One Night with Her Brooding Boss: Ruthless Boss, Dream Baby / Her Impossible Boss / The Secretary’s Bossman Bargain

‘For someone so recently promoted, you have a disappointing attitude, Magenta—which is why I want to speak to you.’

‘I’m just surprised by the quality of the team you’ve drawn around you.’

‘Firstly, it’s not in your remit to pass comment on my decisions. And secondly, that’s not my team. That’s a batch of individuals I am evaluating.’

Like battery hens. ‘Ruthless’ didn’t even begin to describe Quinn. She was almost sorry for the men.

‘I’m evaluating everyone’s performance—and I have to tell you that you are my biggest disappointment to date. Instead of being thrilled by your promotion, you seem discontented.’

‘That’s not the case at all.’ Above all she had to hold on to her job. How else would she fight for recognition, not just for herself but for her colleagues? ‘I’m overwhelmed by my new role, and your trust in me.’ She held back from batting her eyelashes. ‘You won’t have to wait until close of play today. I’m up to speed now and I promise I won’t let you down again.’

Suspicion flared in Quinn’s incredible eyes, which she quickly took care of. ‘I hope the notes I’ve taken down are what you require?’ She offered them for his approval.

He ignored them. ‘I’ll let you know when you’ve typed them up. And one more thing, Magenta.’

‘Yes?’

‘Your duties include running the office and managing the cleaners, the girls in the typing pool and those on the switchboard. They do not include interfering in my business meetings. Is that clear?’

‘Even if I have an idea I’d like to put forward?’

Quinn’s expression would have sent grown men scurrying for cover, but Magenta pressed on. ‘There are a couple of things I’d like to suggest for the good of the company—and I only mention them as your office manager and secretary to save you unnecessary aggravation in the future.’

‘Spit it out.’

‘Take smoking.’ Quinn was an overwhelming presence in the room—a fact her body refused to ignore however she felt about it. Determinedly, she pressed on. ‘Nancy mentioned you have people working here who suffer from asthma, heart conditions.’

‘And you think I should get rid of them?’

‘No! ‘ Magenta exclaimed, wondering how two people could be so far apart in their thinking. ‘I want you to ban smoking in the office.’

Quinn laughed as if she had said the funniest thing that year. ‘Tell you what,’ he said. ‘I’ll let you handle that.’

‘Okay, I will. It’s either that or I’ll have to open all the windows wide—and I don’t think you would want the girls’ work-rate to drop if their fingers seized up with cold. Didn’t you say there would be a lot of work coming down the line for them?’

Quinn’s face creased in a deceptively attractive smile, but his eyes were dangerous. ‘Nicely done, Magenta, though I must admit I prefer my secretaries decorative rather than combative.’

A shiver of worry crept down Magenta’s spine when Quinn added brusquely, ‘Are we finished here?’

‘Yes. Yes, of course we are.’

‘You’re sure I’ve heard all your complaints?’

So now he had her down as a moaner. Great. ‘I’ll get started on those notes for you, shall I?’ she said brightly.

‘You do that,’ Quinn said, turning back to his work. ‘Oh, and don’t forget to take the coffee tray with you when you go.’ He didn’t even bother to look up from the document he was studying.

‘I hope this is satisfactory? ‘ Magenta asked Quinn later that day, handing him the typewritten notes she had prepared. It was a long time since she had typed anything without the option of making corrections on a computer.

‘Don’t deviate from this standard.’ He handed the document back again.

Could she survive this level of praise? She had only spent most of her lunch hour mastering the art of using a cranky typewriter with a ribbon that came off and keys that stuck. From what she’d seen, all the office hardware needed a thorough overhaul. This might be the sixties, but surely they didn’t have to use faulty equipment? She put her concerns to Quinn.

‘You’ve just put yourself in charge of repairs and renovations. I hope you can handle that on top of your other new duties?’

She would have to. But she was so eager to get stuck in, she was taking on more and more, when what she really wanted to do was form a team. To call together and convince those girls in the typing pool that they could do a lot more than type up lists and letters for the men.

‘Dinner tonight?’

She stared at Quinn. ‘Would you like me to book a dinner reservation for you? ‘

‘I’m prepared to make a few allowances until you get up to speed, Magenta, but if you don’t start paying attention when I speak to you my patience will very quickly run out.’

Quinn’s patience? Had she missed something?

‘I believe I just asked you if you would care to join me for dinner tonight.’

Her heart raced. Her mind said no. But how could she refuse him without causing offence?

How could she accept Quinn’s invitation to dinner without compromising her position? Since falling down this rabbit hole he had shown her no warmth at all—though he had shown the occasional flicker of another type of interest; if her heart would stop hammering long enough for her to say anything remotely intelligent, she must find a way to refuse him. ‘I’d love to have dinner with you, but unfortunately I have so much work to do…’

‘You have to eat.’

His charm offensive was overwhelming. ‘I’ll probably have a sandwich here. I’m conscious of the tight deadline you’re working to as far as launching the ad campaign in the New Year is concerned, and I’m also working on some ideas of my own.’

‘You’re doing what?’

‘Trying a new angle.’ Her voice was starting to shake. Quinn’s expression wasn’t exactly encouraging. He couldn’t imagine a lowly woman coming up with a single original idea. She owed it to the team she was now determined to build to prove him wrong.

‘I take it these ideas you mention have nothing to do with the work you do for me?’ His tone was critical.

They had everything to do with the creative work she wanted to do for him. ‘Correct, but—’

‘If the work you do for me suffers…’

‘It won’t suffer.’

Standing up, Quinn propped one hip against the desk, managing to look both formidable and desirable at the same time. ‘It had better not,’ he said.

Half-man, half-beast—all male… The shout line on a sixties massage-cologne rushed into Magenta’s mind. The thought of massaging it into Quinn was quickly stifled. She held her breath as he stared at her thoughtfully.

‘Let me see those ideas when you’re ready.’

Did she have to feel so gratified at his grudging concession?

‘And don’t tire yourself out working on personal projects to the point where you’re no good to me.’

‘I’m only too happy to stay behind and work.’