The Price Of Secrecy Read Online Free PDF Page B

dozen just like you, he’d have the dream
team in place.”
    A
shiver ran down her spine. “I’m flattered.”
    “Well,
you must have really impressed him. He isn’t the kind of man who hands out
compliments easily. I’ve worked for him in public relations for ten years, and
I can count the number of times I’ve seen him this enthusiastic about a new
hire.”
    Trish
stood. “We don’t have our own storeroom yet, so we’re using the one two floors
down. Let me take you there so you can get supplies and set up your desk.”
    About
an hour later, Angela was still rearranging everything in her desk drawers when
she looked up and saw a smiling Dominic watching her. Was he part cat? “Hi there.
I didn’t even hear you come in.”
    “I’m
sneaky like that.”
    He
looked and smelled incredible. Today’s choice was a charcoal-colored suit and a
mint green tie. It should have looked ridiculous, but on him it was perfect.
“I’ll have to remember that.”
    “Are
you all set up? I ran into Trish, who said you’re eager to begin work.”
    “I
am. Thanks.”
    “Let’s
go and have some lunch first. We can talk about everything besides work, and
then we’ll get started on saving the planet, one name at a time.”
    She
smiled and rose, started to walk away from her desk, and then remembered her
purse in her desk drawer. “Do you want us to lock our desks when we leave them?
Trish said in some departments they do.”
    “That’s
up to you. Just make sure your laptop is on the password screen so no one else
can access it.”
    They
walked past Merrick’s office, and Dominic smiled at her. “You look very pretty
today. That suit looks great on you.”
    “Thank
you.” She felt heat rise to her face, but that had as much to do with the
unexpected compliment as the fact he’d waited to say something within earshot
of Merrick. Had he done that on purpose? Judging from the look on Merrick’s
face, he had. Was he marking his territory, or was there a history there?
Either way, she had no desire to be a pawn in his game.
    “Where
are we going?” she asked, hoping if she changed the subject he’d behave like
the gentleman she knew was in there.
    “It’s
a place right around the corner. Cibo
Delizioso .”
    “Delicious
Food.”
    He
gave her an odd look, and her stomach contracted, but not from hunger. She had
grown up speaking both Italian and American English, and she still spoke
Italian with her mother so she didn’t lose the language. But she needed to keep
that a secret, obviously. “I had an Italian roommate in college.”
    He
nodded, but didn’t look convinced. Fuck. If she was going to work this closely with him, she’d need to be careful not to
slip up like that.
    The
elevator was crowded, and so she was hyper aware of being pushed up against him
as they rode down to the lobby. She inhaled his scent, woodsy and expensive,
wondering what it would be like to lie next to him naked, that smell mixed with
their sweat and the unmistakable aroma of sex. This was already difficult. She
was in so much trouble here.
    “Have
you been there?” he asked.
    “The
restaurant? You’re kidding, right? It’s crazy
expensive. No, I haven’t.”
    He
smiled down at her, and this close it sent shivers along her spine. She was
reluctant to pull away her gaze, but she finally did. When they reached the
lobby, he shocked the hell out of her by holding out his arm. “In that case,
allow me to introduce you to the fabulous world of my favorite restaurant.”
    She
took his arm and tried to ignore the curious looks as they got off elevator and
walked through the lobby. He was a charmer and a flirt, but she wasn’t sure she
agreed with Lesli’s assessment that he was a player. Just because he’d dated
more than one woman didn’t make him a jerk. He was forty-one years old. It
would be odd if he hadn’t dated more than one woman. Still, she wasn’t about to
discuss his dating life. She couldn’t get involved with him. It was