Deceiving Her Boss (3 page)

 
Allie couldn't relax.  She had changed her clothes, scrubbed her face clean,
ironed her clothes for the next day, gone over her notes from the day's
meetings so she was ready for tomorrow, and she still felt keyed up.  She
really wanted to go to the gym.

 
But what were the chances that she'd run into Sean, she wondered.  She knew
that he was a morning exerciser.  He ran and lifted weights before he showed up
at the office, and seldom, if ever, ran at night.  So she thought she was safe
once she got to the exercise room, but the question was whether she'd run into
him on the way there.  He was probably still downstairs, or maybe even in one
of the local casinos, so it was probably safe.  Still, she needed to be
careful.  Pulling on her gym clothes, gathering her long hair back into a
ponytail and tucking it into a cap, Allie knew that she would probably be more
disguised in these normal clothes than if she tried to add a bulky hoodie or
sunglasses to the look.

 
Still, she threw a towel around her neck and grabbed a bottle of water from the
fridge before taking the stairs down.   Sean was on a higher floor than she
was, and far more likely to take the elevator.

 
The gym was on the same level as the bar, and she needed to walk by the bar to
get to the exercise room.  She hadn't realized that, or she probably would have
jettisoned the work-out idea.  As she walked past, she took a quick look into
the room, immediately spotting her boss with his arm around the waist of a
beautiful blonde woman.  He was looking her in the eyes and laughing, and he
appeared far more relaxed than he ever did around her.  The quick pang of
jealousy that she felt took her by surprise, and she quickly moved past the
open door.  Using her key card, she opened the door to the exercise room. 
Thankfully, it was empty at this hour, and she was able to choose the equipment
she wanted, but she was also aware that she was completely sunk if Sean chose
to come in here tonight.  There was no escape, and no way he wouldn't see her. 
For that reason alone, Allie kept her workout short but intense.

 
By the time she finished, and crept back by the bar, her boss had obviously
called it a night, either with or without the beautiful blonde, since he was no
longer perched on a stool.  Allie told herself that it was none of her business
what had happened between the two of them -- Sean was her boss, a single
eligible man, and this was Vegas.  She shouldn't be at all surprised if Sean
chose to have dinner in the company of a beautiful woman.  And it was entirely
possible that Sean knew that woman, and had invited her to meet him here. 
There was no reason he would have informed his assistant of his plans.

 
With that thought in mind, Allie headed straight for the stairs again.  She
wasn't chancing getting caught in the elevator with her boss, whether or not he
was heading to his room alone.

 
At 7:00 the next morning, Allie was sitting in the light-filled cafe, drinking
her third cup of coffee.  She had ordered a light breakfast of fruit and
granola, and was waiting for Sean to join her.  She had eventually slept well,
though initial thoughts of her boss with the blonde model-like woman tormented
her while she was trying to fall asleep.  Still, she felt rested, and while she
was still dressed in her awful suit and makeup, she didn't feel half-bad.

 
At 7:15, just as Allie was starting to get worried that Sean wouldn't make it
to breakfast, he appeared in front of her, pulling out a chair and reaching
over to commandeer her carafe of coffee.

 
"Late night?" she asked in amusement as he rather speedily tossed
back the hot liquid and poured himself another cup.

 
"Not too bad," he answered her as he settled into his seat and placed
an order for a spinach omelet.  "Did you sleep well?"

 
"Yes, thank you.  Would you like to go over anything this morning before
we leave, or just read the paper?" she asked politely.

 
"Paper, please.  You've got everything we need for the day, I'm sure of
it.  Thanks, Allie."

 
With that, he disappeared into the local paper, while Allie enjoyed her
breakfast and watched her fellow diners.  As she leaned her elbows on the table
and sipped her coffee, she became vaguely aware of a woman approaching the
table.  Looking closer, Allie realized that it was the woman that Sean had been
with in the bar last night.  Unfortunately, she was moving so quickly that
Allie didn't have time to make an escape before the woman stopped next to Sean,
and touched his shoulder possessively.  When he looked up, Allie noted a very
quick glance of displeasure before he pasted on a face with no expression.

 
"I had a nice time last night," she all but purred as she leaned down
toward him, pushing her cleavage forward into his face.  "Let me know if
you'd like to repeat it tonight."

 
Across the table, Allie barely avoided snorting into her coffee, but simply sat
without making a sound.

 
Sean reached up then and gently removed the woman's hand from his shoulder. 
"It was nice to meet you last evening, Shelly.  I hope you enjoy the rest
of your stay, but unfortunately, I have plans for the rest of my time here."

 
Shelly looked over at Allie, who was trying to hide her amusement.  "He's
not your husband, is he?" she asked belligerently. 

 
"Oh heavens no," Allie said, smothering her laughter and waving her
hand.  "I'm just the secretary.  He's all yours."

 
Sean shot Allie a look of annoyance before turning his attention back to the
blonde standing next to him.  Allie took pity on him then, and stepped in.

 
"He's right, though, Shelly.  I've got him booked in meetings for the rest
of the time that he's here.  If you want to leave me your number, I can call if
he has any cancellations.  Otherwise, the rest of his travel is all work and no
play."

 
Shelly looked sympathetic then, and gave Sean a lingering caress on the
shoulder before quickly writing her name and number down for Allie.  "Feel
free to call anytime," she smiled flirtatiously.  "Even from home
some evening... if you're lonely..."

 
Allie watched the woman walk away before rolling her eyes.  "I think she
just invited you for phone sex," she said, matter-of-factly.

 
Sean nearly spewed out his coffee.  "What?"

 
"You heard me.  What else do you think she meant?" she asked.

 
Sean shook his head, looking at his assistant in amazement.  "Exactly the
same thing, but I never expected to hear
you
say those words."

 
Allie smiled calmly, then pushed her chair back.  "We should probably get
going, sir.  The car will be here for us shortly."

 
Taking one last sip of coffee and laying his napkin down in front of him, Sean
stood up.  "I'll meet you out front in five minutes," he said.

 
Watching Allie pick up her things and walk away from the table, he was struck
again by the contrast between the way that she looked and the way that she
acted and moved.  There was something very natural and graceful about her, despite
the shoes and suit she wore.  He couldn't understand it.  But the thought of
his little assistant even knowing about phone sex was disconcerting to him. 
And the sudden thought of her actually engaging in it was enough to make him
want to kill anyone who was on the other end of a phone line with her.

 
It was her mouth, he thought.  Her skin tone may be awful, and she may need a
few weeks in the sun to get any kind of coloring, but her mouth was the mouth
of a vixen.  It was beautifully shaped, her lips were naturally colored, and
when she smiled, it changed her expression completely.

 
Taking a deep breath, Sean shook his head and moved toward the lobby.  He
needed to get his mind going in a very different direction, or he'd end up
saying or doing something completely inappropriate.  And they had a long day of
meetings ahead of them.  But tonight, they'd go to dinner, and he'd explore
these new thoughts a bit more.  While he had no intention of acting on anything
personal related to Allie, his new interest in her personal life intrigued him.

 
The day passed quickly, and when they got back to the hotel that night, Allie
turned to her boss.

 
"If you just want a quiet evening in your room with room service, please
feel free to do that."

 
"No," he replied, looking down at her with a stern look on his face. 
"I made reservations at my favorite restaurant tonight.  Go get
changed."

 
Allie looked alarmed.  "I didn't bring anything but suits.  What you see
is what you get.  Are you sure you don't want to go alone tonight?"

 
"No, Allie.  I'd like your company, and I'd like your take on the meetings
today.  Meet me back here in half an hour.  We'll go find someplace quiet for a
drink, and then go on to the restaurant."

 
Back in her room, Allie quickly reapplied her makeup, changed the camisole
under her suit so she felt a bit fresher, and changed her shoes into flats. 
Trendier than heels, they still were far more comfortable than her standard
work shoes, and would be better if they walked around a bit that night.  She
pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and added her glasses.  Then, rethinking
her outfit, she pulled off the camisole, added a light sweater in case she
wanted to pull off her suit jacket, and then grabbed her purse.  Heading
downstairs in the elevator, she came out into the lobby and looked around for
her boss.

 
He was leaning against a wall, one hand in his pants pocket, waiting for her,
and for just a moment, her breath caught.  When they were working, it was easy
to forget that he was so attractive, and so damn sexy.  But when they took a
break, as they did tonight, Allie wondered what it would feel like for him to
be waiting for HER.  For ALLIE, not for his assistant.  If he were to look at
her, and really see her.  If she were able to dress for him, and not for the
job.  If he wanted her.

 
Sternly telling herself to put those thoughts aside, she walked over to where
her boss was standing.  He looked down on her and frowned.  "Something is
different.  You're shorter."

 
Allie smiled.  "Flat shoes tonight.  My feet were killing me.  I'm ready
to go."

 
"Great.  Do you mind walking, or are your feet completely sore?"

 
"I don't mind walking at all.  These shoes are comfortable.  And it's a
nice night."

 
They strolled downtown to the strip, and walked around a bit before Sean led
her into one of the big name casinos.  The bar was crowded, but not noisy, and
they were able to get a small table in the back, where they could actually
converse without shouting.

 
"What did you think of the day's meetings?" Allie asked, once she had
a glass of red wine in front of her, and a small bowl of nuts between them.

 
"I thought it went fine.  The only glitch was with their legal team, but
they should get that worked out before Monday morning.  Anything you see that I
didn't?"

 
Allie shook her head.  "No, nothing unusual.  I'll get the remainder of
the notes typed up this weekend, and we should be ready to go when the
paperwork comes in from their end on Monday or Tuesday."

 
They spent the next 30 minutes or so talking about the day's meetings, before
Sean finally said, "Good.  I think we're caught up on everything.  So we
can relax tonight and talk about something other than work."

 
"Absolutely," Allie smiled politely, her expression professional.

 
"I'd like to explain about Shelly...."

 
"Shelly?"

 
"The woman from this morning.  I know it sounded like we... well..."

 
"Mr. Greyson!" Allie stopped him, appalled.  "This is none of my
business.  What you do in your spare time is completely up to you."

 
"We had a drink.  That's all."

 
"Why do I want to stick my fingers in my ears and say 'lalalalalala' until
you stop talking?" Allie asked, reaching for her wine and taking a sip.

 
"Did you really just tell me to shut up?" Sean asked, not quite able
to believe that his shy little assistant had said that to him.

 
"Why yes, sir.  I did."

 
Sean threw his head back and laughed.  "You're unbelievable.  In a good
way, of course.  Look, I just wanted you to know that I don't make it a habit
of picking up and sleeping with strange women on business trips."

 
"Mr. Greyson....," Allie said with a warning tone.

 
But Sean's laughter had died.  "It's important that you know this about
me.  That all my employees know this.  Behavior like that could put my company
in jeopardy."

 
Allie nodded.  "I understand what you are saying, but I think your
employees trust you.  They know you date.  A lot.  But I don't think anyone
would say that you're not discerning.  Can we change the subject now?" she
asked, feeling her face starting to flush under her makeup.

 
"Are you blushing?"

 
"Yes.  Subject change, please."

 
"OK, let's talk about you.  Are you discerning?"