Lucas: The Hunter Brothers Series (11 page)

“Why
do you think he called me Cinderella, Chas?” I asked as she shook her head.

“I
have no fucking idea. Honestly, Jess, this isn’t how things usually work, at
least not with me, and Lucas Hunter is a difficult man to read. Normally you
know if you want to screw someone and it either happens or it doesn’t. It looks
to me like you both do, but the work thing is getting in the way, or the Dom
thing, or possibly both. Maybe he called you Cinderella because he can’t find a
way to get you alone for long enough to make his move, or because you keep
running off when he asks you to dinner or for a ride home at midnight. You
didn’t leave your shoe, did you?” she asked as I laughed.

“They’re
your shoes, and no I didn’t. You’d bloody kill me,” I laughed.

“Does
he kiss Melody?” she asked as I stared at her, stunned.

“No, never.
He barely
speaks to her about anything other than work. Why?”

“Just
ruling out the possibility that the man has a PA fetish,” she grinned as I
laughed, letting myself out of the car and heading straight to bed, intending
to follow Lucas’s advice and have ‘sweet dreams’. For now, it was the best I
could hope for.

CHAPTER 10

I
was still floating on the success of last night as I made my way into the
office, wondering if I might be the lucky recipient of another friendly kiss
from my beautiful boss. He was certainly getting more liberal with them lately,
igniting my skin and doing nothing to quell the increasingly debauched
fantasies that invaded my brain every night. ‘Sweet dreams’ didn’t even begin
to cover it.

The
floating lasted precisely fourteen seconds before Melody cut me back down to
size informing me that there was no work to do again. She seemed busy enough
and I wondered why she wouldn’t just share. It wasn’t as if I was trying to
steal her job. So much for showcasing my talents!

 
Lucas was out until late afternoon, offering a
tight smile and beckoning me into his office the second he strode through the
doors, wearing a black suit that seemed to match his mood. The playful nature
of the last two days had vanished; he was back to brooding and moody and it
jarred in my gut as I stood in front of his desk, watching as he sat without
gesturing for me to do the same.

“I
need you to accompany me on a trip to New York. I have several meetings and
require a PA. We leave tomorrow and we’ll be back in two days,” he said as I
stared at him aghast, his face unreadable while mine contorted in shock.

My
instant reaction was elation, one that quickly got quashed with a harsh dose of
realism, and I wondered why he couldn’t take Melody. In his current mood I
decided against asking that question.

“I
don’t have a passport,” I stuttered quietly as he looked down at the papers on
his desk, sighing as he spoke.

“Make
an urgent appointment with the passport office now and go and get one. Meet me
at Heathrow at 7.00am. You’ll need business attire and a dress suitable for a
black tie dinner,” he said, glancing up at me and smiling briefly.

“I
can’t go, Sir,” I said as he put down his pen, slowly bringing his gaze up to
meet mine.

“And
why not, Miss Evangelista?” he asked and I had no idea whether he was annoyed
or amused.

“Overseas
travel isn’t part of my job description. Mr Turnbull never asked....” I started,
my voice trailing off as he hit me with a long, deep glare, slowly rising and
rounding the desk, leaning casually on the edge, crossing his long muscular
legs and regarding me closely. Annoyed - definitely annoyed.

“Mr
Turnbull is no longer your employer. I am, and your job description just
changed. If you would like to resign your position with Hunter Industries,
Jessica, that’s entirely your choice, otherwise be at the airport 7.00am
sharp,” he said, quirking his eyebrow as if to challenge me.

I
couldn’t quit, he knew that. I’d have to speak to Chas and see if she could
look after Dex, get my passport and go. I stared at the floor, taking a deep
breath before looking back up at him.

“Yes, Sir.”

There
was nothing I would rather do than gallivant around the Big Apple with the
glorious Lucas Hunter for two days, and I was grateful he was offering me work
to do. But I knew this would be nigh on impossible, hoping that a face to face
pleading with Chas would be more effective than a garbled telephone call. I rushed
to the apartment to pick up my papers for the passport office. It was clear
from the look on her face that my little proposition was a no-go.

“We’re
too busy at Elite, Jess. Mrs Jones would have to have him overnight and do the
school run for three days straight. The Christmas casuals are back at
University now and we’re on skeleton staff. You know I would if I could,” she
smiled apologetically as I nodded my head. “Anyway, it’s unreasonable to expect
you to fly off at a few hours notice. It’s alright for him, but you’re a PA,
not an international business magnate,” she said as I sighed deeply and there
was more than one reason for my current dark mood.

“What’s
the worst that can happen if you say no? It’s not like he’s going to fire you,
is it? Tell him to take that sour faced bitch you work with. I’m surprised he
didn’t ask her anyway,” she said, popping the kettle on as a small smirk traced
its way across her face.

“I
wonder why he asked you?” she quipped knowingly as I rolled my eyes. “Maybe he
fancies paddling your posterior in Central Park or a spot of whipping at The
Waldorf,” she grinned, flashing her eyebrows.

“I
wish he did, Chas, but he’s in a foul mood and it looks like I’m just about to
piss him off again,” I said, blowing out another deep sigh as I pulled out my
phone and made the call.

“Melody,
is Lucas there?” I asked as she tutted and I could practically see her eyes
rolling. “No he’s unreachable for the rest of the day. His mobile is off too. I
think he’s out with Roberta,” she said coolly as I took a deep breath. Unfortunately,
the ice queen was my only hope.

 
“He needs a PA to travel with him to New York
tomorrow for two days, leaving at 7.00am from Heathrow. He asked me, but I
can’t do it. Something’s come up and I wondered if you could go and I’ll cover
your work here,” I said, holding my breath and crossing my fingers.

“Yes,”
she gushed excitedly before snapping, “He asked you?” as I tried to stifle my
annoyance and bit my tongue. “You’ll need a dress for a dinner event,” I said,
sensing she wanted to squeal in delight as I hung up the phone.

I
was more than a little fed up and flopped on my bed dreaming of Lucas, yellow taxi
rides and missed opportunities, wondering momentarily if he had asked me to
finally get me alone. Not that it mattered now, and the thought that he might
have just made me feel even worse.

True
to form, Melody had left me absolutely no work to do as I arrived in the office
at nine, latte in hand, putting my feet up on the desk and pulling out another
magazine. I imagined all I’d be doing was fielding calls, and most of them
wouldn’t even get through the main reception.
 
Hell would probably freeze over before someone would actually call me. I
jumped, spilling boiling hot coffee all over my hand as the door flew open
violently, almost knocking it from its hinges and Lucas stormed in followed by
a very worried looking Melody.

“My
office now,” he barked as I winced in pain at my reddening hand, mopping up the
coffee as best I could with the pages of my magazine and a packet of post-it
notes which only served to make the whole mess worse. I swallowed hard at the
thunderous look on his face, wondering why he wasn’t half way over the Atlantic
and suddenly wishing he was.

Angry
heat was radiating from my knuckles as I stepped inside his office, putting my
hands behind my back, hoping he hadn’t noticed and slightly aggrieved that he’d
made me spill my drink – again.

 
He stood just staring at me for a moment before
his face softened slightly. “Have you burned yourself?” he asked as I nodded,
moving towards me and taking my hand from behind my back. He held my palm
gently, lighting the skin underneath his touch which only added to the immense
heat and I winced.

“Follow
me,” he ordered, leading me into the bathroom where I’d cowered against the
wall, mortifying visuals bombarding my brain as my cheeks flared as red as the
skin on my throbbing hand.

He
turned on the cold water, gently placing my hand underneath as I tried to pull
away against the sting. “Keep it there, Jessica,” he said, holding it firmly in
place as I caught his gaze in the mirror, running his finger soothingly across
my palm as I forced myself to look away.

His
kind thoughtfulness and deft digits were doing nothing to help my composure or
alleviate the inappropriate thoughts that were coming more and more frequently,
and now was certainly not the time. He switched off the tap, walking back into
the office and I grabbed the sink, bracing myself and gearing up for the mother
of all bollockings.

The
tender facade had indeed been temporary and as I stood before him I gazed at
the floor, looking suitably contrite and praying this would be over quickly. He
wasn’t furious; this was worse – calm, measured breathing, dark eyes and an unreadable
expression. I would rather he’d just ball me out, but I was beginning to
realise that was not Lucas Hunters style and the tense silence was
excruciating.

I
shuffled on the floor, staring at my thumbs, risking a quick glance as he
pierced me with that stunning cobalt gaze.

“Has
somebody appointed you head of staffing without making me aware?” he asked as I
stared at him puzzled, shaking my head. “Then what gave you the impression you
could shirk your responsibilities and give Melody permission to leave the UK
business and travel to New York for two days?”

 
I swallowed hard against the steely glare that
was completely at odds with the kind glances we’d shared in the bathroom.

“I’m
sorry, Sir. Something came up at home and I just thought...” I said as my voice
trailed off. Trying to excuse my behaviour would only make things worse.

“Thought
what, Miss Evangelista?” he asked, staring at me intensely as my body ran hot
and cold under invasive blue eyes.

 
“I thought that since I couldn’t go, and you
needed a PA, that Melody would be a suitable replacement.”

“Don’t
ever presume to know what is or is not suitable for me,” he snapped harshly as
I stared at the floor, desperate to escape his gaze. “If I wanted Melody to go,
I would have asked Melody to go. Do I strike you as a man who doesn’t know his
own mind?” he asked sharply as I shook my head.

“Are
you going to fire me?” I asked and suddenly the cool demeanour was gone and he
could barely contain his fury.

“For
the stunt you pulled this morning, believe me I would like nothing more,” he
said, moving across to the intercom. “This is not going to work, Jessica. Melody,
get me the employment solicitors on the phone, NOW,” he shouted and I could
feel my bottom lip begin to quiver, trying to steady my breathing and push back
the hot tears that were pricking at my eyes. I wasn’t sure how much longer I
could hold myself together.

“You
can go,” he said firmly as I turned on my heels, pulling open the heavy office
door and racing past Melody, diving into a vacant boardroom as I saw a familiar
mop of blonde hair rounding the corner. I had barely shut the door before the
tears came.

I
was angry, I was sad, confused by my feelings for Lucas, as a wave of hopelessness
rolled over me. I thought the docklands party had been a new start, but my
position here was untenable. I couldn’t go on like this. I’d dealt with being
ignored and judged and I thought we’d moved on.

The
last two nights he’d been charming and full of praise, but I’d been swept away
with my overzealous imagination and his attitude now was even harder to bear
than before. I didn’t look up as the door opened.

“Jess,
what’s the matter?”
came
the soft voice of Charlie,
pulling up a chair beside me and placing a warm comforting hand on my back. I
kept my head buried in my hands, shaking it gently from side to side, unwilling
to relive my humiliation. Tears were streaming over my stinging knuckles,
reminding me of how kind Lucas could be, and wondering why the hell he blew so
hot and cold around me. Chas was wrong. There was nothing about me that
impressed Lucas Hunter; he’d just made that perfectly clear.

“Jess,”
Charlie whispered again as I finally lifted my head, his concerned frown reigniting
my tears as he looked at me, bewildered.

“Lucas
is really angry with me, Charlie,” I said as he frowned deeply.

“I
thought he was in New York,” he said as I sighed, blowing out a long slow
breath.

“He’s
supposed to be and I was supposed to be going with him, but a relative needed
me so I asked Melody to go along instead,” I tried to explain and Charlie
looked even more puzzled than he had before.

“Why
did he ask you to go with him?”

I
shrugged. It was the million dollar question and I didn’t have the answer. “God
knows – probably so he could push me out of the plane somewhere over the
Atlantic. I don’t want to be here anymore, Charlie, and if I didn’t need the
money I’d quit. He really wants to fire me this time.”

“He
said that?” Charlie asked as I nodded.

“I
was trying to help. I didn’t want to leave him stranded at the airport without
a PA and I was going to cover Melody’s duties here,” I said as he smiled
kindly.

“Listen,
Jess, he’ll be pissed off that the New York meetings have fallen though. Don’t
take it to heart. Go and get yourself cleaned up and I’ll find you some work to
do if Lucas still isn’t giving you any. You did a fantastic job on the docklands,”
he smiled and I followed his advice, washing my face before returning to the
office.

“Save
it,” I snapped at Melody as she opened her mouth to speak. It wasn’t as if she
ever had anything nice to say to me.

We
glanced at one another briefly, turning our heads towards Lucas’s office at the
raised voices, straining to hear what was being said. They were shouting in
turn before Charlie stormed out and Lucas’s gruff voice boomed out over the
intercom. “Miss Evangelista, come to my office.”