Heartbreaker - Julie Kriss Page 0,24

Morgan’s office door opened and a woman came out. I stopped what I was doing and watched her.

She was… gorgeous. There was no other word for it. She wasn’t a model type, tall and willowy and perfect. She had definite curves, like me. Her hair was awesome, long enough to nearly hit her butt, worn down and flowing. The ends were dyed bright green. She wore jeans that fit her like a glove and showed off every line and a button-down blouse, tucked in at the waist, that somehow looked work-appropriate and sexy at the same time. She had a tattoo of a feather on one foot, which I could see because she wore sandals.

She was frowning as if troubled. She didn’t even notice as she walked past that I wasn’t the same secretary as when she’d arrived. She didn’t see me at all, because she was lost in some kind of serious thought.

Maybe they’d fooled around in Mr. Morgan’s office, but it hadn’t just been a kinky fling. There was something serious going on. I remembered Eliza saying that one of Mr. Morgan’s business rivals had just died. Was that it? Had Mr. Morgan known the man?

I watched the woman go down the hall and get into the elevator. There was something about her—her confidence, maybe, the way she swung her hips without thinking about it—that was impossible to look away from.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. That was when I noticed that Mr. Morgan was standing in the open doorway of his office, watching the woman the same way I was.

He was wearing glasses. That was the first thing I noticed. They were, of course, completely gorgeous on him. Now he looked like a smart, hot CEO instead of just a hot CEO. But Mr. Morgan also looked tired, his skin pale, his clothes just the slightest bit rumpled. He didn’t look like a man who has just been banging a woman senseless in his office. As he watched the woman leave, he looked more like a man who was…

Smitten.

Mr. Morgan was smitten. Maybe even in love.

Just as I had that thought, he turned his gaze to me. Surprise crossed his expression, though it was muted because of how tired he was. “Office Supply Person,” he said.

He remembered me? “Hi,” I said.

He frowned a little. “You’re not my secretary. Where did she go?”

“She had an emergency,” I said, making it sound more important than it was so Eliza wouldn’t get in trouble. “She’ll be back in a few minutes.”

He nodded, then took off his glasses and rubbed his face tiredly. He didn’t seem in any rush to go back to his office. He didn’t seem like himself at all.

“I like her,” I said.

He dropped his hand and looked at me. “What?”

“Her,” I said, gesturing toward the hall and the elevator.

He didn’t even pretend not to know what I was talking about. “You didn’t even talk to her,” he said.

“I know, but I’m a good judge of people. She seemed very nice.”

A look crossed his expression that I couldn’t interpret. “She isn’t nice. She’s a pain in my ass.”

Ah, yes. Not many women had the guts to be a pain in Mr. Morgan’s ass, I guessed. This one was, and part of him liked it. At the same time, another part of him didn’t like the fact that he liked it.

“She’s sexy,” I tried.

This was an easier answer. “She definitely is that.”

“But tough,” I said, thinking of the green hair and the way it swayed down her back. “Snarky.”

“So goddamned snarky.”

It made no sense, Mr. Morgan and me talking about a woman I’d only seen in passing. But he wasn’t telling me to shut up, and he wasn’t firing me. Something told me he liked talking about her, but didn’t have anyone to talk to.

“She isn’t the kind of woman I pictured you with,” I said.

His eyebrows rose. “Oh? And what kind of woman is that?”

“Rich,” I said. “Classy, refined. Flawless. Boring.” He was starting to look annoyed, so I added, “but I think she’s better for you than a woman like that would be. And I think you like her—a lot.”

Mr. Morgan paused for a second, and I thought I’d finally crossed the line and he would tell me to get out. But instead he said, “I like her more than a lot, and if you repeat that, Office Supply Person, you are out of a job.”

“Yes, sir,” I said. “Don’t mess it up.”

His eyes narrowed.