Blackmailed By The Boss

It was a wonder Jennifer didn’t know about the fact he had once had a daughter. But she definitely didn’t, otherwise Charlotte would have heard about it. Obviously it was just too painful a subject for Jordan to talk about, which was understandable.

She glanced down at the designs in front of her, but her mind was flicking over Jennifer’s words.

I’ve always secretly thought that Jordan would be perfect for you. Dad thinks so too.

Where had that come from? Jennifer had never said that to her before. And as for her father, he would think anyone was good for her as long as it wasn’t David. He really disliked David, and that was before he had heard of their break-up.

But Jen was wrong. Romantically speaking, Jordan wasn’t her type. He was too sure of himself, arrogant even. But then she remembered last night and the way he had made her laugh at dinner…the way he had looked so raw when he had spoken of his little girl…the way he had kissed the inside of her wrist… Why had that kiss been so erotic? she wondered. She had never thought of the wrist being an erogenous zone before.

She frowned. All right, maybe last night Jordan had sort of grown on her a bit. But not romantically, definitely not romantically; Jennifer was wrong about that. The sex had been wonderful though.

Charlotte scored a line through the piece of paper in front of her. She had to work with the guy, she told herself fiercely. Remembering things like that wasn’t helpful.

She looked over at him again; he was signing something now and he gave Laura a boyish smile that for some reason had a funny effect on Charlotte’s loins. He was basically a nice man. Obviously he had loved his wife, and his little girl. Whatever was going on in his life now, he’d certainly been through a tough time in the past.

Maybe she should apologise for being a bit sharp this morning. They had both enjoyed last night. She should have acted in a more mature way about it all.

She watched as Laura left his office. He was talking to someone on the phone now. If she was going to apologise, now was probably the time to go over, whilst his secretary was out. She didn’t want the whole building knowing that she was Jordan’s latest conquest. That would be too humiliating.

Before her courage could desert her she got up and went across to his office. They never knocked on each other’s doors, so Charlotte didn’t think twice about just walking in on him. He was sitting with his back to her, having swivelled around in his leather chair, and he was still talking on the phone.

‘We went out for dinner,’ he was saying. ‘Then I invited her back to my place for coffee.’ He laughed, a deep, husky, teasing kind of laugh. ‘OK, what can I say? I’m weak, yeah…that’s right, I got sidetracked. Not one of my better moves. But it was very enjoyable.’

Charlotte’s blood started to freeze in her veins as she realised he was talking about her.

Her first instinct was to get out of the room before he saw that she was there. She certainly wasn’t going to apologise to him now. Hurriedly she started to back away, closing the door behind her with a quiet click. How dared he? she thought as she stormed back to her office. Not one of his better moves, indeed! He could say that again!

She sat back down at her desk and glared at the back of his head through the plate glass. How dared he discuss her like that…and who had he been talking to? She hoped it wasn’t someone they worked with—if this got out in the office everyone would be gossiping about her.

She burned with the indignity of it all. She had always been an intensely private person. And she had always prided herself on being in control of her emotions. Now her personal life was being bandied around for all and sundry to know, and she certainly wasn’t in control of her emotions because at this moment she really thought she hated Jordan Lynch.

His chair swivelled around suddenly and their eyes locked through the glass. Hers simmered with intense anger, his were coolly unperturbed.

Swiftly she lowered her head and returned her attention to her work. That was it; she would have nothing more to do with Jordan Lynch, she told herself fiercely.

CHAPTER THREE

IT WAS Sunday afternoon, the sky was a clear blue but the breeze that stirred the trees, sending showers of cherry blossom fluttering onto the front lawns, was ice-cold. It felt more like March than the first day of May, Charlotte thought as she pulled up outside the tall Victorian detached house where Jennifer and Steven lived.

She parked her car on the road and walked into the driveway past her sister’s people carrier, Steve’s convertible and Harriet’s bicycle, which had been abandoned at right angles by the front door in a strategically placed booby trap.

Smiling to herself, Charlotte stepped over it and in through the front door, which had been left ajar.

The first thing that hit her was the smell of roast beef wafting through from the kitchen; the second was the discordant sound of Harriet practising her scales on the piano in the lounge.

‘Hello,’ Charlotte called out. Immediately the playing stopped and her six-year-old niece came flying out, feet thundering on the polished wooden floors, blonde pigtails bouncing as she flung herself at Charlotte like a whirling dervish.

‘Auntie Charlie!’ she screeched with delight as Charlotte picked her up and whirled her around. ‘Guess what…guess what?’

‘What?’ Charlotte hugged her tight and then put her down.

‘Uncle Jordan is here as well.’

‘Oh.’ The moment of happiness inside Charlotte faded as she looked up and saw Jordan framed in the kitchen doorway, watching the welcome she had received. Charlotte was used to seeing Jordan dressed in suits but today he was wearing jeans and an open-necked blue shirt. The casual look suited him, made him look younger than his thirty-eight years, and even sexier than usual, if that was possible. She dragged her gaze away from him, annoyed for thinking along those lines.

‘Hello, Jordan.’ She was aware that her voice was very cool, but she couldn’t help it. She had been looking forward to a relaxing dinner with her family, away from her problems, especially the problem of Jordan. ‘What are you doing here?’ Even as she asked the question she knew the answer.

‘Jennifer invited me over for lunch.’

She hoped to high heaven he didn’t think she’d put Jen up to it! Jordan Lynch didn’t need his ego boosting any further—it was already off the scale.

‘That was nice of her.’ There was a definite edge to Charlotte’s tone now.

He smiled, totally unperturbed. ‘Yes, I thought so too.’

Charlotte took off her beige suede jacket and slung it over the end of the banisters. She was going to kill her sister.

‘Where is Jen?’

‘On the phone, trying to dig Steve out of the golf club. He went for a quick game and apparently should have been home over an hour ago.’

Charlotte smiled. That sounded like Steve. ‘I’m surprised you didn’t join him.’

Jordan shrugged. ‘I had to go into the office today to sort out some paperwork.’

For the first time Charlotte realised just how much extra work Jordan had on his desk with her father staying on in France all this time. ‘If you need some help with paper-work I don’t mind giving you a hand,’ she offered impulsively. ‘I know I’m more on the design side than office management, but I can do both. I did run my own business once.’

‘Yes, I know.’ He smiled at her. ‘Thanks, I’ll bear that in mind.’

Something about the way he smiled at her made her go hot inside. Hurriedly she glanced away. Then, catching her niece’s eye, she remembered she had some sweets for her in her jacket pocket. She took them out and passed them to the little girl.

‘Thanks!’ Harriet’s eyes lit up. ‘These are my favourites. And look what Uncle Jordan brought.’ She raced into the lounge and came back with a rag doll in one hand and a teddy in the other. ‘This is for me, and this…’ she brandished the teddy ‘…is for Matilda.’

‘How lovely.’ Charlotte smiled. ‘I hope you said a big thank-you to Uncle Jordan.’

Harriet nodded. ‘He’s a lovely uncle.’ She said the words with a seriousness that sounded very grown-up for a six-year-old.

Charlotte laughed and glanced over at Jordan with amusement.

‘It’s official, I’m a lovely uncle.’ He nodded, humour also sparkling in his dark eyes. ‘Even if it is only an honorary title.’

Maybe he was a bit of a rat when it came to love, but you couldn’t help but like the guy, Charlotte thought. ‘Well, it was very kind of you.’

As she made to follow him into the kitchen she noticed the gleam of male interest that took in her close-fitting beige leather trousers and cream jumper. It was as if he could see straight through to the scanty underwear beneath and, shockingly, it made her body leap in a response that was purely sexual as she remembered the wild passion they had shared on Thursday night.

Instantly she was annoyed with herself, and annoyed with him for looking at her like that. Would their night together never be forgotten? She had the horrible feeling that it was going to haunt the rest of their working relationship. Remembering the way he had talked about her on the phone, she cringed inwardly. She’d been such a fool.

Matilda was in her carry-cot by the French doors, and, glad of the diversion, Charlotte went across to peep into the lacy crib. She expected the baby to be asleep, she was so quiet, and got quite a surprise when Matilda turned big blue eyes up at her and seemed to smile.