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"Because you've had your heart broken in a way you never expected."
The words weren't uttered in question, and it hurt, realizing how she had been unconsciously wearing her pain on her sleeve.
"You know what they say, Ms. Jones," Gareth murmured. "There's nothing like a new man to make you forget the old."
Not when the new one has too many similarities with the old, Pippi thought.
If she ever trusted another man again, it would be someone so...sopoorthe only thing he owned were the clothes on his back.
Gareth's gaze gleamed at the stubborn look on Pippi's face. "It's almost as if you're daring me to prove you wrong, Ms. Jones."
She looked at him with wide-eyed alarm, knowing how men like him tended to rise to the occasion during dares and challenges like their lives depended on it. "That is absolutely not true, sir."
Gareth couldn't help laughing. Never had a woman been so determined to prove her lack of interest in him, and not for the first time, he found himself wondering what kind of an idiot would give up a gem like Pippilotta Jones.
Ah, well.
It no longer mattered in any case.
The important thing now was to earn Pippi's trust until she came to him, willingly, and preferably without clothes.
Looking back at her, he said mildly, "You should take the rest of the day off."
Pippi immediately shook her head. "I don't—-"
He waved her protest off, saying, "I'm not doing this out of pity or for any ulterior motive. If you really want the truth, I'm doing this because I know you're worth your weight in gold and I expect you to make efficient use of your free time."
In other words, he was telling her that today was best forgotten, and tomorrow he expected the real Ms. Jones to show up at work - and impress the heck out of him.
"I see you get my meaning."
"Yes, sir." She rose to her feet. "And come tomorrow, I promise you won't even know what hit you, Mr. Evans. You'll just realize that you can't even remember what your office life was like before you had me as your secretary."
"And my lover hopefully," he couldn't help adding.
Pippi decided it was simply best to ignore this. Slinging the straps of her bag over her shoulder, she looked at her new boss, and the usual wave of shyness struck her. But just as she had done a while ago, Pippi fought past it and even succeeded in summoning a smile that was the only slightest bit awkward.
"Thank you...for understanding."
"What are lovers for?" But before Pippi could even think of what to say to this, he had already pointed to the door, saying, "I'll see you tomorrow, Ms. Jones."
Pippi couldn't help rolling her eyes as she turned to leave.How so like a man,she thought wryly,to always want to have the last word.
The stamp on Pippi's time card showed that she was getting off work two hours earlier than usual, and the sheer novelty of it helped further ease the ache in her heart.Two hours, she found herself marveling privately. Why, that was more than enough for her to indulge in watching a full-length movie in the cinemas if she wanted to.
She was so busy thinking of the ways she could best put her extra two hours to use that Pippi completely missed the way the other secretaries exchanged sly glances among themselves as she walked past them.
That she was given a chance to leave early on her first day of work as Gareth Evans' secretary was too interesting by half, and in minutes, rumors about a possible affair between Pippi and her new boss were already spreading like wildfire.
At the lobby, Pippi had just swiped her ID to push past the metal arms of the turnstile when she noticed what seemed like an altercation between a pair of security officers and a gauntly thin woman with too-pale skin and dark circles under her eyes. Even so, the brunette had a fragile loveliness about her, and the overly loose dress she wore only added to her air of vulnerability.
Pippi hesitated, knowing that none of it was truly her concern.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?"the woman was screaming."You don't know who you're messing with. You'll regret this, I'm telling you!"
More threats and expletives followed, and Pippi couldn't help wincing. Public relations might be her worst skill, but even she knew that swearing would never get anyone anywhere.
"We won't warn you again, ma'am. If you do not cease causing a disturbance—-"
