Double Dare

Her hand went to her face and her breathing flew even further out of pitch. Why the hell hadn't he said something? Confusion swelled inside her.

Meanwhile, Tom gestured toward her and Zac nodded at him, then glanced back at Abby as they walked closer.

Tom was going to introduce them. She just about died on the spot. Clutching at the doorframe for support, she wished the moment away.

But no, he kept getting closer, his expression determined, immaculately presented in a charcoal suit, a black shirt and tie beneath.

"Abigail, allow me to introduce you to Zachary Bordino, the Ashburn portfolio client."

Zac reached out his hand. "I'm pleased to meet you here, Abigail. We've been impressed with your work and I came here today specifically to acknowledge that."

His expression was laden with concern.

"Abigail is our brightest rising star," Tom interjected with a smarmy, possessive smile.

Zac threw him an irritated glance.

It was a nightmare, surely? She felt as if she was on a stage and didn't know the lines. His hand was still outstretched. Reluctantly, she took it. "I'm sorry. I was expecting someone else. Adrianna?"

"Yes, you were. I am Adrianna's son. I thought it best that I attend. I've taken over my mother's business, but I didn't want to interrupt your flow of work with this information earlier." He squeezed her hand firmly, his eyes flickering secret messages to her.

Why, why didn't you tell me? Hurt, angry hurt spilled through her. This was the obstacle that she had felt between them, the secret that he had hidden. Why?

"Your professionalism is unquestionable. You've got my full trust." He paused to let his message sink in. "On everything you do."

He'd well and truly prepared for this, she realized with a wild sense of irony. But then he'd had the time to do so. She bloody well hadn't. Her gaze fell to his hand, which held hers so firmly, so reassuringly.

She pulled away.

Tom glanced at his watch. "Let's get some coffee before we kick off. Abby?" He put out his arm, as if to take her under his wing.

She shook her head and stepped back into her office. "I just need to go over my presentation notes, I'll join you shortly."

Zac's brow furrowed, but then he gave a slight shake of his head—as if the situation was beyond his control—and a hopeful half smile as he walked away from her view.

Abby turned back into her office. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it. Her heart was pounding. Thoughts crashed against one another in her mind. What was going on? He'd known. Not only that, but he must have known all along, because he was so calm when she'd told him in Paris that she wasn't just the receptionist. He'd looked sort of gutted, as she recalled. She'd mistaken it for disbelief, or a sense of wrong that she'd lied to him, but it was more than that. It w

as because of this, the fact she was working for him. That was obvious, now. But how had he known? She paced the office, her mind ticking over frantically.

She stopped, steadying herself with one hand on the edge of the desk. Of course, he would have had the staff dossier from when they first took on the Ashburn account. It was standard company policy to supply full details of all employees to new clients. They were given as much information as possible, to reassure them about allowing their millions to be handed over to complete strangers. He not only had a photo of her, but he knew her whole life story. Everything. What University she went to, her personal interests, her favorite authors, what historical figures she admired.

No wonder he hadn't asked her much about her work—after that initial bout of teasing, which made much more sense now. She'd assumed it was because he didn't want to pry into that side of her life until she was ready to discuss it with him. In reality it was because he already knew it all. She remembered her early feelings of being watched. Watched, or watched over? Had he been observing her at first hand because of her work with his money - or because he hadn't trusted her, after what had happened to him before?

She put her head into her hands, and thought back to the moment she met him. He'd been delivering documents, he'd told her later as a favor to someone. Why hadn't he said who that was? Her blood ran cold as she retraced the sequence of events. I lied to him.

She put her face in her hands. After what he'd been through before, it was no wonder he was wary. She remembered him saying he wondered what she was going to say next, when she'd gone to the venue that Sunday afternoon. He'd probably had notification through from Tom that she was taking over the account. She would have been fresh in his memory when she turned up at the club. He would have questioned her motives, of course he would.

"Oh fuck." He'd been the one at the end of the mail. That's why he knew when she would call and why he was always ready to meet when she was.

Just when she thought she was sorting her life out, now this. Chaos. What on earth was she going to do? She had a sudden desire to flee the building and hide herself somewhere. Keep your head. She sat down and tried to rationalize her feelings.

Seconds ticked by. She stared at her computer screen, letting the familiar sight of the Robertson logo scrolling on the screensaver ground her.

That's when curiosity bit her. She moved her hand to the mouse and shifted it. She took a deep breath. Pulling up Google, she typed in Zac's name. First up was a link to a press release for the current art exhibition at The Hub, but it was the second link that leapt out at her, sending her into a frenzy of embarrassment.

Ashburn heir heads up new arts venture. Zachary Bordino trades in his playboy lifestyle for the art world.

Abby shut her eyes, slumped in her chair and massaged her temples. "How the hell has this happened to me? Why didn't I know?"