On Monday morning Helena stepped out of the elevator on the forty-second floor of the bank and knew at once something wasn’t right. For a start the receptionist grinned at her, and prim, efficient, fifty-something Jill didn’t grin. She smiled. Professionally. No grinning allowed.
‘You’re late,’ Jill announced.
‘I know,’ Helena said, flustered enough without Jill stating the obvious. ‘The Underground was a nightmare this morning.’ And the last thing she’d needed on the heels of a long, sleepless weekend. All she wanted was to get to her desk and bury herself in work. ‘Any mail for David?’
‘He collected it ten minutes ago—along with your visitor.’
Helena stopped. ‘My visitor?’
‘A man.’
And there it was again. Not a smile. A grin. Helena couldn’t recall ever before seeing so many of her colleague’s teeth.
‘He said he was a friend, so once Security cleared him I had them send him up. When David arrived and I mentioned you had a visitor he took him through to your office. His name was...’ She picked up a piece of notepaper. ‘Yes, that’s right. Mr Vincenz—no, Vincenti.’
Helena blinked. She wasn’t at the office at all. She was still tucked up in bed. Dreaming about the infernal man who had single-handedly ruined her weekend.
Jill frowned. ‘Helena? Are you okay?’
No. ‘Yes,’ she said, forcing herself to rally. To think. She managed a smile. ‘Thanks.’
Before Jill could probe further, she pushed through the glass security doors and followed the executive corridor down to her workspace. With every step the tremor in her knees threatened to escalate into a full-blown quake.
At her desk, she dumped her bag, removed her blazer—the temperature in the office had soared suddenly—and glanced around. No tall, dark, brooding Italian in sight. She could, however, hear voices in David’s office, and when a burst of laughter carried through the half-open door any lingering doubts were swiftly dispelled.
She clutched the edge of her desk, her stomach clenching in response to that rich, full-bodied sound and the confirmation that Leo was not only here, at her office, in her boss’s office, he was having a nice little one-on-one with David while he waited for her to arrive.
Confusion followed by a spurt of alarm jolted her into action. Without knocking, she pushed open David’s door and two heads swung in her direction. In a matter of seconds her brain registered two things.
First, David was not behind his desk but seated out front, beside his guest—a relaxed approach he only ever adopted with her or with people he especially liked. And second, though by no means less noteworthy, was the simple fact that Leonardo Vincenti looked just as mind-blowingly sexy in a silver suit, pale blue shirt and striped tie than he did in any formal tuxedo.
Helena’s mouth went dry. No wonder Jill had been grinning like a schoolgirl.
‘Ah, here she is,’ said David, and then both men were on their feet, greeting her with smiles, the megawatt force of Leo’s almost knocking her back on her heels.
He walked over, slipped his arm around her waist and dropped a featherlight kiss on her temple. Her knees nearly gave out.
‘Morning, cara.’ The firm press of his hand in her side sent a message—or was it a warning? ‘My meeting was cancelled at the last minute and, since I was nearby, I thought I’d take the opportunity to see your offices.’ He drew her into the room. ‘And to meet David, of course.’
Her gaze darted to the older man, who now wore a grin to rival Jill’s. She opened her mouth, but the dryness had crawled down her throat and no sound came out aside from a slight wheeze.
She gave herself a mental kick. ‘Sorry I’m late, David. Problems on the tube...’
He waved off the apology. ‘It’s a nice change to beat you into the office for once. And I must say it’s been an unexpected pleasure to chat with your man, here.’
Her man. The floor lurched and it was only Leo’s grip that kept her steady, despite the unsettling effect his touch had on her insides. She wanted to swat his hand away, sink into a nearby chair. She forced herself to concentrate on David’s voice.
‘I was just telling Leo how seldom you take any leave, and he mentioned how keen he is to get you to Italy.’
He paused, rocked on his heels, looking immensely chuffed with himself all of a sudden. Helena felt faint.
‘He also tells me you’re off to Rome at the weekend and it would be the perfect chance for you to stay longer.’ The men exchanged a glance. ‘I think it’s an excellent idea. Why don’t you take a week?’
Helena couldn’t help herself; she gaped at her boss. ‘A...a week?’
Leo’s fingers dug into her side but she refused to look at him. If he flashed her another of those devastating smiles she’d lose her ability to think, let alone remain upright.
She stared at David. ‘I... I couldn’t. Things are much too busy.’