Page 5 of Indecent Secrets

On the other hand, it might be to my advantage for people to think I could be led around by my dick…

“I’d love to hear more about it,” Jonathan said to Leigh, bringing me back to the conversation at hand.

The man could’ve been panting and drooling like a damn dog with his tongue out and it would’ve been less obvious how desperate he was to get his dick wet with her.

“Aww, you’re so sweet,” Leigh said with a sultry laugh. “Perhaps after I get myself some canapes? I’m starving and I keep missing the servers with the trays.”

She waved her fingers at us and went off to find the food. I knew I wasn’t the only one staring at her ass as she walked away.

But her dismissal of Jonathan was interesting. She could be playing hard to get, or she could be trying to get him to follow her, away from the others. A woman didn’t want to appear too easy after all. Or it could mean that my suspicion was right and she was only interested in me, not any rich guy.

There was only one way to find out.

I waited about five minutes, then excused myself from the others as well and headed for the area near the kitchen. That was where you’d be able to catch a server easily and snag some food.

When I walked over, sure enough, there was Leigh. She was actually eating and nodding along politely to something some much older men were saying to her. I grabbed some food myself and nodded at Leigh, acknowledging her.

“Mr. Lawton.” Leigh smiled and it felt like a challenge. “Do you think there’s any truth to the statement that economics and philosophy are similar?”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” I said, giving her an opening to express her opinions.

She seemed to have already picked up on the fact that I didn’t like breathy, starstruck people like Merilee. But would her intelligence actually be up to the task of staying in step with me?

“I think that it’s true,” Leigh replied, after taking a bite of her smoked salmon canape. “In that both philosophy and economics are fields where the moment a person tries to declare a universal truth, someone else comes up with an equally valid and evidence-backed statement that declares an opposite truth. Both philosophy and economics are attempts to define that which likes to resist being categorized, and ascribe a set of rules to something that defies following any system. Anyone who claims to understand the free market and know what it’s going to do next is wrong, just like anyone who claims to understand the universe and know all of its moving parts is wrong.”

My eyebrows shot up. I wasn’t the real Jack Lawton so I didn’t know exactly how accurate this was, but it was smart enough based on the quick reading of philosophy I’d done to try and study up for the role. Leigh must have done her own studying.

“I’m impressed,” I said. “Did they teach you that in Philosophy 101 at the community college?”

“Actually I prefer to study on my own time, since I couldn’t afford to go to college,” Leigh replied, nonplussed. “Not all of us had rich parents to send us to Columbia.”

So she knew that Jack Lawton had gotten quite the education before taking his post at a nowhere school. “I was fortunate to have opportunities that aren’t afforded to everyone,” I said, playing the part. “But I like to know that you’ve made the most of your own circumstances. Not everyone has that kind of go-getter attitude.”

I didn’t want to be a total asshole, but I had to fit in among these other rich folks too. Maybe something of my dilemma showed in my voice or face, because Leigh’s brow furrowed for a second in confusion.

Unlike most of the other women in the room, Leigh was actually intelligent, which made her even more attractive to me. Maybe it wouldn’t cause too much harm to indulge a little bit with her?

I wasn’t a man used to denying himself, after all, especially when it came to women. And if she was a danger to Jack Lawton, then it would be good to keep her close to keep an eye on her.

She was smart enough to realize that I didn’t want to be pandered to, after all, and that I wanted someone who could match wits with me. That might make her more dangerous than the women who were simpering and complimenting me.

“A go-getter attitude is an interesting thing to value from someone who spent all his career at a college that nobody recognizes the name of,” Leigh replied, her smile contradicting the audacious tone of her voice. “But I suppose there’s a time for all of us to discover our…” Her gaze trailed over my body. “…virility.”

Oh, I saw her ploy now. She’d decided that she needed to stand out from the crowd, and she’d done her homework and assumed a philosophy professor wouldn’t want a simpering sycophant. So she’d decided to try a new track.

Well. I could definitely play into that. And if I was going to have my own fun fucking with her while I was at it, well… you know what they said about all work and no play.

And I was being Jack right now, after all.

Chapter 4

Leigh

* * *

Jack Lawton was as smart as I’d assumed, given his reputation in the academic world. He was definitely more outgoing than I’d anticipated and a sharper dresser, but that could’ve been thanks to help from a private stylist or assistant assigned to him so he didn’t embarrass anyone.

No, I was sure he was a fish out of water in this environment. An expert in his own field but lost outside of it.

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