Deceptive Love by Anne N. Reisser Read Free Book Online Page A

not refuse, Miss Dalton. You will carry out the duties required of you as one of my confidential secretaries, as I direct you."
    Keri was defeated and they both knew it. The choice was most clearly laid out before her. If she wished to keep her job, she would do so on Dain Randolph's terms, no other way. Somehow he knew her for what she was, and once he had pierced her masquerade, it was useless to her.
    "Very well, sir," she admitted herself bested. "Shall I handle the arrangements for the reception?"
    "No, Miss Barth has them well in hand. She will brief you on them tomorrow morning." He smiled slightly to himself. "She has also been informed that you are to act as hostess because of your linguistic abilities."
    Keri's lips twitched irrepressibly and for a brief instant a current of humor ran between them. Miss Barth was not going to be pleased by Keri's transformation from ugly duckling to svelte swan and they both knew it. Keri's amusement was short-lived, however, for she knew all too well what problems coping with a jealous co-worker could present, and she was sadly familiar with the Miss Barths of the world. She had no desire to engage in a struggle for power, but Miss Barth was going to see it as a direct threat when Keri unexpectedly and dramatically blossomed into a tiger lily. Keri sighed wistfully. Life had been so pleasant for the three months as Mr. Simonds's secretary. Now those months resembled the eye of a hurricane, and the winds of conflict and destructive force were rising once again around her. Schyler had been a tempest in a teapot. Dain Randolph was like a devastating typhoon.
    She refused dessert, picked up her glasses, and replaced them firmly upon her nose. Dain scowled horribly, but Keri looked right back at him with calm determination. Tomorrow night would be soon enough for her transformation and she had no intention of going back to that conference room different from how she had left it, especially after a luncheon a deux with her boss. Prim she came in, prim she would go back out!
    "Is this your apartment?" she questioned him, looking for a subject to fill the time while he ate the fruit he had chosen as a finish to his meal. She didn't for a minute think it was, because the whole apartment had the slightly sterile air of a first-class hotel, but she had no desire to sit in intimate silence with him. So she made aimless conversation. She wasn't exactly nervous , but she was a long way from being at ease in his presence.
    From the sardonic gleam in his eyes she knew he was fully aware of her disquiet, but he played the game by his own particular rules and answered her civilly enough. "In a manner of speaking, it is. This building belongs to RanCo and we keep this apartment for the convenience of visiting dignitaries and for the times when entertaining on a smaller scale is desirable."
    There was not the slightest hint of an innuendo in his tone, but Keri knew he was laughing silently. He was totally at ease as he lounged in his chair, finishing his succulent peach. Well, why shouldn't he be, she thought crossly. He's certainly had everything his way, and I 'm feeling a perfect fool.
    Somehow she endured the rest of the tete-a-tete and the afternoon that followed. By firmly cramming the speculations and what-do-I-do-nows down below the level of conscious worry, she managed to maintain her morning level of efficiency, but the effort left her feeling drained and limp by the time the conference concluded.
    Fortunately Dain was engrossed in paper work during the drive back to her apartment and she was left in peace, ostensibly to review and plan the transcription of her notes. She began to extract a precis of the salient points of discussion plus position statements for each of the participants in the conference. Dain had not requested it, but it was standard practice as far as Keri was concerned.
    She was determined she'd also have the verbatim transcription ready to lay on his desk first thing