Best of Bosses 2008: In Bed With Her Italian Boss\Taken by Her Greek Boss\Blind Date With the Boss (33 page)

‘So I couldn't help but notice.'

His voice dripped ice and Rose wondered whether, having an ego the size of a house, he had expected her to be sitting
indoors pining for him. Little could he guess that she had pretty much been doing just that until tonight.

‘What about you?' she asked politely. ‘Having a good time? Did you come with anyone? I guess you know quite a few of the people here anyway…' She was gratified to notice that even the subdued lighting couldn't quite hide his dark flush and she gave him her most innocent look.

‘As a matter of fact, I did come with someone. She's over there somewhere.' He indicated somewhere behind her while keeping his eyes firmly fixed on her face, and Rose dutifully turned around to see the redhead looking daggers at her.

‘Oh, dear. Your date doesn't look awfully happy that you've abandoned her. You'd better run along before she blows a fuse.'

Nick, whose mood seemed to be deteriorating by the second, scowled. ‘My date is more than capable of taking care of herself for a few minutes.' He bared his teeth in a smile. ‘Besides, I don't think she would begrudge me catching up with an old…friend…' Of course he had known that she would be there and he had brought along the arm candy to remind himself that he had done the right thing, they had both done the right thing—parted company because at the end of the day she was a settling-down kind of girl and he was a no-commitment kind of guy. That was just the way it was. He liked variety. The redhead filled that role.

‘I don't think there's much to catch up on.' Rose frowned and made a show of giving his remark all the attention it deserved. ‘I'm back at my old job and enjoying it and…' she could be as cool and dismissive as he was ‘…you were very useful in teaching me that madness isn't always a bad thing. As you can see, I've taken that advice to heart.' She laughed gaily. ‘I'd have steered a million miles away from something like this in the past—as you pointed out…'

He had been useful? Nick didn't appreciate the compliment, not at all.

‘There's madness and there's stupidity, Rose,' he gritted. ‘Madness is breaking out of your comfort zone and coming here tonight…'

‘And stupidity?' She was pretty sure she wasn't going to like his answer, but that, in a way, would surely work for her, because how on earth would she ever get closure if she carried on loving him? Let him show himself in all his arrogant glory, she willed.

‘Stupidity is wearing that dress.'

Rose's mouth fell open in shock. She gave an incredulous laugh. ‘You object to
my
dress?' She glanced significantly over her shoulder to where his date gave the term skimpy clothing a whole new meaning.

‘That's completely different,' Nick growled.

‘Oh, and why is that? Because she's tall and skinny and can carry off wearing handkerchiefs better than me?'

‘Because…' Because she's as sexy as a runner bean, Nick thought savagely. He deeply resented the fact that the woman standing in front of him, flaunting herself to all and sundry, was still on his mind, despite all his efforts to wipe her out. ‘Because,' he grated, ‘you could land yourself in a situation you wouldn't be able to handle dressed like that. Did you look in the mirror before you left your house? Do you have any idea how much of your…you is on show?'

‘It's been nice chatting to you, Nick. Now, I think I see Splice coming with my drink.'

‘Splice?'

‘That's his nickname.' Rose smiled sweetly and walked away without giving him the chance to continue the conversation. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her sister looking
in her direction and she waved cheerfully, not wanting to spoil the evening by having Lily worrying about her. Again.

The minute Lily could escape, however, Rose was dismayed to find that she was by her side and Rose just knew what her sister was going to say.

‘What on earth was going on with the two of you back then?' Lily asked, jumping straight in with both feet and making Rose feel even guiltier that her sister had noticed more than she had first suspected. ‘What was Nick saying to you?'

‘Lily, never you mind that. I'm not going to spoil your last Saturday night in London by repeating what that man had the nerve to say.' At one in the morning, the crowd was beginning to thin out. Most of Lily's friends had headed off, with a couple of the guys insisting on giving Rose their phone numbers although she, tactfully, declined to return the favour. Still, it was flattering even if she couldn't get Nick's nasty remark about her dress out of her head.

He, as luck would have it, was still around somewhere, with the redhead clutching him possessively as if scared that he might disappear unless physically restrained. Which, of course, he would. Rose, consistently aware of his presence, made sure to live up to her statement that she was having a brilliant time. She was pretty sure that, at one point, Ted had even asked if she would consider starring in one of his productions, which had resulted in fits of laughter on her part. She had half hoped that Nick might have glanced over at that point and witnessed for himself just how much fun she was having.

Wrapped up in her mental reverie, she became aware of Lily pressing her for details, and eventually she gave in, telling her that he had criticised her dress and dared to suggest that she was somehow sending off the wrong messages and then, having done that, would be incapable of taking care of herself.
Lily was nodding, taking it all in, and finally said, ‘You can't let him get away with that.'

‘What do you mean?'

‘You should be angry. Fuming!'

‘Well…yes…I am…'

‘You need to march over there and let him know that you're not just anyone. In fact, you need to let him know that you're more than capable of taking care of yourself. In fact, Splice was mightily impressed by you…' Lily glanced at her nails, painted a vibrant, deep purple. ‘Nick might just want to know that he's not the only guy interested in you…'

‘He isn't interested in me.'

‘I'll distract Cat—'

‘Cat?' What cat? What was Lily on about?

‘His date for the evening. She likes to call herself that. Her real name's Nancy. I met her briefly in my modelling days.'

‘I don't think—'

‘Quite right. Don't think. Thinking just complicates matters.' She pushed Rose out towards where Nick was standing and holding court with several of the pony-tailed men.

There she went. Chivvying again. What was she supposed to say to Nick? She just wanted to go home, but the redhead was being suitably distracted and the pony-tail brigade was breaking up, heading off, leaving her alone with him.

‘My sister wanted your girlfriend to meet a friend of hers…' was all Rose could think of saying. ‘Her name's Cat, I gather.'

‘She's not my girlfriend.'

‘Oh. Date, in that case.' Rose shrugged as if she was bored with the business of him splitting hairs. ‘It's been nice meeting you again, Nick. I'm off now.'

‘Wait just a minute.' He caught hold of her arm as she
was turning away and Rose tensed. ‘How much have you had to drink?'

‘What I've had to drink has nothing to do with you.'

‘No? How are you going to get back to your house?'

‘In a taxi. With Lily.' Where was her sister, anyway? ‘Or not, as the case may be.' Her skin burnt where he was holding her, bringing back memories she wanted to forget, and she looked at him with unhidden hostility.

‘I'll take you home.'

‘You'll do no such thing.' Alarm and panic slammed into her with such force that she took a step backwards.

‘Your sister's not around and nor are any of those creeps who were drooling down your front all night.'

‘They were not creeps. In fact—' she smirked ‘—Ted's desperate to get in touch with me. He's a movie producer, you know.' Or maybe it was advertising. She couldn't quite remember.

That clarified something in Nick's head. The woman might think that she was embarking on some crazy hedonistic lifestyle, but she had no idea what she was letting herself in for. He had met sufficient movie producers in his time, thanks to his history of dating women in the modelling or acting business, and he knew that kindly, thoughtful and caring were not adjectives commonly used to describe them.

‘Did you bring a jacket?'

‘You are
not
taking me home.' Rose looked around desperately for her sister. ‘Anyway, you can't bring a date and then abandon her. How is your girlfriend going to get home?'

‘Wait right here.'

Rose had no intention of doing any such thing. She tripped along behind Nick and reached her sister just as he was explaining the need to deliver Rose back to the house unless Lily
was on her way out. Which she wasn't, never mind the pointed looks and contorted gestures Rose was delivering behind Nick's back.

‘I've got to stay until the last person leaves,' Lily said gaily, ignoring her sister. ‘Only polite. And Cat can't possibly go yet. Not when I've just introduced her to Joe Carr here. Can you, Cat?'

Rose had never seen anyone truly wriggle on the horns of a dilemma, but Cat did now. She was obviously furious at the thought of her date clearing off with another woman, even though the woman was no competition, but the prospect of networking with someone from the film industry who might prove useful later down the line was irresistible.

She did the best she could under the circumstances and all credit to her, Rose thought nastily, she did it well.

‘Call me,' she purred to Nick, and then reached forward to pull him towards her. From behind, Rose watched the slender pale fingers with perfectly painted long red nails comb his dark hair and, from what she could see, he was thoroughly enjoying the kiss.

The sight made her feel sick to her stomach. What further proof could she have that he had forgotten her? Wearing a sexy black dress and flirting madly with people whose names she could barely remember suddenly struck her as very sad.

Lily, she noticed, was staring at her, and Rose composed her features into bland indifference, which was the stance she maintained as Nick ushered her out of the club, fetching her jacket
en route
, and into the sharp early morning air.

His driver was waiting outside and she climbed into the back seat of the car in silence.

‘So…' Nick slammed the door behind him and turned to her ‘…you're suddenly very quiet.'

‘I'm tired.'

‘We still have a conversation to finish.'

‘What conversation?' Rose looked at him with a sigh. ‘We don't have anything left to finish, Nick. We've both moved on.'

Nick frowned at her. ‘Which doesn't mean that I don't still have…' feelings for you. Except that there was something somehow significant about saying that. So he avoided it. ‘A sense of responsibility towards you. After all, Rose, we were lovers, whether you like it or not.'

‘And now you're scratching another notch on your bedpost. If it makes you feel better, I absolve you from all responsibility towards me. I don't need your misguided sense of duty, Nick. You employed me because you were Lily's friend and you felt sorry for me when I was in a financial mess. Now you feel sorry for me because—'

‘I don't feel sorry for you,' he snapped sharply.

‘Then what? I don't want you to involve yourself in my life.'

She slid her eyes over to him. Earlier, she had felt tipsy and mellow and just that little bit out of control. Right now, she couldn't have felt more sober. ‘Do you always feel as though you've got to look out for the hapless women you've been involved with?'

‘You consider yourself hapless?'

‘I consider myself…changed…'

‘So you said earlier.' Nick's voice was acid. ‘I wasn't sure whether or not to be flattered by the adjective you used for me as useful.'

No, he wouldn't be. Useful wasn't exactly a sexy term. It was probably also a little too close to used for Nick's liking, but Rose didn't care because wasn't that what he did with all the women who littered his life?

‘And people don't change overnight, Rose. You can't
suddenly turn into a woman who lives life on the edge. You've never been that kind of woman. You remember telling me how much Tony and Flora turned you off the idea of taking chances because of the lifestyle they chose? They wanted you to want adventure. Instead you found your adventure in books.'

‘Yes, and now I've decided that they were right after all. I'm too young to bury myself in books when there's a whole world out there waiting to be lived.'

‘And you intend to live every minute of it in revealing clothes.'

‘So what if I do? What business is it of yours? You've rescued me once. There's no need to make a habit of it.'

The driver was at long last approaching the house and Rose located her glittery handbag and tucked her jacket a little tighter around her shoulders, ready to sprint from car to front door in the shortest possible time.