Rudy didn’t do the full maid-service unpack of feminine fripperies—he’d simply placed the bags by the bed. Sienna made fast work of unpacking, considering her clothes as she went. None of the items she’d brought along were outlandish, but none of them could be classified as elegant professional secretary garb either. If clothes made the man—or at least reminded him what he was supposed to be doing—she needed to go shopping.
She found Rudy in the drawing room, clearing away the remains of the refreshments. ‘You do good sandwiches,’ she said by way of greeting.
‘What about the chocolate?’ he said.
‘That was good too.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘You didn’t have any. No one mentions my sandwiches once they’ve eaten my chocolate.’
‘Good point. Rudy, I have a problem. I need to shop.’
‘For what?’ he said gruffly.
‘A business suit. Dark-rimmed glasses. Possibly sensible shoes, although I may not have the fortitude to carry through on that particular notion.’
He looked at the shoes she was wearing. ‘It’s a wonder you can walk at all.’
‘The shoes are good,’ she said. ‘The shoes are fine. I’ve changed my mind about the shoes. But I still need a suit. Trousers maybe. No-nonsense shirts. Corporate body armour. Do you know of any shops nearby that sell that type of clothing?’
‘Do I look like I frequent women’s clothing stores to you?’
‘No, but you might have a sister who’d know. Or a female friend who walks past a shop just like that every day on her way to work. You won’t know until you ask.’ Sienna smiled winningly and got a glower in reply.
‘Don’t you have other clothes you could wear?’
‘Not if I want a constant visual and tactile reminder of the new corporate PA me—which I do. Today,’ she added when Rudy grunted and headed for the door with plates and jug in hand. She scooped up the mugs, shoved a chocolate in her mouth and followed him to the kitchen. ‘The chocolate is divine,’ she said around a mouthful of it.
‘Try chewing it next time.’
‘I chewed it this time. C’mon, Rudy. I need some local knowledge. Are you sure you don’t know anyone who dresses like Wonder Woman when she’s not out saving the day?’
‘Who?’ he said.
‘What about one who dresses like Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter, before he morphs into Superman?’
He shook his head as if baffled.
‘I need something to remind me that I’m working for Lex now and that I should just do the job he’s paying me to do and not deliberately set out to annoy him,’ she snapped. ‘I want Lex to look at me and see an efficient personal assistant and not his old family friend Sienna. I need a suit! A no-nonsense, focus-on-the-job, don’t-look-at-me-like-that suit.’
‘Have you always been bonkers?’ muttered Rudy. ‘Or is this a recent development?’
Sienna smiled tightly. ‘It’s new.’
‘I’ll make one call,’ he said. ‘If that doesn’t work you’re on your own.’
The call did work, and within two minutes he’d arranged for some woman called Gracie Mae to collect her from the house in ten minutes’ time and take her shopping.
‘That’s Grace to you,’ he said curtly. ‘She’s the publicity officer for the Point Clarence Yacht Club, and mind you show her some respect.’
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