Valeria by Kaitlin R. Branch Read Free Book Online

ideas,” he said. “I’ll, uh, keep that in mind.” Damn, he could be a bad liar.
    She didn’t seem to notice, looking to one side of the staircase to the other, and finally offering, “I’ll make dinner tonight. You can set up your room again.” She stepped around him and practically bolted up the stairs. He turned to look after her but could only watch her boot soles as they clattered against the grating.
    Mache leaned back, sighing as his feet came back to life with an unpleasant tingle. It didn’t do anything to banish a smile. She liked him. That was nice because he liked her too. Now the question was how to make her see it without bolting in confusion.
    Ah well, it looked as if he had time.
    * * * *
    She was cooking when Mache emerged from his room and she didn’t seem interested in discussing the fact that half an hour ago they’d been rather heavily kissing. Mache sensed there would be no rushing this, though. He engaged her in other conversation, asking what the CEO thought of her prototype, whether she said anything of note about the spies in the factory, noting her impressive stature.
    “She’s nice to me,” Valeria said as she kept her eyes on the plate in front of her. “When I was younger she used to stay longer and tell me stories, and taught me how to cook and keep my own house, but I outgrew that ages ago.”
    “I see. She’s practically your mother.” Mache said.
    Valeria smiled up at him, her expression relieved and concerned at once, as if she were afraid he’d attack her across the table. “Yes, exactly.”
    “Did she tell you about men too?” he asked as gently as he was able.
    Her natural hand twitched around her fork and her gaze hit the table again, flushing. “Some,” she said, trembling.
    Mache restrained himself from reaching over, reminding himself that for all he knew, the CEO could have taught her men were corset-ripping, sex-crazed maniacs. “What’d she say?”
    “That I was better off without one,” Valeria said, looking off to the side. “That she’d survived these years because she kept men at arm’s length and I should consider doing the same.”
    “You don’t think she’s ever lain with a man?” Mache asked. He severely doubted it. A woman so beautiful and intimidating would have attracted at least a few admirers.
    Valeria blushed brighter. “Of course she has,” she said. “She’s got two children.” She shifted in her chair. “And both their fathers wound up trying to steal the company from her, ‘for her own good’.” Valeria swallowed. “She says men can’t accept you might be smarter than they are. They marginalize you, tie you down, fear your success.”
    Mache tilted his head. “When did she tell you this?” he asked.
    “Last night.”
    Mache was silent, taking the time to take a bite of salad, chew and swallow and think. The CEO was a smart lady and he could see why she’d come into success, though he felt sorry for the two husbands. Still, he could understand. Intelligence was intimidating. He could get the gist of what Valeria was saying most of the time, though she still outstripped him. She always would. It was a valid question. Could he handle being the un-smart one? Could he handle being the lesser of the two of them?
    “Mache?” she asked, sounding almost frightened.
    He started in his thoughts, looked at her and smiled. “Maybe she’s right.”
    “Really?” Valeria asked, sounding on the edge of being heartbroken.
    Mache shrugged. “Maybe you’d technically be better off. Certainly I’m a distraction and I could be an even bigger distraction. And I can’t promise to always be content with not being the one who takes care of you, but I think she missed an important point.”
    Valeria swallowed. “What’s that?”
    Mache patted her hand. “She’s the CEO. You’re Valeria. She’s tried love and it didn’t work for her. Have you ever tried love?”
    Valeria blushed, looked down again and shook her head.