A Christmas Affair Read online

  Besides—and this was something Dominic would never understand—it had never been just a job to her; it had been the only sort of part­nership she could ever have with him.

  'So I'll learn to love a new job,' she told him with confident bravado, looking out of the window at the greying sky. 'It looks full of snow,' she murmured to herself.

  'You were born to be my personal assistant,' Dominic said frustratedly in the face of her ob­viously wandering attention. 'Maybe some shares in DomRey would give you more of an incentive to reconsider.' His eyes were nar­rowed to emerald slits.

  She laughed softly at the suggestion. 'You don't need a partner, Dominic'

  'I wasn't offering partnership,' he snapped. 'Just the interest of a few shares in the company you work for.'

  'Thanks, but no, thanks,' she refused without the slightest hesitation, glancing up at the sky again; if only it didn't look that awful white-grey colour that often preceded snow! 'Just hold off another five or six hours,' she requested of it pleadingly, turning with the box in her arms to knock Dominic full in the chest where he stood so close to her. 'Sorry,' she grimaced, stepping aside to make sure she missed him this time.

  'But those shares you've just turned down are worth over—'

  'I am a good PA, Dominic,' she said without turning. 'I know what they're worth.'

  'Then—'

  'I'm not interested, in them or in their worth,' she stated firmly, glancing worriedly at her watch; the day was quickly moving on, and she still had a lot to do.

  'Am I keeping you?' Dominic demanded ir­ritably as he saw that glance.

  Cathy looked up at him, answering him calmly, 'As a matter of fact, yes.'

  'I'm so sor—good God!' Sarcasm gave way to alarm as he once again followed her across the room. 'Those mutterings about snow and hoping it will hold off for five or six hours don't mean that you're thinking of driving back down to Devon today, do they?' He looked disbelieving.

  Considering that she had driven down through the night two days ago, and then back again yesterday evening, Dominic could be forgiven for looking at her as if she must have taken leave of her senses. But she had had very good reasons for making both those un­scheduled journeys, and if Dominic had ever shown the slightest interest in her personal life she might have been tempted to confide them to him.

  As things had turned out she had more reason than ever for wanting to be back among her family for Christmas. She intended to be there with them all when Jade and David cel­ebrated their engagement; those two, more than anyone else she knew, deserved happiness, and she was thrilled that they had found it together.

  'And if it does?' she challenged.

  'Then I no longer just think I've been working you too hard, I know I have,' he re­turned grimly. 'You must know as well as I do that the long-term weather forecast is snow, snow, and more snow. You would have to be insane to go out into that again!'

  She raised blonde brows. 'I don't think I have to take that sort of talk from you now.'

  Green eyes flashed. 'I'm just offering you sound common sense.'

  'Dominic, you never offer advice,' she mocked lightly.

  He stiffened, very tall and handsome in the navy blue three-piece suit. 'Meaning?'

  'Meaning that I intend going back to Devon today, no matter what the weather forecast, no matter what you have to say about it—'

  'No matter what anyone says, by your reckless attitude,' he bit out tersely. 'When did you get to be so damned stubborn?'

  'Oh, I've always been pretty determined,' she dismissed casually. 'You've just never taken the time to notice before now.' As he hadn't no­ticed a lot of other things about her!

  Like the very fact that she loved him madly, passionately—futilely.

  There had never even been the faintest flicker of awareness on his part of her as a woman. It was all so—depressing.

  But she wasn't about to let him see that emotion, today of all days. He might just mis­interpret the reason behind that depression. Oh, she was upset at the thought of no longer working for him, but it was the thought of leaving Dominic as a person that was upsetting her more—the fact that her love for him had always gone by completely unrecognised by him.

  Not that she wanted him to see her like some fawning idiot, either, with no hope of having him return her love. That was the trouble with loving Dominic; she couldn't ever come out the winner.

  Which was why she had to go.

  Now, before the flippant façade she had constructed over what she had just done cracked a mile wide and left her emotionally broken…

  'Cathy—'

  'I have to go, Dominic,' she told him lightly, doing her best to shut out that huskily per­suasive voice; if Dominic chose to put his mind to it he could charm the birds out of the trees. He just didn't feel so inclined most of the time and, even when he did, impatience and temper usually took over.

  The snow isn't going to hold off forever,' she told him brightly, shaking back her hair as she picked up the box again in readiness for leaving. 'I guess I'll have to forgo the usual leaving party,' she added self-derisively; she had never envisaged leaving Dominic in quite these circumstances. She had never envisaged leaving him at all!

  His expression darkened even more, almost black brows low over his eyes.

  Cathy wished she hadn't looked at those eyes. They were incredibly beautiful eyes for a man, a deep emerald-green, surrounded by the thickest black lashes she had ever seen.

  Oh, the dreams she had once had of one day holding a baby of her own in her arms with those eyes, Dominic's eyes…

  She swayed slightly, her lids closed over the tears that had welled there. How foolish were her dreams!

  'Damn the leaving party.' The rasp of Dominic's voice steadied her, and she met his gaze calmly. 'You're too tired to drive all that way again today; you're almost asleep on your feet!'

  If she was honest, she didn't relish the journey for a third time in as many days, but there was no way she was going to miss being with the family for the festive season for the first time in years.

  Where had she and Dominic spent Christmas last year? Oh, yes, in a hotel in New York, going over contracts that were finalised as soon as Christmas Day had passed. And the year before that they had been at another hotel, that time in Munich. And the year before that… Oh, what was the use of dwelling in the past? This Christmas she intended being surrounded by the warmth of her family, by people giving and receiving gifts in love and friendship.

  She quickly banished from her mind the image she suddenly had of Dominic com­pletely alone at his apartment, with no one to give him even one present and show him love. That was the way he wanted it, the way it always was.

  'It's Christmas Eve,' she said again brightly. 'The thought of spending Christmas with the family will be enough to keep me awake and alert. Oh, I forgot to tell you—' her eyes glowed with pleasure '—David is there, too.'

  Dominic frowned. 'You mean David Kendrick?'

  'Mm.' She smiled confirmation. 'You knew my sister is married to his brother?'

  'I believe you did tell me,' Dominic nodded abruptly. 'But I also thought he wasn't—into family occasions?'

  'Oh, all that's changed,' Cathy laughed happily at the thought of how loving Jade had changed David's life. 'It promises to be a won­derful Christmas with all the family together again at last.'

  Dominic thrust his hands into his trouser pockets, turning away to gaze out of the window at London's bleak skyline. 'Then I'd better not keep you any longer.'

  It should have been her turn to say, 'Just like that?' No matter what she had said in the last few minutes, she couldn't believe this was really goodbye. But she knew that it had to be, and the uncompromising set of Dominic's shoulders beneath the tailored jacket didn't encourage her to say the actual words to him.

  She took one last lingering look at the room and the man before rushing out of the door.

  How she managed to say goodbye to Mary and the other secre
taries in the outer office she didn't know; her throat was aching with the effort of holding back the tears by the time she got outside the building, and she almost fell inside the taxi she hailed.

  And then the tears fell like a waterfall.

  The driver shot her a worried glance in his driving-mirror. 'Christmas party?'

  She would have laughed at the suggestion if she could have stopped feeling miserable long enough; the closest Dominic came to recog­nising Christmas was to let his staff leave an hour earlier than usual!

  But she nodded anyway, because it was what the driver obviously expected to hear, and also because she was starting to cry again.

  Thank God she had packed her case and done her few errands before going to the office this morning. Now she just wanted to get away, pausing only long enough to change into warm clothes for the journey ahead of her. The last thing she wanted was to be alone in her flat any longer than she had to be.

  Which was why she muttered and mumbled to herself as the doorbell rang just as she was bending down to pick up her suitcase. It was probably the janitor calling for his Christmas tip!

  She stared dazedly up at Dominic as he stood outside her door, no longer the suave executive in the formal suit, but looking just as devastatingly attractive in fitted black trousers and a thick Aran sweater worn beneath a black leather jacket.

  Having resigned herself to the possibility of perhaps never seeing him again, Cathy could only stare at him in stunned surprise.

  'As you're so adamant about going down to Devon again today,' he told her in measured tones, 'I've decided to drive you.'

  CHAPTER TWO

  CATHY forgot about how devastated she had been such a short time ago at the thought of not seeing Dominic again, completely forgot her joy of a few moments ago when she had opened her door and found him standing there, too.

  All she could think of at the moment was his damned typical arrogance!

  She made no effort to open her apartment door wider or invite him to come in. 'Isn't it usual to ask?' she snapped tautly, controlling her anger with great difficulty.

  Dominic shrugged dismissively. 'I knew you never would.'

  Her eyes widened incredulously. 'I wasn't talking about me!' she gasped.

  His eyes narrowed, and he walked past her into the apartment with easy familiarity, de­spite Cathy's unwelcoming attitude. 'Why would I need to ask to drive you down to Devon?' he said with genuine amazement. 'I'm the one doing you a favour.'

  Cathy had followed him agitatedly into the elegantly furnished lounge. 'You can take your favour and—'

  'I've already spoken to your brother-in-law, and he agrees with me—'

  'You've telephoned Simon?' she gasped again, her eyes even wider than before.

  Dominic gave an arrogant inclination of his head. 'Actually, during the course of the con­versation he invited me to spend Christmas with you and the family,' he revealed distantly.

  Simon would. Her brother-in-law was one of the kindest, most warm-hearted, most gen­erous people she had ever known, and the thought of someone spending the festive season on their own would easily move him to make the invitation to Dominic. And he would have meant it sincerely, too.

  Goodness knew, Dominic was far from being a stranger to Penny and Simon; even though the other couple had never actually met him, Cathy had talked about him often enough!

  And she hadn't yet had an opportunity to tell Simon and her sister that she was no longer working for Dominic.

  She eyed him warily across the room. 'And what was your answer?'

  His mouth twisted mockingly. 'Don't worry, I don't willingly go where I know I'm not wanted.'

  'Oh, but I'm sure Simon—'

  'I wasn't talking about your brother-in-law,' he drawled dismissively.

  Her cheeks burned with heated colour. 'It has nothing to do with me whom Simon chooses to invite into his home,' she told him stiltedly.

  'Nevertheless,' Dominic's mouth firmed, 'despite your brother-in-law's kind invi­tation—which, incidentally, I'm sure was genuine—I have no intention of intruding upon the Christmas that means so much to you.'

  Considering Dominic never acknowledged the festive season by so much as a sprig of holly in his office, Cathy couldn't imagine that he had ever seriously considered the invitation anyway! She certainly didn't feel as if she was depriving him of anything by being the real reason he had declined!

  'All the more reason for you not to drive me down to Devon,' she dismissed.

  'I don't have anything else to do.' He shrugged broad shoulders. 'And as we are both well aware—' his mouth twisted derisively '—the whole world grinds to a halt at Christmas.'

  'That's never seemed to stop you before,' Cathy recalled drily.

  He shrugged. 'This year I seem to be without my capable PA. And a few hours' notice isn't time enough for me to be able to train up another one,' he added hardily.

  She didn't even blink at his sarcasm. 'I have no wish to talk about work.'

  'Neither have I,' he drawled, glancing out of the window of her flat. 'Snow looks imminent, so if you want to leave…'

  'I'll go when I'm ready.' She spoke with more stubbornness than good sense, because snow did look imminent.

  'Strange.' Dominic looked at her consider­ingly, just as if he were viewing a somewhat wayward child in his presence. 'I never con­sidered you a foolish person until today.'

  Possibly because today was the first time he had seen her as even being halfway human, rather than just a business extension of himself!

  'Stubborn and foolish,' she derided. 'What makes you think you're any more capable of driving to Devon than I am?' she challenged, her eyes glittering a dark smoky grey.

  'I don't,' he surprised her by answering. 'But at least with the two of us there we could take it in turns to do the driving, and in that way we could halve the strain.'

  Cathy hated it when he made good sense, especially when it was about something as im­portant as this! How could she refuse his help now without looking absolutely stupid? Es­pecially when she was well aware of the fact that she couldn't possibly be upsetting any of his own plans for Christmas; he had probably intended to hibernate until all the 'childish emotion', as she had once heard him describe it, was over.

  'I'm still not prepared to talk about my res­ignation,' she told him firmly.

  The grimness relaxed slightly about his mouth, as if he was well aware that a victory of one kind was imminent. 'I've already said I don't want to talk about it either. But if at some time during the journey you should decide you would like to discuss it—'

  'I won't,' she insisted abruptly. 'It's a fact, irreversible, un—'

  'I think I get the message, Cathy,' he drawled at her vehemence.

  'In that case, what's in this for you?' She raised mocking brows.

  'Nasty, Cathy,' he said. 'Very nasty.'

  'Educated,' she corrected drily.

  His mouth quirked in a facsimile of a smile. 'I trained you to be my right-hand man—you know me better than I know myself most of the time. And, knowing me as you do, you're right: I'm not going to give up hoping you'll change your mind.'

  She knew he had invented the word 'ten­acious'; she had always believed that that elusively unexplained 'S' in his initials stood for stubborn—no matter what she might earlier have accused to the contrary! And yet she had also never believed him capable of needing anyone, or anything, enough to put himself to the trouble of chasing after it. But maybe he considered the five years he had spent training her to be worth his making the exception!

  She met his gaze challengingly. 'In that case, we had better get going, hadn't we?'

  Dominic showed no surprise at her decision to accept his help after all, glancing across at her case and the wicker basket that stood ready in the hallway. 'Is that all you're taking with you?'

  She might have realised he had known from the onset that he would have his own way! Arrogant, dictatorial, self-assured, pig­headed—! 'Yes,
' she bit out tightly.

  'Just a polite query,' he murmured toler­antly at her defensive attitude. 'No criticism intended.'

  Cathy watched him with troubled eyes as he crossed the room to pick up her cases. Five to six hours alone in the confines of a car with him in the circumstances; she had to be insane.

  She muttered to herself as she pulled her full-length dark green coat on over her black jumper and grey fitted trousers, preparing herself to follow him out of the flat.

  God knew what this drive was going to be like, and yet in a strangely masochistic way she was actually looking forward to it!

  He drove the Audi with an assurance Cathy couldn't hope to imitate when her own turn to drive came, long, tapered hands moving con­fidently on the wheel. And the snow was no longer imminent; it was falling gently on the road in front of them.

  Dominic's attention was all grimly on what was on the other side of the car window, leaving Cathy free to gaze at him to her heart's content without fear of his noticing what she was doing. Just to look at him made her heart beat faster. His profile was so strong and handsome. He—

  Dear lord, they weren't even out of London yet, and already she was in the middle of a hot flush over the man! She was going to be a physical wreck by the time they reached Devon!

  Dominic had always had the power to affect her this way, but usually during the time they spent together she didn't have a moment to think, let alone allow her emotions for him to have free rein. But now there was no work to distract either of them…

  'I never realised Christmas was important to you,' Dominic spoke suddenly in the strange stillness of late morning.

  Cathy gave him a startled glance, sitting up straighter in her seat. 'You never asked.'

  'More criticism?' He frowned darkly.

  'Certainly not,' she answered truthfully. 'Why should an employer be interested in an employee's personal likes and dislikes?' And, as her pained heart knew, the two of them had certainly never crossed over that finely drawn line.