to do this for herself, too. What would she have left if her agency went under? ‘I’ll do whatever I need to, in order to regain your good will.’
‘No. I’m sorry.’ He got to his feet. ‘I appreciate the offer, but I can’t accept it.’
He couldn’t end the interview. Not yet.
‘I’ll raise the added free service to a month.’ Lily stood, too. How her budget would stretch to such a commitment, she had no idea, but she had to convince him.
‘You’re certainly determined.’ His gaze bored into hers with shrewd evaluation, and again with that hint of not entirely concealed male interest. ‘And probably worried sick that I’ll sue your company.’
Her heart fluttered in response to that look, but the flutter stopped abruptly as she absorbed his words. She feigned a calm she didn’t feel. Shook her head. ‘Not at all. I—’
She had considered it. Indeed, she had almost made herself ill thinking about it on the way here. If he took legal action, her agency could be deemed culpable of all sorts of awful things and might sink in a sea of murky corporate waters, never to be seen again.
If he denigrated her agency to his business colleagues, that alone would bring about the same result. Neither option was acceptable. ‘Is that what you have in mind?’
‘No.’
Just that. Flat. Unequivocal. Decided, she suspected, before he even brought the matter up.
He went on, a considering look in the backs of his eyes. ‘But I’m impressed by your commitment to your agency, and by your resourcefulness. I’ve decided there is a way you can placate me.’
‘Anything.’ Words poured out. ‘A line of dedication to you on my tombstone. Jemima’s firstborn kitten—if I don’t manage to get her spayed before that happens. All Betty’s eggs for a year.’
She sounded too desperate, managed at least to stop herself before she admitted to her eBay addiction, too. Heat stung her cheeks. ‘Well, naturally you wouldn’t care about any of that, but what did you have in mind? If it’s within my power to do so, I’ll make it happen.’
‘Jemima? Betty?’ He murmured the names, and for a brief moment warm humour lit his eyes.
There was something so appealing about a man who could smile…
Then he shook his head, and the expression vanished. ‘Initially, all I thought I wanted—needed—was someone to keep things in basic good order while my regular secretary took her long-service leave.’
‘Yes.’ Her vigorous nod made her hair swing against her cheeks. ‘I understood those were your requirements when you first contacted us.’
He took a step forward. Reached one hand towards her cheek, stopped, shoved both hands into his pockets. ‘Things have changed.’
‘I’m afraid I don’t quite understand.’ She tightened her grip on the red and black pencil. Had he really been about to stroke her face? Her skin begged her to make it happen.
‘A woman in your position would have to be well-versed in all aspects of office skills?’ he prompted.
‘Well, yes, I am.’ Her pencil traversed the page at warp speed, making her odd-looking squiggles. Why make this personal—about her, specifically? Fresh unease built up.
‘You’d have worked on a number of temporary jobs, Ms Kellaway?’ A muscle in his jaw tightened, and his dark gaze shifted just once to her mouth before moving away. ‘Do you still do that?’
It took all her effort not to raise a hand to her lips. To touch them, as though, by simply looking at them, he had changed their texture or shape and she needed to feel that change for herself. ‘I keep my hand in, yes, with short assignments that don’t take too much away from my other responsibilities.’
Assignments that allowed her to appear in a good light to those business people she chose for the purposes of keeping her skills fresh. ‘My commitment to the agency doesn’t allow for more than that.’
That was true, too, if not all of the truth.
‘If circumstances demanded it, you could do more. You would adapt. I suspect you would be good at that.’ His words held a husky timbre that made her wonder just what sort of adaptation he was thinking about.
Then he gave a brief nod. ‘So here’s my proposition. I want you in this office, to sort out my problems and deal with my backlog.’
With each statement, her eyes widened. A mixture of anxiety, incredulity and fear stormed through her. He wanted her? She could stay here for a couple of weeks, but even that wasn’t in her plan. ‘I can’t leave my work—’
‘You’d be surprised what you can do, Lily Kellaway, if the need and the motivation are there.’ Unshakeable demand in each word, he continued. ‘I want you to make my office run the way it has done for the past eleven years, with barely a hiccup to disturb me. When Maddie comes back, I want things to be so shipshape, she won’t even know she’s been gone.’
‘Really. I’m sorry.’ Lily had wanted a second chance, but not like this. She would make a fool of herself, would reveal her weaknesses in front of him. No. It was out of the question. As was explaining her reluctance to take up what he must see as a reasonable challenge. ‘But I couldn’t—’
‘Yes, you could, and you will. You’re the right person to take it on, because you care enough about the outcome that you’ll make sure it all works out.’
He didn’t move, but she sensed the mental dusting of hands as he presented her with what he must view as a fait accompli. If he had any lingering concerns about feeling attracted to her, they were well buried.
Perhaps he had simply shut that attraction off? Not that she couldn’t do the same. The stress of this situation had blurred her ability to act decisively, that was all.
He went on, his voice deepening with each word. ‘I’m sure your organisational skills will be more than up to the task, and it’s only a few months when all’s said and done.’
‘Only a f-few months.’ He really wanted her to do this work herself. Had made his mind up and would refuse to accept anything else. As for her organisational skills, she choked back a bitter laugh. Lily organised her life to death, and it still wasn’t enough.
The inescapability hit her. The notebook slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor. Pages fanned out like a startled lizard’s ruffle. Her carefully controlled world fell on its ear at the same time.
With the addition of the month she had stupidly tossed in, it would be three months and three weeks. She couldn’t afford to be here anywhere near that long.
She would have to prevaricate. Would have to accept his ultimatum for now, and convince him later to take Deb in her place.
‘You don’t have any choice, you know.’ He retrieved her notebook and gently passed it to her.
The book was a symbol of her weakness, if he had but known it. Within its pages she attempted to maintain control of her life. Everything from shopping lists, to appointments, to work demands, to names of people she might need to call again.
‘I’ve quite made up my mind, you see. So put your wonderful Deborah in charge of your agency. Let her do whatever it is you usually do.’ His tone lowered to calm, focussed intent and he went on. ‘And you, Lily Kellaway, give yourself to me.’
CHAPTER TWO
ZACHARY Swift had given Lily fifteen minutes to organise her agency matters. Lily’s small electronic timer counted down the seconds even now. As a result, her phone conversation with Deborah was limited. It would help if she wasn’t so aware of Zachary, seated in his office with the door open, working through twin mountains of paperwork with a determined diligence. She even liked that about him—drat the apparently hard-working man!