The Secretary's Bossman Bargain

But the woman caught her by the shoulders and clenched tight with her fists, her face stricken. “Oh, sweetie, please say it isn’t so!”

“Mrs. Fuller,” Virginia said in a placating voice, patting one of her hands for good measure. “I don’t know what you mean, but there is nothing going on here, nothing!”

“Yes, there is. I’ve seen the way you look at him. You’re a sweet young girl, an innocent little lamb, and Marcos is…a wolf! He’s emotionally detached and you can’t possibly—”

Virginia turned her head to hide her blush only to catch half the office staring at them. But Lindsay was smiling in glee behind her desk and sticking her thumbs up as though Virginia had just won the lottery.

Lowering her voice to a whisper, Virginia confessed, “I can handle wolves. I can handle a pack of them, I promise you. And this is nothing like what you think.”

“Vee. Sweet, sweet Vee.” Mrs. Fuller’s hands trembled when she framed her cheeks between them. “I adore Marcos like a son. He has been a kind boss to me, and when my poor Herbert died…” She sighed, then shook her perfectly coiffed head and got back on track. “But he is not the kind of man a woman like you needs. There hasn’t been a single woman in his history he’s kept around for more than a month. You’ll end up with a broken heart and even lose your job.”

That her last comment struck a nerve was a given.

“I’m not losing my job for anything.” Virginia forced a smile to her face and much needed courage into her heart. She wanted him. She wanted him so bad she had to have him, would seduce and remind him. “He’s my boss, and he wants me to assist him, and so I will. Please don’t worry, Mrs. Fuller, or your heartburn will act up. I’ll be fine. And be sure everyone, everyone knows there’s nothing going on here.”

But even as she stepped into the projection room, she couldn’t help wondering how well they’d be able to hide it for as long as it lasted.

And what would happen to her when it was really, truly finished.

Nine

After the longest work day of his entire life, and one during which he’d gotten exasperatingly little work done, Marcos arrived home to find her waiting in his living room.

Of course. His assistants had his key code—why shouldn’t she be here?

With the sun setting behind her, her feet tucked under her body on the couch, and a book spread open on her lap, Virginia Hollis was a welcoming sight.

When he stepped out of the elevator that opened into the penthouse, she came to her feet, her hands going to her hair—to her rich, curly black hair, which was deliciously tousled as though she’d been running her fingers through it all day.

He fisted his hands at his sides, his mouth going dry. Good God. She wore drawstring pants and a button-up shirt with little ice cream cones. The colorful, almost childish pattern was also stamped all across the pajama pants. And on her, that weathered, warm-looking thing was the sexiest garment he’d ever had the pleasure of gazing upon.

He hadn’t intended to sleep with her. Or had he? He’d wanted to see her, damn it. And now he could hardly believe what she was so obviously offering to him.

When he finally spoke, his voice came out rougher than he’d anticipated. “Have a good day?”

She set her book on the side table. Nodded. Then, “You?”

God, this was so domestic he should be climbing back into the elevator right about now. And getting away from there as fast as he could.

Why didn’t he?

Because his hands itched to touch her. His guts felt tight and he was hot and hard with wanting her. He’d wanted to drag her into his office today, feel his way up her little skirt, kiss that mouth until her lips were bright red. He couldn’t stay away, had now determined he was a fool to.

She wanted him, too.

Removing his jacket, he draped it across the back of a chair, nodding, as well.

“I brought my notes,” she said quickly. “Just in case.”

He gazed into eyes that were green and bottomless, and slowly advanced. “Good. Notes are important,” he offered in return, and because he had missed the enticing, arousing sight of her all day, he gruffly added, “What else did you bring me, Miss Hollis?”

The soft smile that appeared on her lips trembled. Her hands smoothed her pajamas all along her hips and his eyes greedily swept up and down the length of her. “I like that…thing you’re wearing.” More than that, he was warming up to the idea of tearing it off her and licking her like vanilla ice cream.

“Thank you.” She signaled at his throat. “I—I like your tie.”

He wrenched it off, tossed it aside, then closed the space between them. “Come here,” he said quietly, wrapping an arm around her waist and drawing her flat against his body. “Why are you so shy all of a sudden?”

She set her hands lightly on his shoulders, barely touching him. “I—I don’t know. I shouldn’t have slipped into my pajamas.”