side of his desk. Only then did he notice that Carol was still there. In the doorway. Watching him.
Impatience stirred within.
Damn it, this was all Kyraâs fault, too. Heâd been perfectly happy with his administrative assistant. Carol had been nothing but exceptionally efficient for years. Until Kyra, he hadnât been willing to see that heâd turned over too much of his life into Carolâs competent hands.
But that wasnât his adminâs fault. âWhat is it, Carol?â
âNothing really,â she said, taking a step or two toward him. Her dark curly hair was caught at the back of her head with a silver barrette and her dark green business suit was, of course, impeccable. Folding her hands together at her waist, she said, âItâs just that I donât believe Ms. Fortune is the proper person to accompany you to this meeting.â
Curiosity warred now with the impatience nibbling at him. âAnd whyâs that?â
She smiled sweetly. âReally, Mr. Wolff. Sheâs a nice enough young woman, but as a member of the Fortune family, sheâs hardly the right person to represent the best interests of Voltage.â
Garret pushed away from his desk and stood up, riding a suddenly fierce wave of both outrage and a weird sense of protectiveness. He really didnât want to explore the reasons behind his unexpected urge to defend Kyra Fortune, so he shoved that thought to the back of his mind.
Buttoning his suit jacket with one hand, he reached for his oxblood leather briefcase with the other. Then, meeting Carolâs wide-eyed stare, he said, âThe senior partners have assigned Ms. Fortune to this meeting. I should think that they are in a better position than you to understand what is in this companyâs best interests.â
âOf course.â She went stiff as a board, and her eyes flickered with something that might have been insult or injury.
He wasnât sure which, and at the moment he didnât really care.
Heading around his desk, he stalked past her to the door. Over his shoulder, he said abruptly, âI should be back in two days.â
When he was gone, Carol didnât move. Standing in the middle of Garrett Wolffâs office, she clutched the hurt to her like a worn, tattered blanket.
And she heaped silent curses on Kyra Fortuneâs head.
Â
Kyra was racing around her condo like a crazy person.
Sheâd already arranged for her neighbor to take care of her cat, Viggo, who was named after one of the sexiest movie stars sheâd ever seen. Sheâd arranged to have her mail held at the post office. Her plants could probably use a few days off from her incessant overwatering, so she wouldnât worry about them. And everything else in the tiny efficiency condo would be just fine without her.
A sobering thought, she realized as she walked across her tidy, almost unlived-in living room. Sheâd focused so much on building her career over the last several years, sheâd forgotten all about building a life.
Oh, she dated, sporadically, though heaven knew her last date had been so long ago, she couldnât even remember who the guy was, let alone when it was. Kyra scooped her hair back from her face and shook her head. A sad state of things, no doubt. But sheâd made her decision years ago. To not get involved. To not search for love.
The only reason a woman looked for love was to eventually get married and have children. And that was not in Kyraâs game plan. Sheâd seen up close and personal just what kind of prison marriage could be for a woman. No way was she interested in purposely stepping into a cage.
But it wasnât just dating that had suffered along the way. Sheâd lost track of most of her friends, since they didnât have a lot of patience for Kyraâs habit of breaking engagements or postponing plans. The only close friend sheâd been able to keep over the years was
Impatience stirred within.
Damn it, this was all Kyraâs fault, too. Heâd been perfectly happy with his administrative assistant. Carol had been nothing but exceptionally efficient for years. Until Kyra, he hadnât been willing to see that heâd turned over too much of his life into Carolâs competent hands.
But that wasnât his adminâs fault. âWhat is it, Carol?â
âNothing really,â she said, taking a step or two toward him. Her dark curly hair was caught at the back of her head with a silver barrette and her dark green business suit was, of course, impeccable. Folding her hands together at her waist, she said, âItâs just that I donât believe Ms. Fortune is the proper person to accompany you to this meeting.â
Curiosity warred now with the impatience nibbling at him. âAnd whyâs that?â
She smiled sweetly. âReally, Mr. Wolff. Sheâs a nice enough young woman, but as a member of the Fortune family, sheâs hardly the right person to represent the best interests of Voltage.â
Garret pushed away from his desk and stood up, riding a suddenly fierce wave of both outrage and a weird sense of protectiveness. He really didnât want to explore the reasons behind his unexpected urge to defend Kyra Fortune, so he shoved that thought to the back of his mind.
Buttoning his suit jacket with one hand, he reached for his oxblood leather briefcase with the other. Then, meeting Carolâs wide-eyed stare, he said, âThe senior partners have assigned Ms. Fortune to this meeting. I should think that they are in a better position than you to understand what is in this companyâs best interests.â
âOf course.â She went stiff as a board, and her eyes flickered with something that might have been insult or injury.
He wasnât sure which, and at the moment he didnât really care.
Heading around his desk, he stalked past her to the door. Over his shoulder, he said abruptly, âI should be back in two days.â
When he was gone, Carol didnât move. Standing in the middle of Garrett Wolffâs office, she clutched the hurt to her like a worn, tattered blanket.
And she heaped silent curses on Kyra Fortuneâs head.
Â
Kyra was racing around her condo like a crazy person.
Sheâd already arranged for her neighbor to take care of her cat, Viggo, who was named after one of the sexiest movie stars sheâd ever seen. Sheâd arranged to have her mail held at the post office. Her plants could probably use a few days off from her incessant overwatering, so she wouldnât worry about them. And everything else in the tiny efficiency condo would be just fine without her.
A sobering thought, she realized as she walked across her tidy, almost unlived-in living room. Sheâd focused so much on building her career over the last several years, sheâd forgotten all about building a life.
Oh, she dated, sporadically, though heaven knew her last date had been so long ago, she couldnât even remember who the guy was, let alone when it was. Kyra scooped her hair back from her face and shook her head. A sad state of things, no doubt. But sheâd made her decision years ago. To not get involved. To not search for love.
The only reason a woman looked for love was to eventually get married and have children. And that was not in Kyraâs game plan. Sheâd seen up close and personal just what kind of prison marriage could be for a woman. No way was she interested in purposely stepping into a cage.
But it wasnât just dating that had suffered along the way. Sheâd lost track of most of her friends, since they didnât have a lot of patience for Kyraâs habit of breaking engagements or postponing plans. The only close friend sheâd been able to keep over the years was
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