Читать книгу The Greek Tycoon's Baby - Линн Грэхем, LYNNE GRAHAM - Страница 9

LEOS was chairing a board meeting when Susie arrived.

Nervous as a cat on hot bricks, she organized the small office allotted to her. Finally, the phone rang and she was summoned into the boardroom. Leos immediately stood up, provoking a noisy thrusting back of seats as the all-male management team surged to emulate his good manners.

“Not only has Miss Marshall a topflight marketing degree, but she is also fluent in French and Spanish,” Leos said, disconcerting Susie a great deal with that introduction. “What was she doing down on reception?”

Looking aghast, the personnel manager froze.

“A business that fails to place promising staff in a key position is wasteful.” Leos delivered. “I have also taken note of the fact that there are no female managers, an extraordinary achievement in a firm this size.”

On that thought for the day, Leos closed the meeting. Suddenly, Susie understood that there had been nothing personal about his decision to promote her. He had simply used her to highlight his lecture about equal opportunities! A confusing mixture of reluctant admiration, pain and resentment assailed her.

A vision of masculine sophistication in a superb gray business suit, Leos showed Susie into his office. “Last month Devlin Systems settled two charges of sexual discrimination out of court. There will not be a third—”

“I thought you didn’t approve of working women—”

Leos raised a brow. “You were the first working woman I took to my bed and you were often unavailable when I wanted you. What I seek for my own satisfaction in my private life has no relation to my opinions as an employer.”

Hotly flushed in receipt of that blunt clarification, Susie tore her gaze from his and regretted her own over-familiar comment. All those months ago, she had only actually worked for Leos for three days before their passionate affair began and she had moved on to another agency placement.

“I have a long list of tasks for you,” Leos continued without skipping a beat, the heavy silence not seeming to disturb him in the slightest.

But then, she already knew that he did not have a sensitive bone in his body, didn’t she? Everything Leos did merely emphasized that she had never been more than a casual bed partner—on his terms. Her throat convulsed with tears.

He extended an audiotape to her. “It’s all on here. First, you send out the invitations to the dinner party. Then you can nip over to Bond Street and choose a bracelet for Brigitte. I’ll fill in the gift card.”

Powered by a near-agonizing sense of humiliation and pain, Susie lifted her head, green eyes alight with outrage.

“You are asking me to choose jewelry for your current lover?’ she exclaimed and flung the tape back at his feet. “You call that work? I call it victimization and revenge. Burn in hell, Leos!’

Leos studied her with incredulous tawny eyes.

“I hate you … I really hate you! You were the biggest mistake I ever made in my whole life!” And on that embittered declaration, Susie stalked out …