Oh-So-Sensible Secretary

That hardly needed saying. Lex rarely left his office. Staff were summoned to see him, and could often be seen quailing in Monique’s office while they waited their turn. It was unheard of for him to seek someone out himself.

Phin sighed as he released me. ‘It had better be,’ he said.

My cheeks were burning as I scrambled to my feet, desperately trying to smooth back my hair and rebutton my jacket as I went.

‘Um…can I get you some coffee?’ I asked Lex. I was mortified at having been caught in such a compromising position but, with that kiss still thrumming through me, probably not nearly as mortified as I should have been. ‘Then I can leave you two together.’

‘Actually, this concerns you,’ he said.

Oh, God, he was going to sack me for unprofessional behaviour!

‘Shall we sit down?’ said Lex, gesturing at the sofas.

Biting my lip, I sat obediently, and Phin came to join me. We glanced at each other like naughty children, then looked at Lex.

‘I believe Monique has already told you that she’s expecting a baby?’ he began, with a hint of disapproval.

I was so relieved that I wasn’t getting fired that I started to smile-before it occurred to me that something might be wrong.

‘Yes, she did. Is everything OK?’ I asked in concern.

‘No. At least, Monique is all right,’ he amended. ‘But she’s been ordered to rest until the baby is born. Something to do with high blood pressure.’

I could tell Lex wasn’t up on pregnancy talk. Not that I was much better.

‘Oh, dear. Poor Monique. She’ll have to be so careful.’

‘It’s very inconvenient,’ said Lex austerely. ‘It was bad enough that I was going to lose her in August, but she went home on Friday and now she’s not coming in again until after her maternity leave.’

‘So why are you here, Lex?’ asked Phin with a hint of impatience. ‘Or can we guess?’

‘I would imagine you could, yes. Obviously I need a PA immediately-and preferably one who’s familiar with my office.’

‘Summer, in fact.’ Phin’s voice was flat.

Lex looked at me. ‘Monique told me she’d mentioned the possibility of you replacing her during her maternity leave already. I’d like you to come and work for me now, even if it’s only to help me through this immediate period.’

I was finding it difficult to concentrate. I’d been jerked so rudely out of that kiss, and every cell in my body was still screaming with frustration.

‘Well…er…what about Phin? I mean…working for Phin,’ I stumbled, realising that my concern for Phin might be misinterpreted in view of what Lex had just seen us doing.

‘I’m here as a courtesy,’ said Lex, looking at his brother. ‘I appreciate that you’ve established a good working relationship with Summer-a little too good, some might say-but your office doesn’t generate nearly the same amount of work as yet. It seems to me that you could quite easily manage with another secretary, or share assistance with one of the other directors.’

Phin’s jaw tightened. ‘I’m not going to get into a discussion about how much work I do or don’t do here, Lex,’ he said grittily. ‘This is about Summer and where she wants to work. I’m sure she’s happy to help you over this crisis period…’ He looked at me for confirmation and I nodded.

‘Of course.’

‘But after that it’s up to her.’

‘That seems fair enough,’ said Lex, getting to his feet. ‘I’m grateful,’ he said to me, and I got up, too.

‘Er…would you like me to come now?’

‘If you would.’

That was Lex-straight back to work. It clearly didn’t occur to him that I might want to talk to Phin on my own.

I glanced at Phin, who was watching me with an unreadable expression. ‘I’ll…er…I’ll speak to you later,’ I said awkwardly.

‘Sure. Don’t let him work you too hard.’

So there I was, walking down the corridor with Lex to the best career opportunity of my life, and all I could think was that only minutes ago I had been in the middle of the best kiss of my life.

Lex behaved as if nothing whatsoever had happened, and I was grateful. I couldn’t believe now that I had actually stood there in front of Phin, unbuttoning my jacket, that I had kissed him like that. But at the same time I couldn’t believe that I had stopped.

I was torn: my body raging with the aftermath of that kiss, but my mind slowly beginning to clear. Where would it have ended if Lex hadn’t interrupted us? Would we really have made love in the office with the door open? I went hot and cold at the thought. I could have jeopardised my whole career. It had been bad enough Lex finding us like that, without the whole office stopping by to gawp at Summer Curtis out of control with her boss.

Everything was getting out of hand, and I didn’t like it.

It was a strange, disorientating day. I slipped back into place in Lex’s office as if I had never been away. Monique was fantastically efficient, which helped. It meant I could pick up where she had left.

Lotty, the junior secretary who had replaced me, was hugely relieved when I appeared. ‘I was terrified I was going to have to take over myself,’ she confided. ‘I like my job, but Lex Gibson reduces me to a gibbering wreck.’

I knew what that felt like. Phin could do the same to me, but for very different reasons.

Somehow I managed to keep up a calm, capable front all day, and I don’t think anyone guessed that behind my cool facade I was reliving that kiss again and again.

The more I thought about it, the more glad I was that Lex had interrupted us when he had. I mean, that wasn’t me, sliding seductively onto my boss’s lap. I was cool, I was competent, I was sensible.

Although it would have been hard to guess that from the way I’d been carrying on recently. It wasn’t sensible to get involved with your boss, to pretend a relationship you didn’t have, to make stupid bets with him, to kiss him. What had I been thinking? I had put my career-everything I believed in, everything I’d always wanted-at risk. I’d done exactly what I had sworn I would never to do and got carried away by the moment.

How my mother would cheer if she knew.

At six o’clock I made my way back down to Phin’s office. My desk looked empty and forlorn already. I knocked on his door.

Phin was on one of the sofas, reading a report. He dropped it onto the table when he saw me in the doorway and got to his feet, the first blaze of expression in his eyes quickly shielded. ‘Hi.’

‘Hi.’

There was an awkward pause.

‘So how’s it going?’ he asked after a moment.

‘Fine.’

Had we really kissed earlier? Suddenly we were talking to each other like strangers. I couldn’t bear it.

Another silence. I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me.

Phin watched me warily. ‘Somehow I get the feeling you’re not about to pick up where we left off,’ he said.

‘No,’ I agreed. ‘I paid my debt.’

But my heart twisted as I said it. It had been so much more than a jokey kiss to close a bet, and we both knew it.

I went to sit on the other sofa. ‘I’ve decided to take the job with Lex while Monique is away.’

‘I thought you would,’ said Phin, sitting opposite me.

‘It’s a fantastic career opportunity for me,’ I ploughed on. ‘And when I thought about it I could see that it would make it much easier for both of us. It would be awkward to carry on working together now.’

‘Now?’