“Oh my gosh,” she said, sitting straight up in bed. “I’m late!”
Tara jumped out of bed and showered quickly. Grabbing the first thing that she could in her closet, she pulled on a navy suit and a simple cream silk shirt, both of which were professional looking but still circumspect which was her preferred style in the office since it allowed her to achieve a look of responsibility. Pulling on the first pair of navy pumps her hands could grab, she was out the door and pulling her hair into a bun at the same time, then coming to a screeching halt as she realized that her car was not in her garage.
“That man!” she said, rushing back into the house and calling the cab company. She remembered that Jeffrey had picked her up at the palace the night before so she’d left her car in the parking lot, assuming she’d be back to drive it home. “I should send the cab bill to him,” she muttered under her breath as she dialed the number.
It was almost nine o’clock by the time she got to her desk. Max was coming out of a meeting, shaking someone’s hand as he said goodbye to the man while she stored her purse in her desk drawer. Tara turned quickly toward her computer and clicked on the keyboard which pulled up his schedule for the day, groaning when she realized that he had been meeting with the head of an oil company and she had been asked to take notes in the meeting.
The man left and Max turned around, his eyes taking in her appearance. “Late night?” he asked in a deceptively casual tone. He walked over to stand in front of her desk, his eyes noting the dark circles under her eyes and the soft, wispy hair that was coming out of her bun, making her look softer and more feminine.
Tara noticed the direction of his gaze and pulled a stray lock of hair behind her ear in an effort to look more polished. She wished she had a brush and hairspray so she could smooth it all back into the chignon but she couldn’t leave at the moment if his angry expression was any indication. “Yes. Too late,” she said, her voice shaking. “I’m sorry I’m also late arriving for work. I didn’t wake up to the alarm this morning,” she said weakly and shuffled some papers on her desk.
Max crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring her smile as his anger grew. He already hated the man who got to take her out last night and he didn’t even know his name. “Nice date last night?” he asked, wishing he could punch the man’s face in, whoever he was.
Tara smiled wanly, remembering the horrible evening. “It was okay,” she lied. She’d seen Max angry before but his anger had always been directed at someone else. She had never been on the receiving end of it before and it was quite terrifying.
He walked closer, then stopped by her desk to look at her, his mouth showing his displeasure. “I’m glad you are okay. Why was your car here all night?”
Tara was instantly on her guard. “I…my date just drove me home.”
A muscle started twitching on the side of his face but Tara maintained eye contact with him. “Did he come inside?” he asked, placing one hand on either side of her desk and leaning over to watch her expression.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” she said, sensing his increased fury and getting angry herself. She turned back to her computer, unwilling to be interrogated about her blind date when he had been on one himself. “How was Lady Margaret? Pretty enough for you?” she asked, and instantly regretted her catty tone of voice.
“I suppose she was nice enough although I don’t remember much about her, but back to your mystery date and your late night. You don’t think it is my business,” he said ominously. “I think it is,” he countered, his voice low and obviously angry. “When you’re late for work because of your wild dates, it becomes my business,” he snapped. “Get me the statistics on the latest environmental reports and be in my office in ten minutes.”
With those words, he left her staring at him with a slack jaw. He’d never spoken to her like that before. They had always had a perfect sense of rhythm in the office and Tara knew that he didn’t need or want those statistics until later this afternoon when he would have time to review them. Was he just being domineering to prove that he could?
Angrily, she grabbed the reports which were already compiled and summarized, two copies; one for him so he could review them and one for herself so she could take notes for further action later. She’d already made the copies knowing that he’d want to review them later this afternoon. Within five minutes, she handed him one of the reports, slapping it into the middle of his desk. She then turned around and sat down in the chair opposite his desk, waiting for him to start his review with her pencil poised over the report but not willing to look at him since she was now angry herself.
“Tell me about your date,” he snapped, ignoring the reports.
Turning the top page of the reports he’d requested, her pen poised to take notes, but Tara wouldn’t look him in the eye. “It was wonderful,” she lied. “The man was fabulous, funny and charming. He took me to a wonderful event, we had interesting food…I mean, what more could a woman ask for?” she said, and watched a bird fly past the window right over his shoulder. “Is there anything else you need to know?” she asked crisply, determined to ignore any overtures from him while he was in this kind of a mood. “Maybe the color of his hair or his eyes? I’m sure both of those little pieces of information are relevant to the day’s meetings, aren’t they?”
Max didn’t say anything for a long moment as he continued to watch her angry eyes. When he finally did speak, it was to snap orders at her about the project that was in proposal right now. It was a pet project of his and she took detailed notes. But just as she suspected, he didn’t even touch the report she’d just placed on his desk.
When he finished, she stood up and walked out, still not looking at him. “I’ll get these notes typed up and delegated immediately,” she said crisply and walked out of his office.
Max cursed under his breath and wished he could call her back and talk to her. He’d hurt her feelings but knew he couldn’t fix it at the moment. He’d spent an awful night wondering what she was doing and if the man she was with was touching her, kissing her. The thought drove him crazy.
And what the hell was she wearing today? He suddenly noticed her pass in front of his office door as she pulled something down off of one of the shelves in the outer office. She’d never worn clothes that tight before in the office. Her suits were always crisp, neat and tailored without a hint of femininity, but this suit had a short skirt that ended well above her knees and pulled across her very nice derriere he noted. The jacket was also snug but not ill-fitting. It gave him a nice view of her luscious breast as it pulled across her chest.