Beautiful Liar by Tara Bond Read Free Book Online Page B

passed uneventfully. Alex and his entourage didn’t make an appearance, and nothing was said about what had happened the previous night. My shift on Friday also went by without incident, and I began to relax. But then on Saturday, I was halfway through my shift when Mel came up to me and said that I was needed in Giles’s office. My mind immediately went to the incident with Alexander Noble. “How come?” I said uneasily.
    She shrugged. “Why don’t you go and find out?”
    There was no point putting off the inevitable, so I headed straight to Giles’s office. I’d just have to hope that if I offered to apologise to Alex, then Giles wouldn’t sack me. Because without this job, I had no idea what I was going to do.
    I knocked tentatively at the door. There was no answer, so I carefully pushed it open. No one was inside.
    I was about to leave and come back later, when something caught my eye. On the desk there was a steel petty cash box—like the ones we used at the petrol station. From where I was standing, I could see that the key was inside the lock.
    I don’tknow what made me do it, but I quickly checked the corridor. Once I was sure the coast was clear, I stepped into the room, and closed the door. Then I went over to the petty cash box, turned the key and lifted the lid.
    Seeing the bundles of notes inside, I let out a gasp of surprise. At the petrol station, we kept about one hundred pounds in petty cash. But here there must have been thousands of pounds.
    A wild thought occurred to me, one that must have been at the back of my mind when I first decided to walk into the room and look at the contents of the box. No one had seen me slip into the office. I could take the money now, leave quietly, and no one would be any the wiser.
    I wasn’t the type to steal. I’d always been honest, and fastidious about money—at the petrol station, I’d been the only cashier whose till always balanced, right down to the penny.
    But back then my situation hadn’t been so desperate. This would allow me to pay Sergei, or at least buy myself some time until I found another way to sort the situation out.
    â€œGo ahead,” a husky, cultured voice said from behind me. “Help yourself. I won’t tell.”
    I whirled round to see Alexander Noble leaning against the doorframe, watching me with a faintly amused look on his chiselled face. I could feel my cheeks flush red. He’d obviously been there for a while, and had guessed exactly whatwas going through my mind.
    â€œI wasn’t going to—” I started, and then stopped. Lying just made it worse. “I was just looking,” I finished lamely.
    â€œOf course you were.” He came into the room and sprawled in the leather chair across from Giles’s desk. He swivelled round to face me. “The first time I run into you here, you accuse me of sexually assaulting you.” He counted on his long fingers. “The second time, you’re caught stealing. Not one of my brother’s better hires.”
    I didn’t know quite what to say to that. As much as I hated to admit it, he had a point.
    â€œIs everything all right in here?” Giles said before I could respond. I looked up, and saw him standing in the doorway, frowning at us. My stomach flipped over; I was afraid that he’d overheard our exchange. But then I realised his eyes were firmly on Alex. And he didn’t look happy to see him. “You harassing my staff again?”
    Alex looked unfazed as he answered, “Actually, I just dropped in to reclaim my coat.” He nodded over to the rack, where his black leather coat was hanging. “And I found Nina—” I felt my heart turn over as he paused meaningfully. “I found Nina here waiting for you,” he finished, his blue eyes dancing with wicked amusement that only I understood.
    â€œIs that right?” Giles looked over at me for