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He looked down, stretched alongside the sheet of glass for her cup, and cleared his throat, visibly relaxing. ‘
Yeah.’
She aimed straight for the lift. ‘Thanks for the ride. And the coffee. It’ll help me get through the theatre tonight.’
As she passed him he asked, ‘You’re going out? You still look tired.’
She felt it. And the strain of spending time with him wasn’t helping. ‘It’s supposed to be a great play.’
He beat her to the lift, pressed the buttons. ‘Don’t you ever just want to sit at home and hang?’
‘Not really.’ What would she do, talk to the walls? ‘And I said I’d go tonight. I don’t want to let them down.’ She didn’t want to be rude or for the invitations to stop coming. She didn’t like sitting in the apartment alone and lonely. Better to be out and too busy to brood.
‘Of course.’
She glanced at him, his face had closed over again. That touch of sarcasm was back and as the doors closed, separating them, she heard it even more in the slow drawl. ‘Have a good night.’
He called her into his office the minute she appeared—ahead of time—on Monday morning.
‘Princess, let’s be honest.’
Oh, no, he was looking serious. She realised the whole work life/social life being separate stuff was accurate in James’s case. He’d smile charmingly at drinks and then sack her without a qualm the next working day.
‘The secretary thing.’
Oh, no. He was going to sack her.
‘It’s not working out.’
‘I’d thought…’ She stumbled over her words, felt the flood of fire in her face. ‘I’d hoped I was improving.
’ Dignity, where art thou? She didn’t want to be sent back to where she wasn’t wanted. Wasn’t she ever going to be wanted anywhere? And she really had been trying. Really.
‘There’s something else I think you could do for me.’
She paused, for a second her thoughts going totally inappropriate and her internal heat sizzling.
‘I have a new hotel opening on Aristo in a few weeks.’
Aristo?
‘We’re having a party there to herald the opening at the end of next week.’ The corners of his mouth lifted.
‘Do you do parties, princess?’
‘You know I do.’ He wanted her to go to a party? What, once she was home and fully in disgrace? She wouldn’t be home for long—Alex would probably pack her off again to another far-flung destination before she even had the chance to get over the jet lag.
‘I want you to take over the planning. I want exclusive. I want glittering.’
She dragged her attention back from the pool of self-pity. He wanted her to organise it? The mother of all parties?
‘I want a gala ball unlike any other. I need VIPs in attendance and international media to cover it. I want the place dripping in glamour and a spread in every magazine and newspaper on the planet.’
Her heart started thundering and for once it wasn’t because of the way he was looking at her—not entirely anyway. ‘OK. You’ll have it.’ She beamed at him, her mind already whirring with wicked ideas. There was nothing she loved more than a big party—and this one was hers to create.
‘Go.’ He jerked his head towards the door, his matching smile seemingly reluctant—a little indulgent. ‘The file is in the system—you’ll find the budget details there and the preparations that have already been made.
Look them over and make any adjustments you see fit. This is your party, princess. You make it work.’
‘Yes, boss!’ She answered smartly, but practically skipped out of the room.
‘Princess.’
She stopped and turned. His smile was gone and there was a serious message in his eyes.
‘Don’t make me regret it.’
CHAPTER FOUR
JAMES wouldn’t regret it. He’d spend the rest of his days congratulating himself. In her mind Liss saw it all —a fabulous success that would be talked about for years to come. A sumptuous, elegant event that no other could match and where the invitations were prized higher than the rare pink diamonds of Calista.
And it was on Aristo. Bittersweet anticipation burned through her. Finally she’d be able to see Cassie. She’
d gone home for her father’s funeral but Alex had had her packed and out of there again before she could blink, let alone trace her old friend. And now that Seb had found her and their son, there was so much to celebrate. Liss still couldn’t believe she had a nephew—or that her friend had been through so much. She ached that she hadn’t been able to see them sooner.
