His eyebrows lifted. ‘Wow, Harry, you have quite a temper on you, don’t you? Something you’ve managed to keep hidden from me all these months.’
‘A PA doesn’t lose her temper with her boss. But a secret mistress is another thing entirely. Tamper with a woman’s emotions and you have to pay the price.’
‘I don’t want to tamper with your emotions. Just your body.’
‘Same thing, Alex. I’m a woman. Our bodies and our emotions are linked. Unlike men. It always amazes me how some men can compartmentalise their lives. Work over here and women over there. In the past, you’ve cleverly chosen to sleep with empty-headed young things who haven’t given you any trouble. Let me warn you in advance, Alex, that I might give you trouble.’
His eyes narrowed on her. ‘Are you warning me that you might fall in love with me?’
‘I certainly hope not,’ she said quite truthfully. ‘But don’t expect me to be entirely happy with this...relationship. Yes, I love having sex with you, and yes, I love working for you. But I’m going to find it increasingly hard to separate the two. Please appreciate that I might have to quit in the end.’
‘Quit work or quit me?’
‘Both.’
‘I won’t let you.’
A shiver of alarm ran down her spine at the sheer arrogance of him.
‘You won’t have any choice in the matter.’
‘We’ll see about that,’ he ground out. ‘Forget the coffee. I’m going home. But first a little taste of what you can expect next Friday night.’
Five minutes later, he was gone, leaving Harriet reeling with shock. She sagged back against the kitchen counter, her legs weak with desire. What a cruel devil he was, kissing her like that, then touching her like that, bringing her to the brink of release, then just abandoning her, his eyes glittering with a chilling resolve when his head finally lifted.
The week that stretched ahead of her would be unbearable. But of course Alex wanted it to be. That was why he’d just done what he’d done.
I should never have challenged him like that, Harriet conceded as she levered herself away from the kitchen counter, pulled her bra back into place, then did up her jeans. She’d known from the start that she was way out of her league, tangling with someone like Alex.
Try as she might, however, Harriet could not regret going to bed with him. How could she regret something which had brought her so much pleasure? Alex excited her as no man had ever excited her. He was a fabulous lover, with a way about him that was both seductive and oddly romantic. The compliments he’d made about her body last night were so sweet. Harriet knew she wouldn’t be the one to call it quits. But he would one day, and this inevitability would happen sooner rather than later if she didn’t lighten up a bit. She really had to stop acting the way she had earlier today. And just now. She had to start doing what Alex suggested. Live for the moment. Concentrate on just having fun!
It came to Harriet that she’d never been a ‘just have fun’ girl. She’d always been so serious. But it wasn’t too late, surely? She could do fun, couldn’t she? Not every relationship had to be about finding Mr Right. After the fiasco with Dwayne, that could definitely wait for a while. As for that stupid checklist of hers, that was definitely going to be thrown out the window.
Satisfied with her new resolve, Harriet made her way back into the living room, where Alex had left her bag. She had just picked it up when her phone rang. Dropping the bag, she walked over to where she’d placed her handbag on the dining table, retrieved her phone, then groaned. It was Emily. Oh, Lord. She had a sinking feeling that Emily might have found out about Dwayne.
‘Hi, Em,’ she said with false brightness. ‘How’s it going with the holiday?’
‘Don’t you say hi to me like that, Harriet McKenna. Why didn’t you ring and tell me that you’ve broken up with Dwayne? All those text messages about work and not a single word about what’s really important.’
Harriet scooped in a deep breath, then let it out slowly before answering.
‘Why do you think?’ she finally asked. ‘I knew you wouldn’t be on my side and I wasn’t in the mood for a lecture.’
‘Don’t be silly. Of course I’m on your side. You’re my best friend. Dwayne doesn’t mean a thing to me. Okay, so I thought you and he were a good match, but it’s what you think that really counts. Obviously, you decided he wasn’t the right man for you.’
A huge lump had filled Harriet’s throat at this unexpected show of support from Emily. She’d been so sure that she would be critical.