Page 37 of The Boss's Forbidden Assistant

‘Take a look.’ He gestured to the bags as his hand moved over the champagne top, after placing the glasses down to enable him to remove the foil and unfurl the cork with a muted pop as he caught it fully in his palm. A little liquid frothed over but he had the glasses ready to splash it in.

Curiosity got the better of Harper and she moved to the end of the bed, opening the closest bag and pulling out a dress of red silk all the way to the floor. Her eyes lifted to Salvador’s, her expression unchanged despite the lava pouring into her veins.

‘I don’t know if it’s your style,’ she murmured, draping the dress over the end of the bed and moving to the next bag. Shoes and a clutch bag. The next contained lingerie that made her cheeks sting.

‘You really have been busy.’

He lifted his shoulders. ‘I found it impossible to concentrate on anythingbutyou and, as you made yourself unavailable to me, this was the next best option.’ He moved to the final bag. ‘I enjoyed choosing these,’ he said, voice gruff. ‘I enjoyed, even more, imagining you wearing them.’

‘And removing them?’

‘That thought didn’t cross my mind,’ he lied badly, pulling her towards him and kissing her slowly. But it didn’t matter that it was slow—the fireworks in her bloodstream exploded with all the speed of a Gulfstream jet.

Harper, who’d learned to be in control of almost all situations, felt ridiculously nervous as she surveyed her image in the hotel mirror. Salvador had gone downstairs to wait, giving her privacy and space to get ready, which she’d appreciated. As lovely as the city was, and as eager as she was to explore it, she was even keener to keep exploring Salvador. If he’d stayed in the hotel room much longer, she’d have asked him to get a refund on the dress, shoes and all and order in.

Perhaps pre-empting that, he’d showered and changed into a dark suit with a crisp blue shirt, leaving Harper to get ready, the smell of his cologne in the air making her body tingle with anticipation.

It wasn’t helped by the sensation of the silk lingerie he’d chosen. It was so fine and luxurious, so incredibly soft against her body. She ran her hands over the mix of lace and fabric and wondered why she’d never bought anything like this for herself.

Because it was so sexy.

The kind of thing a man would buy for his lover.

Only, it didn’t have to be. Feeling sexy wasn’t just for people in relationships, or people who were having sex. She liked the way this felt. She loved it. And she loved the way it looked.

With a smile, she turned away from the mirror and removed the dress from the edge of the bed. More silky, satin-like material. The dress was a thing of beauty. It had long sleeves and wrapped around her torso, tying at the waist and falling to her ankles, so it was somehow elegant and incredibly sensual all at once. Maybe the sensuality came from knowing she was dressing for Salvador in a dress he’d chosen and would later peel off her body. It showed off her slender waist and the curves of her breasts and hips, and the long, draping sleeves meant she’d be warm enough.

The shoes were a perfect fit—how in the world had he managed that? She could barely remember her own shoe size. She felt like Cinderella, dressing for the ball.

Her eyes travelled to the mirror and her hand lifted to her hair, which she’d parted in the middle and pulled into a low bun at the back of her nape. It was a sophisticated style for a sophisticated dress and the result was breath-taking. It had become second nature for Harper to play down her looks, because more than anything she wanted to be recognised for what she was capable of. But she felt a thrill of pleasure to see herself like this, to know that Salvador had chosen this dress for her because he’d wanted to see her in it. It was sensual and somehow one of the most heart-warming things Harper had ever felt.

Turning away quickly, cheeks warm, she grabbed the essentials from her sensible leather handbag and transferred them to the sparkly clutch Salvador had bought: lipstick, phone, credit card, room key.

Feeling more and more like Cinderella, she left the room with her fingers crossed that this would be every bit as magical as Cinderella’s ball. Only there’d be no falling in love with Prince Charming, she reminded herself as she approached the lift.

Much like Cinderella’s expectations, this would be a one-time thing—a treat to herself, a slice out of time, before she got back to real life and her normal self.

Except, Harper wasn’t sure she could slip back to normality. She wasn’t the same woman she’d been in Chicago. So much had changed since then! Even having the confidence to show Salvador that she was interested had been a big step for Harper. Everything that had happened between them had changed something inside her. She’d grown and she liked how she’d changed. She felt as though a door had opened up, showing her a world in which she might have more faith in herself to reach out and grab life with both hands.

When it came to adventure, she’d never been afraid. She’d tried it all—bungee-jumping, sky-diving, rock climbing, abseiling—and she’d loved it all. The high of surfing the biggest waves in the world, with the real threat of being pummelled by the ocean, was like nothing she’d ever known.

But when it came to people, to relationships, to trust and even love, she’d been so cautious. She’d learned to be. Seeing her mother’s hurt, and then feeling that first-hand courtesy of Peter on her first foray into the world of relationships, well, had only confirmed what she’d feared all along: that hearts were made for breaking.

So maybe she still didn’t want to think about love and giving her heart to anyone else, but there was a lot of middle ground between being determinedly single and getting married. Such as dating. Such as having sex. Such as dressing up and going out with the intention of meeting a guy and keeping things light and low key. It was something she’d avoided assiduously but suddenly she could see the advantage to it. She liked this. She wanted more of it.

With someone else...? A little voice in the back of her mind had her crashing back to reality. Her red lips parted in surprise and, just like that, her pleasant realisation-bubble burst.

She was having funwith Salvador.She liked sleepingwith Salvador.What if none of this was as good with anyone else?

She stepped into the lift, smiled weakly at an elderly couple already in the space and turned to face the front. Her reflection greeted her there, reminding her of how beautifully Salvador had chosen for her. She blinked away, self-conscious. This was not how she generally presented herself to the world. But Salvador made her feel...

It was Salvador, she realised with a little clutch in her heart. Maybe she hadn’t changed at all, but rather Salvador had brought out qualities in her she’d never acknowledged before. Would she still feel this way in Chicago? She’d find out in a little over a week, she supposed.

Salvador had said he’d wait in the bar but he hadn’t really enjoyed the experience of waiting. He was strangely energised, restless, unable to sit still properly or to focus. He had ordered a Scotch, taken a single sip then pushed it across the table and sat with one ankle crossed over the other knee, eyes on the door to the bar, just like the day before, so he’d see her the moment she walked in. Only the bar was much busier at night, filled with hotel guests, from children to people in their dotage and everyone in between milling around, laughing, drinking and talking happily. So he didn’t have as clear a line to the entrance as he’d have liked. But he forced himself to sit still, to wait, watching, outwardly showing no hint of the adrenaline that was pumping his body like white water.

The door opened as a crowd moved past his table. He saw a flash of red. His gut tightened. He leaned forward, breath held. Dark hair... Yes, it was her. He drummed his fingers into his thigh impatiently. Was it her?

The crowd shifted slightly, so he saw properly and felt as though he’d been punched hard in the gut. Her beauty took his breath away, but it was more than that. It was her confidence. She held herself like a woman whoknewshe looked incredible. She looked perfect.

---