Free Embraced by Love by Suzanne Brockmann Page A

little evidence to support his theory, Annie was going to need some help to pull David’s attention away from work and towards her. Cooper had suggested locking the pair into one of the elevators for a day or two, but Josie thought that was, perhaps, a little too extreme.
    “All right,” she said, sitting down at the computer with David. “Show me the glitches you’ve found.”
     
    Tuesday morning dawned clear and cold. Josie came out of the bathroom wrapped in her robe, and Cooper sleepily rolled over in bed to watch her get dressed.
    The fancy lingerie he had bought her had become standard fare underneath her conservative business suits. Today she wore a red-orange lace bra and matching panties. Cooper liked the fact that he alone would know she had it on under her trim, mannishly-cut dark blue skirt and jacket.
    Catching his half-opened eyes on her as she brushed out her wet hair, Josie smiled. “Let’s go out for lunch today,” she said. “It’s supposed to rain again tomorrow, so if we don’t get outside today, I’m gonna have cabin fever by Thursday.”
    It was the only drawback to working and living in the same building. They could conceivably arrive for work on Monday morning and not breathe a bit of fresh air until they left Saturday night.
    “I was just thinking how much I’d like to stay in today,” Cooper murmured, watching Josie sit on the edge of the bed to put on her pantyhose.
    She glanced at him, laughter in her eyes. “Bad day,” she said. “The Fenderson people are scheduled to arrive at three this afternoon. It would be just my luck if they were three hours early.”
    “We can tell everyone we’re going out, then sneak back in,” he suggested.
    “Let’s compromise,” she said, crossing to the closet to pull her blouse on. “If I work through lunch today, I’ll quit by six. We can go to that little health food restaurant down in the Village, maybe take in a movie. Sleep at the apartment tonight . . . ?”
    Cooper held out his hand. “Deal.”
    Josie eyed his outstretched hand suspiciously as she zipped her skirt. “You’re going to pull me down onto the bed,” she said, “and get me all messed up, aren’t you?”
    He smiled up at her angelically. “Yes.”
    She laughed. “Well, at least you’re honest.” She put on her jacket and her heels, then checked her makeup in the mirror. Her hair was still damp, but fifteen more minutes in the office air and it would be dry.
    “You look gorgeous, and very scary,” Cooper said. “Those damned Fenderson people will be shaking in their shoes.”
    “Speaking of the Fenderson people . . .” Josie started, turning back to him.
    “Don’t worry.” Cooper smiled. “I won’t do anything to embarrass old Dave. I promise.”
    Josie crossed to the bed and kissed him. “See you later.”
    She went directly into her office, closing the door gently behind her.
    It was still early, a few minutes before seven, but Annie was already in. She could smell coffee brewing from the little kitchen down the hall.
    Annie and Frank took turns coming in early in the morning. Frank was young, single, and right out of college. Annie was closer to Josie’s age, but hadn’t finished college and was a single mother of a twelve-year-old girl. Josie had taken to her instantly, and to date hadn’t regretted hiring someone without the prerequisite liberal arts degree.
    When Josie had hired her assistants, she had told them that she was prepared to pay more than twice as much as they could expect to make anywhere else, but that they’d have to work twice as hard, at least for these first thirteen months.
    As if on cue, Annie carried in a steaming mug of coffee, and a bowl filled with slices of cantaloupe and banana. She set them both on Josie’s desk.
    “Morning,” Josie said, her eyes glued to her computer screen. “Let me know as soon as David comes in, will you?”
    No sooner had Annie left the room than she stuck her head back in the