Sleeping with the Playboy Read Online Free
Author: Julianne MacLean
work hard to keep her eyes to herself and concentrate on her job, and she wasnât used to distractions like that.
Perhaps she could tell him that her assistant had just called to inform her that her previous principal wanted her to return for another month.
But that would be lying, and she really hated people who lied.
Surely she could handle this.
Deciding to at least give Dr. Knightâs case some timeâit would be a hefty paycheck after all, and she wanted to cover her sisterâs university tuitionâJocelyn returned to his building and purposefully didnât stop at the security desk to check in. The guard didnât say a word. Sure, he might have already seen her come and go once, but that wasnât good enough for her. She pulled out her Palm Pilot and made note of it, then while she rode the elevator up, checked the red emergency phone, just to make sure it worked.
Â
Donovan leaned back against the kitchen counter and took a sip of his beer. What had he been thinking, hiring a woman on the spot to move into his place and be his bodyguard? His bodyguard!
He should have given it more thought. He usually didnât make decisions on the spur of the moment, unless they were medical emergencies and circumstances demanded it. When it came to his personal life, he preferred to take three days to mull over a decision, just to make sure he wasnât acting impulsively.
Which in this case, he most certainly was.
Damn Mark for bringing up the Counseling Center. Mark knew Donovan too wellâknew he wouldnât be able to say no after that. The Center was, after all, the most important thing in his life these days, and he wanted to see it through to the end. A security expert was definitely a sensible idea.
Sensible indeed. While his âexpertâ had been wandering around the penthouse poking her nose everywhere, all heâd been able to think about was what she would look like naked.
Unfortunately, that last bit weighed a little too heavily in the decision-making process. What could he say? He was a man, and the idea of sharing his penthouse with an attractive woman who didnât seem to want something from him was an appealing notion. It hadnât been entirely about her skill as a security expert, though she certainly seemed competent enough, and as much as heâd initially denied it to Mark, he did feel the need for hired protection.
To give himself credit, though, he supposed his decision was something his gut had played a part in. Somehow heâd sensed that Jocelyn Mackenzie was knowledgeable about security and more than capable, and for reasons he couldnât quite explain, he felt comfortable trusting herâwhich was a novel concept for Donovan.
The doorbell rang, and he carried his beer with him to answer it.
âThatâs the second time you did that,â Jocelyn said as soon as their eyes met.
âDid what?â
âYou opened the door without using the optical viewer.â
âThe peephole? I knew it was you.â
âHow?â
âI knew you were coming right back.â He stepped aside to invite her in.
âI could have been anybody. And your security guard downstairs isnât a hundred percent reliable, by the way. Iâll deal with that tomorrow, after a few more tests.â
âTests? What kind of tests?â
âIâm just going to see how easy it is to get by.â With a large, black tote bag slung over her shoulder, she waited in the center of the foyer while Donovan closed the door.
âHow do you know I didnât use the optical viewer?â
âI know. I heard your footsteps and there wasnât time. Lock that, will you?â
He stared at her a moment, then realized she was right. He hadnât locked his door, and if she hadnât mentioned it, he might not have realized it until he went to bed, when he made a point to routinely check locks.
Her intelligent gaze swept the
Perhaps she could tell him that her assistant had just called to inform her that her previous principal wanted her to return for another month.
But that would be lying, and she really hated people who lied.
Surely she could handle this.
Deciding to at least give Dr. Knightâs case some timeâit would be a hefty paycheck after all, and she wanted to cover her sisterâs university tuitionâJocelyn returned to his building and purposefully didnât stop at the security desk to check in. The guard didnât say a word. Sure, he might have already seen her come and go once, but that wasnât good enough for her. She pulled out her Palm Pilot and made note of it, then while she rode the elevator up, checked the red emergency phone, just to make sure it worked.
Â
Donovan leaned back against the kitchen counter and took a sip of his beer. What had he been thinking, hiring a woman on the spot to move into his place and be his bodyguard? His bodyguard!
He should have given it more thought. He usually didnât make decisions on the spur of the moment, unless they were medical emergencies and circumstances demanded it. When it came to his personal life, he preferred to take three days to mull over a decision, just to make sure he wasnât acting impulsively.
Which in this case, he most certainly was.
Damn Mark for bringing up the Counseling Center. Mark knew Donovan too wellâknew he wouldnât be able to say no after that. The Center was, after all, the most important thing in his life these days, and he wanted to see it through to the end. A security expert was definitely a sensible idea.
Sensible indeed. While his âexpertâ had been wandering around the penthouse poking her nose everywhere, all heâd been able to think about was what she would look like naked.
Unfortunately, that last bit weighed a little too heavily in the decision-making process. What could he say? He was a man, and the idea of sharing his penthouse with an attractive woman who didnât seem to want something from him was an appealing notion. It hadnât been entirely about her skill as a security expert, though she certainly seemed competent enough, and as much as heâd initially denied it to Mark, he did feel the need for hired protection.
To give himself credit, though, he supposed his decision was something his gut had played a part in. Somehow heâd sensed that Jocelyn Mackenzie was knowledgeable about security and more than capable, and for reasons he couldnât quite explain, he felt comfortable trusting herâwhich was a novel concept for Donovan.
The doorbell rang, and he carried his beer with him to answer it.
âThatâs the second time you did that,â Jocelyn said as soon as their eyes met.
âDid what?â
âYou opened the door without using the optical viewer.â
âThe peephole? I knew it was you.â
âHow?â
âI knew you were coming right back.â He stepped aside to invite her in.
âI could have been anybody. And your security guard downstairs isnât a hundred percent reliable, by the way. Iâll deal with that tomorrow, after a few more tests.â
âTests? What kind of tests?â
âIâm just going to see how easy it is to get by.â With a large, black tote bag slung over her shoulder, she waited in the center of the foyer while Donovan closed the door.
âHow do you know I didnât use the optical viewer?â
âI know. I heard your footsteps and there wasnât time. Lock that, will you?â
He stared at her a moment, then realized she was right. He hadnât locked his door, and if she hadnât mentioned it, he might not have realized it until he went to bed, when he made a point to routinely check locks.
Her intelligent gaze swept the
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