Free Sudden Desire by Lauren Dane Page A

clarity. She’d officially had enough.
    Standing up, she grabbed her bag and shoved her picture frames in it. “Take it back yourself. Better yet, let me shove those eggs up your ass! You ungrateful bastard.”
    “Whoa! What’s your problem today?” The man had the gall to look handsome and cocky as he said it. He even looked amused.
    “You! You’re my problem every day, Trevor. You know, it wouldn’t hurt you to actually utter thank you every once in a while. It took me seven months to track down that copy of your first script for you and you grunted at me when I handed it to you. Like uttering two words would have killed you? But oh no! Instead of thanking me, you actually complained because the cover had a fold on it. I’ve worked for you for two years and you’ve never once remembered my birthday. You remember the cook’s birthday—the cook who I found and hired for you, by the way! You even remember the housekeeper’s birthday—someone else I found and hired for you. You call me at two in the morning and ask me where your extra condoms are! My god, do you even understand how messed up that is? You called me when I was on vacation. Every day! I had to change hotels because you had me paged at the pool. I’m sick of it. I’m done. I’m too smart to be running your fucking salad back for more eggs.” She rounded the desk and headed for the door.
    She paused after she’d opened it. “Fuck you very much. I quit.” Freedom claimed her as she slammed the door behind her, stalked out to her car and peeled out down the drive.
    Trevor Ryan looked at the door, blinking in confusion and surprise. Who the hell was that? Hot damn, had Tess always had such a fiery temper? Had he always been an

ungrateful bastard? Had she always been so beautiful? She’d been under his nose for two years and he hadn’t noticed the way her breasts jiggled when she moved? He chided himself for that serious breach of attention and vowed to make it right.
    * * * * *
    He drove his Boxster down the road, looking for her address. He’d meant to go to her house sooner but he didn’t know where she lived and she was always the person who found out such things for him. Hell, she’d even go to the trouble of printing out directions for him in easy-to-read big fonts and colors.
    Yes, he’d come to realize her worth to him over the past three days. He’d rampaged around the house when confronted with the knowledge that no one knew where his stuff was. None of his staff could be counted on to know which tie he liked best with the Armani suit and which shirt with the Prada trousers. He had no idea where his dry cleaning was and he was running out of his special shampoo and no one seemed to know where Tess had gotten it. Thank god her notes were so meticulous, he at least knew his own schedule moment to moment for the next year.
    More than that, when he really thought about it, he missed Tess the woman. Why he didn’t notice her beauty while it was in his reach he didn’t know. But as he lay in bed at night, it seemed like all he could think of was her. Her sense of humor, the way she sounded on the phone, her laugh. She made him laugh all the time and he took it for granted. Thoughts of her had taken over his day and crept into his dreams.
    In desperation, he’d finally called his accountant, who looked up her information from her W2 form. He meant to get her back as his PA and to set about getting to know Tess the woman better. A lot better.
    Triumphant when he sighted her house, Trevor pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. Jogging up her front steps, he set his alarm and gave a look around. The house was nice, in Westwood, not too very far from his own. Confident, he tapped on her door and a stranger opened it a few moments later.
    He sent the woman his sexy boyish smile. “Hello, I’m Trevor Ryan. Tess’ boss? I’m looking for her. Is she around?”
    “Hello, I’m Tess’ mother and you’re not her boss anymore. So