Page 18 of The Boss's Forbidden Assistant

‘I’m a challenge?’ he prompted with a twist of his lips.

‘I’m not going to lie to you. Amanda did tell me it would be the hardest two weeks of my life.’

His laugh was soft and short but the sound was like music to Harper’s ears. Deep and throaty. She wanted to hear more of it.

‘Are you looking for a new job?’

The question surprised her. ‘No.’

‘Even though you’re bored?’

‘The money’s too good,’ she said with a shrug. ‘Better than any other executive assistant salaries in Chicago.’

‘You’d earn more in New York.’

‘Cost of living would go up too, though. Besides, I live in Chicago. I’m not looking to move.’

‘It’s not a huge move. Or there’s the west coast,’ he pointed out. ‘Get a job in a tech giant?’

‘Are you trying to get me to quit?’ she asked, only half-joking.

His frown was reflective. ‘No. I was...’ Catarina appeared again then, bustling to clear their bread plates and make space for the impending main course. ‘I was offering suggestions based on what I thought might suit you better.’

‘Thank you,’ she said, recognising a fellow problem-solver. But he didn’t have all the information: her problems weren’t so easy to solve. ‘But I have a life in Chicago. Family.’ She didn’t want to go into specifics; she never did. ‘I can’t leave.’

He studied her for so long, she felt the familiar ratcheting up of tension, the desire they’d been fighting swarming her anew so her throat was dry and she could hardly swallow.

‘Perhaps another job in the company?’

‘I have one of the most senior executive assistant roles.’ She shrugged. ‘But thanks. I’ll keep my eyes open.’

‘Did you ever consider another career?’

She almost flinched. The question was far too close to home. For a flash of time, she imagined how her life might have turned out if her mum hadn’t got sick. She saw college life, the degree she’d been accepted to do, the career she might have had, sitting on the other side of the desk, making the decisions rather than just greasing the wheels to allow those decisions to work. But it wasn’t possible.

‘No.’ A flat denial was easier than explaining the truth. She looked away out to the ocean, straining to hear the waves. ‘What was it you wanted to talk to me about?’

‘I have to go on a trip, leaving the day after tomorrow. I’ll send you an email with the details. Amanda usually coordinates with my flight crew to manage the jet. Did she leave you notes about travel?’

She had left notes, copious notes, but had assured Harper they weren’t likely to be needed. She’d said Salvador only had one trip on the horizon and that was over a month away.

‘I have the notes,’ was all Harper said. ‘Where will you be travelling to?’

‘We,’ he corrected with a frown, as though that was the last thing he wanted. Her gut twisted at the idea of more travel and, yes, there was a small part of her that was excited about the thought of travellingwithSalvador. Cursing her juvenile reaction, she focussed on the business side only.

‘To Zakynthos, Venice then Prague.’

She blinked. ‘Is that all?’

‘It will be a quick trip. Two, three days at the most.’

‘Three cities in two days?’ She tried not to acknowledge her disappointment. This wouldn’t be a holiday.

He nodded. ‘I need to view some properties.’

That sparked her interest. ‘You can’t just tour virtually?’

‘I’ve done that.’ He nodded. ‘But I believe in the importance of feel. Going somewhere, seeing it in person, smelling the air, hearing the noises, watching locals—these things help me decide if something is a good investment.’

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