Surprise Seduction (14 page)

She didn’t want to face the world or the decisions she had to make.
 
So many people would be affected if she made the wrong one.
 
But she couldn’t stay hidden forever.

She made herself crawl out of bed.

Sheila was right.

She would have to face Chase.
 
One way or another, she had to tell him the whole truth.
 
Today.
 
She needed to deal with Roger and her stepfather.
  
The thought of seeing Drew gave her the willies.
 
The man was evil.
 
Why couldn’t her mother see that?

She padded into the bathroom and turned the shower on full blast.

Today would be a day she’d always remember.

Chase sat at his desk and wondered if Adrienne would show for work.
 
He’d come in early hoping she’d already be at her desk, but she was now--he glanced at his watch for the fourth time in the last two minutes--eleven minutes late.
 
The first time she’d ever been tardy.

The pen in his hand clicked in rapid succession.

Why wasn’t she here?

Damn, he hated the thought of having to get another assistant.
 
These past few weeks of not being harassed had been nice.
 
Except for when he’d found himself wanting to kiss her things had been perfect.
 
Not once had she done anything out of line.

Until he’d caught her in his office making out with another man.

When he’d believed her gay, he’d understood why she was so oblivious to how she affected him.

Now, he was confused.

She’d felt good in his arms Friday night.
 
Too good.
 
He hadn’t been able to get the feel or smell of her out of his head the entire weekend, much to his chagrin.
 
He’d been able to think of little else.

He could almost believe he’d imagined the whole thing.
 
Mousy Adrienne hadn’t really turned into a hot fox.

But a pair of long legs haunted his every thought.
 
There hadn’t been anything mousy about the woman he’d seen in his office Friday night.
 
He hadn’t imagined her transformation, but he sure had imagined a lot of other things since seeing what she’d been hiding.

Maybe he’d been better off not knowing.

He twirled his ink pen between his fingers.

This was not good.

He couldn’t be sexually interested in Adrienne.
 
That went against his golden rule.
 
He refused to get involved with a co-worker.

She’d admitted to wanting him.

Hell, he wanted her.

Bad.
 
More than he’d ever wanted a woman.

Knowing she returned his attraction, would he be able to resist touching her?
 
Kissing her?
 
He wanted to know how she tasted.

He groaned.
 
He
really
wanted to know.

Anger and some other hot emotion he refused to label streaked through him.

She’d lied to him.

God, he knew nothing about her.
 
Not really.
 
What he’d thought he knew had been lies.

He had no choice but to fire her.

Why did that make his stomach roll?

Because he wanted her.
 
More than he’d ever wanted any woman.
 
He liked her.
 
A lot.

But he couldn’t trust her.

That was it.
 
He threw his pen down on his desk and crossed the room to stare out at the Charles.

After casting a wary eye at Chase’s open office door, Adrienne snuck into her seat as quiet as a mouse.
 
She’d keep her fingers crossed that he’d had an early morning meeting and would never know she’d been late.

She’d find a private time later where they could talk, where she could explain.

Mail had already accumulated this morning.
 
She picked up the letter on top, intent on clearing the stack.
 
She had barely gotten the envelope slit when Chase emerged from his office.
 
So much for wishful thinking.

“Get in here.
 
Now.
 
And no back talk.”

Oh boy.
 
Not here five minutes and already called in to face the music.
 
Of course, she had been thirty minutes late. That probably hadn’t helped matters.

She tugged on the short business skirt she wore.
 
She’d forgotten her shopping spree on Friday until she’d gone to the closet and all her old clothes were missing.
 
In their place hung the new outfits her friends helped her choose.

They all showed off her body.
 
Today, she longed to blend in with the scenery as she’d done for the past month.

Her eyes ran down the hunter green skirt that came mid thigh.
 
The white tucked in blouse showed her slim waist and full breasts off to perfection.
 
No ace wrap flattened her chest today.

She didn’t blend.
 
Not at all.

Adrienne entered the lion’s den, forcing her spine to stay straight.
 
Immediately her gaze flew to the spot where she’d cried in Chase’s strong, protective arms.

Funny, she hadn’t imagined Chase as being a compassionate man, but on Friday night he had been.
 
Compassion when she’d wanted passion.
 
Adrienne smiled wryly.

“What’s so amusing, Miss Morris?”
 
He didn’t sound pleased this morning.
 
More like the roaring lion she’d envisioned as she entered his office.
 
One with a thorn in his paw.

“Nothing.”
 
She sat down across from his desk and crossed her legs, refusing to tug her skirt lower in an attempt to cover the smooth expanse of leg on display.
 
“You wanted to see me?”

“Oh, I’d say I’ve already seen more than I ever wanted to.”

His nasty words ripped into her, but she forced herself to hold his gaze.
 
“You shouldn’t have interrupted.”

“You shouldn’t have been in my office making out with another man.”

“What?” she exclaimed.
 
“We weren’t making out.”

“Just what were you doing?”

“I needed an aspirin.
 
I knew there was a bottle in your bathroom, so I let myself in.”

“
You were in my office with another man
.”

“Oh, would it have been okay if I’d been with you?”

“Damn straight!”

Adrienne’s mouth fell open, then clamped shut.
 
She didn’t know what to say.
 
She hadn’t expected his answer.
 
She remained silent for a whole minute.

“But…you don’t find me attractive.
 
Why would you have?”

“That’s debatable,” he muttered half under his breath.

“But when I told you I wanted you on Friday night, you didn’t say anything.
 
You…”
 
Heat flushed her cheeks.
 
She couldn’t believe she’d just told him she wanted him a second time.

“I was stunned.
 
You ran off before I could say anything.”

Each word roared in Adrienne’s ears.
 
“If I’d stayed, what would you have said?”

He took a deep breath.
 
“I’d have told you that I’d like to take you out, but I couldn’t because you work for me.
 
That isn’t a problem anymore.”

Her heart raced.
 
“What do you mean ‘not anymore’?”

“You’re fired.”

“You’re kidding.”
 
He had to be.

“No.”

Panic filled her.

“I can, and I did.”

“But I haven’t done anything wrong,” she protested.
 
Her hands shook.
 
Nausea burned her throat.
 
Fired?
 
How would that look when she went before the board?
 
Fired from an assistant position within her father’s company.
 
Great.

“You lied to me to obtain your job.”

“You can’t fire me based on my sexual orientation.”

“You falsified your answers to the questions I asked during your interview.”
 
Chase’s eyes challenged her to deny it, but she couldn’t lie to him.
 
Not again.
 
He couldn’t fire her based on her sexual preferences.

“You didn’t ask me my sexual orientation.
 
That would have to be illegal.”
 
She didn’t want to be fired from the first—-the only—-job she’d ever had.
 
Fired from her own company?

“Okay,” he shrugged.
 
“You’re fired on the grounds of your activities in my office on Friday night.
 
Do you think breaking and entering your boss’ office qualifies as sufficient grounds for your dismissal?”
 
His eyes glittered like green fire shooting out hot sparks of jeweled flames.

“I didn’t break in.”

“You used a key intended for business purposes only.”

“I didn’t break in,” she repeated numbly.

“What do you call it?”

“I…” She couldn’t believe this was happening.
 
Moisture gathered in her eyes.
 
“I thought you said you wanted me, too.
 
How could you do this?”

She had just been fired.

From a company she essentially owned
.

Hurt, anger, and disbelief churned inside her.
 
She stood up, walked blindly across the room, and paused in his doorway.

“You can’t get rid of me this easily.”

Angry tears flowed the moment she stood safely inside Sheila’s open office.
 
Lucy had been away from her desk and seeing Sheila’s door open, Adrienne had marched in.