The Secretary's Bossman Bargain

But when the whispers were too much, she pried herself away from a group of women and strolled around the tables with her mind on escaping, finding Mrs. Fuller, Lindsay, a friendly face, but even they seemed engaged in the latest gossip.

She stopped in her tracks and frowned when a young man approached. He was over six feet tall, lean but muscled. He moved with slow, lazy charm, his smile oozing charisma. Rumpled ebony hair was slicked back behind his ears, his hard-boned face and striking features prominent. Laser-blue eyes sparkled with amusement as he halted before her and performed a mock bow.

“Allende. Santos Allende.”

He spoke it the way Agent 007 would say, “Bond, James Bond,” and it made her smile. So he was the elusive Santos.

“Virginia Hollis.”

Drawing up next to her, he signaled with a cock of his head, a glass of red wine idle in his hand. “The bastard looking at you is my brother.”

“Yes, I’m his assistant. You and I have spoken on the phone.”

Santos had the looks of a centerfold, the kind that modeled underwear or very expensive suits like Hugo Boss, while Marcos had the very appearance of sin.

As if reading her mind, his lips quirked, and he added, “He didn’t mention that.”

“He mentioned me?”

Her eyes jerked back to Marcos; it seemed they couldn’t help themselves. She always caught herself staring at him.

He was weaving toward the hallway with Marissa. When Marcos ducked his head toward her, Virginia’s stomach clenched with envy and a sudden, unexpected fury.

He glanced back over his shoulder and when their gazes collided, a strange wildness surged through her. His face was inscrutable and his tuxedo was perfectly in place; only an odd gleam in his eyes spoke of his inner tumult. And in her mind, Virginia was positively screaming at him. Everybody knows! Everybody knows I’m your stupid…silly…

No. It was her fault, not his.

She’d wanted him, and she’d gambled for the first time in her existence. She knew his scent, the feel of his hair, the sounds he made when he was in ecstasy with her.

She knew his mouth, his whispers, knew he slept little but that he would remain in bed beside her, watching her.

She knew he liked to put his head between her breasts, knew he made a sound of encouragement when she stroked his hair.

But she did not know how to make this man love her.

This man with all these secrets, all of the locks and bolts around his heart.

He wanted Allende. To destroy it. He wanted her. To play with.

She was just his toy. Something to fool around with. Once, she might have jumped with glee. But now she wanted so much more from him, thought there could be no greater treasure in this world than to be loved by him.

“So did the affair come before he hired you or after?”

Santos phrased his question so casually and with such a playful gleam in his eyes that Virginia could only blink.

He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry, I’m just terribly curious. I have to know.”

Cheeks burning with embarrassment, Virginia ducked her head and tried to get away. “Excuse me.”

With one quick, fluid move, Santos stepped into her path and caught her elbow. “Marissa wants him, you do realize this?”

She stepped back, freeing her arm from his, hating that it was so obvious, so transparent on her face. “I can’t see why you think I’d care.”

But his curling lips invited her to mischief. “She offers something my brother wants very badly. What do you offer?”

She frowned. “I wasn’t aware this was a competition—”

“It’s not.” He tipped her chin up, those electric-blue eyes dancing with mirth. “Because I think you’ve already got him.”