Page 46 of Teasing Her Grumpy Boss

Half of him wanted to keep staring, watching her beautiful mouth and beautiful hair wrap round him, while the other half wanted to close his eyes and descend into an almost semi-conscious state so he could just focus on the way she made him feel and the way she felt.

What a way to wake up.

TWELVE

You enjoy the challenge of competition

Early afternoonLucypolished the beer taps as a displacement activity. Mindless. She was not going to think about what on earth was going on between her and Daniel. For the first time in her life she felt better about her past. He’d listened. He’d reasoned. And she’d slipped even more under his spell. She was dangerously close to equating spectacular sex with latent love. Although her feelings for him were growing less than latent and more like lethal. She’d told him she wasn’t stupid, but she was starting to suspect otherwise. She’d have to be, to fall for Daniel. Mr Never Ever Committing.

She was not going to panic.

Ah, hell. Who was she kidding? Her heart pounded at double speed every moment. Trying to figure him out, not trying to them out—it was exhausting. Sarah walked into the bar. Lucy tensed, not sure what Sarah could want. Quite certain she didn’t want to know. But she could bluff her way through it—make as if she didn’t mind whatever the woman had to say.

‘I thought you’d still be in court.’

‘Daniel is. He doesn’t need me,’ Sarah said.

Lucy stared but refrained from making the comment that leapt to mind. ‘Right. Well, can I help you somehow?’

‘A chardonnay would be nice.’

‘Sure.’

She went to the fridge and got a bottle

‘You want one?’

‘No, thanks, I’m working.’

‘Yes.’ Sarah gave the bar a scathing glance. ‘Daniel said you did music at university.’

‘Mm hmm.’ What was he doing discussing her—especially with Sarah?

‘You didn’t want to play in an orchestra?’

‘I’m not good enough,’ Lucy said boldly. ‘I only did music because my best friend was and I needed to pick something. It’s not really a great passion or talent of mine.’

The slightly startled look in Sarah’s eyes gave some satisfaction. But clearly the woman was here to belittle her so Lucy decided to make a clean breast of it and do it all by herself. ‘I waitressed my way through the holidays and when I finished my second-rate degree I fell into waitressing full-time.’ She poured Sarah’s wine and then picked up another glass to polish.

‘So you’ve been working as a barmaid since you graduated?’

Lucy momentarily stopped wiping the glass. ‘With time off for slacking around, yeah.’

‘Well, they do say opposites attract, I guess.’

‘Meaning?’

‘You and Daniel. You’re not exactly alike, are you?’ She leant forward as if they were sharing confidences in a girly chat. ‘Daniel’s going places. Places I’m not sure you’re aware of, Lucy.’

‘Oh? How interesting. Do tell.’ She smiled, feeling her cheeks pinch with the effort of pulling them back.

‘He’s targeted as the next partner for the firm, the university is chasing him to lecture there and there’s even talk of him being one of the youngest to be appointed to the bench.’

‘As in be a judge?’

Sarah nodded. ‘He needs a partner who can keep pace with him. Who can hold her own in that society.’ She wrinkled her nose at the wine and set it down again, not sipping. ‘He has a lot to decide in the next while—which direction he’s going to go in. He needs a woman who can help him make that right decision.’

‘I’m thrilled to know he has such a glittering future ahead of him. Makes him all the more attractive, don’t you think?’ Lucy held the glass up to the light and looked at it as if it were some cut-crystal masterpiece worth hundreds. ‘I’m such a lucky girl, aren’t I? But as for helping him with his decisions, well, you know, Daniel’s a big boy.’ She paused for effect. ‘I’m sure he can figure it out for himself.’

---