Dragon and the Dove Read Online Free PDF Page B

wasn’t going to take
up nearly as much of my time as brokering your rather questionable
skills.”
    “My skills are not questionable,” he said,
irritated with himself and her, and with all the reasons his body
was coming up with for wanting to take her to bed. All he’d really
wanted to do was fire her. He shouldn’t have let his practical
business side or his sense of responsibility get the better of him.
He shouldn’t have followed her to London.
    “Your skills are not questionable in
degree,” she agreed, “but most definitely in form. I have serious
doubts about working for a maritime bounty hunter, which I have
surmised is the correct term for your line of business.”
    She was a cool one. He had to give her that
much credit.
    “You have six days left on your contract,”
he said. “I’ll still give you a
thousand dollars for each of them.”
    She ignored his offer. “I haven’t figured
out why you wanted an assistant of my caliber at all. An executive
secretary could have met your needs for a lot less money. Right now
I’m planning on counseling you to replace me with someone who can
manage your office, and for you to do your own contract negotiating
when the occasion arises, which Leeds explained isn’t very often.
You’re usually on your own, bringing in the pirates for a price
that was set without any input from you.”
    Cooper wasn’t prepared to discuss any of her
chosen conversational topics with her, especially in the
Boarshead.
    “Have you ever heard of anyone being too
smart for their own good?” he asked, one eyebrow raised in warning,
his implication hopefully clear.
    She arched one eyebrow back at him,
her
implication crystal clear, and Cooper wondered where
in the hell he’d gotten his first impression of innocence. The
woman had the
cojones
of a rhinoceros, and she’d drunk
George Leeds under the table.
    Maybe Mrs. Crabb had been right. Maybe
Jessica Langston was exactly what he needed.
    God, he hoped not.
    “Come on,” he said, taking her arm. “Let’s
get you out of here before something happens we’ll both
regret.”
    Jessica would have balked on principle
alone, but the strength of the hand on her elbow gave her no choice
but to comply.
    “What about Mr. Leeds?” she asked, looking
over her shoulder at the man they’d left lying on the floor.
    “I’ll take care of Leeds after I’ve taken
care of you,” Cooper said.
    “This really isn’t necessary, you know,” she
said, struggling to keep up with him despite his limp. “I can take
care of myself.”
    “So I’ve noticed,” he said wryly.
    She would have liked to argue with him, but
their headlong retreat out of the Boarshead was having an unhappy
effect on her equilibrium, and she didn’t want to end up like
George, especially in front of Cooper Daniels.
    “Could we slow down, please?” she asked,
inadvertently leaning into him. “The room is starting to spin a
little to the left.”
    He came to a sudden halt and pinned her with
a green glare. “You
are
drunk.”
    “No,” she said, grabbing onto him for
support. “No, I’m not. But I do have a limit when it comes to
alcohol consumption, and I have reached it.”
    He swore, succinctly, looking right at her.
That his words were spoken in a Chinese dialect did not confuse her
in the least. She understood him perfectly.
    “An apt sentiment, I’m sure,” she said. “But
I’d still appreciate it if you would slow down.”
    Cooper did, holding her close to his side to
keep her from slipping to the floor, and holding on to his anger by
the thinnest of threads. It was bad enough to have found her in the
Boarshead with her companion inebriated to the point of
unconsciousness. It was worse to realize what situation she would
have found herself in if he hadn’t shown up. He didn’t have to look
around to know how many men were staring at them. Half of them had
probably been waiting for Leeds to pass out so they could move in
on her.
    Actually, he knew there