Free Disrobed (The Billionaire's Secretary) by Amy Malone Page B

occurred had been the most unspeakably erotic thing to ever happen to her.
    “I like the dress.”
    She heard him walk away from the door and breathed a sigh of release. It felt like it had been eons since she had had a man. A good man, at least. She’d dated men, but the relationships tended not to last for more than a couple of months when their lack of ambition or doormat mindset or less-than-stellar performance in bed became just too much for her.
    But Tracey… She had never thought about it. When they’d first met she remembered having a crush on him, but that was when she was new and trying to establish herself as more tha n just a pretty face and body. It was an uphill battle for her, at every new job. The high-powered businessmen at her last two jobs were especially persistent. It seemed to her as if they, completely tired of their trophy wives and ditzy mistresses, were just looking for more sport. At her first corporate job, the only other black employee had put it best:
    “Girl, they’ve never had any brown sugar and they KNOW they are missin’ out!”
    Felicia laughed. She missed Cheryl. She had gotten a job offer as a project coordinator in another city, and had moved away.
    Besides attempting to be professional, she’d been in a relationship with a man named Felix. Felix Fitzpatrick. The mere thought of the name was enough to make her shudder. That sociopath of a man had dominated her life for some of the most hellish years of it. She’d confided in her friend, Cheryl, that she didn’t know what to do. When she finally broke it off, she’d had to cut all ties with him. He was just too good at worming his way inside of her head.
    Tracey had been there for her during the time immediately before and after the break up. Over the years she’d learned to look to him as someone she could trust and confide in. Felicia was strong, but it was still good to have a solid shoulder when she needed it. And Tracey had never asked for anything in return.
    That aside, her physical response to him had been too strong, too sudden. There was no ignoring it forever. She realized that with the gala ahead of them for the evening, there was no dealing w ith the situation at the moment, either.

 
     
    Chapter Two
    Tracey and Felicia rode to the gala in silence. Felicia sat looking out of her window, her legs crossed under her brown dress. She wore her hair in an updo, classy yet simple. Tracey sat next to her in a traditional tuxedo and bowtie. He looked sharp. Peering over at Felicia, he caught her lost in thought, staring out of the window. “Or just avoiding me,” he thought.
    “You okay?” He said. He realized he’d put his hand on her thigh when he’d asked, and removed it.
    “I’m fine,” she said, and smiled. They had a full night of making nice with political connections, grinning through this car ride was good practice.
    “Good. I need you at your best. Especially if I’m going to deal with Amanda,” he said with a chuckle. Felicia rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help laughing, too. After that, the awkwardness dissipated.
    The main purpose of the evening was to placate the daughter of a certain Senator. The daughter had long since made eyes at Tracey, and Tracey had failed to establish a relationship with the Senator outside of through his daughter. He actually had two daughters, Amanda and Ashley Woolworth. Amanda would be at the party, and she had long since made it clear that she was interested in Tracey.
    Whenever one of the Woolworth girls spotted Felicia, they gave her an obligatory smile (one that looked more like a wince) and nod, and proceeded to ignore her completely in favor of attaching themselves to Tracey. Tracey was nearly a billionaire, but he had ascended to that level all at once. He lacked an extensive network. To establish a foothold and follow through on his ambitions he would need connections. Preferably permanent ones…Felicia tried to stifle a look of disgust at the thought of