Page 5 of Dangerous Temptation

“I was... I am a bit of a math whiz.” This time she did look embarrassed, as if what she was admitting to was a bad thing. Why it would be or ever could be, I had no idea. “I knew that if I had a chance to look at the reports that I’d be able to figure it out.”

I glanced down at the reports and then back up at her. “So, you glanced at 800 or so pages of numbers and figured it out?” I leaned forward in my chair. “Are you wanting to get fired? Because from where I’m sitting, you’re doing everything a person would do who wanted to get fired. You eavesdropped, stole confidential information, and used company time on a task that was not in your purview.”

Anger flashed in her eyes, and I had to force a smile from taking over my lips. “And if I had asked to see them, what would you have said?”

“I would have said no.”

“Exactly! So, I didn’t ask.” Her chin was no longer level, it was held high, and her hands were white-knuckled on the chair. “It’s true that I don’t need-need this job. I won’t go hungry or homeless without it. But I’m here and I can make a difference. If I hadn’t done what I did, I wouldn’t have found the error where a decimal point had been put in the wrong spot, throwing off all the other calculations. And, on top of that, it didn’t happen just once. It happened twice.”

My brows went up. “Twice?”

“Yes, sir. Twice!” Her blue eyes sparkled. She was like ice and fire in one, and God help me, I wanted her. “If you want my opinion, I think someone is embezzling. Or your accountant is sloppy.

I sat back in my chair once more. “Did you make it all the way through the document?” I had to keep my mind on business. She was an employee. Just an employee. Nothing more and would never be more.

“No, I was about two-thirds of the way through by the time you came in this morning.”

“And you haven’t been home and haven’t slept?” She shook her head, and that was all I needed to make my decision. Standing up, I extended my hand. “Congratulations, Ms. Clement. You’ve just been promoted. I’ll think up a title later, but your new job is to review the rest of last quarters figures as well as the quarterly figures dating back the last ten years in search of other discrepancies. But first—” She took my hand and stood, meeting me eye for eye and toe for toe; it was everything I could do not to lean forward and kiss her lips—“Go home and get some rest. We’ll have a new office set up for you by tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir!”

I was aware I was playing a very dangerous game with her. But, who knew? Maybe it would add some spice to my otherwise, bland world.

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