Beck And Call by Abby Gordon Read Free Book Online Page A

up and Serena
    quickly IM’d Claire and Debbie to delay their
    gathering. Claire responded that Debbie had convinced
    her to go to a boxing class to work out some aggression.
    Relieved on one level, Serena pushed down the desire
    that the girls would bail so she would be available for
    the Dominant.
    As she and Keith gathered their things after the
    call, Serena wondered how a man she hadn’t met, and
    whose name she didn’t even know, could influence her
    the way the Dominant was. Had she completely lost her
    mind? Was she that desperate? Or was she so tired of
    the status quo that she was willing to do something
    drastic? She also realized she was thirty and needed to
    get over her infatuation with Keith. She needed to get
    on with her life.
    The Dominant intrigued her, made her wonder, and
    it had been a very long time since she’d been stirred
    like this in any way.
    “Ready?” Keith asked, locking his office door.
    “Yes,” she nodded, closing the drawer and cradling
    the vase.
    “I’ll walk you to your car,” he offered as they went
    out to the hall and he locked the hall door to the
    executive suite.
    “I don’t have a car,” she replied, wondering at the
    chivalrous offer.
    “What?” he frowned, glancing at her as he turned
    the key. “How do you get to work and back home?”
    “Subway, usually. Bus, sometimes,” she shrugged.
    “On really nice days, if we’re not too late, I walk.”
    Keith stared at her. Why the hell had he never
    thought about something so basic? The subway? Bus?
    Walking! How far? Good lord, he didn’t have a clue as to
    where she lived. The address was one thing, but…just
    how far away did she live?
    He glanced at his watch. If she did walk or was
    delayed, then the box wouldn’t get delivered into her
    hands. And that was crucial to his plan. He had to make
    contact and get her preoccupied with what else he
    might have planned for her. If he took her home, he
    would also get a better handle on that aspect of her life.
    “I’ll take you home,” he said brusquely, taking her
    elbow and marching her down the hall. “How far away
    do you live?”
    Serena had to practically trot to keep up with him.
    Who was this man? Her boss wasn’t Jekyll/Hyde, but
    she didn’t know what to make of these random acts of
    kindness. He’d never been rude, cruel, or impolite, just
    impersonal and totally focused on his business. She
    understood that. She didn’t understand what drove
    him, but she knew that his total commitment had made
    the company what it was. She respected that. Since
    becoming his assistant, she’d seen firsthand the long
    hours he put in, his dedication and determination to be
    the best. He worked hard and demanded the same from
    his employees. But she’d never heard of him giving
    someone a ride home.
    “Serena?” he asked, pushing the button to summon
    the elevator. “Where do you live?”
    “Oh,” she blinked, pulled out of her reverie. “About
    twenty blocks. Just inside Tribeca. It’s a converted
    brownstone. Actually, three that were combined about
    ten years ago. I have one of the few one-bedroom
    apartments. Claire and Debbie are a few doors down
    from me.”
    “That will make tonight convenient,” he commented
    as the doors opened. “Or was that cancelled because of
    our call to Tokyo?”
    “Just delayed slightly,” she shook her head. “Debbie
    dragged Claire to a boxing class in the hopes that she
    could take some of her emotion out on the bags.”
    Keith nodded.
    “I’ve done that a few times myself. Particularly
    when dealing with hot-tempered, cousin-in-laws-to-be.”
    “Any idea of what to say to Penny?” she asked,
    seizing on the change in conversation.
    “Say to her?” he frowned as they reached the
    basement. He headed to where his car was parked. He
    heard her gasp of appreciation at the Mercedes. “What
    do you mean?”
    “I thought you would say something to her about
    Mark,” she frowned. Had she misunderstood?