The gleam in his eyes told her he would call her what he liked, with or without her permission. He was patently a man who liked his own way, and she was aware that for Frank’s sake she had better curb her hot temper.
Once she was seated opposite him he subjected her to a long, hard stare until she shifted restlessly. His expression was unfathomable, his eyes shaded by long black lashes that matched the colour of his hair. This close she caught the subtle tang of his cologne, and her senses flared. She couldn’t think straight, and try as she might she seemed to be physically unable to prevent her gaze from straying to his mouth.
‘What’s going on, Kezia?’ he demanded abruptly, the harshness of his tone making her jump. ‘We’re both aware that Frank’s diary is as empty this week as last. I glanced through it before you came in,’ he added blandly, plainly unconcerned by her indignant gasp.
‘You had no right to snoop through my desk—’ she began, her voice faltering as his brows lifted fractionally. He was the company chairman, he had the right to do what he damn well liked and they both knew it.
‘Where is he now? The pub?’
‘At eleven o’clock in the morning! Of course not—’ She broke off and tucked a stray copper-coloured curl behind her ear. ‘It’s true Frank has had some difficulties in his private life recently,’ she admitted slowly. ‘I understand that his divorce from his wife was very bitter.’
‘And what part did you play in the ending of his marriage?’ Nik’s hard expression did not flicker as twin spots of colour flared on Kezia’s cheeks.
‘I’m sorry? Why should Frank’s divorce have anything to do with me?’
‘It’s not unheard of for a man of a certain age to make a fool of himself over his much younger secretary. Especially when that secretary is an attractive woman like yourself,’ he added coolly, ignoring the sparks of fury in her eyes. ‘Your loyalty to your boss is admirable, Kezia, but I’m curious to understand why you would lie in defence of a man who I understand is out of the office more often that he’s in it. Word is, you’re carrying Frank. The success of the last ad campaign was solely down to you, although you allowed him to take the credit.’
‘And my loyalty to him is proof that I’m sleeping with him?’ Kezia snapped, trembling with outrage. ‘Frank’s a friend and colleague, nothing more, and to imply otherwise is hideous.’
She jumped to her feet and glared at Nik Niarchou across the desk. Sinfully sexy and as arrogant as hell, she surmised darkly. He was also far more aware of the problems within the PR department than she had credited, and she feared there was little she could do to help Frank Warner.
‘So, if it’s not an affair it must be the drink,’ Nik mused. ‘You have to appreciate that the situation can’t carry on, Kezia.’ He rose to his feet, towering over her so that she was forced to crane her neck to look at him.
‘What will you do? Frank’s a good man…’ she muttered as he strolled over to the door. She scurried after him. For a moment she thought he was going to ignore her, but then he turned and glanced down at her anxious face.
‘Obviously there will need to be changes,’ he told her bluntly.
To her consternation he caught hold of her chin and tilted her face so her eyes locked with his. Instantly her senses quivered. He was a sorcerer, and she was held powerless in his spell. He would be an incredible lover, she acknowledged numbly as liquid heat flooded through her veins. His eyes narrowed, his body suddenly taut, and she was mortified by the horrifying realisation that he must have read her mind.
‘Your loyalty to Warner is misjudged but impressive, as is your work record. My PA has inconveniently decided to get married and move to Australia with her husband,’ he informed her, and Kezia frowned at the unexpected change of subject. ‘After ten years of dedicated service, Donna is deserting me.’
‘With good reason, as far as I can see,’ Kezia muttered, allowing her unruly tongue get the better of her. But to her surprise Nik flung his head back and laughed.
‘Spirited as well as beautiful—a dangerous combination,’ he drawled. ‘But I like danger. It adds spice, don’t you think, Kezia? The post of my PA will become available in the next couple of months. I’ll look forward to receiving your application.’
‘What makes you so sure I’d be interested?’ she demanded crossly, irritated by his arrogance.
‘Instinct,’ he replied softly, his smile deepening as he noted the hectic colour on her cheeks. ‘And I’m rarely wrong.’
CHAPTER ONE
NIK WAS DUE home any minute.
Kezia glanced at the clock on the dashboard and pressed her foot down on the accelerator. At this rate her dynamic and notoriously impatient boss would arrive at his country mansion ahead of her, and all hell would break loose. Nik was bringing a group of Bulgarian businessmen to Otterbourne House, hoping to impress them with his plans for a hotel complex on the Black Sea coast, and he expected his PA to be ready and waiting to greet his guests.
Could the day get any worse? Kezia wondered grimly as she peered through the rain. It was bad enough that the catering company she had booked for tonight’s party had pulled out at the last minute. Most of the staff had come down with flu, the harassed administrator had explained. But with a day’s notice to try and make alternative arrangements, Kezia had been short on sympathy. Fortunately Nik’s housekeeper, Mrs Jessop, had rallied round, and was busy preparing a lavish dinner that was set to impress the guests. It had been left to Kezia to collect a selection of desserts from the patisserie, but the trip into town had taken longer than she had anticipated. The torrential downpour had caused serious flooding along the narrow country lanes, and now dusk was falling.
She needed to focus all her concentration on the road, but as usual it was a certain sexy Greek who dominated her thoughts. An unbidden image of Nik’s handsome face filled her mind as she pictured his classically sculpted features. Get a grip, she admonished herself sternly, irritated at the way her heartbeat quickened with every mile that she drew nearer to Otterbourne.
He had been away for the past few weeks, visiting his family in Greece, and she was dismayed at how much she had missed him. It was pathetic for a grown woman of twenty-four to have developed such a ridiculous fixation with a man who was way out of her league, she reminded herself savagely. She felt like a teenager in the throes of her first crush and she would die of shame if he ever guessed how much he affected her.
She reached the outskirts of the village and breathed a sigh of relief. Another five minutes and she would be turning in to the gates leading to Otterbourne House. With any luck she would just beat Nik—although she would have little time to tidy her hair or check her make-up. Not that he would notice, she conceded bleakly. As far as Nik was concerned she was his ultra-efficient PA, whose sole purpose was to ensure that his life ran smoothly.
As he had explained at her interview, three months ago, he didn’t want a decorative bimbo running his office; he was looking for someone who was prepared to put in long hours and who would blend unobtrusively into the background. With her unruly curls tamed into a sleek chignon, and her sensible navy blue suit, he had obviously deemed Kezia the ideal choice.
There had been no element of the sexual tension she recalled from their first meeting at the London head office—at least not on his part. He’d given no indication that he even remembered her, and the fact that her tongue had tied itself in knots throughout the interview had added to her embarrassment. It was evident that he was only interested in her organisational skills, and sometimes she wondered whether he would notice if she paraded around the office stark naked.
Without warning something shot out from the shadows and ran in front of the car. Kezia hit the brakes, skidded on the wet road and lost control. She was heading for the trees, and with a frantic cry she jerked the wheel. The engine stalled and she ploughed into the bushes