Buttoned-Up Secretary, British Boss Read online

  Sabrina stood up, pushing a stray frond of hair from her forehead. ‘No. The thing is, Alexander, my sister texted me last night to say the group are due back on Sunday—a bit earlier than was expected. So I do need to be around for her for a while.’

  ‘That’s OK,’ Alexander said, not to be put off. ‘We can leave when we like—Wednesday or Thursday next week—and that’ll give you three or four days to settle your sister back home, won’t it? And it’s still lovely in the Languedoc area in early November.’

  Sabrina looked at him squarely. ‘I really cannot say with any certainty that I can come,’ she said. ‘I’ve already told you, I need to be here for my sister’s return.’

  ‘Well, she certainly seems to have done all right without you in Spain,’ Alexander said bluntly.

  ‘So it would appear,’ Sabrina retorted. ‘But I would still like to see her.’

  ‘And that’s understandable,’ Alexander said, trying to sound reasonable, even though he couldn’t see why someone of twenty-six couldn’t be left in her own home for a couple of weeks without her big sister holding her hand. ‘And you will be there—for several days—to make sure everything’s OK.’ He paused. ‘I’m sure your sister would like to think of you having some time away, too.’

  Sabrina looked at him for a moment, biting her lip. This exchange between them wasn’t going too well at the moment, she thought—especially as she couldn’t give Alexander the other rather important reason why she didn’t want to go to France.

  ‘Well, all I can say, Alexander, is that my instinct is that you will be going to France without me. But,’ she said quickly, seeing the handsome face darken, ‘I will think it over. And, anyway, I’ll still be here when you get back. In the meantime, I’ll see that everything ticks over—check the post and the web. I might even do a bit more cleaning up in here!’ she said, trying to keep things light for a second. Alexander McDonald was used to having things all his own way, to not having his plans upset, and she could see from the expression on his face that he was annoyed with her.

  ‘Well, in my opinion, I think you should give your sister the opportunity to stand on her own feet for once,’ he said. ‘It seems to me you’ve been a kind of crutch to her for too long—always dependable, always there to sort out her life. From the little you’ve told me about her Spanish assignment, she’s been doing very well, thanks. Sometimes, Sabrina, love is shown in the letting go—so I’ve heard. Are you sure this isn’t more about you than her?’

  That hurt! And Sabrina had been listening to what he was saying with growing anger and dismay. How dared Alexander McDonald interpret her life like this? What did he know? Well, he’d blown it now, she thought. She was damned well not going with him—anywhere! Who did he think he was? Let him stick to his fictional characters and their problems, and leave her and Melly out of it.

  She managed to keep her voice calm. ‘I’ll bear your opinion in mind,’ she said coolly. ‘And I’ll come to my decision about France in due course. And you’ll be the first to know,’ she added.

  And with that she left the room, shutting the door with an unnecessary bang, and went downstairs to make herself a cup of tea.

  Later, alone in the study, Sabrina felt somewhat at a loose end now that the novel was finished. She’d almost felt the tenseness lifting from Alexander as he’d come to the end of it—but he’d already stated that ideas for the next one were beginning to boil in his head; she knew it wouldn’t be long before it was a case of déjà vu.

  After busying herself with the filing, which had been woefully neglected of late, she took some invoices from his personal file and started to write out the necessary cheques for him to sign later. She was just finishing the last one when the phone rang. It was Alexander.

  ‘Sabrina,’ he said. ‘I’m afraid I’m going to be held up here for a bit because we’re waiting for the publisher to put in an appearance.’ He paused. ‘You go on home. And, look—have tomorrow off. That’ll give you a nice long weekend to prepare for your sister’s homecoming.’

  Was he being sarky? Sabrina thought.

  ‘Oh, OK, then,’ she said coolly. ‘Thanks.’

  ‘No—thank you, Sabrina,’ he said. ‘The final draft has been approved, so it’s all smiles here. I think we can congratulate ourselves.’ He paused. ‘Sorry about the champagne, but I’ll keep it on ice. Oh good—they’ve just arrived, so I’ll have to ring off. So, see you Monday, Sabrina—and I hope you find your sister in good spirits on her return.’

  Sabrina put the phone down, biting her lip. His hurtful remarks earlier had cut into her deeply—but was he right? Had she assumed for far too long that Melly couldn’t survive without Sabrina being on hand all the time? And most awful thought of all—one which had only just taken root in her mind—had Melly in fact been a surrogate child, the child Sabrina had always longed for?

  The possibility that Alexander might have a point made a considerable impact on Sabrina; wasn’t she supposed to be the psychologist? Wouldn’t she have worked out the true position for herself by now? But maybe perceptions were dimmed when you were too close to a situation, she agonized; objectivity could often take a back seat when it concerned you and yours.

  With her thoughts running in all directions, Sabrina rested her head on her hand. Why not forget what Alexander McDonald said, just for a moment? she told herself. Melly would be back home in three days—and how was she really going to be? It was true that she’d given no indication that anything might be wrong, or that she was unwell, but Melly was a clever actress, and could be confusing sometimes. She would have realized that, even if she had been unhappy, there’d have been nothing Sabrina could do about it. Maybe her apparent enthusiasm had all been a sham because she didn’t want to worry her sister. The two girls had never been apart for this long before; how would Melly have survived this totally new dimension to her life?

  With her head beginning to ache now, Sabrina stood up suddenly. It was all very well for Alexander McDonald to offer his illustrious opinion, but his own family values were hardly creditable. They were feeble, in fact. He didn’t know what he was talking about.

  In his editor’s office, as they uncorked a good bottle of wine, Alexander’s mind was only half on the discussions going on around him. He wished he hadn’t said all that to Sabrina, about her and her sister. The moment he’d uttered the words he could see the hurt spread across her features. And she was an intelligent woman; she didn’t need him butting in. Especially as he knew very well that the real reason he’d done it was because he’d been angry with her. Angry that, for the first time, he’d almost put his heart on the line, and Sabrina had said No. He’d been silly, childish and unfair, and he wished with all his heart that he could rewind the tape. The thought that he’d made her unhappy—even for a second—was unbearable.

  One thing was certain, he thought grimly. She’d never agree to come abroad with him now. And much, much worse—what if she decided she didn’t want to work for him any more? What if she gave in her notice?

  With yet another stab of genuine surprise at the intensity of his feelings towards her, Alexander realized that being without Sabrina Gold in his life was unthinkable.

  Early on Saturday morning, the telephone by her bed rang and Sabrina sat up to answer it, rubbing her eyes. It was Melly.

  ‘Sabrina? Hello! Oh, Sabrina, I’ve had the most marvellous time, and there’s so much I have to tell you!’

  Sabrina couldn’t help smiling. Her sister was on cloud nine, obviously. ‘Won’t it wait until tomorrow, then?’ she asked mildly.

  Without a pause, Melly said, ‘No, not really. Well, let’s just say that I can’t let it wait until tomorrow!’

  ‘Go on, then,’ Sabrina said. ‘Fire away.’

  And Melly did fire away, her words coming out in a rush. For the next twenty minutes, she gave Sabrina a blow-by-blow account of everything that had happened on the trip, hardly stopping for breath. She was deliriously excited; a transformation had taken pla
ce.

  ‘I’ve never had such a brilliant time in all my life, Sabrina. And the thing is, well, I—me and Sam—remember you met Sam?—we’re not coming back tomorrow with the others. Not for a couple more weeks.’

  Sabrina sat up properly then, utterly bewildered at this sudden change of plan.

  ‘Perhaps you’d better explain,’ she said.

  Melly took an audible, deep breath before going on.

  ‘It’s Sam and me—that is, well, Sam has just been wonderful the whole time, Sabrina. I think I’m in love with him.’ She paused. ‘In fact, I know I am. I’ve never felt like this about a man before; I’ve never met anyone like him before. And I know you’re going to say it’s a passing holiday-type thing that has no future, but I know differently. And so does Sam. We like the same things, we laugh about the same things…we’re just on the same wavelength! All the time! And, well, I hope you won’t think I’m being stupid, but…’

  Sabrina got out of bed, clutching the phone more tightly in her hand. Spain had certainly had a very dramatic effect on her sister.

  ‘I’m not thinking anything,’ Sabrina said. ‘You’re twenty-six years old, Melly. It’s time you began to interpret your own emotions and not rely on me to do it for you all the time.’ She paused. ‘What has Sam said to you, exactly?’

  ‘He said that he wants us to get to know each other better, spend more time together. And not only that—he can almost guarantee me permanent work with his team. And, the thing is, he needs to stay on here after the others have gone back home—there’s more work for him—and he wants me there as well. By his side,’ she added. She paused. ‘He really is lovely, Sabrina, and I know we love each other. Really I do. And you’re going to love him too, when you get to know him.’

  For a few moments, Sabrina felt almost bowled over by all this. Melly had had one or two minor relationships in her life before, but had never expressed her feelings in such extravagant terms.

  ‘You don’t think I’m being silly, do you, Sabrina?’ Melly repeated earnestly. ‘And—do you believe in love at first sight? Sam does, so he told me. And I think I do, because he’s on my mind all the time. I just want to be with him.’

  Thinking over what her sister had just said made Sabrina feel envious…just for a second. ‘No, I don’t think you’re being silly,’ she said slowly. ‘And I…do believe in love at first sight. But I don’t think it happens every day—and when it does it should always be treated with a certain degree of caution.’

  ‘That’s exactly what Sam said! We won’t rush things; we’ll value each day as it comes. And I’ve been managing everything fine so far, making the clothes I brought with me last—well, there are laundry facilities here, of course. And I’ve also bought a couple of T-shirts. And because I’ve been paid my wages I don’t need to ask you for any more money—which I’m sure you’re glad about!’ she added.

  Suddenly, Sabrina felt completely anonymous, as if she wasn’t there at all, as if she was hearing everything from a long way off. She recognized that, through Melly, she was experiencing again the euphoric joy of being in love. She could only hope that her sister’s expectations wouldn’t be dashed to the ground—for whatever reason. Life could be so unfair, so unpredictable. What if Sam wasn’t all that Melly thought he was? He wasn’t exactly young—probably nearly ten years older than her sister—and would have known plenty of women. He was an attractive man. She sighed inwardly. The last thing Sabrina needed was to have to pick up the pieces of Melly’s life again if this all came to nothing.

  Neither of them spoke for a few moments after that; Sabrina wondered when her sister might be interested enough to ask about what had been going on here at home, or how Sabrina was getting on with her job.

  Presently, Melly said, ‘Oh, how’s your life—your job—going, Sabrina?’

  ‘Ticking along,’ Sabrina replied carefully. ‘In any case, it’s only pro tempore, as you know, until I get back to my proper job. I’m not really sure how long this one’s going to last—it could end at any time—but the pay is more than enough to cover the mortgage and all our other bills at the moment, and that’s a very comfortable feeling.’

  ‘Well, it looks as if I’ll be able to add to our coffers myself as soon as I get home, Sabrina,’ Melly said. ‘Because Sam’s promised me plenty of work, so I’ll be earning good money for a change.’

  Suddenly, rather like she were witnessing a warm sun emerge from behind a cloud, Sabrina said, ‘By the way, Melly, I’m going to be away myself, just for a short while. It’s a work thing,’ she added. ‘I think we’re leaving for France on Thursday—probably back mid-November. So I may not be here when you eventually get back. Is that OK?’

  ‘Of course. And how lovely for you, Sabrina! Have a great time, won’t you? But don’t let them work you too hard, will you?’ Melly giggled suddenly. ‘Something else I forgot to say—do you know, Sam only lives a mile away from us? He told me he’s been jogging past our house every morning for the last year! Isn’t life amazing?’

  ‘Oh yes—it certainly is amazing,’ Sabrina said faintly.

  Chapter Ten

  ALEXANDER paid the driver of the cab which had brought them to the airport, then he and Sabrina trundled their cases towards the entrance. He glanced down at her, noting that she’d pulled her long, fine-wool cardigan closer around her.

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘There’s definitely a colder feel to the air now. But don’t worry; where we’re going it’s still lovely and warm. I checked it out last night.’

  As he guided Sabrina in front of him through the revolving doors, he was still amazed and elated that she’d agreed to come with him, almost at the last minute. But, after all, she had promised to be his PA, hadn’t she? His right-hand woman in every way? Though, taking her abroad had never been on his agenda…He rarely invited anyone to the Barn, relishing the peace and solitude of the place, his escape route from everything and everyone.

  But Sabrina was different. She was the only woman he’d ever known who he’d not quickly grown tired of, who’d never, ever, got on his nerves. And as that thought struck him, he realized that surely he must be partly to blame—that he was the one out of step, not womankind in general. It was just that so many of those he’d met all seemed to fit into the same mould as Lydia—taking everything for granted, never satisfied for long, restless. There had to be women who were different, who shared his values, his perspective on life. Well, of course: wasn’t she here, right next to him?

  They made their way through the crowded aisles and were shown into the lounge for business-class passengers. In spite of all her earlier reservations, Sabrina couldn’t help feeling upbeat. It would be good to have a change of scene, even though she’d had second thoughts after telling Alexander on Monday that she’d go with him, mostly because, judging from her latest phone call, Melly had been unstoppable, incorrigible, in her newfound euphoria. Sabrina was waiting for the bubble to burst, for the girl to come back down to earth.

  For his part, Alexander had been wise enough not to show undue surprise that Sabrina was coming with him—and not to look smug, as if as usual he was going to have his own way.

  ‘Oh, fine,’ he’d said, noncommittally. ‘Let’s go Friday, shall we? And why don’t you have Wednesday and Thursday off, so you’ll have time to get ready.’

  Her sister was, apparently, not coming home just yet—which fitted their—his—plans perfectly.

  Now, as they took their places in the aircraft, Sabrina had to admit that Alexander always managed to surprise her. He exuded such power and confidence, he almost gave the impression that he could take over from the captain. Sabrina found herself basking in the comforting warmth of being with someone who was taking control of everything, who was planning out every move ahead. All she had to do was to sit there and enjoy it. She could get used to this state of affairs! she thought.

  As the plane droned its way towards their destination, Alexander glanced across at Sabrina, feeling proud to have her s
itting by his side. She was wearing black, slimline trousers and a white scoop-neck top which exposed the tantalizing smoothness of her skin. With her hair coiled up on top of her head, she managed to look both smart and casual at the same time. It was the first time he’d seen her in high heels; her black patent-leather shoes completed her stunning appearance. How did she always manage to look just right? he wondered. Was there ever a time when she was caught unawares, or at a loss? Then Alexander smiled to himself, remembering her reaction when her bathroom mirror had crashed to the floor.

  ‘Have you done much travelling? Have you been to France?’ he asked her casually.

  She turned from gazing out of the window to look up at him. ‘Yes, to Paris,’ she replied. ‘Melly and I had a five-day break there a few years ago, and we went to Brittany once or twice when we were young. But we know home shores better than foreign ones.’

  ‘Well, it’ll be great to show you the part of France that suits me best,’ he said. ‘Still basically unspoiled, and the perfect place to unwind.’ He smiled. ‘We do have a few neighbours, but no shops, I’m afraid—so, if you’d hoped for some retail therapy while we’re away, you’re going to be disappointed.’

  ‘I’m not a great shopper,’ Sabrina said. ‘So that won’t be a problem.’

  She didn’t bother to add that earlier in the week she had gone into town for a couple of new things to bring away with her. Having agreed rather reluctantly to come on this trip, she’d made sure she wouldn’t run out of clothes before the end of it.

  The flight only took a couple of hours or so, just long enough for them to enjoy the wine and the light lunch which was served to them. Only ever having flown economy class before, Sabrina couldn’t help comparing the two. There seemed so much less hassle, she thought, and the extra space made all the difference. Especially to someone like Alexander, who had no difficulty in stretching out his long legs and relaxing.