“That is very kind of you, but I couldn’t impose on you.”
“It’s no imposition, it would be my pleasure,” he said, grinning like a schoolboy.
I know what’s on your mind, buster, Michelle thought.
“Then I will accept. Thank you.”
“No problem, I’m delighted that you’re now part of the company.”
She smiled, standing up and shaking the hand he held out to her.
He liked the firmness of her handshake, but she was still soft and so very feminine. He held her hand for a long time; eventually, reluctantly, releasing her.
He felt awkward again, yet took the plunge.
“Are you free for dinner, tonight?”
“Yes,” she said, smiling again at his transparency.
“Then, I’ll give you a lift to the flat, and then we could go out to a nice little restaurant I know.”
“I’d like that, thank you,” she said, and he received a warm glow whenever she smiled.
“Have you any luggage?”
She looked at the small bag by the secretary’s desk.
“That’s all I have in the world,” she said, as another poor sucker fell for her charm.
Mary returned to see her boss leaving with the tall girl. She smiled, as perhaps the man had met his match at last.
Typically, Gordon had a Range Rover, not because he ever went off-road or towed anything, but because it matched his ego. London was packed to overflowing with cars, so his answer was to have the biggest and most inefficient he could get. The V8 engine rarely got more than twelve miles to the gallon the way he drove, but it reflected his attitude to everything - big, expensive and in control.
Michelle appreciated the ample legroom, as a very tall girl, she found the smaller cars too short, so was pleased to be able to stretch out in comfort. She noted the windows were smoked; therefore no one could see inside. She smiled, as this car was the exact mirror of its owner.
She watched as London streets flitted past and was interested, having never been here before. Gordon glanced at his passenger and smiled slightly.
She was the most beautiful girl he had ever met, so found himself falling for her in a big way. Either most of the women he met were little more than prostitutes supplied by companies as softeners for his use, or otherwise, they were girls whom his mother decided he ought to consider as potential wives. He had never actually managed to attract and hold onto a woman all by himself, so he thought that perhaps he never would.
He suddenly remembered his mother.
“Damn!” he said, making Michelle jump slightly. She had been following his thoughts, but the suddenness of his expletive surprised her.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve just remembered, my mother is dropping in this evening.”
“Then I will go to a hotel,” she said.
“No, don’t be silly. It’s just that we will all have to go out.”
“I could cook for you?” she offered.
Gordon was silent, and Michelle smiled as she read his mind. Never had his mother been round when a girl he had been seeing had cooked a meal. He smiled as he tried to gauge her reaction.
“I couldn’t expect you to do that,” he said, half-heartedly.
“You are helping me, so I help you, and you pretend that you at last have a domestic girl friend,” she said with a wicked smile.
He stared at her in surprise, but then started to laugh.
They stopped off at a supermarket, so for the first time in his adult life, Gordon went round pushing a trolley as Michelle selected various products. She took her time, as it was no act that the products were unfamiliar to her. He paid by credit card, unaware whether she had bought cheap or expensive items.
The flat was in a select mews in Kensington, and he even had two garages, one for the Range Rover and one for his 1969 MGB roadster.
He put the car away and unlocked the front door.
It was a beautiful flat, thoroughly modernised internally. It had four spacious bedrooms and two bathrooms, a modern kitchen (which had rarely seen food prepared), a dining room and a large living room with small study to the rear.
They carried the groceries and her small case into the house, so he showed her to the largest spare room. She placed her case on the floor, and gratefully went to the bathroom.
He went and tidied up a little, so when she appeared again, they were both surprised.
She was surprised that the living room was now tidy, and he was surprised at her change in clothes.
She had taken off the suit, so now wore a very fetching black dress, and let her gorgeous hair down. Gone was the efficient P.A., and in her place was a veritable angel.
“My God, you look lovely!” he said, and then was embarrassed that he had vocalised his thoughts.
“Thank you,” she said and smiled, blushing delightfully.
She went to the kitchen and started to sort through her purchases. Back in her previous life, she had been a good cook, and was always adventurous with new dishes. It had been a way of relieving stress, so the skills were still there. Her speciality was Thai food, as she adored red and green curries.
She calmly and efficiently made the curry paste, and then started to prepare the dish.
It was only five o’clock, so once all the ingredients were prepared, she put them in the fridge, and thumbed through the microwave instructions and recipe books. She looked through the cupboards and using the ingredients that were there, she prepared a chocolate sponge cake.
“Do you like chocolate?” she asked.
“Yes, why?”
“I was wondering.”
He was on the computer, checking his Emails, so she walked over to where he sat. Gently, she began to massage his shoulders with her long fingers. He stiffened slightly at her touch, but then relaxed.
That felt so good, Gordon suddenly felt euphoria hit him, but was at a complete loss to understand what was happening to him. Michelle frowned, as she had yet to even attempt any mental manipulation on this man, he was falling for her so fast and hard, yet with no help whatsoever. He was sexually attractive, in an aggressive and dominant way, but his personality was minimal, as his life was his work, so, as a consequence, there was very little left to be the real Gordon.
She delved deeper into his mind, and found that underneath the cool-headed and somewhat ruthless businessman, was a little boy who was rather shy, and socially immature. She looked into his heart, and liked what she saw.
Under her skilled fingers, Gordon relaxed more than he had in ages. He adored feeling her touch.
“You work too much,” she said, with an almost critical tone. However, he nodded, as he agreed, for he did work too much, but then it was important. Wasn’t it?
Suddenly, she allowed him a glimpse of what was really important, so he saw that there actually was a lot more to life than work. There was family, friends, children, home, fun, hobbies and relationships. He frowned, as he experienced a feeling of loss, so looked up at the girl behind him.
“Do you have family?” he asked.
“They are all dead,” she said, in a way that dissuaded any further discussion.
“I’m sorry,” he said feeling bad he had asked.
“You did not know. My father died many years ago, but my mother was ill and died in the sickness four years ago. My brother was in the army, and died in Chetchnya. There is no one else.”
“It’s not right to be alone,” he said.
“You are alone,” she said, and he smiled.
“I have my mother, and a sister somewhere.”
“You do not even know where she is?”
“She lives on a boat with her partner, so I know how to get in touch. They live somewhere in the Caribbean. The boat is a large sailing yacht, and they take a paying crew on adventure holidays.”
She smiled, an indolent and useless lifestyle, but fun nonetheless.
He took one of her hands and turned round, looking up into those hypnotic blue eyes.
“Why are you so beautiful?”
She smiled at him so warmly, he felt his pulse increase.