Free Finally His by Doris O'Connor

Somehow she managed to get those three words past the huge lump in her throat, and Richard smiled.
    “Good girl. See that wasn’t so hard now. I see you at the office then, Miss Pierson.”
    With one long last, searching look at her he stalked off, leaving her thoroughly confused standing in his kitchen.
     

Chapter Seven
     
    Jolie was still confused when she exited the taxi outside the office block that housed Tomlin Enterprises, and in truth, the thought of ringing in sick sounded more and more appealing. She certainly felt sick with the way her stomach churned. After Richard had stalked away from her, she’d seen him briefly, dressed impeccably in one of his tailored business suits, while she’d looked the poor relation in her crumpled dress.
    He’d grabbed her, kissing her senseless, and then put her in the promised taxi.
    “Take the lady to wherever she wants to go and wait there until she’s ready to go to work. Put it on my account.”
    The taxi driver had tipped an imaginary hat at Richard and one more heated glance in her direction later, the man himself had sped off. Fortunately the taxi driver, Ahmed, as she found out, took a more leisurely approach to driving. No doubt because he was on a meter, but, whatever the reason her stomach sure appreciated the more sedate pace.
    Ahmed had simply smiled at her and got out his newspaper when they’d made it to her flat.
    “I’ll be as quick as I can be,” she’d said.
    The taxi driver had nodded and settled down as though this was an everyday occurrence for him. Then again, maybe it was. After all, Richard had an account with the firm, and as Ahmed hadn’t batted an eyelid at her disheveled walk of shame, maybe he was used to picking up women from her boss’s place and taking them home.
    Those thoughts had not helped her churning stomach, and neither had the fastest shower she’d ever taken.  Her hair was still slightly damp, being that she had simply shoved it into a bun, and having donned fresh underwear and a pencil skirt and modest blouse had legged it back out of her door.
    There had been no time for makeup bar a bit of lip gloss, a decision which she now regretted when she caught sight of her reflection in the revolving door. She looked far too pale. Then again, if the shit hit the fan, she could always excuse herself and go home again. Jolie doubted anyone would question her too closely if she said she wasn’t feeling well. Anyone but Stephanie, that was. That woman would be livid at her turning up over an hour late.
    So much for this thing with the boss not affecting her work. Jolie was just kidding herself, and now she was paying the prize for her foolishness.
    As predicted Stephanie made a beeline for her the minute Jolie entered the offices.
    “What sort of time do you call this?”  Her shrill voice grated on Jolie’s already shredded nerves, especially when Richard chose that moment to come out of his office. Her heart stuttered to a stop seeing him, but Richard gave no indication he had even seen her. He seemed to be looking straight through her, and Jolie sat down at her desk with an inelegant thump as his deep voice addressed her supervisor.
    “I would appreciate you tempering your voice, Stephanie. There is no need to berate anyone. I’m sure Miss Pierson has a perfectly valid reason for being late.”
    Jolie wanted the ground to swallow her whole as the whole open plan office seemed to look at her, and as for her supervisor she turned a nice shade of putrid purple under her makeup.
    “I doubt that, Richard, and besides, she hasn’t finished the work I set her to do, so—”
    “Which work would that be?” Richard interrupted the woman, and belatedly Jolie noticed the note he held in her hand. The very one written by Stephanie and addressed to Jolie. Surely she’d got rid of that last night, before she’d gone to Richard’s office? Then again he had known about it anyway, and he might have just retrieved that note for his own