Page 74 of 2 Books in One Bundle

His command whipped out, one that some of the wealthiest men in the world would have heeded. But it had no effect on her as she dashed away into the night. Damon stared at the empty path as the storm pounded harder, flattening the tall stalks of grasses and wildflowers edging the walkway. The part of him she had bewitched with her gold eyes and bold, if not foolish, bravado as she’d traipsed through Central Park demanded he follow. His rational side, the part that had ruled for over a decade, ordered him to let her go. She was an adult. She’d made her choice to leave.

By the time he gave in to desire and stalked down the steps and back onto a paved path, she was gone.

Swallowed up by the darkness and the rain.

CHAPTER FOUR

EVOLET’SFINGERSTIGHTENEDaround her coffee as the subway car swayed. The train curved around a corner, wheels screeching in protest. Commuters leaned with the turn, eyes fixed on phones or books or companions. An out-of-town family chattered away about the lengthy list of tourist spots on their itinerary.

Another Monday on the subway, Evolet thought with a small smile as she inhaled the dark, delicious scent wafting up from her cup. Her second coffee of the morning.

Normally she pinched pennies and made her own coffee. But the rich aroma of roasted beans and coffee grounds had lured her to the open-air market beneath the Park Avenue train tracks. That and the exhaustion no amount of sleep seemed to defeat.

It didn’t help that every time she had closed her eyes she’d been plagued with memories of Damon’s lips moving over hers, arms like steel pressing her closer to his warmth.

Or, worst of all, the echo of his groan slipping into her veins, drugging her with the knowledge that he had wanted her. She’d woken more than once hot and tangled in her sheets.

The subway gave another lurch. Coffee splashed onto her hand. With a muffled curse, she reached into her pocket for one of the napkins the perky barista had insisted she take. She looked up to see a young girl watching her with wide eyes. Feeling guilty over her verbal slipup, she gave the girl a wink and was rewarded with a gap-toothed smile.

The subway, Evolet had long ago decided, got a bad rap. Not only had the tunnels winding beneath the legion of skyscrapers led her to her passion, but they were fun.

Judging by the disapproving scowl on Damon’s face when she had mentioned the subway, he had not experienced its underrated pleasures.

The man, and his incredible mouth, wouldn’t stay out of her thoughts.

But, she acknowledged with a smile as an electronic voice announced her station, it had had unexpected benefits. She’d visited Constanza at the nursing home Saturday morning, then spent Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday in the park practicing. For the first time, she hadn’t poured pain and mourning and loss into her music. It had been passion that had ruled her bow, desire that had coaxed sultry notes from her cello. Playing had been an almost erotic experience, one that had left her warm and flushed by the time she was done.

It had been her best practice session in years. She hoped dearly that the next time she got an audition, they would allow independent showcases in addition to the music often chosen by the orchestras.

Until then, however, she also needed to make some rent money. Which was why, she thought with a resigned sigh as she moved with the crush of bodies toward the doorway and stepped onto the concrete platform, she had accepted the last-minute request for an executive assistant from the temp agency she worked for. Her talents for organizing, concise communication and getting things done quickly had come in handy when she’d started working for NYC Executives Inc., a temporary employment agency that specialized in executive assistants, secretaries and receptionists. She’d worked for airlines, shipping companies, hotels, restaurants, even a theater. Certainly not her passion, but the temporary nature of her work kept things interesting. Most importantly, it paid well.

The call had come in at six a.m. that morning from Miranda, one of the heads at the agency. The executive assistant for a high-ranking executive at Bradford Global had gone into labor overnight and welcomed her bundle of joy four weeks early. With a potentially lucrative contract from a European airline company on the line, the officer, a Ms. Laura Roberts, needed all the help she could get preparing for the final round of bidding.

When Miranda had said the name of the company, Damon’s handsome face had flashed through Evolet’s mind, along with a jolt of panic. He hadn’t said he worked for the company, and there had been plenty of people there affiliated with other organizations. But what if he did? What if she ran into him in the halls or had to work with him?

TypingDamoninto Bradford Global’s website had netted a zero. She hadn’t known whether to be relieved or disappointed.

Focus.She would be working with Ms. Roberts for at least two months. Entertaining thoughts of an incredibly sexy, brooding guest from Bradford Global’s gala was the opposite of professional. Being an executive assistant wasn’t her dream job, but it was a job and one she did well.

With her resolution of banishing thoughts of Damon from her mind, she marched up the stairs into the weak light of early morning sunshine. The Financial District of Lower Manhattan vibrated with activity. Buildings of various heights lined the road, from limestone behemoths nearly a hundred years old to brand-new creations of steel and glass.

Bradford Global occupied the top floor of the Pomme Building, a newly constructed high-rise that dominated the city’s skyline. An elevator whisked her up to the seventieth floor. The doors whooshed open to a lobby with dark wood floors, wrought iron chandeliers that looked as if they’d been fashioned out of black piping and brown leather chairs that encouraged one to sink into their buttery-soft depths with a good book. The floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Midtown offset the darkness of the decor and offered a view that nearly made her jaw drop.

Not, Evolet mused, what she had expected. Based on the lavish wealth on display at Friday night’s event, she’d anticipated lots of sterile white and modern, hard-edged furnishings. Not the cozy and welcoming atmosphere of a library.

A massive desk stood off to one side with the company’s logo emblazoned on the front. The woman sitting behind the desk was more Evolet’s idea of what the guard to a multibillion-dollar company looked like. Late fifties to early sixties, but, oh, Evolet hoped she looked that good as she aged. With a sleekly cut blond bob that framed elegant cheekbones, diamond studs glinting at her ears and a slender form clad in a navy sheath dress, the woman was the definition of class.

Before Evolet could tug nervously at ties on her blouse, the woman stood and shot Evolet a bright smile that lit up her face, the crinkling around her eyes softening her expression.

“Welcome to Bradford Global. I’m Julie, the front secretary. You must be Evolet Grey.” At Evolet’s raised eyebrows, Julie chuckled. “Security notified me you were on your way up.”

Julie’s bubbly voice and the soft twang of an accent Evolet couldn’t quite place loosened the tension that usually accompanied her on the first day of a new assignment.

“Thank you,” she said with an answering smile. “I’m excited to be with you all for the next couple of months. Although I hope the woman I’m replacing and her baby are all right?”

Julie beamed with approval as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

“Aren’t you sweet to ask. They’re doing wonderfully.” She showed Evolet a picture of an exhausted but very happy looking woman in a hospital gown with a tiny baby cradled in her arms. “Gave us a bit of a fright with how early she came, but Louise did beautifully.” Her grin broadened. “Your contract might even get extended. Louise swore she wanted to come back in two months, but I’d bet my retirement she decides to take her full leave.”

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