A Christmas Affair

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.

Dominic drew in a harsh breath. ‘I thought we were at least—friends.’

Now it was Cathy's turn to frown. Dominic didn't have what she would have classed actual friends. He had a lot of acquaintances, but no one who was really close to him. And she had always believed he preferred it that way.

‘Don't look so stunned, Cathy,’ he drawled self-derisively. ‘My obvious misapprehension doesn't bind you to anything.’

Friends? Dominic and she? If they were, it wasn't the sort of friendship she was used to—nothing at all like the friendship she had shared with Jade for so many years. With Jade, it didn't matter how long it had been since the two of them had last seen each other; they would instantly fall into a warm conversation as if it had been yesterday, talking about anything and nothing, whatever the two of them wished. She and Dominic had never talked like that together.

And yet she could see she had offended Dominic by her scepticism, and she wished there were some way she could undo her surprise at his assumption. It was the first time she had ever heard Dominic presume such a friendship existed between them, and now it looked as if she was throwing it back in his face!

‘I've always hoped we were,’ she returned non-committally.

But she had always believed that friends confided things to each other, and other than what she had read about Dominic's personal life in magazine articles, plus the few brief glimpses he had given her himself, she knew little or nothing about him.

And anyone could find out that he came from a working-class background, that his parents had died while he was relatively young, and that he had been brought up by a spinster aunt after that. She didn't need to read it anywhere to know that he never went out with women, or at least, if he did, he was very, very discreet. As regarded his business life, she knew all about that to the last detail. What she didn't know was what devil it was that drove him.

And if he really regarded her as a friend he would have felt able to confide at least part of the reason for his single-minded attitude to life.

But she only knew that he was the man she loved. At the same time, she knew that he had memories buried inside him, memories that had scarred too deeply for him to share them with anyone. She knew that instinctively, not from anything he had ever said or shown from his actions. There was evidence enough in the closed man that he was.

The times that she had hoped and prayed he would open up to her! But all he had ever chosen to discuss with her was business. That was never likely to change now. And it had obviously been enough for Dominic all these years.

‘As close as I've got to having one,’ he mockingly echoed her thoughts, as if he had found it all too easy to read them. He glanced at her. ‘Why don't you settle down and have a sleep? And don't say you aren't tired,’ he added softly as she went to protest. ‘Because I know damn well you must be.’

‘I was just about to remind you that you had agreed we would take it in turns to drive,’ she said.

He shrugged. ‘As we've only gone about fifteen miles, I think I might manage to carry on for a while longer!’

His sarcastic sense of humour had taken a lot of getting used to when she had first gone to work for him, especially as the closest he ever came to acknowledging that humour himself was the occasional glitter of amusement in the dark green eyes!

‘I'll wake you when I've had enough,’ he added drily.

She made a face at him, receiving a mocking quirk of his mouth in response. ‘Just make sure you do,’ she warned as she settled down more comfortably, closing her eyes.

‘Yes, ma'am,’ he drawled.

Cathy opened one eye and looked at him. ‘Try and remember that in future I'm no longer restrained in my responses by the fact that I work for you,’ she said.

‘I can't say I ever noticed that fact keeping you silent in the past,’ he mocked. ‘Your honesty, brutal or otherwise, has always been one of the things I've most liked about you.’

She had never even realised he did like her. He had picked a hell of a time to decide to tell her he did!

Not that it would have made any difference to her earlier decision. Liking wasn't loving, and she was no longer willing to settle for anything less, especially the scraps Dominic was able to give her. Lord knew she had flared up at Jade about appreciating the value of love when it was offered to her; she couldn't then opt for anything less for herself.

She had a feeling Jade was well aware of her love for Dominic, although, surprisingly, that was the one thing the two of them had never talked about. Jade was her best friend, but somehow her love for Dominic had always seemed too sensitive a subject to put into words, even to someone as close to her as Jade was. Maybe because she knew that love was so hopeless. The last thing she wanted was pity.

She chanced another glance at Dominic beneath lowered lashes. He looked grim again. What was he thinking about as he drove along so competently? She never had been able to even guess at his thoughts, the façade he showed to the world always enigmatic.

He was probably thinking of something quite mundane—such as how insane the two of them must be to be undertaking this journey at all! It might have been nice, just for once, to imagine they were a little in tune with each other. But, as she knew all too well, Dominic was a past master at hiding his thoughts, and feelings, from everyone.

Although he had certainly shown some reaction to her handing in her resignation, Cathy acknowledged ruefully. Though she certainly wasn't going to attempt to build any more hopeless dreams on that.

She closed her eyes determinedly, wishing the journey—and this torture—over. Beyond this lay the warmth of Penny and Simon and their home, the wonder of Jade and David's love for each other, the innocence of her two young nephews as they excitedly looked forward to Christmas.

She smiled at the thoughts, wishing herself there, longing for that enveloping warmth, not aware of the moment when the thoughts became a hazy dream and carried her off to sleep …

‘Lunch, Cathy.’

Lunch? What did lunch have to do with the golden vision before her, all the family seated about the brightly lit Christmas tree? But even as the irritated question came to her Dominic appeared in the vision carrying a silver tray of food. And he looked so right there among her family and friends, so incredibly perfect, so——

‘I said it's time for lunch, Cathy,’ that intrusive voice persisted.

So he kept saying. But she wasn't in the least hungry, and——

‘Cathy, wake up.’ A firm hand shook her shoulder.

She frowned at the irritation, trying unsuccessfully to shake off the hand, only to have the action repeated, more vigorously this time. ‘Go away,’ she muttered impatiently.

‘You always were bad-tempered when you woke up.’ Dominic was amused now.

Cathy was frowning as she reluctantly opened her eyes, the wonderful dream having disappeared as if it had never been. As it hadn't. Dreams were an impossibility.

Dominic was sitting turned towards her in his seat, not the smiling, loving man in her dreams, but the cynic she was more used to.

‘You've been asleep almost two hours, and I need some lunch,’ he told her practically.

She moved stiffly, still frowning darkly as she straightened in her seat to look around them. Dominic had stopped at one of the roadside service areas, and outside the car the snow still fell softly, thick on the ground where there were no vehicles to churn it up and melt it into muddy slush. The sky was darker above them, too, as if the weight of the snow yet to come was hanging heavily above them.

‘Stop complaining, when it was your suggestion that I sleep,’ she snapped moodily, looking in the overhead mirror and doing her best to straighten her appearance before they got out.

Dominic smiled at her bad temper, shaking his head. ‘Let's go and get something to eat. Fussing over your appearance isn't going to do you a lot of good when you get outside in the wind.’

The coldness outside did a lot to revive her spirits; she had always loved the snow. Large flecks of it landed on her face and hair, and she was gazing up at the featherlight flakes when her footing suddenly seemed to go from under her and she felt herself falling.

‘Steady.’ Dominic's hand was instantly under her elbow as he kept her on her feet, easily supporting her weight beside him. ‘Perhaps you'd better hold on to me.’ He put her hand in the crook of his arm and held it there.

During the whole time she had worked for him, Dominic had rarely had a need to touch her, and having his hand against hers now made the cold completely disappear. Cathy suddenly felt too warm for comfort.

As was usual in these places, the service area was noisy and crowded, especially so as it was Christmas Eve, with everyone more than full of the joys of the season as they anticipated the holiday ahead.

The queue for food in the restaurant looked never-ending, and several people were so bored by the wait that they were indulging in horseplay that could only be described as juvenile, one teenage boy very free with his mistletoe as he moved among the queue looking for all the pretty young ladies.

Cathy winced as she glanced sideways at Dominic, knowing from experience that he hated anything resembling a fast-food restaurant at the best of times. And with the volume of people that passed through these service areas in a day they couldn't be classed as anything else!

But today Dominic didn't seem in the least concerned by their surroundings. Just as he seemed totally unaware of the fact that Cathy's hand was still tucked warmly inside his arm!

‘Wow, my luck's really in today,’ murmured an admiring voice.

During her preoccupation with Dominic Cathy had completely forgotten the young man with the mistletoe, but unfortunately he seemed to have reached their place in the queue.

He was a young man of about eighteen, with an untidy mop of blond hair and mischievous blue eyes, wearing the customary jeans and thick jacket.

And he looked as if he had every intention of kissing her.

‘I don't think so,’ Dominic drawled softly.

An irritated blue gaze was turned on the older man as he stood so commandingly at Cathy's side. The two gazes clashed challengingly but, whatever it was the younger man read in Dominic's eyes, he looked disappointed rather than rebellious when he turned back wistfully towards Cathy.

Then his expression brightened suddenly. ‘Well, there's no reason why the mistletoe shouldn't be put to good use.’ And he held the green sprig with its creamy berries over Cathy's and Dominic's heads, his intention obvious as he looked at them expectantly.

Cathy was too embarrassed by the action to even glance at Dominic.

How on earth were they going to get out of this one, and with everyone in the near vicinity turning to look at them curiously now? If Dominic tried to cry off by claiming she worked for him he was only likely to receive ribald comments from the over-enthusiastic crowd in here today.