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After all, she’d only have to be his PA for one week and then he’d be on his annual holiday. She’d have the office to herself. In the meantime, it wasn’t like they were going to be working in the same office. He’d be down the hall behind a closed door and she’d be out here. If he could make it work, then so could she.
“I’ll do it.”
Clara’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “I was hoping you’d say that. I can spend the rest of today going over current projects with you, but first let’s go get you introduced to Mr. Lockwood.”
On wooden legs, Holly followed Clara down the hallway. Her morning coffee sloshed in her stomach, making her nauseated. Keep it together. Just act professional.
Clara knocked on the door and then entered. Holly followed her inside. Her heart picked up its pace as her gaze eagerly sought him out. His hair appeared freshly trimmed. And the blue button-up accentuated his broad, muscular shoulders. Holly swallowed hard.
He glanced up from his computer monitor. Was that surprise reflected in his blue-gray eyes? It couldn’t be. He’d approved this scenario. In a blink, the look was gone.
“Mr. Lockwood, I’d like to introduce Holly Abrams.” Clara’s voice drew Holly from her thoughts. “She’s from the legal department.”
“We’ve met.” His gaze moved between the two women. “The question is what’s she doing in my office?”
Clara sent him a nervous smile. “She’s agreed to step up and fill in for me while I’m away on my honeymoon. Her boss in legal gave nothing but rave reviews about her.”
“I see.” Finn’s gaze moved to Holly.
What was she missing here? Hadn’t Clara said Finn had approved of this temporary assignment? She forced a smile to her lips as his intense gaze held her captive. Her heart continued to race and her palms grew damp. She should say something, but the jumbled words in her mind refused to form a cohesive sentence.
Clara spoke, breaking the mounting silence. “She’ll do a really good job for you.”
“I don’t know about this.” Finn leaned back in the black leather chair. “Why don’t you give us a moment to talk?” Clara made a discreet exit. It wasn’t until the door snicked shut that Finn spoke again with a serious, no-nonsense tone. “Okay, we’re alone now. Please explain to me what happened to our agreement to keep clear of each other.”
“Clara said that she okayed this with you. I figured if you were big enough to deal with this awkward situation for Clara’s sake then so was I. After all, Clara would do most anything for anyone. And it is her wedding—”
“Enough. I get the point. But this—” he gestured back and forth between them “—it won’t work.”
“That’s fine with me. Do you have someone else who can fill in?”
Finn cleared his throat. “No, I don’t.”
Holly clasped her hands together to keep from fidgeting and straightened her shoulders. “I know that we’ve never worked together, but I think I can do the job.”
Finn leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Tell me why I should give you a chance.”
Holly swallowed hard, not expecting to have to interview for the position, but when she recalled the desperation in her friend’s voice, she knew she couldn’t let Clara down. “I’m a hard worker. I’m the first through the door in the morning and I’m the last out in the evening.”
“Are you sure that’s a good thing? Perhaps you just don’t get your work done in a timely manner.”
Her gaze narrowed. Why exactly was he giving her such a hard time? A smart retort teetered on the tip of her tongue, but she choked it back, refusing to let him provoke her. “No. I like to be punctual. I like to have the coffee brewing and a chance to take off my coat before the phone starts ringing. And I don’t rush out the door at the end of the day simply because I can’t. I usually have a task or two dropped on my desk by my boss as he’s leaving.”
Finn nodded as though her answer pleased him. “And you think you’re up to the challenges of being my PA?”
“I do.”
“You do realize that what happened between us is in the past. It will have no bearing on our working relationship.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Good.”
“Does that mean I have the position?” The breath caught in her throat as she waited for his answer.
Seconds ticked by and still he said nothing. What in the world? She thought of all the things she could say to him to sell herself, but she didn’t want to look desperate because she wasn’t. Oh, maybe she was just a bit. She had a plan and he played a pivotal role.
“Okay. You’ve convinced me. We’ll do this.”
The breath rushed from Holly’s straining lungs. “Thank you. I’ll go catch up on everything I need to know from Clara.”
“Holly, remember this is strictly work.”
Like she could or would forget. “I understand, Mr. Lockwood.”
He frowned. “I don’t think we have to be that formal. Finn will do.”
“Yes, sir...erm... Finn.”
This was it, she was in. She should be inwardly cheering or smiling or something. And yet she stood there transfixed by the man who danced through her dreams each night and left her longing for a glance of him each day. The truth was that she didn’t know how to react. It was one of those good news–bad news scenarios.
The best thing she could do was leave. The sooner, the better. She turned for the door.
“Holly, there’s one more thing.” He waited until she turned around before continuing. “Make sure you aren’t late tomorrow morning. Takeoff is at six a.m. sharp.”
“Takeoff?”
Finn’s brows scrunched together. “Clara didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“We’re leaving first thing in the morning for the Caribbean. I have an extremely important meeting there.”
This was not what she’d been expecting at all. How was she supposed to fly to a sunny destination spot with the sexiest guy alive—a man who could heat her blood with just a look? She inwardly groaned. She was in so much trouble here.
Not only was she nervous about being around him—about remembering their first night together in vivid detail—but she was also a nervous flier, as in white-knuckling it through turbulence. Exactly how long was a flight from New York City to the Caribbean?
No matter what, she wasn’t about to back out of this arrangement. There was too much riding on it—too many people counting on her. Her mother’s pale face flashed in her mind. After her mother’s recent stroke, the doctor had warned that with her other medical conditions, if she didn’t slow down, her health would be put at greater risk. Holly needed to do whatever she could to further her career in order to support her and her mother.
“Holly? Will that be a problem?”
His voice drew her from her frantic thoughts. “I didn’t know. Where will we be staying?”
“On my private island.”
Oh, boy! One private island. One sexy guy. And a whole lot of chemistry. What could possibly go wrong with this scenario?
CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_25080483-9e73-52cc-83f2-673e80f91b6b)
TWENTY-TWO MINUTES LATE, Holly rushed through the airport early the next morning. Her suitcase clunk-clunked as it rolled over the tiled floor.
She hadn’t meant to stay up late the night before, talking on the phone, but it’d been a long time since she’d heard her mother so exuberant. Apparently the Sunshine State agreed with her, especially the strolls along the beach while Holly’s aunt was off at her waitressing job.
When her mother mentioned returning to New York, Holly readily assured her there was no rush. At the same time, she’d made a mental note to send her aunt some more money to cover her mother’s living expenses. Holly proceeded to fill her mother in on the business trip, citing her absence as another reason for her mother to remain in Florida. Her mother actually sounded relieved, confirming Holly’s belief that she needed to do everything to ensure her mother didn’t have to worry about money. And that hinged on impressing Finn.
But this morning, if anything could have gone wrong, it had. As late as she was, Finn would think she was incompetent or worse that she’d changed her mind and backed out without a word. And because she’d been so rattled yesterday, she’d forgotten to get his cell number.
When she finally reached the prearranged meeting spot, Finn stood there, frowning. She was breathless and feeling totally out of sorts.
His piercing gaze met hers. “I didn’t think you were going to show up.”
She attempted to catch her breath. “There was an accident.”
Immediately his anger morphed into concern. “Are you okay?”
“It wasn’t me. It was the vehicle two cars up from my cab.” In that moment the horrific events played in her mind. “One second we’re moving along the highway and the next a little sports car attempts to cut off a souped-up pickup truck with large knobby tires. The car swerved wildly across the lanes as tires screeched and the driver tried to regain control, but the car lifted and flipped a couple of times.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I never witnessed something so horrific. I...I don’t think the driver made it.”
Finn reached out to her and pulled her close. Her cheek rested against his shoulder. “Thank God you’re safe.”
Her emotions bubbled to the surface. The worry. The fear. The shock. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed as Finn continued to hold her. Horrific scenes of the accident played in her mind, one after the other. She knew she shouldn’t seek comfort in his arms. Although it was innocent enough, it wasn’t part of their agreement. And yet, she didn’t move.
It was only when she started to gather herself that she noticed the spicy scent of his cologne. It would be so easy to forget about their agreement and turn in his arms, claiming his very kissable lips. Every cell in her body longed to do just that. Just once more.
But she couldn’t. Once would not be enough. Frustration balled up inside her. Besides, he was just being nice—a gentleman. She refused to throw herself at him and ruin everything. After all, she was out to prove to him that she was an invaluable asset in the office.
With great regret, she extricated herself from his arms, already missing the warmth of his touch. “I must be such a mess.” She swiped her hands over her cheeks. “Sorry about that. I...I’m usually—”
“No apologies necessary.” He waved away her words. “I’m just relieved you’re safe.”
The sincerity in his words had her glancing up at him. In that moment he’d reverted back to Finn Lockwood, the friendly man who’d taken her to his penthouse to thank her for her help with the contract. The man who’d spent the evening wining and dining her with some pasta he’d whipped up himself. The same man who’d entertained her with tales of hilarious fiascos at the office. The man who’d swept her off her feet.
“What are you thinking?”
His voice drew her from her thoughts. Not about to tell him the truth, she said, “That we should get moving. I’ve already put you behind schedule.”
“You’re right.” He gestured for her to walk ahead of him.
Her insides shivered with nervous tension. She couldn’t tell if it was from being held in Finn’s arms or the thought of soaring through the air in his jet. Maybe she should mention her fear of flying to Finn. Then again, they’d already shared more than enough for now. She would just lose herself in her work. If all went well, he’d never even know of her phobia of heights.
* * *
What had he been thinking?
Finn sat across the aisle from Holly on his private jet. They were in midflight and Holly had been surprisingly quiet. It suited him just fine. He was preparing for his upcoming meeting, or he had been until thoughts of Holly infiltrated his mind. Truth be told, he hadn’t been able to let go of the memories of their night together. She was amazing and so easy to be with. Most people wouldn’t find that to be a problem, but he did.
He refused to let someone get close to him—he would do nothing but lead them to unhappiness. Because that was what happened to the people he cared about—he let them down. And Holly was too nice to get caught up with the likes of him.
The onboard phone buzzed. Finn took the call from the pilot. After a brief conversation, he turned to Holly, who had her window shade drawn. He presumed it was to cut down on the glare on her digital tablet. He, on the other hand, enjoyed being able to look out at the world around them. However, the overcast day hampered much of his view. “That was the captain. He said we should buckle our seat belts as we’re about to hit some rough weather.”
Without argument or for that matter a word, Holly did as he asked. She then returned her attention to the tablet as though she hadn’t heard him. What in the world had her so absorbed?
He gave a shake of his head and turned back to his laptop. He’d been working on an agenda for his upcoming meeting, but he’d totally lost track of his line of thought. He started reading the last couple of bullet points when his attention meandered back to Holly.
Giving up on his attempt to work, Finn closed his laptop. He glanced over at her, which was a mistake. He was immediately drawn in by her natural beauty. He loved that she didn’t wear heavy makeup, only a little bit to accent her own unique qualities.
There was just something so different about Holly, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on exactly what made her so much more appealing than the other women who had passed through his life. Maybe it was that she was content with her life—not looking to him for a leg up in her career. Or maybe it was that she treated him like everybody else instead of trying to cater to him. Whatever it was, he was intrigued by her.
Realizing he was staring, he cleared his throat. “What are you reading?”
She glanced up as though completely lost in thought. “What did you say?”
He smiled, liking the sheepish look on her face and the touch of pink in her cheeks. “I was wondering what had you so deep in thought.”
She glanced down at her tablet and then back at him. “Um, nothing.”
“Must be something to have you so preoccupied.”
“Just some work.”
“Work? I don’t recall giving you anything to do on the way to the island.”
She worried her bottom lip. “I was doing a little research.”
“Do tell. I’m thoroughly intrigued.”
She set aside her tablet. “I downloaded some background on the businessmen that you’ll be meeting with.”
“Really? I thought you’d prefer to read a book.”
“I like to be prepared. Clara gave me their names. I hope you don’t mind.”
“What else did she tell you about the meeting?”
“Nothing except that it is extremely important and top secret.”
He smiled, liking that Clara had emphasized discretion. Of course, Holly would learn all about his plans soon enough. “Let me know if you uncover anything noteworthy.”
“I will.” She once more picked up her tablet.
Why was she working so hard on this? Surely she wasn’t this thorough normally. There had to be something driving her. Was she afraid of disappointing him?
Or more likely, she was doing whatever she could to ignore him.
Just then the plane started to vibrate. Finn glanced over at Holly and noticed that she had the armrests in a death grip. “Don’t worry. It’s just some turbulence.”
She looked at him, her eyes as big as saucers. “Maybe we should land until it passes over.”
“You don’t fly much, do you?”
