Page 22 of The Boss's Forbidden Assistant

‘Is something the matter, Ms Lawson?’ he asked, curtly, so her embarrassment grew, particularly as they weren’t alone—the manager of the hotel was standing nearby, pretending not to hear the interchange.

‘No,’ she whispered back with a hint of anger. ‘I’m fine.’

‘Then perhaps you wouldn’t mind paying attention? I didn’t bring you along to stare off into space.’

She could have slapped him. Anger sizzled in her veins, all the stronger because of her general sense of frustration and thwarted need.

‘Yes, sir,’ she replied through gritted teeth, pleased when the volley hit its mark. His own cheekbones slashed with a hint of colour, his chest moving as he sucked in a breath then turned away from her.

‘Go on,’ he commanded the manager, who was running through the latest occupancy figures. Harper made a show of removing her phone, loading up a document and taking notes for the rest of the tour—particularly useful as it gave her an excuse to avoid Salvador’s eyes. But, as they returned to the foyer of the hotel, the manager—whose name Harper had uncharacteristically missed—turned to them both, his gaze lingering a little longer on Harper’s flushed face.

‘The bar is an excellent place to cool down,’ he said, with a smile that lasted a second too long, his body a little close to Harper’s.

‘We have work to do,’ came Salvador’s clipped reply.

Such was Harper’s simmering rage, and now resentment at being spoken for, that she pushed an over-sweet smile onto her face and waved it in Salvador’s general direction. ‘But afterwards a drink would be lovely. What do you recommend?’

‘The hotel has a speciality cocktail; you cannot leave Zakynthos without trying it.’

‘Well, that sounds like important research,’ she cooed, pleased to feel the glowering presence of Salvador at her side.

‘But, as this is not a vacation, this is not the time.’

‘Later.’ Harper increased the wattage on her smile. This time, when Salvador put his hand in the small of her back, it wasn’t as light or gentle as earlier, but the effect was the same, or perhaps stronger. Sparks, flames, fire, fury sizzled inside her body, turning her into a fantastic mess of lava and lust.

He guided her towards the bank of lifts. ‘I can walk,’ she muttered. He didn’t remove his hand and she was glad. The feeling of his fingers splayed wide and possessively was so much more than a simple direction. This was something more—something primal and virile, something that showed his emotion.

The lift doors opened and she stepped in, pulling away from his hand and pressing her back, tingling and warm, against the lift wall. Because if he touched her for a second longer she knew she’d ignite.

‘What the hell is going on with you?’ she snapped. ‘You were so rude to that guy.’

‘Because I wasn’t batting my eyelids and begging him to buy me a drink?’ Salvador responded, staring at her across the expanse of the lift.

‘I was just being nice because you’d been such a jerk!’

‘A jerk!’ he repeated, nostrils flaring. ‘I was business-like and professional. There is nothing wrong with that.’

Harper rolled her eyes. ‘And how about the way you spoke to me?’ she demanded. ‘I have done everything you’ve asked of me, worked day and night non-stop since I came into your life—’

‘I told you, that’s the job!’ he responded with a raised voice.

‘Yes, yes, you told me,’ she said, mortified to feel the warning sting of tears in the back of her eyes. She refused to give into them and bit into her lower lip until the sensation passed. ‘But I have done it, without complaint, and the first moment my attention wandered for even a moment you acted as if I’ve made some fatal error. You deliberately embarrassed me in front of him!’

Salvador stared at her, darkly complex emotions chasing themselves across his face. Harper made a noise of frustration and then relief when the doors opened to her floor and she could step out.

But Salvador was right behind her, his stride long. ‘You’re not on this floor,’ she reminded him through gritted teeth.

‘We’re not done!’

‘Oh, yes, we are. I have nothing else to say to you right now.’

‘Your mind did wander,’ he said, not heeding her warning. ‘You were distracted.’

‘And you were rude about it,’ she replied, not looking at him.

‘What should I have done?’

‘There are a million ways you could have brought me back into the conversation without making it seem as though I’m some incompetent—’

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