There was a pause then Jan said dryly, “Of course I know what time it is. It’s an ungodly hour of the morning . You know I never get up this early. I’m on vacation, for heaven’s sake.” There was a hint of annoyance in her voice.
Serena sighed. “I know I shouldn’t have called you so early but I just need to talk. I’m all alone over here and I’m going crazy.”
“What’s going on, Serena? Are you alright?” Jan sounded fully awake now. Her voice was sharp with concern.
“I’m fine,” Serena said with another heavy sigh. “It’s just that you guys are over there having all the fun and I’m here working so hard. And to make things worse I have a devil of a boss who’s driving me mad.”
“What on earth do you mean? Didn’t we discuss the plan for your boss? You were going to go in there and show him that you’re a Van Buren. So what happened?”
Serena could not help smiling to herself. They had been so naïve. “Let’s just say, he’s not exactly the boss I expected.”
“Is he nice?”
“I wouldn’t describe him as…nice.” Serena bit her lip and wondered how much she should tell her friend. Then she continued, “He’s probably the most gorgeous man I’ve met in my entire life.”
“What? You never told me this.”
“How could I? You’re halfway across the world. You and Tammy abandoned me when I needed you most.”
“Come off it, Serena,” Jan said, sounding exasperated. “I’m not going to feel guilty about that. We had a plan and you backed out. Mind you, I know it wasn’t your fault but you certainly didn’t expect your father’s rules to apply to Tammy and me. Now let’s get back to the real issue here. Tell me about this hunk.”
“What’s going on?” Serena heard Tammy faintly in the background.
“Serena’s found a man and he’s handsome,” she heard Jan say.
“No, I haven’t,” she retorted. “The man is my boss, for goodness sake.”
“Really? She’s finally fallen for a guy?” It was Tammy’s voice again, closer this time.
“Yeah, and she’s going to tell me all about it,” Jan said excitedly.
“Will you guys stop that?” Serena yelled into the phone. They hadn’t even waited to hear her story but had jumped to all kinds of conclusions. Trust her crazy friends to be so…crazy.
“Okay, okay.” Jan laughed into the phone. “I’m listening.”
“Thank you,” Serena said in a huff then she drew in a deep breath and began. “As I was saying, my boss is nothing like I expected. He’s over six feet tall and he has jet black hair and such startling dark eyes. And his skin is dark, like…I think he’s part Italian or something.”
“Sounds like a movie star,” Jan said, dreamily.
“Hey, I’m not hearing any of this,” Tammy whined in the background.
“Shh, I’ll tell you all about it when we’re done,” Jan hissed, quieting her. Then she said to Serena, “So have you gone out with him yet?”
“What do you think I am? I just met the man last week. Anyway, his name is Roman Steele and he’s the CEO of Steele Industries-”
“Roman Steele? I know him. I mean, I’ve seen him in the papers before. You’re right, he’s a real hunk. You’re so lucky…”
“No, I’m not. He acts like he doesn’t even notice me.” There was a sudden hitch in her voice and Serena sat up and cleared her throat.
“It sounds like there’s something going on, something you’re not telling me.”
“No, there’s nothing,” she said quickly, “It’s just that…he’s…” Serena bit her lip as a sudden tear stung her eye. She didn’t know how to go on, she didn’t know what to say.
“Serena,” Jan said in a schoolmarm voice, “be careful what you’re doing over there. Sounds like you’ve gotten yourself into something deep. But whatever you do, don’t fall for him.”
Too late. Serena put her left index finger to her lips and began to nibble at the nail. It had only been a week since she`d met the man but that advice had come way too late to save her heart.
CHAPTER SEVEN
It was after five o’clock but Roman had no plans to leave the office any time soon. He’d been working on a report for the past three hours and, looking down at the papers in front of him, he realized that he didn’t have very much to show for all that time. He’d been distracted all afternoon and, as important as this report was, for the life of him he just could not put his mind to it.
And it was all Serena Van Buren’s fault. The witch was driving him crazy. He’d avoided her most of the week but this morning they’d spent over two hours together poring over the files of old ad campaigns, discussing those that had been successful and restacking those that had not had much impact. They’d sat together around the conference table, so close that he could smell the light fragrance of her perfume. The closeness had made him aware of her every move and he’d been hard put not to pull her into his arms and kiss her breathless.
Today Serena was wearing a tailored navy blue suit that clung to the soft curves of her h*ps and bust. The soft waves of her hair floated around her heart shaped face, giving her the look of an angel. Her full lips were rose pink and there was a slight flush to her face that made her look vibrant. Once when they both reached for the same sheet of paper their hands touched and she jumped as if she’d been shocked. He’d felt it, too. A jolt of electricity rushed through his body, making him suck in his breath. He’d tried hard not to react to her closeness but it became almost difficult to breathe and he couldn’t help glancing at her every now and again. He shook his head as he remembered how his physical reaction to her had been so strong that at one point he’d had to get up and go over to the table to pour himself a glass of water just to get away from her.