Why she usually hid herself beneath shapeless clothes he had no idea. Unless it was simply that she thought tailored suits were the correct uniform for work. Which, he suddenly decided, was OK by him.
Otherwise, if she flaunted her fabulous figure as some of the girls in the office did, she would have all the male members of staff drooling over her. And he did not want that. He surprised himself by suddenly feeling very protective towards his PA.
After his welcoming speech to the other delegates he introduced her. ‘Gentlemen, may I present to you Kara Redman, my PA? The most competent assistant any man could wish for. She will be at your disposal during the next few days—for work-related reasons only. Anything personal you keep to yourself.’
His last words created the expected laughter but Kara felt embarrassed. She had not dreamed for one moment that he would introduce her so publicly, and for him to say that…Her cheeks burned and she felt on fire.
When the food was served and everyone’s attention was taken she looked at him and said quietly, ‘Did you have to make a joke of me?’
Blake’s brows rose questioningly. ‘It wasn’t a joke. It was for your own protection. I’ve already seen one or two of the men here eyeing you up.’
‘And you think I cannot look after myself?’ She was totally embarrassed. Admittedly she’d never had to fight men off, but he didn’t know that.
‘My apologies,’ he said drily.
Despite her initial concerns Kara enjoyed the evening far more than she had expected. She enjoyed meeting the people she had been in touch with, putting faces to names, and all seemed to be going well—until after their meal, when everyone mingled and one of the guys from New York suggested to her that she was more to Blake Benedict than his PA.
‘What makes you say that?’ How could he even think it, yet alone put it into words? Was everyone else thinking the same? Was that why they thought he had made that hands-off statement about her earlier?
‘I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He’s like a guard dog on patrol. I just wanted to see if I stood a chance. You are a stunning woman. Any man would give his right arm to go out with you. Blake’s a lucky a so-and-so if he’s already got you.’
‘No one has got me,’ she retorted, flashing her blue eyes. ‘Blake Benedict is my boss and that’s all there is to it.’
‘Is that so?’ he asked with a slow smile, and he moved closer—so close that Kara could feel his breath on her cheek.
She took a step back and felt herself cannon into a rock-hard chest.
‘Is everything all right here?’
Blake’s voice sounded in her ear and she felt his hand on her waist. The next moment both arms came around her and she was held prisoner against him. Her first instinct was to pull away—but, knowing it would make a fool of him when he was trying to save her from this man’s advances, she made herself relax.
Amazingly, her world shifted. She was aware of nothing except the hard strength of his body, the soft thud of his heart against her back—and the pounding of her pulse. These were new and unexpected feelings, and except for the time on the plane she had never been this close to a man. She had certainly never felt her heart flutter because of a man’s touch! This was not her employer any more. This was Blake, the man.
For a few mind-blowing seconds they were the only two people in the room. Her heart began its own roller-coaster and her mouth grew dry. She could not speak even if she wanted to, so it was a relief when the other man backed away.
Once he had gone Kara struggled to free herself, feeling mortified now by her reaction to Blake, unable to understand what had come over her. Thank goodness he had no idea that she had been turned on by him. It would be so embarrassing if he knew—if he even suspected it. She put on her most indignant face. ‘I am capable of looking after myself.’
‘I’ve no doubt,’ he answered calmly, a tiny smile turning up the corners of his mouth, ‘but Miles can be very persuasive. He also has a wife at home. I should have warned you that on occasions like this a lot of the guys seem to forget they have other commitments, like wives and families.’
Kara began to realise how little she really knew about men and life. All thanks to her father! But she would learn, and she would learn quickly.
‘I’ve seen the way some of them are already looking at you,’ he continued. ‘And why should they not? You are incredibly beautiful.’
Kara could not stop a flush of hot blood. No one had ever called her beautiful before. And for it to be her boss! ‘It’s kind of you to say so,’ she said primly, at the same time wishing that she had gone with her first instincts and worn a boring suit. None of this would have happened then. No one would have looked at her twice. ‘But, like I said, I don’t need a bodyguard.’
‘That may be the case,’ he admitted, ‘but surely you’re not going to take away my credit for doing the gallant knight thing?’
Kara laughed. The first time she had really felt comfortable with him. ‘For which I thank you. But shouldn’t you be mingling with your colleagues, not worrying about me?’ She did her best to sound prim again, though was aware that she failed dismally.
‘But I do worry, since this is your first conference. I feel obliged to look after you. And I will only mingle, as you so delightfully put it, if you accompany me.’
He looked at her with such determination that Kara did not dare refuse. She was conscious, though, as they stopped and talked to each individual in turn, that he was reinforcing the impression that she belonged to him. His hand was on her elbow often as he guided her around the room, and her worst fear was that they would leave together at the end of the evening. And that maybe he would insist on her joining him in his room for a nightcap.
Her heart beat unreasonably fast at the mere thought of it, and the tales she’d heard about his other PAs would not go away. Not that he’d given her any reason for alarm, but even so …
When he was called away for a moment, Kara saw her opportunity and almost ran up the stairs in her haste to escape, closing the door to her room and leaning back against it as though at any moment it would burst open and Blake Benedict would walk in.
It was not until her breathing returned to normal that she realised how stupidly she was behaving. Blake had not said or done anything to make her believe she was in danger, so why was she panicking? Her problem was that she did not know how to handle men. She had never had a boyfriend. She had never even dated. Not one single date. How pathetic was that, at her age?
She got ready for bed and crawled into it but was unable to sleep. Her mind was far too active. Too much was going on in it for her to relax. That Miles man, for instance, and Blake’s intervention! She was grateful, but she also felt extremely foolish. He must think her a real ingénue.
Finally she heard Blake’s door open and close, followed by the murmur of his voice. At first she thought he had someone with him, but then realised he was on the telephone. Even when there was silence she still did not settle down.
Her fertile imagination saw him undressing, and she couldn’t stop herself visualising the hard, strong lines of his body. She even imagined threading her fingers through those dark chest hairs. How would it feel? Would they be soft and springy? Or quite firm? Would the heat of his body transfer itself to her fingers? Would he capture her hand and hold it against his beating heart?
She had absolutely no idea. But she did know that something was happening to her own body just by thinking about it. And if she carried on like this she would get no sleep tonight.
But how to stop her thoughts?