Page 10 of Mr Monday

‘That’s right. I’ll be able to interview and select my own assistant, one who fits with my personality.’ One who I can trust, who doesn’t have allegiances to others in the company. ‘And one thing I’ll make sure of: no more helicopter rides in the middle of the night.’

He laughed out loud and stepped up the curb on to the sidewalk. I decided I could watch him all day. The way he moved transfixed me, and his laugh was deep, throaty and so delightfully naughty. ‘It was hardly the middle of the night.’

‘Close enough.’ I put a hand on my hip and lifted my chin.

‘If you say so.’ He reached for me. A horn blared, piercing and long. I jumped, and he turned with a scowl.

A cabbie drove by, yelling out the window. ‘Move it, asshole! This isn’t a parking lot.’

Mr Gorgeous turned back to me and I let him take my arm, liking the way his fingers felt on me. He leaned closer and my breath froze in my lungs. ‘And on that note, I think we should be going.’

‘Well . . . I suppose.’ He didn’t let go of my elbow. This time, it was skin-to-skin, because I was wearing a cap-sleeved blouse. His fingers were firm, I felt his controlled strength, and the sparks flew. He paused, and I looked up at him. Had he felt it, too? He dropped his gaze to me and we seemed to freeze in time. It stretched out, with us simply looking at each other. Tingles raced along my nerve endings and I felt my nipples rise up. His gaze dipped and I was horrified to see that he’d noticed. But I couldn’t move a muscle.

His eyes found mine again. He cleared his throat and gave me a gentle tug. ‘Shall we get this day started?’ I found myself beside the limo. ‘Hop in.’

I pulled my attention from him and looked inside the darkened interior. It was like a living room on wheels. I sniffed, smelling the wonderful aroma of coffee and pastries. I nearly died.

‘There’s coffee?’ I asked stupidly.

He nodded and raised one eyebrow. ‘Costa Rican, and bagels with cream cheese and lox.’

‘My favorite.’ That sent my alarm bells clanging. Another indicator of the possibility that they knew who I was. But how? I had been careful with all my personal information. I’d chosen not to use my father’s name, assuming my mother’s maiden name instead. I reassured myself with the thought that I wasn’t the only one in New York City who liked bagels with cream cheese and lox.

‘I must insist that we get moving. Please.’

I chewed my lip and stared at him, then into the car. Everything was so utterly convenient. Events ticking along, carefully planned out. I was the one who was supposed to have everything under control. Yet I didn’t feel like that at all. I groaned and straightened my shoulders. If I did this, then I had to grow some balls. I put my hand on the edge of the door and leaned into the car, lifting my foot to rest inside the limo. All I had to do was get in. Sit back and have breakfast. There was absolutely no reason for me not get in, especially since I’d given my verbal acceptance of what lay ahead the previous night. Oh Lord –andsigned an NDA. I was bound to silence and to my word.

Climbing inside the limo with Mr Gorgeous would be a step along the path from which I would never be able to come back. My revenge plot would jump from the planning stage to being on the way to actually happening. There would be no turning back. The endgame of all my years of fueling the desire to right the wrong done to me and my family lay in front of me; it was through this car door, and then the ride that would take me into a new world. A world I had plotted against and readied myself to face for so long, it was as much a part of me as my own flesh and blood. And that scared the shit out of me.