Taken by the Boss: His Very Personal Assistant / In the Banker's Bed / The Takeover Bid

‘Marcus,’ Catherine returned dryly. ‘Your—young friend, and I were just keeping each other company while she waited for you to come downstairs.’

‘Really?’ he drawled sceptically. ‘Well, I’m obviously here now, so please don’t let us delay you any further.’ He looked at the older woman challengingly.

A challenge she was only too pleased to meet, mocking humour to her smile now. ‘I’m in no hurry.’ She shrugged her elegant shoulders. ‘Perhaps the three of us could go to the library and have a quiet drink togeth—’

‘I wondered what was keeping you, Catherine,’ Desmond Hayes called out reprovingly after flinging open the double doors to the sitting-room to find the three of them standing there. ‘Now I see that it was Marcus—’ he strolled over to join them ‘—and his charming companion, Kit,’ he added with obvious intent, his eyes flirting shamelessly as he took in her appearance.

Kit winced as Marcus’s grip on her waist tightened; was she going to do anything right at all this evening?

She knew from Marcus’s response to finding her downstairs with Catherine that he wasn’t pleased to see them together—well, he could join the club, because Kit wasn’t pleased about it either! But he had no right at all to be annoyed with her because Desmond Hayes kept flirting with her—she certainly wasn’t encouraging the man!

‘Kit…’ Catherine repeated consideringly, once again eyeing Kit speculatively. ‘Would that be short for—?’

‘It would be short for nothing,’ Kit cut in firmly. ‘And I’m sure the three of us have already delayed dinner for long enough,’ she finished with a pointed smile in Desmond Hayes’s direction.

‘You two go ahead,’ Marcus suggested tautly.

‘If you’re sure,’ Desmond Hayes accepted as he tucked Catherine’s hand snugly into the crook of his arm.

‘I’m sure,’ Marcus confirmed. ‘Kit and I will join you in a few moments.’ His grip on her waist held her back now as the other couple moved towards the noisy sitting-room.

Kit should have felt relieved at their departure—and she did feel a certain amount of tension ease out of her—but the anger she could still feel emanating from Marcus as he watched Catherine and Desmond was enough to tell her he was far from finished talking to her. In fact, he probably hadn’t even started yet.

He moved away from her as soon as the sitting-room doors closed, looking down at her with accusing eyes. ‘How long have you known Catherine Grainger?’

Kit felt her cheeks pale. ‘I—but I don’t know her!’ she claimed dazedly.

His mouth twisted humourlessly. ‘The two of you looked friendly enough when I came downstairs a few minutes ago.’

Kit scowled as she gathered her wits. ‘How can you say that? We had barely got past the civilities when you appeared—’

Marcus eyed her scathingly. ‘Kit, I had been watching the two of you for several minutes before making my presence known.’

Her eyes widened. ‘You were spying on us?’ she realised incredulously.

‘Of course not,’ he dismissed irritably. ‘I was merely on my way downstairs when I—’

‘Saw the two of us talking together and decided to listen in!’ Kit finished disgustedly, just thankful that he couldn’t possibly have heard anything in the least damning—simply because there hadn’t been anything like that for him to hear!

Marcus drew in a deep, controlling breath. ‘Kit, are you aware of the—rivalry, between Maitland Enterprises and Grainger International?

‘And the fact that they seem to be stealing the march on us lately with several business deals?’

‘Well, of course I’m aware of it. I’m your PA—now just a minute.’ She drew herself up to her current full height of six feet—in the two-inch-high-heeled shoes she was wearing—and was almost able to meet Marcus eye to eye. ‘Exactly what are you implying?’

‘I’ve suggested to Lewis that there may be some connection between the last three deals that Grainger International have stolen from under our noses.’

‘Yes?’ she prompted slowly, remembering all too well Lewis Grant’s remarks on the subject on Thursday. And the implication behind them. ‘When you said lately just now, did you really mean to say in the last six months?’ she pressed resentfully. ‘The exact amount of time I’ve been working for you?’

‘Calm down, Kit.’ Marcus sighed. ‘I didn’t mean to imply—’

‘Oh, yes, you did!’ Kit bit out indignantly. ‘How dare you? How dare you even think such a thing about me and that—that woman?’ she finished for want of something better to say.

The things he was implying about her, that she might possibly have leaked information to Catherine Grainger—presumably, he thought, for some monetary reward to herself?—would be laughable if they weren’t so insulting!

‘For your information, I wouldn’t offer to help that woman—in any way—if she and I were the last two people on the planet!’ Kit was breathing so hard in her agitation that her creamy breasts were clearly heaving beneath the low neckline of her dress.

Not that she was too concerned about that, realising as she saw the sudden change in Marcus’s expression that she had said too much; Marcus was far too intelligent a man to believe she could possibly have come to that conclusion about Catherine Grainger after only five minutes’ acquaintance!

Which she obviously hadn’t. No, her knowledge of Catherine went back much further than that. Too far back to even give Marcus a hint at the reason she felt the way she did.

She made a dismissive movement of her hand. ‘What I meant to say was—’

‘I believe you made yourself more than clear, Kit,’ Marcus assured her dryly. ‘And I apologize if my remarks just now were less than—well, trusting.’ He grimaced. ‘All I’m saying is that I’m inclined to think the only explanation for those three lost deals is that there is someone in my employ who is revealing details of my business interests to Grainger International. But just because you and Catherine were talking together just now is really no reason for me to think that you—’

‘That I’m the disloyal employee,’ Kit completed tautly, having already known—and dreaded—the connection he could make concerning her and Catherine Grainger. ‘Maybe you should try looking a little closer to home for your leak?’ she suggested, still smarting from the fact that he might have thought it could have been her.

He blinked. ‘Such as where?’

Kit gave him a smile of completely insincere sweetness. ‘Did it ever occur to you that maybe you talk in your sleep?’

Marcus looked momentarily stunned by the suggestion. But then his good humour, which had been such a welcome surprise to Kit the last few days, took over, and a wry smile started to curve his lips. ‘I think maybe I deserved that,’ he acknowledged.

She gave an accepting inclination of her head. ‘I think maybe you did.’

‘Hmm,’ he murmured ruefully, still smiling. ‘Am I forgiven?’ His expression was cajoling.

She was still annoyed with him, but at the same time knew how ludicrous were his suspicions that she could have betrayed him to Catherine Grainger. But Marcus couldn’t know that. And she would rather it remained that way.

‘You are,’ she returned lightly.

‘In that case—’ he reached out to take a courteous hold of her arm ‘—shall we join the others, Miss McGuire?’

‘Certainly, Mr Maitland,’ she instantly accepted, knowing that if he had overstepped a line where she was concerned, then she had certainly done the same thing to him with her inference about pillow talk with women like Andrea Revel—and got away with it, thank goodness!

She had no idea what had prompted her to make that completely personal remark, except that it had disturbed her to have him accuse her of somehow being in cahoots with Catherine Grainger, of all people. She would rather ally herself to a rattlesnake!

‘But don’t be under the misapprehension,’ Marcus murmured close to her ear as they entered the noisy sitting-room, ‘that because I made a mistake about Catherine Grainger, I’ve forgotten our need to discuss your—acquaintance, with Mike Reynolds.’

Kit turned sharply, the high colour back in her cheeks. ‘I don’t feel such a need!’ she assured him quickly.

He raised dark brows at her vehemence. ‘Like that, is it?’

‘Exactly like that!’ If she never saw Mike Reynolds again it would be too soon!

Marcus gave her a considering look. ‘There really is a lot more to you than meets the eye, Kit McGuire—’

‘I thought that for this weekend it was to be Marcus and Kit?’ she reminded him, preferring not to have her surname bandied. Especially in Catherine Grainger’s hearing…