Emmy And The Boss. Penny McCusker

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СКАЧАТЬ and no more touching. And no more smiling.”

      He wiped the smile off his face, but the corners of his mouth twitched suspiciously. Emmy got the distinct impression he wasn’t taking her seriously.

      “How about after hours?” he asked. “Can I smile then?”

      “After hours you can smile at anybody you want. But it won’t be me.”

      That did it. The smile was gone completely. Emmy missed it. “I’m sorry, that was rude.”

      His eyes began to warm up.

      “But I meant it,” she said. “We have to keep business and…”

      “Pleasure separate? No problem.”

      “No pleasure,” she said firmly, adding watch my words to her mental list of rules governing how to deal with Nick Porter. “There’s only going to be business.”

      “Why?”

      “Because.”

      “That’s not an answer.”

      “It’s the only one I have. I don’t want to get involved in anything personal, and since my reasons are, well, personal,” not to mention confusing, even to her, “I’m not getting into them.”

      “It’s Roger, isn’t it?”

      No. Definitely not Roger. But if she said that, Nick would want to know the real reason. Emmy didn’t know the real reason, but she knew there was fear involved. A lot of fear. And if something about Nick Porter scared her that much, it could only be in her best interest to keep her distance. “I’m madly in love with Roger, and he broke my heart,” she said. “It wouldn’t be fair to get involved with anyone else.”

      “Nope. That’s not it.”

      “Yes, it is.”

      “You only think it’s because of Roger, but really it’s because of me.”

      “Because of you?”

      “I’m irresistible.”

      Emmy knew it would only encourage him, but she couldn’t help laughing.

      “It’s true,” he insisted. “Look at me.”

      He spread his hands and she followed directions. It wasn’t eye contact, but it wasn’t any less dangerous. He was attractive, no doubt about it, and he was tall which, being tall herself, Emmy considered a definite plus. And he obviously kept in shape; he wasn’t exactly dressed for the executive suite, but if he looked that good in Dockers, he’d be killer in a suit. And she’d be dead meat.

      But it wasn’t just his face and body. Nick Porter had that thing, that indefinable quality that made actors movie stars and pretty girls supermodels. You just wanted to be around him, Emmy concluded, and talk to him and look at him. It didn’t make any sense, but that was why they called it the X-factor. There weren’t any words descriptive enough to give it an actual name.

      “I’m entertaining, too,” he said, taking her long perusal and the resulting silence as agreement. “I’m funny and dependable—”

      “No, you’re not. We’ve only met twice and you’ve been late both times.”

      “You’re right, I just said that because I thought it would appeal to an efficiency expert. But punctuality is highly overrated. There’s more to life than work.”

      “I know.” She just didn’t like any of the other parts. “But work is what we’re supposed to be doing right now. Besides, you have a girlfriend, and I doubt she’d appreciate your efforts to appeal to me.”

      “Let me guess, Stella told you that. She thinks every woman I meet is after my money.”

      “You don’t have any money. Your business is in debt.”

      “I know. That’s why you’re here. Who would’ve thought being broke would turn into such an advantage? Although I have to admit I’m not actually broke. I have a trust fund.”

      “So women are after your money.”

      “Sometimes. But the important thing is you’re not, and since I’m not currently dating anyone except you—”

      “We’re not dating.”

      “Yet. We will be. Eventually I’ll wear you down, and before you know it you’ll be introducing me to your parents. Once I meet your mom you’re toast. Moms love me.”

      Emmy didn’t say anything, but she made sure her expression was blank. She didn’t exactly dwell on her childhood, or the foster homes, but she didn’t have any trouble with the memories, either. Her parents—her mother especially—was the one area of her past she couldn’t bear to think about. It hurt too much.

      “I said something wrong.”

      “My parents are dead.” It looked as though he might reach for her, so Emmy eased away from him. “It happened a long time ago. I barely remember them, and it’s personal. I’m here to talk about your business. Do you want to save it?”

      For a minute she didn’t think he was going to respect her boundaries—or agree with her. But then he nodded and she was able to relax. As much, she figured, as she’d ever be able to relax around Nick.

      “Good, then let’s get started.”

      Chapter Three

      Emmy spent the rest of the day observing Nick’s employees. Nick spent the rest of the day observing Emmy. The employees didn’t care much for being observed. Emmy was oblivious to everything but work. Nick had the time of his life.

      She was so cute with her clipboard and stopwatch, brow furrowed in concentration, tucking her flyaway blond hair behind her ear every other minute. That hair gave him real hope where she was concerned. If she’d been as no-nonsense as she claimed to be, she’d have tamed her hair back into some kind of ugly, efficient bun. Nick couldn’t think of anything worse than that, so it was a relief that she was still wandering around with a head full of wild Shirley Temple curls.

      And she was surprisingly good with people—or she would have been if she’d let them in. She asked questions, and she listened so intently to the answers that whoever she was speaking with couldn’t help but be flattered despite themselves. But every time talk strayed to the personal, she shut down, the person on the other side of the conversation backed off, and Emmy moved on to the next work station, personal involvement rolling off her as though she walked around in a Teflon isolation bubble. She’d done the same thing when he mentioned her mother, Nick remembered, only the bubble hadn’t been made of Teflon, it had been made of sadness.

      Well, he was just the guy to burst her bubble—and where the heck had that thought come from? Nick wondered. Being attracted to her was one thing, anything else was moving way too fast, and Nick made it a point never to move too fast.

      Yet there was something about Emmy Jones. Part of it was knowing she’d lost her parents at a young age. Nick could sympathize; his mother had died СКАЧАТЬ