Wanted: Love in London Series 1 (3 page)

“Stop that,” Amber admonished, slapping away her hands, “you’ll ruin your nails.”

“Yes, Mum.” Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at her.

“Well, I am older than you.”

“By just two months, may I remind you.”

“Speaking of which, it’s your birthday in few weeks, how about we round up the gang and try that new bar in Soho that Jess keeps raving about?”

Elizabeth turned her head to Amber, facing away from the television. “Yes, sounds great. I didn’t have any definite plans anyway, so was just going to roll with whatever.” She smiled at her best friend, grateful for everything she did for her.

“Fab, I’ll get it sorted with Jess.” She stretched as she got up from the sofa. “Night, hon. I’m going to hit the sack. The Italian wants me in at the crack of dawn to go over some new plans.”

“Night, Ambs. Looks like we’ve both got our work cut out, huh?”

E
merging
from the tube ten days later, it occurred to Elizabeth that whatever had been thrown at her, she managed to quickly grasp and therefore found her work genuinely exhilarating. Her brain was being challenged in all sorts of ways as she divided her time between marketing and Theo’s demands. After speaking with him about her career aspirations, which was to ultimately work in marketing, he had graciously allowed her to take on more marketing responsibilities, which greatly pleased both her and Miranda.

She was being paid very well for her efforts and actually found it quite strange that she loved her work so much, given the fact that she completely disapproved of Theo’s private life, which also impacted upon her. When he mentioned at the start that she would also be handling his private affairs, little did she realize that it would include daily gate-keeping and fielding calls from his many female admirers, all breathy and hopeful, vying for his attention after hours.

She objected to his womanizing ways; he had taken out at least five women since her time there, and dropped them within the next day or two. Unfortunately, Elizabeth was left to pick up the pieces by sending expensive floral bouquets and, for the extra-special ones who claimed him for a second evening, a subtle piece of jewellery. Theo clearly did not have to try when it came to the opposite sex, always certain that he would take what he wanted. She objected to his large ego.

However...a little voice popped up in her head, startling her with the clarity that followed. He was so damn sexy. She could not, would not, deny that. She found herself daydreaming about him as she bantered with her new colleagues whilst at work in the marketing department, wondering what he was doing, one floor above her. She pictured his clear blue eyes which seemed to change hue according to his mood, his dark wavy hair, just slightly too long to comply with the standard corporate company appearance.

She thought about him in passing more than she would like and lately, he even seemed to disrupt her thoughts at night as she envisioned the date that he would be on, booked by none other than herself. She felt his presence the second she walked into his office, bringing all his masculinity and energy with him, always dressed with meticulous precision, demanding his morning coffee as he strolled past her.

She jolted herself out of those thoughts, irritated that she would allow herself to wonder down this forbidden path. Christ, she doubted that he even really noticed her, after all, the women she has seen him with were of model credentials, tall, glossy long hair, extremely slim, size zero figures. Why would he ever pay a second glance to her petite, voluptuous figure, when it was clear he had a type. She mentally shook her head from her errant thoughts and continued her short walk to work, dodging the influx of London tourists and enjoying the feel of the warm sunshine on her skin. She was content working for him and certainly did not intend to join half the women in the company who were completely besotted with him. She could daydream, but she was firmly rooted in reality.

I
t was Friday
, she was two weeks into her role, and even though she was only a temp, her friends from the marketing department had invited her to the monthly company night out which was to be hosted at a bar close to work.

“So looking forward to tonight, Beth,” enthused James as he saw her approaching her desk. “Seriously, we’ll have a really good laugh, letting our hair down and bitching about each other.” He grinned at her, showing off his perfect white teeth and clapping his hands together theatrically.

James, who was very openly gay, had in the short while she was there, become a good friend to Elizabeth and they often took their lunch breaks together. “And, if you are really drunk,” he continued, eyes sparkling, “you can dish the dirt on that mighty fine piece of ass you’re working for.” He paused for effect, fanning his face and fluttering his lashes as she burst out laughing, speechless as he continued. “And then later, we’ll get you to have a go at the karaoke competition.” He winked at her and she agreed that it would be a fun night out and a good way to socialize with her new friends. Amber was away for the day with the Italian client, collecting samples from up north so she would be staying overnight in a hotel. It would be a nice way to end the busy week and she was looking forward to getting to know her new friends.

The day seemed to go past quite quickly; she was based in the marketing department for the entire day as Theo was holed up in meetings and Alison in New York was handling most of his appointments. She was due to arrive on Monday, but Theo had remarked that something urgent had transpired in the New York office so her imminent arrival would be delayed for another few days. Secretly pleased at this news, Elizabeth relished in the fact that she would get to spend more time in his department; once her role was finished up there, she knew she would miss the daily rush of adrenalin and excitement that she found working for him.

At six o’clock, she emerged from the ladies room, freshened up and with her make-up heavier than she normally wore in the day. She took the lift down to the foyer where she met James and their other marketing friends. “Wow, look at you, hottie,” James whistled as she approached, picking up his phone and pretending to answer a call. “It’s for you. I think Hollywood’s calling.”

“Shut up!” She swatted him playfully with her satchel, blushing lightly. It was not the first time her looks had been compared to a famous actress, but she didn’t reveal anything, embarrassed by the attention. “Come on, I’m ready to party.”

“Okay then, the lady has spoken. Let’s get this show on the road.” He linked arms with her as they left the building, their sound of laughter leaving a happy trail behind.

A few minutes later, they entered the bar, which was slowly beginning to fill up with the local city workers, eager to end their busy weeks with some good company and drinks. They had an area booked, which was sectioned off so they headed over and managed to squeeze onto the end of the almost occupied sofa. Easy chat ensued along with banter and laughter, and Elizabeth found herself loosening up and really enjoying herself. Rumour had it that that Theo was supposed to show up for drinks and company bonding, but as he was still no show, disappointingly she assumed he had a better offer in the form of a date.

She looked at her watch a little while later, a little blurry eyed from the three glasses of white wine she had consumed, and noted that it was almost nine o’clock already. Excusing herself for a comfort break, she headed to the ladies room, fighting her way through the crowd of people. Almost at her destination, she felt someone grab her arm. Slightly swaying from the alcohol, she turned around, smiling, thinking it was one of her friends from work. Instead, it was a large older man, who was now gripping her wrist quite firmly, which in turn started to sober her up. The bar was so crowded, with everyone engrossed in their own conversations, that nobody paid attention to what was occurring between them in the corner.

“Hey, beautiful,” he slurred, “I’ve been watching you all night. Can I buy you a drink?” He leaned closer to her and, instinctively, Elizabeth moved away as his breath stank of alcohol. He openly stared at her chest, leering at her, making her feel very uneasy.

“No, let go of me!” She yanked her arm away, slightly shaken and darted into the ladies room, her heart beating wildly. Taking a few deep breaths, she calmed herself down a few minutes later, convincing herself that he was harmless and that perhaps she over reacted due to her alcohol consumption. Nonetheless, when she returned to their table a few minutes later, eyes peeled for the offender, Elizabeth found that she was quite tired and decided to call it a night and head home.

It was still early enough to catch the tube so she waved her friends goodbye, grabbed her satchel and unsteadily made her way out of the bar. As soon as the fresh air hit her, she became aware that she was pretty drunk. Having a liquid diet for dinner was probably not the best choice, she reasoned, as she tried to steady herself walking down the dimly lit street to the tube station.

As most people were either in bars or on their way home in transport, it felt strangely deserted as she concentrated on getting back onto the main road. The sound of footsteps behind her, rapidly approaching had her assuming that it was just someone anxious to get on their way, past this narrow street, so she moved accommodatingly to the side to let them by. Then she heard the voice.

“Hello again, blondie.” It sounded menacing this time and she froze with fear and recognition – it was the same drunk man from the bar. She felt the blood drain from her face, her heart racing so fast she thought it would explode.

Please God, no. She slowly turned around to face him as he started to close the short distance between them. “Please, leave me alone,” she pleaded, blinking rapidly, trying to regain her vision. “I’ve got money, if that’s what you want.”

“Shut up, bitch,” he smirked at her. “I offered you a drink and you were so high and mighty back in there. What am I, no good for you?” he sneered, inching closer to her face and she felt nauseated with the stench radiating from his pores.

He was heavy set and a good bit taller, looming over her threateningly. Abruptly, he grabbed her chin and roughly shoved her up against the wall, her head making contact with a bang. She screamed in pain, as he pinned her there, arms reaching up to protect her head, fearful of what was coming next. He was just about to raise his hand, when out of nowhere, he was forcefully grabbed off her and thrown violently to the ground.

“You bastard! Get the fuck off her, asshole!” Feeling rooted to the spot, she looked and saw Theo bending over and landing a few solid punches onto the man’s face. “You fucker!” he roared, nostrils flaring, white hot anger pouring from him as he gripped the man by his collar, who was now barely conscious from the force of Theo’s rage. Blood was spurting out the man’s nose and cut lip, and as Theo was about to raise his fist to make contact once more, Elizabeth managed to find her voice to stop him from doing any further damage.

“Theo,” she called out, her voice trembling. His fist paused mid-air the minute he heard her speak and slammed the attacker back down to the ground with disgust. Stepping over him, Theo cautiously moved closer to her, holding out his hand.

For a second, Elizabeth took in his appearance. He’d been fighting – hair dishevelled, suit jacket discarded on the ground, shirt slightly ripped from the scuffle – but he still looked impossibly handsome. She realized she was holding her breath when, suddenly, the enormity of what just happened descended upon her. Fully sobered up, she looked at him helplessly, her eyes misting over, like a deer caught in headlights as her knees gave way. In one swift movement, he enveloped her in his arms before she was anywhere near the ground. Tears streaming down her face, she clung to him, shaking uncontrollably in his arms.

“Shhhh, it’s okay, Beth,” he said tenderly, cradling her in the warmth of his strong body, soothingly stroking her hair, as if speaking to a child. “You’re okay now. I promise sweetheart, it’s over. Ssshhhh, you’re okay. I’m here. It’s over, baby.”

T
he next couple
of hours went by in a blur for Elizabeth as she went through the motions of speaking to the police to give her statement after they had arrested the attacker. Following that, she was taken to the local hospital to have her head looked at, which luckily was only bruised without any serious harm.

All the while, Theo protectively stayed by her side, not letting her out of his sight, fussing over her, demanding that the doctor should send her for an MRI until Elizabeth told him to calm down. Too emotional and overwhelmed to think clearly, she appreciated the comfort and strength he provided. It was after midnight when she was discharged from the hospital and all she wanted to do was to crawl into bed and close her eyes.

Theo had made a call whilst her paperwork was being completed and as they stepped out of the hospital shortly after, his driver was waiting for them. Elizabeth managed a weak smile in acknowledgment as she crawled into the back seat, Theo following closely behind, giving his driver Elizabeth’s home address as their destination.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, it dimly registered that he knew her address from memory, but at this stage she didn’t have the energy to further process this information. They sat quietly in the back of the car, lost in their own thoughts, Theo’s arm wrapped around her as she rested her head against the hard, warm muscles of his chest. It felt good to be so close to him, breathing in the subtle scent of his cologne and it dawned upon her that they fit perfectly together. More than anything was the awareness that she felt completely safe with him.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at her home and Elizabeth wearily stepped out of the car, already missing the comfort of Theo’s arms around her. She was aware of him muttering something to his driver and then he followed her up the stairs into her flat. As Amber was away for the night, the flat was shrouded in darkness and, for a moment, Elizabeth felt a tightening in her chest and her breathing accelerated.

He must have sensed her anxiety because Theo stepped forward and turned on a floor lamp, the soft glow lighting up the front room as he gently turned her around to face him, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“It’s okay, Beth. You’re safe here.” He gazed into her eyes, concern etched on his features. She looked up at him, seeing him so differently now, how he had exposed to her this caring part of him that he kept so well hidden from the world. Her eyes filled with tears. She owed him so much for tonight and right now, with her jumbled thoughts and emotions, she couldn’t get the words out. Without thinking, she reached up to stroke his face, feeling the short stubble that had grown since his morning shave. His eyes darkened as her soft hands lingered over his rough skin.

“Theo,” she whispered huskily, feeling light-headed, aware of her quickening heartbeat. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, as her skin felt flushed with heat. The air crackled with electricity between them.

Theo screwed his eyes closed, momentarily leaning into her palm. Almost as if he were experiencing an internal battle of sorts, he snapped open his eyes, offered a small smile and stepped back. Gently taking her hand from his face, he lightly kissed her forehead.

“You need to rest, sweetheart,” he said in a low voice.

“Okay,” she concurred, nodding, averting her eyes, not quite sure what was happening between them, her body responding to him in ways she couldn’t understand.

Shortly afterward, after re-checking she had all his contact numbers should she need anything, he was gone.

E
lizabeth spent
a quiet weekend at home with Amber. Checking her phone every now and then to see if Theo would call again, he didn’t apart from the brief call on Saturday morning to see how she was doing. Secretly disappointed, she told herself not to be silly for expecting anything else. He was her boss. She rationalized that she was really fortunate that he happened to be there at the right place and right time, and like a true gentleman, he had looked after her. Nothing more.

So, why did it feel like something was happening between them, she argued with her inner self? The sensible part of her interjected with further objections – Theo was used to glamorous, experienced and worldly women – why would she even cross his mind in any sort of romantic love interest way? After all it was pretty obvious that he liked his women, lacked any form of commitment and the last thing she wanted was to have her heart broken again. It was best this way, she reasoned.

O
n Monday morning
, stepping out of the shower, her mobile phone began ringing. “Good Morning, Miss Morgan?” A formal voice enquired at the other end.

“Uh, hi, yes. This is Beth.”

“Miss Morgan, my name is Edward and I will be your driver from now on. I’m parked just outside your building, in the black BMW. Please, take your time.”

“I’m sorry, but do you have the right person?” She was confused as she hadn’t called for a car.

“Yes, quite sure, Miss Morgan,” the voice loosened up slightly, a smile coming through. “Mr Steele has instructed that I am to bring you to and from work and, in fact, wherever else you desire to travel.”

It took a moment for this to register, somewhat shocked at Theo’s display of protectiveness. She cleared her throat.

“Thank you, Edward. Please give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be right down.” She hung up the call and sat on her bed, stunned. This was clearly too much for her to accept, but she would thank him for his thoughtfulness when she saw him later.

T
heo was
in meetings for most of the morning. Nearing lunchtime, she felt his presence before she saw him, the tiny hairs rising on her nape. Engrossed on a call, he barely acknowledged her as he strolled into his office. Feeling slightly miffed, she got up to follow him and went to wait outside his door until he finished his call. It was not quite shut so she could hear the tail end of the conversation as he transferred it to the speaker phone. She was about to walk away when she heard a breathy sounding female voice coming from the speaker. Her feet involuntarily refused to move.

“But Theo, darling, how can you say that?” the voice purred. “You can’t deny that we had an amazing time together.” She laughed seductively. “I’m sure you wouldn’t be against us enacting a replay of–”

“Victoria, stop,” he cut her off, his voice taking on a hard edge. “I told you from the start, no strings. Yes, we had fun together, but I’m sorry, it meant nothing to me.”

Outside the door, Elizabeth visibly paled at his tone.

She heard the woman gasp before she shrieked on the other end. “You’re an absolute pig, Theo Steele. Do you know how many men would kill to be in your position for a night with me? Why, I—”

“Victoria, I said enough.” Theo’s voice silenced what promised to be a tirade. He spoke very quietly and with such contained menace that Elizabeth felt sorry for the poor woman, whoever she was. “I told you to stop calling me. I never promised you anything. Do not contact me again.” He hung up the phone before she could protest any further.

The spurge of courage that had her rooted to the spot, eavesdropping on their conversation, had now evaporated and she was just about to turn back around when she heard his voice.

“Elizabeth, do come in.”

Her face burning with embarrassment, she quietly walked into his office, shutting the door. She slid into the chair opposite him, unable to look at him in the eye.

“I’m, er, really sorry,” she faltered over her words, fiddling with her shirt sleeve. “I didn’t mean to overhear your conversation.” She winced at her feeble words. He swooped round his desk to perch on the edge so that he was looming over her, crossing his arms.

“How are you?” he asked, ignoring her discomfort.

She glanced at his thigh, the pull of fine fabric over his muscular leg distracting her. Dragging her eyes to meet his, his close proximity was having an effect on her as she remembered the strong muscles of his arms wrapped around her. The intensity of his eyes, darker than usual, was unnerving as he studied her. She wondered if he could hear the loud thumping of her heart or see the rush of blood to her ears.

She subtly pressed herself into the back of the chair and smiled shyly at him. “I’m okay. Thank you, Theo.” He continued to stare at her, his gaze unfaltering. “Thank you for sending Edward this morning too. I appreciate it, but really, it’s not necessary as I’m fine now.”

“That’s not up for discussion,” he dryly responded, walking back round to his side of the desk and perusing some paperwork, seemingly ignoring her protest.

“I’m sorry, pardon?” Irritated at his response, she sat up straighter in her chair, her voice more forceful than before. She was not one of his many women that he could dictate to. “I can look after myself, Theo. I don’t need a baby-sitter.”

He put down his papers, giving her his full attention, glaring at her. “I’m not in the mood for any more arguments today.”

“I didn’t realize I was arguing,” she said warily.

“You don’t have to. I can see what’s going on in that head of yours.” He sighed. “Look, Elizabeth. The safety of my staff is paramount. Until we know that bastard is put away, while you work under my care, I owe a duty of care to protect my staff. That’s all.”

Stung by his words, her mouth went dry whilst her brain seemed to seize up completely. Sucking in some air, she had to force herself to breathe evenly.

“I understand,” she said tightly, gritting her teeth as she stood up. “Thank you for the company’s generosity. I hope this mess will be soon resolved so that I don’t have to impinge on the company expenses any further than necessary.” She held her head high and walked out his office, her eyes stinging with tears which she refused to let spill over. How could she have been so stupid to even consider that perhaps he may have been attracted to her? Clearly the man she witnessed from Friday night was long gone, replaced once again by the ruthless machine that was Theo Steele.