Page 59 of Tempting Her Forbidden Boss

It was then that she realised just how brave her mother had been—to take the chance, to want to believe, every time. Even if it meant her heart might get squished. She’d always tried; she’d always taken the risk.

Dani had fought so long to be strong. To be independent. But now she saw she hadn’t been at all. She was exactly what Alex had said—a coward. Had he been right about other things too?

She thought about Jack—his life had ended way before it should have. Her mother had died too young too. So she had to take the chance—she had to do it for them—she had to be brave and take life’s risks on.

Dani turned to Lorenzo. ‘Can I ask a favour?’

* * *

Alex worked late again. Left a message for his housekeeper to leave his dinner in the fridge; he’d microwave it later. The little he could be bothered eating tasted no good anyway. After nine, he walked out onto the balcony off his office, not caring about how cold and dark it was out there. Just needed the chill wind to whistle into his ears and blank out the angry voice yelling at him.Hisangry voice—berating himself for screwing it up so royally. And then the smaller voice wondered how on earth he was going to fix it. Nothing could stop the thoughts. Nothing numbed the pain from the knives twisting inside.

Eventually the freezing air bit hard enough to send him back indoors. He walked faster when he heard his mobile ringing. He picked it up just before it went to the answering machine. ‘What?’

‘Where the hell have you been?’ Lorenzo bellowed.

Alex’s brows rose and he held the phone a little from his ear. ‘For a walk.’

‘Without yourphone?Lorenzo never sounded emotional and here he was practically screeching at him.

Alex iced up inside, as well as out. ‘What is it?’

‘She called me. Wanted to set it up. But she’s been there for ages.’

‘Been where?’ Damn it, couldn’t Lorenzo make sense? ‘Look at your computer—sent you the link. You’re supposed to be slaving at your desk, not getting fresh fucking air.’

Alex clicked the link and watched as the live webcast came on. No way.

‘You’d better get moving, Alex. She’s been waiting fifteen minutes already. She probably thinks you aren’t coming.’

Alex swore. ‘Why the hell is she in the lift?’

‘It was her idea.’

Alex chucked the phone and ran.

* * *

Whichever daytime TV shrink it was who said confronting your fears was the way to free yourself needed to see a shrink themselves, because Dani was so not getting over her fears right now. Not any of them. In fact, they were worsening with every passing second. She had visions of herself riding up and down in the elevator for days—slowly starving, leaving only a skeleton for the security men to discover in ten months’ time. Never mind the reality that only tomorrow people would arrive for work and find her there—a complete saddo but still alive. No, right now she’d rather indulge in the total drama girl-lost-in-lift-for-ever nightmare.

And when Alex found out he’d wince, hadn’t realised he’d hurt her so much—he hadn’t meant to, of course... thought she’d understood it was just anarrangement.Bed buddies and all that.

Because he hadn’t meant it. He didn’t want her.

If he did, he’d be here already.

She wiped her eye quickly, outraged that the tear had actually escaped her brimming rims. She never cried. Never, never, never.

Only now there was another tear. And another, and they wouldn’t stop.

She turned her back to the damn camera and fished in her pocket. Double damn. No hanky, no tissue. Never necessary because she never cried. So she had to swish them away with her fingers again and sniff.

Ugh.

Now her fingers had black smudges on them because the mascara she’d applied with such excited care was running everywhere.

Great.

The lift wasn’t even going up and down anymore. She couldn’t be bothered getting up to press the buttons. Instead she just scrunched down, her back against the wall, her feet tucked underneath her. Lorenzo would probably take pity on her sometime soon and come and tell her to give up and get out.

---