Read Online Some Like it Easy by Heather Long - Free Book Online Page A

Still chuckling, he disposed of the containers and returned for more. Penny kept her face covered the whole time, but he paused when she peeked at him.
    “Is that a yes or a no?” Thankfully, years of diplomacy helped him maintain a straight face.
    “Really? Just pile on the humiliation, your royal smart ass-ed-ness.” Her groan and wider smile made her words a lie. “For what it’s worth, it’s a damn good thing. For someone else.”
    Not appreciating the caveat, he disposed of the last of the trash and stored two boxes of leftovers with the rest of her Styrofoam shrine in the fridge. He returned with two bottles of water and the rest of the wine. “Why for someone else?”
    “Cause you’re George,” she said. “And I must be tired.” One moment embarrassed and the next she groaned again. “Crap. It’s Wednesday isn’t it?”
    Having acclimated to her swift topic changes, he settled next to her once more. “Yes, it is. Why does it matter who I am?” She’d never shown even an ounce of interest in his title or position before. Why now?
    “I have a paper due tomorrow.” She abandoned him and lurched across the room to find her backpack.
    “Are you in any condition to worry about a paper?” Surely, she could simply skip the class or send the instructor an email.
    Snorting, Penny shook her head and dragged her laptop and a book out of the bag. “Doesn’t matter what condition I’m in. If I don’t turn it in on time, the professor automatically subtracts ten points from my grade for every day it’s late. I need all the points I can get.” Settled again, she opened the laptop and booted it up. “I’m sure you have homework.”
    He had to take a moment to even remember what class he had the following day. “I have no idea.”
    Pausing, she glanced at him and frowned. “George, I get that you’re not into the whole university thing, but you’re not an idiot.”
    Glad she’d noticed, he raised his eyebrows. Her statement sounded like an opening argument, not a finished thought.
    “Why do you keep acting like one?”
    From bitable butt to idiot in a few scants seconds—a new record, even for him. Relying on protocol, he schooled his features and retrieved his bottle of water. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
    “Oh, bullshit.” Penny scoffed and delivered the last syllable with a slap to his arm. “You drag on that arrogant air the minute anyone gets too close. You’re not stupid, you’re not even particularly uninteresting. You know more about film and television than the average guy. You’re well-read.” When he started with surprise at the last statement, she gave him a sly look. “Did you really think I didn’t hear you and Mallory arguing about Mr. Darcy last weekend? Or about the metamorphoses of the romantic hero over the last hundred years?”
    Shifting his attention away from her, he made a pretense of glancing at the television screen.
    She, however, was not done. “You also explained why the negotiations fell through on the Paris treaty when we were watching the news, identifying details the reporters glossed over.”
    The press were not bad at their jobs, but speculation and innuendo increased ratings and, more often than not, the finer points of negotiation simply weren’t sexy. Still, his understanding did not make him remarkable. “One cannot grow up a victim of political despots without developing a keen insight into how business is done between parties in power.”
    “Blah. Blah. Blah. That means you’re not stupid. So, you know how business is done. You know how two parties or people can reach an amicable conclusion to their issues.”
    Apparently, she wasn’t letting it go. Sighing, he nodded. “I fail to see what one thing has to do with another.”
    “You’re intelligent. You’re—okay, street smart isn’t the phrase, but you’re world savvy. You know how the big kids play the games and you could play them, too. So why do you pretend to be the idiot