Bound by His Desire

Chapter 1

Nick Rhodes felt his body stirring to life when he spied the woman standing in the doorway of the church. Her green dress accentuated and enhanced her curves. Her hair fell softly in curls over one shoulder in a waterfall of caramel. She held a small posy of flowers and he figured she must be a bridesmaid he hadn't met at the rehearsal dinner the previous evening. Although that seemed strange, seeing as Luc only had him as his best man. There appeared to be no one standing behind her. He knew Jasmine's assistant was to be a bridesmaid too. Whoever this girl was, he would remedy the lack of introduction as soon as the ceremony had finished. Maybe a quick fling would take the edge off his anxiety about what was happening in New York and the disaster that awaited him when he returned.

The music started and the woman walked with slow measured steps down the aisle. As she got closer to him he had to stop his jaw from dropping. He knew the woman. It was Pamela Bishop. The same woman who had been two seats down from him at the dinner, who had worn an outfit that had ensured she blended in with the background of the room. The same woman who hadn't said 'boo' to him, but had managed to change the rehearsal dinner from chaos to calm in a matter of minutes. The same woman who Luc assured him would make a perfect new assistant.

It didn't seem possible.

His body didn't care what Nick's mind thought, all it cared about was the stunning woman walking towards him, and he wanted to get to know her in the most primal of ways.

The closer she got to him, the more he could see and feel her nerves radiating out towards him. Her eyes were darting all around the church, looking to see if she could find a quick exit. Everything shouted out to him she wasn't accustomed to everyone looking at her. When her gaze caught his, he sent her a smile. Nick hoped it was reassuring. He felt his lips widen when he noticed a soft pink glow bloom in her cheeks. He shifted slightly to relieve the unexpected pressure in his pants, hoping no one noticed his discomfort.

Once Pamela reached where he and Luc were standing and took her place opposite them, the music changed and the Wedding March swelled loudly in the church. He watched in amazement as his friend, the hardest, most ruthless businessman he knew, almost melt at the sight of his wife walking towards him. He couldn't blame Luc, Jasmine looked beautiful in the soft pink dress that emphasised the evidence of Luc's impending fatherhood. He was excited and happy for his friend and, for today only, he gave himself permission to push business aside and enjoy the ceremony and evening ahead. Tomorrow he could find a new assistant and fix the deal before it completely fell apart.

He may have to reconsider his thought about approaching Pamela to be his assistant, though. If she turned up to the office each day looking like she did right at that moment, he might find himself throwing his own rule about getting involved with his assistant out the window.

The thought pulled him up short and the murmuring of the priest, reciting the wedding vows, faded to the far recesses of his mind.

How could he even think about pushing aside his rule to never get involved with an assistant? He knew how destructive an office affair could be. He'd lived it once, he wasn't going to live it again. He'd sacked too many assistants recently who'd started looking at him as a meal ticket to a life of luxury. He would never go down that route and, if he did end up offering Pamela the job, he'd make it abundantly clear to her that if she was harbouring any ideas of holy matrimony, to cast her line well away from him.

The clapping of the congregation pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked across as Luc swept Jasmine up into his arms and kissed her soundly. He saw Pamela discreetly wiping her eyes. He never understood the emotions weddings raised in people. While he wished his friend well, he knew he'd never get married. Marriage and love could be devastating. Even Luc had almost been destroyed by the emotion. Perhaps there were exceptions to the rule, but it didn't mean he had to explore the institution of marriage. The loss of freedom to come and go as he pleased was something he couldn't imagine relinquishing for the sake of a woman. No matter how attractive he found her. He was thirty-three and free and wasn't planning on changing his single status soon. Marriage definitely wasn't a feature on his life to-do list.