Deceiving Her Boss (13 page)

 
After they'd caught their breaths, Sean lifted Allie's face to his. 
"Someday soon, Allie, I'm going to take you to my bed.  I'm going to make
love to every inch of your body, and you will be mine.  You will belong to me. 
Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

 
Allie nodded, wanting that.  Wanting him.

 
Sean sighed.  "Let's go," he said at last.  "Before we kill each
other out here with frustration."

 
Together, they walked back to where the car was waiting for them, and they rode
in silence back to the hotel.  When they walked in the lobby, Sean turned to
Allie,  "You go on up, sweetheart.  I'm going to go get a drink in the
bar.  If I get in the elevator with you, all bets are off for the night."

 
Allie nodded.  "Good night," she said quietly, turning and heading
directly for the elevator bank. 

 
Sean watched her go.  It was going to be a long night.

NINE

 
When Allie and Sean returned to the office, they were pulled in many different
directions.  While they worked hard and worked long hours, they were careful to
keep their work life separate from everything else.  Sean traveled a bit on
short trips, and Allie stayed behind, keeping in touch via e-mail and voice
messages, but never talking directly, and never saying anything personal.  It
was as if they were both trying to return to the past, at least for a few more
weeks.

 
Sean was particularly careful to stay away from Allie.  The thought of her
resigning was troubling to him, as much because of how invaluable she was to
him and is company, as the thought of not seeing her every day in the office.  
And while he knew that she was right, that this situation they were in would
need to be resolved, he needed her now.  There were too many balls in the air
for him to lose her, train someone new, and get them up to speed while still
juggling.  So they walked on egg shells, saw each other infrequently, and only
at work, and tried to pretend that they never took their relationship anywhere
outside of the employer/employee realm.

 
One Saturday morning, Allie was at loose ends.  The weather was warm, and she
badly needed a run.  Pulling on her running clothes and shoes, she looked again
at the morning paper that she had left open on her table.  A small column on
the front page was devoted to tonight's hospital benefit, and event she had
completely forgotten about until this morning. 

 
As she started off on her run along the city's river, she thought about the
benefit.  It was an annual thing, and Sean was on the board so he went every
year, always with a different beautiful woman on his arm.  They were always
photographed together, Sean and his date, and their photo frequently appeared
in the society section of the newspaper.  Last year, the first year that Allie
had worked for Sean, he had asked her to arrange for flowers to be sent to the
home of the woman he was escorting.  This year, though, he had made no such
request.

 
Allie didn't kid herself into thinking that there was no date tonight.  A man
like Sean did not show up to these things without someone on his arm.  But she
wondered why Sean didn't ask for Allie's help for any of the arrangements.  It
would have been hard for her, she knew.  She didn't want to be jealous of
anyone Sean dated, but the recent changes to their working relationship were
making it hard for Allie to see him solely as her boss.  So she should have
taken care of things for him.  He should have asked her to.  It would have
helped her to put things back on the right footing.

 
And she needed to date again too.  It had been a while, more because she had
been busy at work than for any other reason.  She had plenty of opportunities,
and her friends were always trying to set her up.  But maybe now was the time. 
Maybe she needed to pull away from Sean, and maybe finding someone else to see
from time to time would help her to do that.

 
When Allie got back from her run, she grabbed a bottle of water from her fridge
and a towel from her closet and walked out onto her back patio to cool down.  
She had just plopped herself down onto the comfortable swing when she heard her
cell phone ring.  Standing up again, she grabbed the cell from the table where
she'd left it and answered it, heading back out to the patio as she did so.

 
"Allie, thank God you're home," Anna's voice was on the other end of
the line.

 
"What?  What's wrong?  Are you OK, Anna?"

 
"I need your help.  Do you remember Alex from the wedding?"

 
"Of course.  Paul's friend.  The good-looking doctor, right?  He was
dating that really nice elementary school teacher, right?"

 
"That's the one.  Only Meghan walked out on him last weekend.  You know
the hospital benefit is tonight, right?"

 
Allie groaned.  "Oh no."

 
"Come on, Allie. He honestly doesn't want to go tonight, but he needs to. 
It's important that the doctors show up tonight, especially those that are
well-known to the board.  I told him that I'd ask you if you were available and
would be willing to go along, just so he didn't need to go alone.  He agreed --
he said he'd go if you would be willing to go with him."

 
"So why isn't he calling?"

 
"Um, Allie, it's tonight.  There is probably very little that he could say
that would convince you to do this, and I'm probably one of the few people you
won't say an immediate no to."

 
"Well, that's true," Allie conceded.  "But Anna..."

 
"We're the same size.  You can borrow one of my dresses.  Please, Allie? 
Besides, it'll be fun.  Paul and I will be there, and you and I can hang out by
the buffet tables while all the men talk shop.  Please?"

 
Allie sighed.  This had disaster written all over it.  "I'll tell you
what.  I'll go under one condition.  I come over there to get dressed, and go
to the benefit with you and Paul.  I'll meet Alex there."

 
Anna's relief was palpable.  "Oh Allie, I love you dearly, my friend.  Now
get your butt over here so I can dress you."

 
After a quick shower to wash off the sweat and grime from her run, Allie
dressed in a clean pair of sweats and shoved an assortment of underwear, shoes,
and makeup into a tote bag.  When she rang the doorbell at Anna's house, the
door opened immediately, and her friend just reached out and hauled her inside.

 
"Oh thank God, " she said as she pulled Allie through the house
toward one of the guest bedrooms.  She had pulled out an assortment of evening
gowns for her friend to look through, and it didn't take long before Allie's
eyes settled on her favorite dress among them -- a lovely dark olive green
dress with a leafy pattern subtly woven throughout.  It was cut in a modest
sheath style in front, but the back and arms were bare.  The skirt was long and
slender, with a slit up one side to allow for movement.

 
"I bought that one last fall for a dance that we never went to, so if you
want it, it's yours."

 
"I can't take your dress, Anna," Allie smiled.  "But I'll gladly
wear it tonight if you honestly don't mind!"

 
"It will look better with your coloring than mine.  Wear it."

 
Three hours later, after a soak in the hot tub and a long hair and makeup
session, both women were looking glamorous.  Anna was in a long gold dress with
a full skirt and a tight bodice.  Both women had pinned their hair up -- Anna's
was in a soft braid and Allie had hers in a loose bun, with tendrils escaping
to frame her face.   When they went downstairs to meet Paul, his mouth dropped open.

 
"Wow.  Anna, you are gorgeous.  And Allie, you look a hell of a lot better
than you did that night at Sean's place."

 
As Anna playfully whacked her husband's arm, Allie's stomach dropped.  How
could she have forgotten even for one second, that Sean would be at this
benefit tonight?   And since it was so last minute, there's no way she could
have warned him that she'd be there.  He'd wonder why she didn't mention it,
and he'd be right to be upset with her.

 
Sighing, Allie knew that there really was nothing to be done about it, short of
sending the guy a message.  She wondered what he would make of a CU2NITE text.

 
Alex was waiting at the door for them when they arrived at the benefit, and he
took one look at Allie and said, "Wow.  There is not a guy here tonight
who won't be wishing they were me.  You look gorgeous."

 
Allie smiled up at him.  "Why thank you.  And you look amazing yourself. 
I do love a guy in a tux," she grinned.

 
Alex offered his arm to Allie as they headed into the large ballroom where the
benefit was being held.  "Thanks for coming tonight, Allie.  I know this
was short notice, and I appreciate it.  I'm sorry if Anna badgered you."

 
Allie laughed.  "My guess is that she badgered you too.  And it's no
problem, Alex.  I didn't have other plans tonight anyway, and this definitely
beats take-out food."  She stopped for a moment and looked up at him
seriously.  "Alex, I'm sorry about Meghan.  Are you trying to work things
out?  You seemed so happy together at the wedding."

 
Alex looked away for a moment, then back down at Allie.  And in that moment,
she saw his sorrow.  "I don't know," he said quietly.  "I want
to, but the ball is in her court."

 
Smiling sympathetically, Allie just said, "Well, tonight won't be easy for
you, but I'll do what I can to help."

 
"Thanks, Allie."

 
Paul and Anna came up behind them as they stood at one of the small bar stands
set up around the room.  Paul and Alex each ordered a bourbon, while Anna asked
for a Pinot Gris, and Allie requested a Shiraz.  They found a small table to
set their drinks on, and sat and chatted for a few minutes before Paul asked
Anna to dance.  Watching their friends move around the floor, Allie and Alex
made small talk for a while.  Allie asked Alex a lot about his work, but Alex
was clearly feeling down and talked a lot about Meghan.  Allie listened, and
hoped that they two of them would be able to work things out.

 
The room was crowded, and Allie refused to allow herself to search the room for
Sean, so it was some time before she spotted him across the room.  He was
dancing with a beautiful red-headed woman who was smiling up at him as he moved
her gracefully around the dance floor.  Despite the pang of jealousy she felt,
Allie reminded herself that the man was off-limits to her, and she forced
herself to turn her attention back to Alex.

 
"Would you care to dance?" he asked her as she sipped from her wine
glass before setting it back on the table.

 
"I'd love to," she smiled.  The band had switched to a moderately
paced song, and despite the fact that she barely knew Alex, they moved well
together.  Within a few moments of dancing together, it looked like they had
been partners for years.

 
"Well this is an unexpected surprise," Alex grinned down at her. 
"You can really move."

 
"Likewise," she laughed.  "I think I'm glad I came
tonight."

 
"I think I'm glad too," he said, spinning her back out for another
dance.  "You've cheered me up a bit.  Not much, mind you, but a bit."

 
After about three more songs, Allie was begging for a break and a tall glass of
something cold.  Alex went back to the bar for drinks, and she sat at their
table, waiting for him to return.  She looked up when she felt someone sit down
in a chair next to her, and was surprised to see Meghan joining her, dressed
beautifully in a long dark blue gown, but a hurt expression on her face.

 
"Well it didn't take long at all for him to replace me, did it?" she
said glumly.

 
Allie just looked over at her and grinned.  "Meghan.  Thank God.  That man
is miserable without you.  I'm leaving.  You sit here -- he's going to be right
back with drinks, and unless I'm a terrible reader of people, he's going to be
absolutely thrilled to find you here.   And no, I'm not even close to being
your replacement, sweetie." Standing up, she bent down quickly and gave
the startled woman a hug.  "Good luck.  Make him pay if he was a jerk to
you."

 
Allie grabbed her evening bag from the table and headed off to go find Anna and
tell her that she was going home.   Spotting her across the room, she began to make
her way through the crowd.  She hadn't made it more than a few steps when she
felt a hand curl over her elbow, and an arm reach out to pull her toward the
dance floor.

 
"Mr. Greyson....  hello," she stammered as Sean simply pulled her
into him and held onto her.

 
"Allie, you probably don't want to make me any angrier tonight than I
already am," he said softly, his grip on her tightening slightly. 
"You seem to be making it a habit to irritate me."

 
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Allie protested, trying
to put some space between them without making a scene on the dance floor.

 
"Who is he, Allie?  And how long have you been seeing him?"