NATASHA OAKLEY - At The Boss's Command - Taking on the Boss / The Millionaire Boss's Mistress / Accepting the Boss's Proposal

She giggled softly as though she hadn’t heard his denial. ‘Call me Chrystal. And you are?’

The lift chimed.

‘Darrington,’ Case blurted, striding forward.

The doors opened just in time and he kept moving. He couldn’t wait to get as much distance as possible between himself and that man-eater.

He only wished he could escape the memories of his failed marriage as easily.

The Beatles say all you need is love…

I say give me bug spray.

TAHLIA slapped her handbag on to her desk and swept up the files in one deft move, taking a deep breath and lifting her chin, the echo of her babbling bombarding her senses. What was that?

She was never like that. How embarrassing. She cast her eyes to the ceiling. Please let her not be so stupid again.

She glanced around her office, one wall full of filing cabinets, one with potted plants and paintings, one covered in current jobs and timelines and one made of glass with a great view of the lifts.

She shook her head and swept out of the door, striding down the aisle between the cubicles, replaying that débâcle over again in her mind. The floor could have done her one little favour and swallowed her up before she’d made such a complete and utter fool of herself. Cripes. How old was she?

She was far too old to be acting like a schoolgirl, that was for sure. Thank goodness that Emma and Keely hadn’t seen that deplorable display. She had a reputation to uphold. Cool, calm and always in control Tahlia Moran, soon to be Marketing Executive.

She swung into the last cubicle. ‘Morning, Susan,’ she offered, handing the young woman who was just sitting down a file. ‘Could you put some ideas together for this client? They want to change their look to reflect the new season.’

‘Sure.’

Tahlia nodded, striding down the row, doling out the updates for existing clients wanting changes to their websites and the assignments for potential clients.

She juggled the files in her arms. There were things a would-be executive did not do, and one was running off at the mouth in emotionally charged situations. Not that she was admitting there was anything but an overactive imagination and a neglected personal life at the root of that particular encounter downstairs.

Two years since her last real date wasn’t that long, not when she was ensuring a successful career for her future.

She clutched the files remaining. It didn’t matter anyway. Downstairs had been nothing but an anomaly. She wasn’t going to have to deal with that guy, or that abhorrent lack of control again.

‘Hey, you,’ Tahlia offered Emma, stepping into her friend’s cubicle and dropping the files on her desk. ‘ Flirt magazine’s next issue—they want their update to match the theme and want another competition page designed and put on the site.’

Emma took the file. ‘Sure thing.’ The glow of love was bright in her eyes. ‘Did you hear? It’s time. Your day.’

Tahlia shook herself. ‘Em?’

‘Haven’t you logged on yet?’ Emma shot her a quizzical look. ‘Raquel just sent out a mass email to everyone for a meeting in the conference room at half past. Sounds like it could be it .’

Tahlia shook her head, kicking herself for not going through her normal routine—checking her voicemail, SMS and inboxes, both cyber and deskbound.

‘And?’

‘And the whispers suggest it’s about the Marketing Exec position.’

Tahlia’s belly fluttered. ‘She’s made a decision? Finally?’

‘Yep, it sounds like the Rottweiler has come through. So you’d better get spruced up.’ Emma tossed her blonde bob, her smile widening. ‘Now you don’t have any excuses not to get out there.’

‘Out there,’ Tahlia echoed, the words ricocheting down her spine, making her skin gooseflesh and the image of that cute-suit bounce around her brain.

‘Out there dating. Sheesh, Tahlia, anyone would think from the look on your face that you’re not keen to find Mr Right.’ Emma clapped her hands. ‘I’ve asked Harry and he has a couple of single mates and Keely says Lachlan is thinking about the possibilities for you too. It would be just perfect if you had someone special to come to my wedding with.’

Tahlia opened her mouth and closed it. What could she say? She had wonderful, interfering, matchmaking-maniac friends who were dying for her to find happiness like they had.

‘May I?’ she asked slowly, gesturing to the keyboard. Could the promotion really be hers today? Could she dare to believe it finally had come?

Emma rolled her chair away from her desk. ‘You have to see it to believe it, right?’

Tahlia stepped forward, clutching the mouse and logging on, clicking her way to her inbox. ‘The wording, the tone, the undertones could all mean so much…’

‘You’re still worried about the rumours that the company isn’t going so well?’

Tahlia glanced at her friend. ‘You know as well as I do that the whispers suggest jobs are to be axed and no one can deny the fears spreading are of a major shake-up or shake-down.’

‘And the latest gossip is that the owners have drawn too much of the cash flow out of the company to fund their overseas romps and WWW Designs is going down, down, down,’ Emma said dramatically.

‘That’s over-exaggeration if ever I heard it.’

Emma nodded, her eyes wide. ‘I know.’

TO: TahliaM@WWWDesigns.com

CC: allstaff@WWWDesigns.com

FROM: RaquelW@WWWDesigns.com

SUBJECT: Meeting

All staff,

Be advised that the meeting at 9am in the conference

room is mandatory for all staff to be advised of the

latest developments.

Don’t be late.

Raquel Wilson

General Manager

Tahlia sighed. ‘It doesn’t say anything regarding my promotion.’

‘What else could it be?’

‘The possibilities are endless, Em. It could be a new client coming on board, it could be about the rumours, it could be anything.’

‘But it could be your promotion. The Rottie always holds an all-staff meeting for changes in personnel.’

Tahlia straightened Em’s files on her desk. Was there a reason to get her hopes up? Was it about the position for Marketing Executive?

If it was, there was no one else suitable for the job so it had to be her. A bubble of excitement rose up in her chest.

Emma stood up, slapping her on the shoulder. ‘Come on. It is so about your promotion. It has to be.’ She grinned. ‘And now you have no excuse to get serious about that part of your life you’ve put on hold while you got your career all solid and stable .’

A chill raced down Tahlia’s back.

She smoothed down her suit jacket, shaking off the feeling. It would be fine. ‘Yes, not a problem,’ she stated casually to her friend. A relationship didn’t have to mean disaster, as long as it didn’t involve rash decisions, irrational emotions or incredibly embarrassing interactions with too-cute guys.

‘You don’t sound so sure.’

Tahlia raised her eyebrows, forcing a smile to her mouth. ‘I’ll handle it like I’ve handled everything— with criteria, a plan of action and safeguards.’

You could never have too many safeguards, as her mother had shown her. Her mother hadn’t considered any were necessary, that love was enough…and it was so not enough.

‘O-kay,’ Em offered, shooting her an odd look, moving out of her cubicle. She glanced at her watch. ‘So are you ready for the meeting?’

‘Absolutely.’ She was ready for her dream to come true and Em was right—what else could it possibly be about?