Three Blind-Date Brides: Nine-to-Five Bride

She made it sound abhorrent. Why? And success wasn’t everything to him.

No? That’s not what you’ve been telling yourself and the world for a very long time now.

He did not need to suggest she got to know him better to see other facets of him—all the facets of him. Instead, he agreed with her. ‘Success is very important to me. You’re quite right.’

CHAPTER FIVE

MARISSA hadn’t meant to offend Rick. Surely she hadn’t? And he was a great deal like Michael Unsworth, only more so. She didn’t hold that against him, but she had the right to protect herself by remembering the fact.

She didn’t want to think about Michael. It was best if she didn’t think about Rick in any light other than as her employer. And she certainly didn’t want to dwell on that hormonal whammy that had hit her back at the petting zoo.

If she wanted something to cuddle, she probably needed a kitten or something.

Do you hear me, hormones and non-existent clock? This is my destiny and I choose what I want and need and don’t need.

She refused to be dictated to on the topic by any internal systems. With that thought in mind, she worked hard for the rest of the day, and cursed the stubborn part of her that insisted on admiring Rick’s business acumen as she came to see more and more of it in play. Couldn’t she ignore that at least?

Maybe she should simply admit it. She liked his drive and determination. With a frown, she shoved another file away in the room dedicated to that purpose just off their suite’s reception room.

More files were slapped home. Not because she was fed up with herself. She was simply being efficient.

Yes. Sure. That was the truth of it. A pity she didn’t seem capable of the same single-mindedness when it came to finding Mr Right through Blinddatebrides.com. She’d yet to initiate any kind of invitation to a man, had cancelled that second drink yesterday, and hadn’t looked at those ten profiles as she’d told herself she would. She’d been bored by all the candidates she’d met so far.

Grace had dated a man straight up on joining the site, even if she had panicked about it at the time.

Dani remained tight-lipped so far about dates but she sure seemed to have her head together about the whole process, right down to the site’s efficiency and how it all worked. Why couldn’t Marissa follow her plan there, and stop fixating on the boss?

Marissa had logged on in her tea break, anyway. It wasn’t her fault she’d run out of time before she could do more than read some of the contact messages.

Shove, shuffle, push.

‘I’ll be on the top level for the next hour.’ Rick spoke from the doorway in a tone that didn’t reveal even the smallest amount of any kind of sensual anticipation he surely should feel in the face of yet another ‘meeting’ with the mysterious Julia, who seemed to have a place reserved for her almost daily in his diary.

That was something Marissa had discovered today as she’d scanned ahead further in the BlackBerry to try to gauge the kind of workload they might have ahead of them.

Well, good on him for seeing this Julia. With such a knowledge foremost in her thoughts, Marissa simply wouldn’t look at him as an available man, which was all to the good.

It was just as well the woman didn’t mind being slotted in like a visit to the dentist or a board meeting or teleconference, though.

Marissa shoved two more files away and forced herself to face him. ‘You won’t mind if I take a short break myself? I’ll just talk on the Internet with friends. There’s nothing in the diary—’

Marissa broke off a little uneasily, but Rick wasn’t to know those friends were on an Internet dating site with her. Not that she cared who knew she had a subscription to a dating website. She could do what she liked. It was her life and just because she hadn’t even told her parents she’d joined Blinddatebrides.com didn’t mean she felt uncomfortable about it or anything.

Grace and Dani knew she wanted to find a nice man. Marissa had been very open with them really.

Her online friends were signed up to the dating site, of course, so Marissa hadn’t exactly been exposing deep secrets by admitting she wanted to meet some men. And she hadn’t told Grace and Dani everything about herself by any means. She certainly hadn’t told them her plan to clinically vet those men until she found one she was prepared to fall in love with.

Well, that was her business, and it mightn’t even happen and her vetting ideas made a lot of sense.

‘Please do take a break.’ Rick turned. ‘I sought you out to suggest that.’

A moment later, after delivering that piece of thoughtfulness, he was gone.

Marissa appreciated the reprieve from close contact with him. That was what made her feel all mushy and approving, not only his consideration for her. She told herself this as she logged onto Blinddatebrides.com and scrolled through the messages she’d skimmed earlier. This time she made herself read them and follow through to look at profiles.

And she set her fingers to the keyboard and replied that she would be delighted—delighted—to arrange something with Tony, 32, computer software. Perhaps lunch tomorrow?

Marissa got off the site without checking for instant messages from Grace or Dani. She wasn’t avoiding them. She just felt guilty about giving herself the time when she should be working, even if Rick was on the top floor of the building with Julia doing she didn’t want to think about what.

When the fax machine made its warming-up sound, Marissa left her desk with a rather desperate alacrity. She’d struggled to concentrate on her typing despite her determination to plough through as much work as possible before Rick got back.

She snatched up the first page of the fax and skimmed it, and then read it more carefully while two more pages emerged from the machine. If the large ‘urgent’ stamp on the top of the first page hadn’t been clue enough, the contents were, drat it all to pieces. She’d hoped for something to distract her thoughts, but not this way.

‘I’ll ring his mobile phone and tell him he needs to get back here. It’s not my problem there’s an emergency and I’ll be interrupting … whatever.’ She walked to her desk and pressed the speed dial for his mobile number, only to return the phone to its cradle when the thing rang from on top of his desk in the next room.

What now? Try another department head? Which one? The contents of the fax covered material from all the departments.

‘Right, so there’s no choice. It’s marked for his attention specifically, and it’s urgent.’ Marissa snatched the door key from her purse and pushed it into her pocket. If she could have thought of any other way to handle this, she’d have taken it.

The trip to the top level went by far too fast. She’d never been up here before. There seemed to be a large atrium surrounded by rooms behind closed doors.

Rick’s workaday lair? A place to come when he wanted privacy without leaving the building?

She’d crossed half the cavernous expanse of tiled floor flanked with tall banks of potted ornamental trees, the fax clutched in a death grip in her hand, before she realised the sounds of splashing weren’t from an indoor fountain.

Marissa’s gaze lifted and the view in front of her cleared just in time for her to see strong arms lift a little girl out of the water and pass her to a dark-haired woman who stood beside … a swimming pool.

Rick was in the pool, his wide shoulders and thick arms exposed and water dripping from his face and down his chest.

Just the right amount of dark hair there.

What on earth is going on here?

Child. Woman. Rick in the pool and not a sensual indicator to be detected in the room.

And finally this thought:

That’s what the swimming roster that circulates by email means, the slots for before work each day.

She’d only seen the email twice, and had thought the staff took turns booking some other swimming facilities.

Marissa’s steps faltered to a stop.

‘Thank you, Unca Rick.’ The little girl waited impatiently while the woman removed her flotation devices, only to immediately lean fearlessly over the edge of the pool, arms extended, to the man who was Marissa’s boss—in a very different guise right now.

He was a specimen of male beauty and Marissa couldn’t take her gaze from him. The child would have tumbled back in if the woman hadn’t held onto her arm. If Rick hadn’t immediately caught her by the tiny waist. Big gentle hands keeping her from harm.

The little girl planted a kiss on Rick’s cheek and his arms came around her, his hands gently patting her back before he set her on her feet again beside the pool.