Page 5 of Love On and Off Set

“I’ll do whatever you need. And I’ll pick up odd jobs.”

“Yes, well…”

Again with the looking down his nose at me.

“You’ve moved in, I take it?”

“Yes, Kristoff helped. You had agreed—”

He waved me off. “I’m being a bit of a grump, aren’t I? Kristoff does go on about that.”

Kristoff had the guts to stand up to this guy? I was quite certain I never would. “May I do the dishes?” We’d eaten in relative silence, as I’d worried about saying the wrong thing.

He placed his cloth napkin on the table. “Yes, that would be agreeable. I’ll be in my home office for the next few hours before I retire. Kristoff often enjoyed watching movies on the big-screen television in the living room.”

“Oh.”

One sculpted eyebrow raised.

“Well, it’s just…I thought I’d be confined to my room.”

He burst out laughing. “You’re not the hired help. As long as you generally stay out of my way—and out of my bedroom and den—you have free access to all areas of the condo. I converted one of the bedrooms into a workout room.”

“Don’t like working out with the masses?” The building happened to have an excellent fitness facility. Kristoff showed me earlier today. They even had a swimming pool, for crying out loud. I couldn’t wait to try that one out.

Horatio furrowed his brow. “I don’t dislike working out with, as you say, the masses. I just like to be able to hop on my treadmill and take a run whenever the mood strikes. I don’t want to be fussing with going downstairs and dealing with…” The corners of his mouth twitched. “The masses.” He waved. “You do whatever you like.”

Even through his dress shirt and perfectly pressed wool pants, I’d glimpsed a damn sexy body. I wouldn’t mind running into him in the personal gym. All sweaty in a tank top and short shorts—

“I asked if you need a lesson in operating the entertainment system.” He glowered.

“Uh, Kristoff showed me while you were at the office. Do you, uh, spend most Saturdays in the office?”

He scowled. “Sometimes. Other times, I simply work from home. I do attempt to take Sundays off, but I doubt that will happen tomorrow. I have a busy week ahead.”

That sounded absolutely miserable to me.

Horatio rose.

I did the same.

He left the room.

I flopped back into my chair.

What the fuck have I gotten myself into?

Chapter Three

Horatio

Igazed at my chief financial officer, uncomprehendingly. “You want me to bring a date?”

Bethany Maitland nodded. “Yes, Walter’s tired of having odd numbers at the table. It’s a charity event, Horatio. Find a date.”

Walter, Bethany’s extremely competent husband, handled most of the social affairs our office partook in. I’d offered him a salary for all he did, but he liked to say he was just doing his husbandly duties. Oddly, I was under the distinct impression he liked organizing social affairs. Before I’d poached Bethany from one of my biggest rivals, I’d left social stuff to my admin assistant.

Mona had been quite happy to give all that up.