Burned by Passion Read Online Free

herself mentioning the welcome party and saw Terrence’s darkly handsome face register interest.
    “There could be a story in this you know. Bretton Carter’s long-lost son finally returns,” Terrence murmured and Kira rolled her eyes expressively. Trust Terrence to find a story in everything.
    “To stay, I wonder?” mused Terrence as he sipped from his wine glass.
    Kira was shaking her head. “I have no way of knowing. He’ll probably want to return back home to his mother.”
    “His mother,” Terrence repeated speculatively. “She was some British chick, wasn’t she? She and your boss still divorced?”
    Kira’s eyes shifted as she nodded in response, beginning to feel uncomfortable discussing her boss’s personal affairs. Not that she was telling Terrence anything he didn’t know or couldn’t find out himself. It just felt that she owed her boss loyalty enough to keep his private matters private.
    “You know; I think it’ll be a good idea to accompany you to this party tomorrow,” Terrence surprised Kira by saying. “I mean I’ve always been curious to see how the other half lives, so to speak. Would your boss be cool with that?”
    “Of course he would,” Kira said with a somewhat guilty start. She figured her boss wouldn’t expect her to show up alone especially since he knew Terrence; they’d met a few times. “I didn’t think you’d be interested in such an affair.”
    Terrence grinned, the flash of white gleaming against his smooth dark skin. “Yeah I know; it doesn’t seem like my kind of scene, huh? I mean a bunch of snotty white folk with more money than they know what to do with – hiding their many secret foibles beneath their designer clothes and high class personas.”
    Kira groaned deeply. “If you’re coming with me you’ve got to promise to be on your best behavior, Terrence. No snooping around for your next celebrity scoop. If some starlet or billionaire gets drunk and makes out with the family help I don’t want to read about it in your little gossip column tomorrow.”
    Terrence’s expression looked pained and he lifted both hands in defeat. “Okay, okay. How could I possibly refuse when you plead so nicely with those big, brown eyes and soft, pouty lips? I got you, honey. I’ll be the soul of discretion and leave my inquisitive mind at home.”
    Kira shook her head and smiled, unable to resist Terrence’s wicked charm. She was glad to have a man like him. He wasn’t dominant in any way; totally respected her and let her make all her own choices even though he was older and more experienced when it came to life issues. He acted like the big brother she’d always wanted and she was grateful she could count on him to be there when she needed him.
    He’d make a great crutch tomorrow tonight, she decided, knowing she’d be nervous as hell and the handsome Terrence’s arm would be nice to lean on as she faced the world of the rich and mighty. Working as Bretton Carter’s secretary had exposed her to a lot of things that had broadened her horizons but she’d never been in a situation where she’d be in the company of his well-heeled friends and business associates. It would be an eye-opening experience, one she was looking more and more forward to as the hour drew near.
     
    Chapter Three
     
    Blake stood in front of the mirrors running one wall of his dressing room, adjusting his dark suit and conservative tie. He hoped he was appropriately dressed since it was meant to be a black tie optional dinner party. He still couldn’t believe he’d agreed to this.
    He’d have expected that the last thing his father would do was make a big fuss about him. He was twenty-eight, not fifteen. But another part of him felt he should be glad his father was proud enough to want him to meet his special guests.
    Blake looked back at his reflection and shook his head at the picture he depicted. Did he look as reluctant as he felt? He knew he had to get this over with. Especially