I offered to stay on as his secretary, provided he became my lover?
She could see it now. He would be initially surprised, then thoughtful. Finally he would look up and say, ‘Good idea, Sam.’
The phone rang, making her jump as though she had been found with her hand in the biscuit tin. A guilty conscience, she recognised, and snatched up the receiver.
‘Haywood Promotions.’
‘It’s me, Sam.’
She swallowed. Guy... His voice brought home to her that her boss was a flesh and blood man, not a fantasy person who could be made to react as one wanted. This man was one of the most handsome, intelligent, successful, dynamic men in Australia, who could snap his fingers and have just about any woman he wanted. He was not about to be manipulated into an affair by a silly secretary. If she made her ridiculous proposition he would look at her as if she was mad. And probably laugh.
If, by the remotest possibility, he took the proposal seriously he would want to know why. Girls these days could get sex wherever they wanted it. They didn’t have to blackmail their bosses for it.
It wouldn’t take him long to figure out she’d fallen in love with him and, by golly, her exit would come pretty fast after that. Guy Haywood was not in the business of keeping love-struck women in his office, or in his life. She suspected there had been a few ladies in the past who had fancied him as more than a lover and that they had been given short shrift indeed.
The daring proposition went out of the window.
Which was just as well, she thought wretchedly. She wouldn’t have had the guts to do it, anyway.
‘Yes,’ she said flatly. ‘What do you want?’
‘You sound terrible. Look, Sam, you have to tell me what’s going on with you. It’s bothering me and I can’t wait till Monday. Is it anything I’ve done? For pity’s sake, tell me if it is.’
It’s something you haven’t done, she thought miserably. Why can’t you be a normal boss and make a pass at your secretary? Why can’t you take me out to dinner and then to a motel? I won’t mind. Really I won’t.
‘It’s nothing you’ve done,’ she told him. ‘You’ve been a perfect gentleman to work for.’ Unfortunately...
‘Then what is it, dammit?’
‘It’s exactly as I said, Guy. I want to change the direction of my life. And I want to get out of Sydney.’
‘Aah... Now I get it. It’s a man, isn’t it?’
She hesitated, then decided the truth would do quite well. ‘Yes, Guy. You’re right. It’s a man.’
‘What’s the problem?’ he probed. ‘Is it that he wants you and you don’t want him, or the other way around.’
It perversely amused her that he didn’t use the word ‘love.’ It just wasn’t in his dictionary when it came to man-woman relationships. ‘The other way around,’ she admitted.
Guy digested that for a few seconds. ‘I see... You never talk about your personal life to me, do you? I just realised I don’t know much about you in that regard. Have you been having a...relationship with this man, a...close relationship?’
She smiled wryly to herself. For all Guy’s wordliness, he couldn’t seem to come out with the bare facts in front of her. Truly, did he think that at twenty-five she was a total innocent? Why not ask her straight out if she was sleeping with the man? Still, it gave her the opportunity to mislead him without actually lying. ‘Oh, yes,’ she said. ‘Very close.’
‘Goddammit, Sam, you haven’t been having an affair with a married man, have you?’
She was taken aback by his shocked, even judgemental tone. That was certainly the kettle calling the pot black. Though to be honest she had never known him to have an affair with a married woman.
‘No, Guy,’ she denied firmly. ‘He’s not married. And never likely to be.’
‘Aah, so that’s it. The blighter won’t marry you.’
‘Not in a million years!’
‘That’s no reason to quit Sydney and a perfectly good job.’
‘I think it is.’
‘I aim to talk you out of going.’
‘You can try. Meanwhile I’ll ring the head-hunters and line some interviews up for you.’
‘Don’t bother,’ he snarled.
‘Guy...’ There was no mistaking her exasperated tone.
‘If I have to I’ll take Mrs Walton,’ he said with a sigh. ‘At least I know her. The last thing I want is one of those ambitious, vampirish secretaries who try to run the show, their boss included.’
‘She’ll be thrilled,’ Samantha said. ‘I’ll ring her right away.’
‘You do that.’ He let out another sigh. ‘God, Sam, hospitals are depressing places.’
‘How is your father?’ she asked with genuine concern. She didn’t know Martin Haywood very well, but what she had seen she couldn’t help liking. He was a charming rogue, just like his son.
‘Not good. The triple bypass is scheduled for tomorrow morning, most unusual for a Saturday, it seems. They only have theatre during the weekend if it’s a life and death matter, so I’m not getting my hopes up.’
‘He’ll have the best of care,’ she reassured.
‘Maybe so. But I feel very pessimistic about it all.’
‘He’s not old, though. What is he? Late fifties?’
‘Fifty-seven. But he’s abused himself over the years. No proper exercise. Wine...women...’
Samantha thought it best not to add anything about the smoking at this moment, knowing Guy himself was probably puffing away like mad at the other end of the line. He always did when he was tense or worried about something.
‘I’ve only just realised I might have to face his dying and, damn it all, Sam, I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit!’
He sounded terribly distressed, which made Samantha feel guilty. She’d picked a rotten time to resign on him, but it had to be done, even more so after what had happened earlier today. Out of sight was out of mind, she hoped. And if it was cowardly of her to run away then she was a coward! There was no viable alternative. If there were she would take it.
‘I wish there were something I could do to help,’ she murmured truthfully.
Any normal secretary could have offered to cook him a meal, since his housekeeper was away, but she didn’t dare. Her feelings towards Guy had tipped over a dangerous edge today and it worried her that she wouldn’t always be able to control them. Best she keep well away from him in any social sense. It would be hard enough dampening down these newly wayward desires at work without inviting
