The Boss's Proposal (17 page)

‘How do you know that? If I recall, we were compatible enough…on more than one count.'

‘That was then, before all of this…blew up.' She didn't want to be reminded of precisely how compatible they had been, and it went beyond sex and physical attraction. Despite her wariness, and despite all the voices in her head that had daily lectured to her on the unsuitability of the man, she'd found herself drawn to his personality, seduced by his mind. She'd surrendered all her defences for the
transient pleasure of enjoying his humour and his intelligence, which made his ferocious hostility now all the more painful. ‘You lead a fast bachelor life. You can't just take a wife and a child on board at the snap of your fingers! Don't you understand what a handicap that would be for you?' She watched the hard set of his features and felt a simmering anger. ‘Your own brother couldn't even countenance the thought of having his life churned up by the arrival of his own flesh and blood.' She hadn't wanted to drag a rational conversation back into the personal battlefield that was her past with Shaun, but somehow she couldn't help herself. ‘Oh, he
saw
his daughter, when it suited him, but she was never allowed to call him
Dad
. He didn't like what that word did for his fast-living image.' She laughed shortly.

‘I'm not my brother,' Max told her with deliberate, cool emphasis, ‘despite the similarities.'

‘I won't marry you. If you want to see Chloe now and again, then feel free, but that's it.' Another spark of inspiration came to her. ‘Aside from all the reasons I've given, do you realise that you might not even get along with her? How many children have you played with recently?'

‘I don't see what that has to do with anything,' he muttered, flushing darkly.

‘I guess that means
none
. You might
hate
children.'

‘I think I'd know whether I did or not.'

‘How? If you've never had any contact with them?' Now it was her turn to fire staccato questions at him. ‘They can be clingy. They can whine and nag and they're no good around expensive clothes and furnishings. They constantly need juice, and mealtimes can be a battlefield. And I haven't even started yet…'

‘I'm sure—'

‘That you could manage? That's a
very
sweeping assumption!'

‘So would you suggest that I get to know Chloe?'

‘That might help.'

‘What does she like?'

‘What do
most
kids like? Junk food. Mickey Mouse. Outdoor fun.' She almost smirked at the thought of Max Forbes, impeccably dressed and leader of men, having outdoor fun with Mickey Mouse while consuming some chicken nuggets from a box. Did he even know who Mickey Mouse
was
?

‘So let's take her to Disneyland. I'll get the hotel and flights booked and let you know the where and when.' He strolled towards the door while she remained open-mouthed and gaping at this neat turnaround of events. He shrugged at her expression and opened the sitting room door. ‘Don't look so stunned. You put the idea into my head. You could almost say it was
your
idea. And don't get up. I'll see myself out.'

H
E WAS
determined. That much Vicky could acknowledge. He had given her four days in which to sort out her life, and now ten days in Disneyland: a holiday guaranteed to win the hearts of most children under the age of ninety. Even before they'd boarded the plane at Gatwick airport, she'd felt powerless in the face of her daughter's excitement.

Chloe had digested the fact that the man bearing a striking resemblance to her father, the man providing this sudden and hugely expensive treat, was her uncle. But, even so, on the trip over, as they'd sat next to one another, Chloe mistakenly lapsed into calling Max ‘Shaun' a couple of times. Vicky, sitting in the aisle seat across from her, had winced as she coolly but firmly corrected the error.

Over her daughter's head, Max had caught her eye and said innocently, ‘Never mind about that. She's only a baby. Can't help making the odd mistake and, face it, Shaun and I
were
twins.'

‘Yes, but…' Vicky persisted.

‘He's nicer than Shaun,' Chloe pointed out thoughtfully, ‘don't you think, Mum? Shaun could be
scary
.'

‘I think you've smudged just
there
on your colouring,' Vicky said by way of distracting her daughter, but she was aware of Max, still staring at her, ears no doubted pricked up and alert to continue Chloe's conversation.

‘Haven't,' Chloe said, concentrating on a non-existent smudge.

‘Well, you might,' Vicky said inconsequentially, ‘so you'd better make sure you give it all your attention.'

That had been the day before. One whole flight followed by a meal at the hotel, during which she'd barely managed to get a word in edgewise.

Yes, Max Forbes was definitely a determined man. He was obviously determined to make an impact on his niece and he'd succeeded in a matter of a few hours—proving, Vicky thought with grudging admiration, how fickle children were. He'd won Chloe over with an unforeseen ability to enthuse over all things Disney, to express an interest in Barbie and the advantages of having a Barbie Ferrari bought for her for her next birthday, and topped it off with an uncanny knack of making sure that his colouring on the plane had been inferior to hers. Over a hamburger and fries meal, he had winningly offered to relieve her of her tomatoes and lettuce, and, by the end of the short evening, he'd left one child eager to see him in the morning and one mother who felt as if the ground under her feet had turned to quicksand.

‘We'll have to get going early in the morning,' he'd murmured to her as they'd left the restaurant.

An exhausted Chloe was draped over Vicky's shoulder, so her pace of walking was painstakingly slow. No swift escape from the disturbing presence at her side. Unfortunately. Because the more she saw of him with her daughter, the deeper in love she fell. She had watched covertly, looking for signs of the mask slipping, but there had been none. He seemed delighted with Chloe, and she wondered, briefly, whether his joy with her as well as his feelings of responsibility towards her were tied up with his own feelings for the brother now lost to him for ever. She wondered if he was trying, through Chloe, to make amends for family differences that would never now be put to rest.
More to the point, Vicky wondered—and agonised—that if Chloe continued to be enraptured with him, she would find herself well and truly trapped in a situation she'd never foreseen.

‘How early?'

‘Before eight. If we're to get on the good rides. Which park do you want to go to first?'

‘Park?'

‘Didn't you read the guidebook I gave you?'

‘Not much,' Vicky admitted, breathing a sigh of relief as the elevator doors opened. They were staying in the same hotel, but fortunately on different floors, an inconvenience for which the hotel had apologised and for which she was deeply grateful. The doors closed on them.

‘You seemed to be absorbed in it when you weren't playing with Chloe.'

Absorbed on the one page, she thought, refusing to meet his eyes. Too busy concentrating on the man standing next to her to get any reading done.

‘Here, give her to me. I'll take her the rest of the way.' He removed the barely stirring child to him before Vicky could protest. ‘I'll meet you at seven-thirty for breakfast.' He stroked the dark head on his shoulder, then stood back to allow Vicky to pass as the doors slid open onto the luxuriously carpeted corridor.

The hotel was mightily expensive, with two sprawling halves which both shared a fabulously child-friendly pool, complete with fake sand.

‘I suppose so.'

‘And then we can go to the Magic Kingdom first. Get there before the crowds start amassing.'

They arrived at the bedroom door and Vicky stuck in her credit card-style key and pushed open the door before turning to him.

‘You can hand her over now.'

He swept past her, through to one of the double beds which had been turned back and laid Chloe on it; then he proceeded to look critically around the room. ‘Not as big as I'd expected,' he told her, folding his arms.

‘More than big enough for the both of us.' Vicky stayed firmly positioned by the door, in the manner of someone willing an uninvited guest to depart.

Max moved slowly towards her, then, when he was about to leave, said casually, ‘What did Chloe mean when she said that I was
nicer than Shaun
? Did he hit her?'

‘No,' Vicky answered, startled by this abrupt shift in the conversation.

‘What about
you
? Did he ever hit
you
?'

She hesitated just fractionally too long before responding with an unconvincing, ‘No.'

‘Why did you put up with it?'

Vicky looked over her shoulder, but Chloe was sleeping with unladylike abandon on the double bed.

She'd kept the lights turned off so that her daughter would not wake up, but she now wished that she hadn't, because the darkness imbued their conversation with a level of confidential intimacy that frightened her.

‘When did it start? Were you pregnant at the time?'

‘He wasn't a serial beater,' she said in a low voice. ‘In fact, he only really lashed out at me twice. The first time was when I told him that I was pregnant and the second time was when I told him to stay away from me, after Chloe had been born. But aside from that he was—'

‘The perfect partner?'

‘Does it make any difference now?'

‘It wouldn't if the past didn't play such an influential part in our lives. You can't imagine that by refusing to discuss it it all goes away, like a bad dream.'

‘I'm not implying that that's how I feel…'

‘Then talk to me, Vicky.'

‘Why? Because you're on a mission to bond with my daughter and you think that you might as well bond with me as part of the deal?'

‘Because,' he said levelly, ‘I want to know.'
Because
, she thought bitterly,
you anticipate a long time of seeing me ahead of you if you're to maintain contact with your niece, in which case you might as well smooth the way between the two of us
.

‘Why didn't you tell him to leave you alone?'

‘Because he threatened me,' she said flatly. ‘Because he said that his daughter belonged to him and, if I didn't play along, he would make sure that his powerful family knew of her identity and they would move in to take her away from me. Fool that I was, I believed him.'

She heard Max's indrawn breath and steeled herself not to respond.

‘It was always Shaun's way to prey off people weaker than he was. He liked to be in a situation he could control,' he murmured, more to himself than to her. ‘You were young and vulnerable and he took advantage of the fact.'

‘But I'm not young and vulnerable any longer,' she reminded him stiffly.

‘Which is just as well. The young and vulnerable hold no charm for me whatsoever.'

With which he'd left her, awake and wondering what he'd meant by that remark. Had he been trying to tell her that
she
held a certain amount of charm for him? Or had it been a general statement which he had made without thinking? Or maybe he'd just been trying to point out yet one more difference between him and his brother. The permutations were endless, and by the time she'd finally fallen
asleep she'd been nursing a mild headache from the sheer workings of her tired brain.

 

They both arrived at the hotel breakfast bar the following morning to find Max waiting for them, casually attired in a pair of deep green Bermuda pants and an open-necked, short-sleeved shirt in a dull cream and green check. Outside the heat would be building already. The weatherman—if the local weatherman was to be believed—had predicted a high of early eighties and had confidently assured her that the sky would remain blue and cloudless.

‘Busy day ahead,' he addressed Chloe. ‘Busy, busy day ahead. Lots of characters to meet, lots of exciting rides to go on. Have you even been to a fun park before? With rides and roller coasters?'

‘No,' Chloe said. ‘But I
have
seen a clown.'

Max nodded gravely. ‘Yes, that would be impressive as well, I'm sure.'

‘And I
have
,' Chloe said, gaining momentum, ‘been in that pretend racing car outside the supermarket Mum takes me to at home.'

‘Oh,
that
racing car. Goes fast, does it?'

‘Well, it's just
pretend
,' Chloe told him gently. ‘It doesn't really go
anywhere
. Does it, Mum?'

‘No, honey.' Vicky looked thoughtful and said in an equally gentle voice, ‘But perhaps Uncle Max thinks that these pretend cars actually shoot off and go places.'

‘Thank you for explaining that to me,
Mummy
,' he said, raising one eyebrow with amusement. ‘I'll bear that in mind for future reference.'

She heard the laughter in his voice and maintained a composed face.

‘So which rides do you want to go on?' he asked Chloe, taking a bite of croissant so that his mouth was instantly
covered in buttered crumbs. The sight mesmerised Vicky, who imagined how enjoyable it would be to lick each crumb off. Individually. It would take hours. Or at least seconds, because her tongue would not be able to resist searching his out. That would be the hardest part of seeing him. The seeing and the wanting but the not being able to touch. The agony as she was forced to play the happy, jolly, pally game when her body hungered to be touched by him in a way that was very far removed from pally.

‘All of them!' Chloe's face was slowly but surely becoming submerged in maple syrup, despite Vicky's best efforts at keeping it at bay.

‘Even the Tower of Terror?' He made his voice go spooky and took another bite of his croissant, this time absent-mindedly licking one finger clean before wiping his mouth with his linen napkin. He had no idea how eerily alike he was to his niece. It was uncanny the way nature could take a shade of hair and a colour of eye and replicate both so precisely in another human being. Even the spacing between the eyes and the shape of the mouth was all Forbes.

‘What's that?'

‘You mean your mother didn't read the description out to you?'

‘No, she didn't.' Two pairs of grey eyes bearing the same expression stared at her, and she couldn't help a smile.

‘She's too young for that particular ride, Max.
You
can go on it on your own.'

‘I shall have to,' he said indolently, returning his gaze to his niece's besotted face. ‘However terrifying a ride is, nothing terrifies the great Max Forbes!'

‘Nothing?' Chloe asked, delighted, and Vicky heaved a loud, conspicuous sigh.

‘Well. Spiders. Obviously.'

‘
I'm
not scared of spiders. Am I, Mum?' Chloe glanced across at her mother, allowing her face to be dabbed with a napkin in the process. This, Vicky thought, was the relationship she should have had with Shaun. They should have delighted in each other's company. Instead, his rare visits to see his daughter had been an ordeal of moodiness, shouting and, after fifteen minutes of fatherly affection, a rapid downhill run to indifference and finally irritation. He'd brought her gifts inappropriate to her age, then had become sulky when she failed to be delighted with them, while Vicky had hovered miserably in the background, not quite knowing what to do and wishing he would just leave. There had never been one pore in his entire body that had possessed anything of the ease with which Max was now enchanting his niece.

‘Not the ones in books, at any rate,' Vicky said, smiling.

‘I'm not scared of anything,' Chloe assured him, abandoning the remnants of her breakfast in favour of conversation, ‘I'm like you! Can I go on the Tower of Terror? Please? Say yes! Say yes!'

‘Absolutely not,' Vicky responded immediately. ‘It's a…' She plucked the guidebook from her bag, opened it at the relevant page, and read, verbatim, “‘…
terrifying plummet, guaranteed to scare the most hardened
.” Anyway, there's a height limit and you don't measure up, short stuff. Apart from which, that particular ride isn't at the Magic Kingdom, so you'll have to settle for something a lot less adventurous.'

Later, as they entered the fantasy world of the Magic Kingdom, Max said to her, ‘And what about you? Ever been to a place like this?'

‘Not quite.' She paused and looked around her. Ahead was the fairytale Disney palace, pale spires rising up to
the sky. It was early, but already beginning to get crowded. ‘In fact, I never went abroad until I was an adult. Not all of us benefitted from a privileged background, financially.' But her voice was lacking in acrimony. ‘I
did
go to Alton Towers, though, when I was fifteen, and from what I remember it wasn't
quite
like this.'