you can do the ankle fixing and the shopping,’ he said, suddenly uneasy. ‘Then I can take her in to see Charles.’
‘No!’ Astonishingly, Ruby shook her head in definite disagreement. ‘No, Mr Benson, I shouldn’t do that. This is a fine gesture on your part and it’d be unfair of me to take over.’
‘Ruby…’
‘Hey.’ Still seated beneath them, Peta was catching her breath. Catching her dignity. Sort of. ‘There’s no need for any of this. I told you. I don’t need help.’
‘If you need to face Charles then you need help,’ Marcus told her and Ruby nodded.
‘Take his advice, miss,’ she said gently. ‘You’re Australian?’
‘Yes, but…’
‘If I was in Australia, then I’d take your advice on your territory,’ she said. ‘But this is corporate America. There’s no one more at home in this territory than Marcus Benson. You put yourself in his hands and you’re putting yourself in the hands of an expert.’
‘I don’t want to be in anyone’s hands.’
‘You truly think you can get what you want without me?’ Marcus demanded and she faltered.
‘To be honest…’
‘To be honest, what?’
‘To be honest, I don’t think I can get what I want anyway,’ she admitted. ‘I was a fool to come. But I need to try.’
‘So if you’ve come all this way,’ Marcus said, his tone becoming gentler, ‘why not give yourself the best chance you could possibly have? Take my advice.’
‘Put myself in your hands?’
‘That’s right.’
She stared up at him, bemused, and he gazed back down. Astonishingly, her eyes were bright and challenging. Her chin tilted upward, somehow defiant. She might look bereft but she certainly didn’t act bereft. She had spirit, Marcus thought appreciatively. And courage.
It seemed she also had the sense to know when to concede. ‘Okay.’ She swallowed. ‘Okay.’
Ruby beamed. Marcus Benson’s assistant, it seemed, was enjoying this. Enjoying this a lot. ‘You do exactly what Mr Benson says,’ Ruby told her, and Peta gave her a rueful smile.
‘I’m not much good at doing what anyone tells me.’
‘Then be tactful,’ Ruby told her and his assistant even had the temerity to chuckle. ‘Maybe it’ll be good for both of you. Okay. I’m off to save the world—or your deal, Marcus—while you two front the awful Charles. I know which I’d rather. Good luck.’
‘Um…do you employ her?’ Peta asked as Ruby disappeared down the fire-escape with an airy wave. Ruby had come to work this morning looking tired, but now she was practically bouncing down the fire-escape.
‘I acquired Ruby,’ he said, watching her disappear. ‘By accident. Sort of like getting hit by a bus.’
‘You really like her.’ Peta’s face had focused. All at once she seemed really interested. Her distrust backed off a pace.
‘I don’t do like,’ he told her. ‘I’m a businessman.’
‘So if Ruby threatened to quit…’
‘I’d raise heaven and earth to keep her,’ he admitted. ‘Of course I would. As I said, I’m a businessman.’
First the ankle. Which she intended to ignore.
‘My ankle’s just a bit bruised. It’s no problem.’
‘Your ankle’s puffing while we watch.’
‘I’ve done worse than this and lived without a doctor. I’ve come too far and time’s too important to waste any in a doctor’s waiting room.’
‘You won’t have to wait. Put your hands around my neck and I’ll carry you…’
‘You? Carry me? What, are you crazy? I’ll be sorry for myself with a strained ankle; you’ll be a cripple for life.’
‘I can carry you.’
‘No one carries me. Ever.’ She hauled herself up against the stair rail and took two tentative hops.
It clearly hurt. A lot.
‘Peta…’
‘No.’
Enough. ‘Yes,’ he told her. And, although he’d never done such a thing in his life, he stepped forward and hoisted her into his arms.
She weighed nothing.
‘Do you ever eat?’ he demanded, stunned, and she gave an indignant wriggle.
‘Eat? Are you kidding? Of course I do. Except when corporate businessmen throw my lunch downstairs. Put me down.’
‘No.’ Maybe she wasn’t too thin, he decided, tightening his grip. Maybe there were curves—just where there should be curves. She smelled good. She felt…good.
Inane. It was a stupid response but he couldn’t help it.
‘Are we catching the lift?’ she demanded and he stared down into her overbright eyes.
‘No. We’ll take the stairs.’
‘You’ll drop me.’
‘I won’t drop you.’
‘I’ll do more damage than a bagel if I hit anyone below.’
‘I won’t drop you.’
‘No one’s ever carried me before,’ she said, and to his astonishment she stopped her indignant wriggle and suddenly relaxed. ‘Good grief.’ Her green eyes twinkled. ‘Okay. Let’s do it. Maybe I’ll even like it.’
‘Maybe.’
‘And if you burst a blood vessel we’re going to an emergency department after all.’
‘So we are,’ he said faintly and held her a little tighter. ‘So we are.’
She had him intrigued. Her reaction when she saw his car intrigued him as well. Robert, his chauffeur, was waiting at street level. He must have been pre-warned by Ruby. He didn’t blink an eyelid when he saw his boss approach with his strange burden and by the time Marcus reached the car the back door was already open.
Peta, however, was less than ready to enter a black limousine with tinted windows.
‘Holy cow. I’m not getting in that thing.’
‘You’re sounding like a country hick,’ Marcus told her and she glared
