To Love and Obey (Boundaries) by Katy Swann

Rachel, that’s awful, I’m so sorry.”
    Rachel had shrugged and looked away to hide the painful memories from her face. “That’s okay, it was a long time ago.”
    “Come and work for me,” Joanne had blurted suddenly, her face lighting back up.
    “What?” Rachel had gawped at Joanne as if she’d just proposed marriage.
    “I need someone like you on my team,” she’d said, not bothering to hide her enthusiasm. “You’ve got a keen eye for detail and are very talented with numbers. You’d make a great accountant.”
    “But…” Rachel had started to protest but, actually, she knew Joanne was right so there was no point acting all modest and coy.
    “No buts,” said Joanne. Her voice had taken on an edge that showed how determined she was about this, and Rachel was flattered that she was effectively being headhunted by this powerful lady. “We’ll send you to college part-time to get your accounting qualifications and you’ll get all the practical training you need here.”
    “Well, I…”
    “Good. That’s settled then.”
    They had then both stood up and shaken hands, sealing the agreement.
    “What about Adam?” He was going to be pretty pissed off when he found out she had been stolen from under his nose. Or maybe he’d be glad? It would save him having to fire her.
    Joanne had just smiled, that confident professional smile that said she wasn’t going to let such a minor detail get in her way. “Leave Adam to me,” she’d said. “If we assure him you’ll stay until Lucy’s replacement starts, he can’t really argue, can he?”
    And with that, Joanne had walked out, leaving Rachel staring after her in disbelief. Wow, she’d just been offered a new job. The blood buzzed through her veins as excitement replaced her surprise. She’d always wanted to work with numbers, she knew she was good, and the idea of working with something she was good at, gave her such a feeling of confidence that she wanted to jump up and down like an excited child.
    What would Adam say? He’d probably be pleased to be rid of her—after all, if he had to go to the extreme of flying off to Amsterdam for the day just to avoid her, then she’d be doing him a favor.
    At four o’clock, her phone rang. “Adam Stone’s office, can I help you?” She had settled so comfortably into her role as Adam’s PA that anyone on the other end of the phone would assume she was his long-standing assistant.
    “Hi.” Adam’s voice sounded strained, distant.
    “Hi,” she answered, suddenly not sure what to say to him. “How’s the trip?” Duh, couldn’t she have thought of something a little more original to say?
    “Okay. Is everything all right at the office? Any messages?” He still sounded distant.
    Her heart sank at the cool, impersonal tone of his voice.
    She ran through a couple of things with him, relayed a few messages and assured him that everything was fine. Oh, and I’ve been offered another job, so fuck you, she thought silently.
    Once business had been dealt with, he ended the call with a brisk, “See you tomorrow.”
    She put the receiver down and stared at it for a few minutes. God, he was still angry with her.
    Suddenly, a flash of anger tore through her and she threw her pen down onto the desk. “Fuck you, Adam Stone,” she hissed aloud.
    Okay, she’d screwed up the lunch order, but her quick thinking had saved the day and no one had been any the wiser. Except for him. Surely he should be commending her for acting so calmly and quickly? The more she thought about it, the more it didn’t make sense. Her small mistake didn’t justify his aloof and angry manner, so there had to be more to it and there was only one other reason for it that she could think of. He was getting tired of her. Maybe he realized she didn’t want a TPE relationship and didn’t feel she was worth bothering with. He probably thought her mistake yesterday would be a good excuse to distance himself from her.
    But, on the other