Love's Only Deception

‘Oh.’

‘If your girl is incompetent—’

‘She isn’t,’ he made a face. ‘She’s very good at the job.’

Callie sat down, looking puzzled. ‘Then I don’t understand your problem.’

‘She’s new, my last secretary has left to have a baby. Her replacement is—well, she—she just isn’t suitable.’

The uncomfortableness of his expression told a story in itself. ‘She’s attracted to you,’ Callie guessed with amusement.

‘Yes,’ he admitted with a grimace.

She had trouble holding back a smile. ‘I wouldn’t have thought that a drawback.’

‘Except that I don’t get involved with my secretaries.’

‘Ah, now that is a problem.’

His eyes narrowed. ‘Are you mocking me?’

‘Me?’ she gave him an innocently wide-eyed look. ‘Of course not.’

‘You are,’ he gave a reluctant smile.

‘Yes,’ she smiled back.

‘So tell me, why are you hiding in here?’

‘I’m not hiding!’ She was irritated by his choice of word. ‘But I am bored and—and tired.’

‘Tired?’ He raised one dark eyebrow.

‘I haven’t been sleeping very well lately—and not for the reason you’re thinking,’ she added sharply at his speculative look. ‘Do you have any idea of the pain babies suffer while they’re teething?’ she attacked.

‘Your baby?’

‘Of course not! I’m not married.’

His brows rose. ‘I didn’t think that was compulsory nowadays.’

‘In my book it is,’ Callie told him waspishly. ‘The baby lives next door. And he’s going through agony.’

Poor Marilyn had been pacing the floor day and night with Paul the last few weeks, and it was starting to tell on her, dark circles appearing under her eyes. And Callie knew she didn’t look much better. The walls of the flat were not exactly soundproof, although not for anything would she let Marilyn and Bill know of her own disturbed nights.

‘I thought they had creams and things for that nowadays,’ Logan Carrington spoke now.

Her eyes widened. ‘They do. But I have to admit to being surprised that you know about things like that. Do you have children of your own?’

‘I’m not married,’ he gave her own answer.

Well, at least she wasn’t lightly flirting with a married man! ‘Neices and nephews, then?’

He shook his head. ‘I’m an only child. But I told you my secretary left to have a baby.’

‘And she told you about teething creams?’ It seemed a strange subject to discuss with one’s boss.

He grinned. ‘Only when I teased her about all the sleepless nights she was going to have.’