His phone rang and he snatched it up. ‘What?’ he barked and then told himself to calm down. Whatever his frustrations, they had nothing to do with his secretary.
‘I have a Ms Jackson to see you.’
Alex nearly dropped the phone. Then his eyes narrowed and he felt himself grow cold. What was she here for? Wasn’t rejecting him bad enough? Was she now planning to slap a sexual harassment charge on him as well?
He had every intention of telling his secretary to tell Phoebe to get lost, so he was utterly stunned to hear the words, ‘Show her in,’ coming out of his mouth.
Alex clenched his fists and moved round to stand in front of his desk where he reckoned he’d look more intimidating and more in control. And if ever he needed to be in control, now, with his brain behaving like a loose cannon, was it.
The firm rap at his door made his pulse spike.
‘Come in,’ he said curtly.
The door swung open slowly and Phoebe sidled in. Something about the way she moved had every one of his senses springing to attention.
Unable to help himself, he let his gaze travel over her. Her hair was tied back but she’d done something to her eyes. They seemed bigger than he recalled, more slumberous somehow. Her mouth seemed…poutier.
Alex swallowed and dragged his gaze over the rest of her. She was wearing the knee-length raincoat she’d had on earlier—with
the collar turned up and the belt tightly tied around her waist—but she’d changed her shoes. If she’d been wearing those black patent heels at the press conference he’d have remembered. As he’d have remembered the inches of leg enclosed in sheer black nylon.
‘You’ll have to be quick,’ he said, hauling his gaze back up to her face. ‘I’m in the middle of a meeting.’
‘So your secretary said. I don’t mind waiting.’
Was it his imagination or had her voice dropped a couple of notes? ‘Fine. What can I do for you?’
A slow smile curved her lips. ‘It’s really more a question of what I can do for you.’
Alex’s mouth went dry and his body temperature shot up as an image of exactly what she could do for him slammed into his head. So much for thinking he was in control. He needed to sit down before the effect she was having on him became too obvious. Deliberately taking his time, he levered himself off the edge of his desk and moved to sit behind it. At least her legs were now out of sight, not that that offered much comfort to his aching body.
‘And what is that?’ He picked up a pencil and began to twirl it around his fingers as if he couldn’t be less bothered by her presence in his office.
‘I’ve come to apologise.’
Alex’s brain had clearly disintegrated because he hadn’t the faintest idea of what she was talking about. ‘What for?’
‘Slapping you.’
‘You didn’t.’
‘I wanted to.’
‘Why?’
‘You suggested an affair.’
‘You turned me down.’
She reached up and pulled the band from her hair. Glossy curls tumbled over her shoulders. ‘I’ve changed my mind.’
Alex’s pulse leapt. ‘How predictable,’ he drawled.
Phoebe’s smile faltered for a split second but she didn’t take her eyes off him. ‘I thought you might say that.’
She took her hands out of her pockets and unknotted her belt. Then she started to undo the buttons. Achingly slowly. The lapels fell open revealing a V of skin and a tantalising glimpse of black lace.
The scorching heat of her gaze trapped him where he sat. Alex couldn’t move. He could barely breathe.