Page 13 of His Long-Lost Baby

I shake my head. “She’s always with him. And even if she wasn’t, I don’t think she’s the type to give away confidential information.”

Monica takes a sip of her tea. “What about breaking into his office?”

I sit up straight. “What? No, Monica. That’s illegal.”

She shrugs. “I’m just trying to brainstorm here. You need to find a way to get that information.”

I know she’s right. This is Quinn’s well-being we’re talking about here. I can’t afford to waste any more time. But breaking into James’s office? That’s a line I’m not sure I’m ready to cross.

“What if you just asked him?”

I shake my head. “I tried talking to him in the elevator, and he literally looked at me like I was dog poop he’d stepped in.”

Monica sets down her mug and leans forward. “Then maybe it’s time to try a different approach. You could try seducing him.”

I almost choke on my tea. “What? Are you crazy?”

But as soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize that maybe she’s onto something. It’s extreme, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

But, really? Am I willing to stoop that low?

“I can’t do that,” I say, a small part of myself disappointed. Seducing James would have been oddly satisfying…

Except he would never go for me. He made that and so much more clear in the elevator.

“I don’t think I’m his type, anyway,” I add.

Monica scoffs. “You seriously have no clue how gorgeous you are, do you?”

I roll my eyes at her, but I can’t deny that her words give me a small boost of confidence. “Thanks, but I don’t think that’s the issue here.”

“Every man who is straight has a type, and that’s female.”

I laugh and shake my head, not agreeing at all. Then again, who am I to say?

“Okay,” I say slowly. “Let’s say I do it. How would I even go about seducing him? It’s been so long…”

I trail off. Monica knows about the desert that is my dating life, but it’s still embarrassing to talk about.

She leans back in her chair, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Well, first off, you need to figure out his interests. What does he like? What turns him on? Then you need to do some investigating. Find out what he likes to do in his free time, what kind of women he’s into.”

I nod slowly, feeling like a spy in a movie. “Okay. And then what?”

“Then you work on your appearance,” Monica says, looking me up and down. “You already look great, but why not step it up a notch? Get a new outfit, do your hair and makeup differently…”

I swallow nervously. Already, this is feeling like a flimsy plan. I remember what Audrey said my first day on the job, how she reduced me to yet another woman trying to bed the boss.

I don’t want to even pretend to be that way. There has to be another way.

Monica takes another sip of her tea before placing it back on the coffee table. “Fine. If you don’t want to seduce him, what about blackmail?”

My eyebrows shoot up. “What do I have on him?”

“I don’t know, but maybe you could dig around and find something. Everyone has secrets.”

I consider her suggestion for a moment, but then shake my head. “I don’t want to start something like that. It’s too risky.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Monica asks, her voice tinged with impatience.

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