Page 31 of Dante
She tried to appear nonchalant and hoped she pulled it off. "Any idea where?"
He grinned at her, admiring the chic baby blue suit she had on. She was wearing an eye-popping red sweater that brought out the color of her skin. He also liked the way she did her hair this morning, kind of like a careless finger style that made it appear a little tousled and sexy. She really had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. He also figured he wasn't getting anywhere with her.
"He would be more inclined to tell you." He pointed out. "I tried calling him, but his mobile is off. He gets that way once or twice when he has something on his mind."
She felt her belly clench and prayed she was not going to disgrace herself by rushing to the bathroom. Once was more than enough.
"I see. Well, I suppose we'll hear from him soon."
"I suppose we will." He leaned forward a little and frowned. "There's something different about you."
She had to try not to jolt.
"Still the same person."
"You have this glow about you." He shrugged. "Maybe it's me being dazzled by your beauty." His expression turned wheedling. "When are you going to put me out of my misery and go out on a date?"
"When either of us stops working here." She responded smoothly, grateful he was distracted.
"If I knew you were serious, I would put in my resignation right now."
She smiled at him. One could not help but like Donald, he was such a friendly and open person. And she wished she could have met someone like him before.
"Right." The phone rang just then.
"My cue to leave. Have a meeting anyway." With a wave, he was gone.
On Tuesday, she decided to come in even earlier. All day Monday, she hadn't heard from him and spent last night refining her CV. He had not been in touch and even his board members were calling to ask if she had heard anything from him. This was serious.
The usual trio of svelte and beautiful receptionists were not at their posts and for that, she was thankful. Waving a cheerful hello to the guard who opened the doors, she made her way to the private elevator and was soon inside her office. Picking up the reports she had typed up, she went towards the double doors. She had not been inside his office since he left. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the doors open and stepped in, the gold carpet swallowing her feet. She headed straight to the desk.
He knew the minute she came in, even though he had been deep in thought. He also knew with a sinking heart that going away for three days had left him right where he started. He wanted her. The need for her was so fierce, it took his breath away. He could smell her perfume, was drawn in by her. He wanted his hands on her, everywhere at once.
"Stay."
She whirled around at the sound of his voice, one hand jumping to her chest as she stared at him. "God! You scared the crap out of me. You're here. No one said anything, the guard..."
"I arrived last night and came here." His stomach clenched into tight knots as he continued to stare at her. She was wearing a soft teal blue dress that hugged her figure. No one looking at her could tell of her condition.
"I... uhm..." She tried to steady herself without success. "I brought you... that is..." She gestured to the files she had placed on his desk. "Reports I typed up and the emails I responded to, I sent you copies. If you need me to..."
"How are you?" he asked softly, making her blink.
"I'm sorry?"
"How are you feeling? The last time you were violently ill. Has your condition improved?"
"My condition?" She felt as if she was as dumb as dirt, but he was confusing her. "Oh! You mean... Oh." She pressed her hand to her stomach and cleared her throat. "I'm fine. Would you like some coffee?"
His brows lifted. "You're offering to bring me coffee?"
"Yes." She pressed her lips together. "Look, I know you're planning to get rid of me..."
"Is that what I'm planning?" he mused.
"You went away without a word..."
"I sent you an email."
