Barbara Hannay - In the Boss's Arms

‘Yes. You see, Alice, I have looked into alternatives.’

Her eyes widened and he thought he caught a flash of emotion. Annoyance? Pique? Was she miffed that he’d exhausted other possibilities before approaching her? The thought stirred him in ways that it shouldn’t.

‘Shana doesn’t want to spend so much time away from her son,’ he said. ‘And Mary-Ann has specialised almost exclusively in the reef tours and attractions.’

‘And Dennis?’

‘I have other plans for him.’ Liam pressed his point home. ‘Alice, you used to look after the client base in the outback and it was doing well. It makes perfect sense that you should accompany me.’

There was a long, awkward silence and at the end of it she let out a sigh. Of defeat? Liam held his breath.

‘I’m sorry, but I’d rather not,’ she said quietly.

‘I’m afraid you don’t have any option. Alice, I’m telling you that this is not negotiable. It’s a directive.’

‘A directive?’ Her eyes flashed with a mutinous glitter, but he glimpsed a flash of pain behind her defiance.

He felt a stab of guilt. Her husband had treated her shabbily and no doubt she found it hard to trust any man now, especially a man who’d deliberately sought her out, and then seduced her.

‘How long would we be gone for?’ she asked.

He forced a casual shrug. ‘For as long as it takes.’

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’ Her sudden anger launched her to her feet. ‘What kind of answer is that?’ Her eyes turned smoky, angry as thunderclouds. ‘You might be my boss, Liam, but don’t let the power go to your head. Surely you haven’t forgotten our ground rules? You know perfectly well why we should make this trip as brief as possible.’

‘Don’t you trust me?’ He tried to lighten the question with a chuckle, but even to his ears it sounded hollow—rather destroying the effect.

Her chin tilted to a haughty angle. ‘No. Under the circumstances, I think I’d be foolish to trust you.’

Liam knew he deserved that. For a long moment, he stared at the surface of his desk while he breathed in and out slowly. Then he kept his gaze determined as he looked at her.

‘Three days, Alice. That’s all I’m asking.’ God knew how he was going to survive three days in the outback without touching her, but he was determined to stand by his word.

‘There’ll be separate accommodation?’

‘Of course. You have my word this will be strictly business.’

Her response was another venomous glare. ‘You’d better believe it, Mr Conway.’

‘What’s this? A new dress code for the office?’

Alice squirmed beneath Dennis’s scrutiny of her bone-coloured stretch Capri trousers and plain white scoop-neck T-shirt.

‘I’m heading to the bush today,’ she said, nodding to the small backpack on the floor beside her desk. ‘Just for a quick tour of the Gulf Country to try to recoup some of the market share.’

‘On your own?’

‘With…the boss.’

‘Oh? I see.’ Dennis’s voice added layers of innuendo to those simple words.

‘So the boss’s taking you out west? Just the two of you?’ This came from Mary-Ann, who’d just come into the room.

Alice suppressed a sigh. ‘Yes.’

These awkward questions could have been avoided if she’d been able to meet Liam at the airport, but he’d insisted on leaving from the office in full view of the staff. ‘I don’t want to skulk away as if we have something to hide,’ he’d said.

‘Shana won’t be too happy,’ said Mary-Ann.

Alice frowned at her. ‘I thought Shana didn’t want to go.’

‘She didn’t at first, because of Toby. But apparently the boss seemed really keen to take her and Shana went all jammy. I think she’s developed a crush on him. Anyway, she ran around madly until she found a babysitter Toby really likes and she was all hot to trot.’

‘When was this?’ Alice tried to ignore nasty niggles of jealousy.

‘Day before yesterday.’

Before yesterday…Goose-pimples broke out on Alice’s arms. ‘Did Shana tell Liam—I mean, Mr Conway—that she’d found someone to mind Toby?’

Mary-Ann nodded. ‘First thing yesterday morning. But he said he’d already made alternative arrangements.’

Dennis made a show of rolling his eyes. ‘Alternative arrangements aka Our Sweet Alice.’

Alice felt her face grow hot. Liam had spoken to her late yesterday morning, which meant he’d lied when he told her that Shana wasn’t available.

How dared he lie? After the lofty way he’d talked about giving her his word, he’d been dishonest. She couldn’t bear it.

Bending to hide her bright red face, she retrieved her backpack and hooked it over one shoulder. ‘Maybe not,’ she muttered and marched out of the office and into the foyer.

Through the sliding glass doors she saw a limousine waiting outside on the semicircular drive. Liam, dressed in jeans and a casual light blue shirt, was standing on the footpath, chatting with the driver as if they were old friends.

A limo. Yikes.

The automatic doors opened for her, and the men looked in her direction.

‘Ah, Ms Madigan,’ said Liam, directing a courteous, almost remote smile her way.

‘May I have a word with you, Mr Conway?’

‘Yes, sure.’ He frowned at her. ‘What’s the problem?’

She glanced at the driver and then at Liam. ‘I don’t think I can come on this trip.’

Liam’s frown deepened. ‘But you’re all ready to go.’

How obtuse could the man be? ‘Can we discuss this inside?’

With a stiff nod he followed her back through the sliding doors and into his office.

As soon as they were safely out of earshot she challenged him. ‘You lied.’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Why did you tell me that Shana wasn’t available?’

Liam closed his eyes and let out a low groan of exasperation. Then his eyes flashed open again. ‘You’re convinced I’ve rigged this so I can get you back into bed, aren’t you?’

Alice gasped. Get you back into bed… The words were like missiles. Damn him. How could he use their intimate encounter as a weapon? How could he turn it against her, as if she was the one in the wrong? Was he trying to distract her?

‘I—I just want to know why you lied to me,’ she cried.

‘Listen, Alice, if you think that one night we spent together gives you the right to question every business decision I make you’re going to come a cropper.’

She wanted to throw something at him. Was this the same man who’d made such exquisite love to her? Were all men toads? She almost cried at the thought. ‘So,’ she said, letting her bitterness show, ‘first you lie to me and now you threaten me.’

His jaw clenched stubbornly. ‘Don’t forget you’re on probation like any employee here. As far as this trip is concerned, I’ve decided that you’re the most suitable person for the exercise and that’s my sole reason for selecting you. How many times do you want me to tell you you’re perfectly safe from me?’

She was so angered by his high-handed manner she couldn’t respond.

‘I won’t come near you unless you ask me to, Ms Madigan.’

Her chin snapped high. ‘Well, that won’t happen in this lifetime.’

‘Good,’ he said. ‘That’s settled, then. Now let’s get going. The charter pilot’s ready and waiting at the airport.’

WHEN the small charter plane took off it climbed to the east, taking Alice and Liam out over the shimmering, aquamarine waters of the Coral Sea before arching back towards the curving rim of the coastline. From their eagle-eye view, the sandy beaches below formed scalloped yellow trims on a string of pretty blue bays. Then the suburbs of Cairns spread out below them, reaching into an imposing hinterland of mountains clad in a thousand lush shades of green.