Desk Job (London Menage Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
    I was quiet for a moment, letting what I’d said sink in.
    “So do you have a solution?” he asked, sitting back and clasping his hands behind his head, his elbows stretched to the side.
    I tried not to gaze at the way his shirt stretched over his torso and kept my attention on his face. “Yes, from now on they have to get past me.”
    He raised his eyebrows. “What, like keeper of the gate?”
    “Or the guardian of your sanity.”
    “You’re questioning my sanity?” He dropped his hands back to his sides.
    I didn’t think there was anything wrong with Andre’s sanity. He was one of the most switched on guys I’d come across in a long time. “No, not at the moment, but how long can you work at this speed?”
    “True.”
    The waiter appeared. Carbonara was on the specials list and the thought of all that creamy pasta made my mouth water so I ignored the calories and opted for that. Andre did the same and ordered extra garlic bread too.
    “So how will it work?” he asked. “You guarding my door.”
    “It’s simply a change in routine, habits. People can ask me if you’re free. If you’re not, then they can leave whatever it is they want to show you with me, or arrange a time when you’ll be able to discuss it with them.”
    “Go on.”
    “And twice, during the day, I’ll pop in with a list of all these matters so you can prioritize them. That way you don’t have to get engaged in chit chat about things you really shouldn’t be wasting time on.”
    “But—?”
    “It will work fine. I promise. I’ve used this strategy with everyone I’ve been PA for in the past. It’s the most time efficient thing to do.”
    “It will work fine.” He paused. “You promise?” He reached for his drink and took a sip.
    I mimicked his action. The wine was cool and refreshing. “Yes. I promise.”
    “Well in that case, Stella, I’ll put my faith and my time management in your capable hands.”
    His smile sent a warm wave of arousal through me. It was so genuine and gentle, as though I was the only other person in the room, heck the only other person in the world. The guy must have left a trail of broken hearts in his wake over the years.
    “And will Tristan be up for it too?” I asked.
    He chuckled. “Between you and me, I don’t think Tristan gets as bothered by the staff as often as I do.”
    “Because he’s not as approachable?” My pre-conceptions of the now infamous Tristan were building him into a cantankerous character in my mind.
    “He’s certainly approachable when it matters. When clinching a deal. But when it comes to the people who work for him, he wants efficiency, investment, the best out of them. I think that comes across as…”
    “Being an old grump.”
    Andre tipped his head back and laughed. A real hearty bellow that made his chest swell beneath his shirt.
    I wondered if I’d gone too far.
    “Old grump. Yep, that’s him, and do you know what, Stella?”
    “What?”
    “I think you’ll handle him just fine.”
    “I hope so.” Though I couldn’t deny a few nerves were building the more I heard about Tristan Wainwright.
    “Oh, you will. Trust me, you will. And what’s more, he’s going to adore you.”
    I was about to reply that I hoped for that too, but a waiter arrived at our table. He held two large bowls of steaming pasta which he set before us. After a nod and a smile from us both, he then sprinkled them with parmesan and black pepper.
    The smells drifting up were divine. A plate of carbs like this would have been a trigger for me at one point. Something I wouldn’t even want to look at, but that wasn’t who I was any more, so I picked up my fork and began to swirl the soft, cream-coated strands against a spoon.
    “Where are you from?” Andre asked as he did the same with his meal.
    “Originally from Cambridge but I moved down to London several years ago.”
    “And what brought you here?”
    “A PA job with better money