Free Be Mine by Jennifer Crusie Page B

reached for her again.
    Jane knocked on the door and came in. “Mr. Parker!”
    “He’s just leaving.” Emily patted Richard on the arm. “He came for his memo, so we’ll have to get it done right away. Get your steno pad.”
    Jane hesitated and then went back to her desk.
    Richard pulled Emily close again. “Dinner?”
    Emily leaned into him. “I want more than dinner.”
    “You can have anything you want.” He kissed her again and patted her rear end, then headed for the door.
    “See you, Jane,” he said as he passed her, and then he walked away down the hall, whistling.
    Jane closed the door. “What’s going on?”
    “Who are you, my mother?”
    “That man patted you on the butt.”
    Emily sat down. “We’re...very close.”
    “How close? And how did he get in here?”
    “You weren’t at your desk. Take a memo.”
    “I left my desk half an hour ago. He’s been in here all that time? He couldn’t have been. There was nobody in here with you when I came in.” Jane sat down. “This is really interesting.”
    “I knew I should never have hired you as my secretary.” Emily tried to look cool and disapproving but she felt too damn good. “A real secretary would have more respect.” She stretched and yawned, trying to act unconcerned under Jane’s narrowing eyes. “Take a memo.”
    Jane’s eyes narrowed. “Where was he when I was in here?” she demanded.
    Emily sighed. “Under the desk.”
    Jane’s mouth dropped open. “Good Lord.”
    “If you tell anybody...” Emily started, but Jane waved her away.
    “Who would believe me? He must be incredible in the sack.”
    “He is,” Emily said slowly, and sighed.
    “So what’s the problem?”
    “I want a partner.” Emily felt suddenly sad. “I want a fifty-fifty deal.”
    “Not the Hun’s style,” Jane agreed.
    “Right. Richard is always the one in control. If I make a decision, he approves of it or says no. If he makes a decision, he just informs me of it. If I say something he disagrees with or feels isn’t important, he ignores me. Today is a perfect example. I was on the phone, and he just came around the desk and put his hand up my skirt.” She closed her eyes for a moment at the memory.
    “And you loved it.”
    “That’s not the point. The point is that he always decides everything, and he never listens to me. I want a little power here, too.”
    “Maybe you should go crawl under his desk.”
    “No.” Emily shook her head. “Not my style. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I really love him.”
    “Whoa. This is serious.”
    “Very. But he pushes me around too much. I can’t live with a man who ignores what I say if he doesn’t agree with it. Even if he does make my knees turn to jelly every time I look at him.”
    “Maybe I better meet Ben for lunch.” Jane shifted in her chair. “Just what was Richard doing under the desk?”
    “Just what you think he was doing.” Emily sighed at the memory. “And he’s very good at it.”
    “I’m definitely meeting Ben for lunch. I’ll be back late.”
    “Bite him on the lip for me.”
    “I’ll do that.” Jane picked up her pad again. “In the meantime, is there really a memo?”
    “Oh, yes.” Emily pulled the papers toward her and read to Jane from her draft. “Memo to Richard Parker...”
    * * *
    J ANE SENT THE MEMO TO Richard with predictable results.
    “The Hun’s on line two,” Jane said an hour later, and Emily went a little dizzy at the thought of him.
    Pull yourself together, woman, she told herself, and picked up the phone.
    “Emily Tate,” she said.
    “Hello, Emily Tate,” he said softly.
    “Don’t do that. Talk in your usual Hun voice, or I can’t think.”
    “Have dinner with me tonight.”
    “Only if it’s at your place, and we eat in bed.”
    “Let’s start with lunch. My bed is a great place to have lunch. I’ll meet you in the lobby in ten minutes.”
    “No,” Emily said with much more conviction than she felt. “We’ve got to