Free When Empires Fall by Katie Jennings Page B

a curiosity, a natural intrigue, to learn more. Just what was it like to be him? To be an heir to this great empire?
    She knocked politely, then pushed open the door when she heard him call her in. She poked her head in and spotted him seated at his desk, immersed in a pile of paperwork with a cup of coffee at his side.
    When he didn’t glance up at her, she cleared her throat and spoke anyway, her eyes quickly taking in the décor of his office while he wasn’t looking. Traditional and masculine, with modern touches. What an interesting, yet complex, mix.
    “I just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving for the day,” Quinn said evenly, admiring now the countless portraits and photographs he had cluttering his walls. Family man, through and through, she thought with an approving smile. Interesting…
    When he spoke, her eyes jolted back to him, though he had yet to look up from his work. “Thank you, Miss Taylor. See you tomorrow.”
    “See you tomorrow.” She watched him for a brief moment, wondering how he could work such long hours and still be sane. Deciding it wasn’t for her to understand, she bowed out of the office and quietly shut the door behind her.
    Grant looked up the moment the door clicked shut, his eyes struggling to focus. He’d been staring at the contract for the new swimming pool for the last hour, and must have lost track of time. He probably should have at least looked up at her when he had said goodbye, he realized, scowling to himself. She must think him incredibly rude.
    What did that matter, though? He argued with himself. He wasn’t here to be her friend, but her boss. And he hadn’t been technically impolite to her. Or had he? Sometimes it was just so hard to tell when his brusque nature offended others. But then again, if she couldn’t handle it, then she had no business working for him. He was the way he was, and it had suited him just fine in life so far. Even if the weight he put on himself was starting to wear him down.
    Sometimes it seemed as though the hours and the days just blurred together. He had been pushing himself too hard for too long, and it was starting to take its toll. Seeking relief, he reached for his coffee mug and took a generous sip, hoping it would kick in. He still had so much to do…
    And on top of all of it was this new secretary. Miss Quinn Taylor. Or was it Mrs.? He hadn’t bothered to even ask her, he had just assumed.
    Good job, Grant, he grunted as he rubbed his face in his hands, feeling foolish. He had barely spoken twenty words to her before trumping off into his office to be a hermit for the day. Not that that was unusual, he reminded himself. He just wasn’t much of a people person, preferring being alone to mindless chatter. Who needed small talk when there were more important things to do?
    But she certainly hadn’t deserved his callousness. She seemed polite enough, and, thank God, a quick learner without the need for his constant attention.
    He should really try and be more cordial with her, despite how hard it was for him to adjust to meeting new people, much less working with them. What was the worst that could happen, anyway? He had liked his last secretary well enough, so there was no reason not to try and have a good relationship with this one.
    Though something about her, and he still couldn’t figure out just what it was, had caught him the second she had turned around, her face lit with that smile of hers. It had been like being caught in headlights, blinded by a brilliance that seemed oddly natural and comforting. If he had been extraordinarily curt and callous with her, it had been for no reason other than that he’d been flustered and disarmed by her, leaving him with no other option than to retreat. How else could he explain it? She had not been at all what he had been expecting.
    And to top it all off, it had been Linc who had made her smile that way, while all he had been able to do was insult her in more ways than one. If