The Paris Affair Read Online Free PDF Page A

coverage, and we’re having trouble recruiting new-hires lately. I want to turn our reputation around. Get our name out there with a positive message.”
    “Your father wasn’t ever worried about the press.”
    “James Sheffield and I have differing viewpoints in a number of areas,” she said frostily.
    Helmut raised his cups to his lips for a sip of the overly sweet red wine, and paused. All the color had drained out of Claire’s face.
    “What’s the matter?” he asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
    “It’s my ex,” Claire said.
    Frank Burwell met Claire’s gaze from across the room, and started immediately toward her. She cringed.
    She had heard from a friend that he and his latest girlfriend were on the rocks. The last time he had woman trouble, he had shown up on Claire’s doorstep, smelling like rum and looking at Claire with puppy dog eyes. It was the same expression he wore tonight.
    She almost had to physically kick him out of her apartment that night, and she didn’t relish exchanging pleasantries with him again.
    “I am sorry,” she said to Helmut. “He can be a real jerk. I’ll try to get rid of him as quickly as possible.”
    Helmut nodded, a half-smile on his lips.
    “Claire. You look beautiful tonight, sweetheart.”
    Claire turned and glared. “What do you want, Frank?”
    Frank flashed her a hurt expression. With his brushed-back dark hair and longish nose, he looked like a hawk circling his prey. How had she ever found that angular face attractive? “I just wanted to say hello to you, my dear. I have missed your company.”
    “Your company has missed me, you mean,” she muttered under her breath. His stock price was down twenty percent already in the few weeks since she’d left.
    “What have you been doing with yourself during your little vacation? You must be getting restless for some real work by now,” he asked, missing her backhanded remark.
    “Didn’t you hear? I took a new position.”
    Frank looked genuinely startled. “Really? Where?”
    “Sheffield & Fox. The board approved me as CEO Sunday afternoon. I started Monday.”
    His bird-like eyebrows shot up even higher, and Claire felt a surge of triumph. When she’d announced her resignation from Arachnava, Frank had sneered that she’d be back begging for her job in a week.
    His eyes narrowed. “Your daddy’s company? I thought you said you’d never work for him.”
    “She doesn’t. James retired.”
    Claire’s eyes flew to Helmut’s face. His jaw was set in a grim line as he studied Frank.
    “Frank, this is Helmut Forrester. Helmut, Frank Burwell.”
    Helmut swapped his wine glass to his left hand and offered his right to Frank, but the slime ignored it.
    Frank drooped his shoulders and flashed his puppy dog look at Claire again. “If you need anything, Claire, I’m here for you. I hope you will always remember that.”
    She felt the touch of Helmut’s hand on the small of her back and looked up. His green eyes twinkled. “The performers are on their way out. Lets go find our scholarship student, shall we? Pleasure to meet you, Burwell.”
    Claire flashed him a smile and allowed Helmut to lead her to a small group of bright-eyed students, well aware that she had not told Frank that Helmut worked for her. She felt a pang of conscience at deliberately misleading her ex into thinking she had a date. But then, Helmut hadn’t volunteered that information either. That was...interesting.
    While she complimented performances and posed for a photo with a bashful soprano with the voice of an angel, she could feel Frank’s gaze following her. Helmut stuck close to her side, and Claire was grateful for his presence. Frank was not the type to provoke a direct confrontation for any reason. He was too passive-aggressive. It was one of the man’s worst traits and top of the list of reasons she’d left him over a year ago. Right after his habit of sleeping with his executive assistants.
    As the party began