“Not optimistic,” he countered, and she grimaced when she realized that she’d spoken aloud. “Realistic. We have some crazy chemistry. A bit of backsliding was inevitable.”
“No more after this, though,” she said adamantly, and she watched his shoulders rise and fall in a sigh.
“No. I didn’t mean for this to happen. It’s probably just a remnant of our . . .” He paused, unable to find the correct word.
“Affair?” she suggested.
“No. Our . . .” Another pause.
“Relationship?”
“No, will you stop trying to complete my sentences?” He sounded wholly exasperated, and he spun his chair around to glare at her. “Our thing in Tokyo.”
Cleo was too busy taking in the state of him to harangue him for his weak choice of words. How had his hair gotten so messy when she hadn’t run her fingers through it? And his tie was undone, another thing he must have done himself. His shirttails were out and . . . God, he had another impressive hard-on. The damned thing was tireless.
“I think you should transfer me to Peter Whitman’s office tomorrow. I could apprentice with his current secretary and learn the ropes from him or her.”
“What should I do in the meantime? I don’t have a replacement for you.” He sounded annoyed and put out by her suggestion.
“All I ever do is water your plant, make your coffee, and send your e-mails. Any idiot can do that.”
“But I don’t want any other idiot, I want you, until I find a more qualified person for the job.”
“Is this because of my special uh . . . skill set?”
He looked confused by her question.
“We have already established that your skill set is not suited to the job,” he reminded her.
“Not that . . .” She leaned forward and waved a hand back and forth. “This. Us.”
“There is no us.”
“Okay, sure . . . but-“
“Cleo, if you’re suggesting that I’m trying to keep you here so that I can have you around to fuck on demand, then I have to tell you, you’re mistaken.”
“Good, because that’s not even an option for you.”
He snorted scornfully and gave her a pointed and scathing once-over, not missing a single detail of her dishevelment.
“This was different,” she said defensively. “You didn’t demand anything I wasn’t willing to give.”
“I would never ask for anything you’re not willing to give, because, fortunately, I know exactly what you want.” The arrogant proclamation was so typically Dante that it took everything she had not to chuck something at him.
“I don’t think either of us tried very hard to resist temptation today,” she said, and he nodded his agreement. “But I want you to know that as of this very moment, this thing between us is over, and if I’m really not here to simply service you while it’s convenient, then prove it by allowing me to start at Mr. Whitman’s office tomorrow, sir.”
He took an excruciatingly long moment to respond. He straightened his tie and ran a hand through his hair, making it worse. He reached for his desk phone and dialed.
“Whitman,” he barked into the mouthpiece after a moment, keeping his eyes glued to hers. “Miss Knight will be starting in your office tomorrow morning. Have your current secretary show her the ropes.”
He hung up without so much as a good-bye, still holding her gaze captive.
“Happy?”
“Yes.”
“The rest of your day will be spent finding an adequate replacement for Donna, someone who will last the entire six months. Look in-house, but if that doesn’t work, call a temp agency. You do not leave this office today until you have someone to replace you tomorrow. Entender? If she’s incompetent, you’ll be answerable for that.”
She raised an eyebrow at his staccato commands.
“Yes, sir.”
She finally managed to lever herself out of the chair, their conversation having killed any residual desire she might have felt toward him. It wasn’t exactly sexy to go from the most intense and intimate lovemaking experience of her life directly back to discussions about nondisclosure agreements, office dynamics, and displays of colossal male ego. Thankfully, it seemed to have had the same effect on him. She had just reached the door when his voice stopped her.
“Miss Knight.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.