Blurring the Lines (Men of the Zodiac) Read Online Free Page A

too.”
    Was she for real? A part of him wanted to stand up and ask her if she even recognized the privilege she had in being allowed into his office, but he wasn’t that big of an ass. He’d always had a half-open door policy. Still, it was rare for unannounced visitors to find him with even five minutes to spare, let alone find themselves at a receiving end of a lucrative job offer. And the never work for you flashed a red challenge light he couldn’t ignore. She thought she had him pegged. “Loosen my purse strings? Can’t say that I’ve ever had a purse.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. You might think the Peter Maxx donation was magnanimous of you, but I know that, given your projected tax bracket, your chief legal counsel should have banked for a higher deduction.”
    Impressive. And she’d just confirmed his initial assessment that she was smart. How smart, he didn’t care. It was a secretarial position. But she knew how to use her words, and that attracted him more and more. “Be my secretary, and I’ll let you be part of the solution.”
    “No.”
    “Plus, if you agree to stay for one year, I’ll give you twenty percent from my own personal charity allowance to donate how you feel best fits this community’s needs. With the money I plan to allocate, I bet you could save a lot of puppies.”
    Her cheeks pinkened , and her head tilted slightly when she asked, “Why?”
    This was a bad idea. A really bad idea. But he felt compelled. He needed someone passionate and dedicated. He’d just have to keep his physical interest in her at bay. He could do that.
    He was very good at getting what he wanted, and he’d decided—sometime in the past twenty minutes—that he wanted Kira. As his secretary. “Because I don’t have a secretary, and if I did, I’m fairly confident we wouldn’t be having a discussion right now.”
    She glanced at him from beneath her bangs and gave a small smile. “But why would you ask me? Why offer me the job?”
    Because you can’t stand me. And you’d be loyal. She’d been taking care of those animals and helping out her mother’s charities. She had an end game, stakes in it, and that meant she’d be willing to do the job.
    A spontaneous, very un-Blake thing to do? No doubt. But like his other business decisions, he wouldn’t change course or second-guess himself.
    “It’s a good position. Full-time with benefits. It’s a steady salary. Like I said, I find myself in need of a secretary, so I’m willing to pay what you feel is fair for a one-year commitment of your time. And you get to take care of all of your pet projects using my money. It’s a good proposition.”
    The side of her mouth twitched, but he couldn’t be sure if she was smiling or smirking. “I didn’t come here for a job. I came here to discuss my family’s building.”
    “And we’re negotiating. Come work for me, and I’ll direct the architect to draft an alternate design for the community redevelopment.”
    She tensed, and when she sucked on her lower lip, he wondered what she tasted like, and frowned. Where had that thought come from?
    “It’s that simple?” He heard the suspicion in her voice.
    “We’re crunched for time, but new plans can be drafted. I’m not saying it will be simple, but I’ll support a change in vision.”
    Her frown deepened. “But nothing’s guaranteed.”
    He had a quip, but this wasn’t the time to use it. “Whitman-Madison’s board needs to approve it, as well as the community redevelopment board, but I think I have enough sway to make this happen.” When she continued to eyeball him with doubt, he took a sip of the cooling coffee and reminded her, “Don’t forget the charity allowance.”
    She clasped her hands in front of her. “The thing is, Haley, from The Fresh Bean, has been trying to get a job with you forever. And my roommate works in your accounting department.”
    “Your point?” Interesting . Her roommate already worked for him. He