Free Sweeter Than Revenge by Ann Christopher

she said, fishing around in some deep pocket in her skirt and pulling out a tattered paperback with wrinkled yellow pages. “I’m so sorry to interrupt. I’ll let you get back to your meeting. But, Anastasia, would you please inscribe Harlem Hoochiefor me? Just put ‘For Maria.’”
    Anastasia looked dubious as she took the book. Sure enough, when she tried to open it to the title page, the cover fell off. Several inside pages slid out and fluttered to the floor. Anastasia’s shocked gaze locked with Maria’s, and Maria cringed.
    “What on earth have you done to my book, love?” Anastasia cried.
    Maria scurried to pick up the fallen pages. “It’s my favorite book,” she said. “I reread it and I’ve taken it to the beach with me, so it’s a little—”
    Anastasia turned to Uri. “Make a note,” she barked. “When we leave here you call the office and get my secret’ry to send this poor child my whole backlist. No fan of mine should have to read a battered book like this.” For dramatic effect she tossed the book in the trash can with a resounding thunk.
    Maria pressed her hands to her heart. “Thank you,” she said in a choked voice. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “And I…well, I hope you don’t mind, but I couldn’t wait till Blue Endearmenthit the shelves, so I bought an advance reading copy on eBay a few weeks ago. It’s astonishing.I cried when Sweet Cupcake lost the baby. If this book doesn’t win the National Book Award, I’ll—”
    Enraptured, Anastasia stared at Maria. David snorted.
    “Well, I’m rambling,” Maria said apologetically as she turned to the door. “I’ll let you get back to your meet—”
    “Wait, love!” Anastasia commanded. She pinned David with a fierce gaze and his heart sank. “I want this precious girl to work on my campaign.”
    Acid roiled in his stomach, threatening to burn through his gut and incinerate his shirt. Work directly with Maria? On a huge campaign? Late nights with Maria? Travel with Maria? Maria?The sexiest woman in the universe? The woman who only had to walk in a room to turn his body inside out and upside down? The woman who’d ripped his heart out of his chest, stomped on it, then spat on it for good measure?
    Hell no.
    It was one thing to supervise her from a distance and jerk her chain from afar. David had some self-control, after all. But how long could it last if he had to work closely with her? Not long. He already lived in the same house with her and had to sleep with the knowledge that her bed—with her scantily clad body in it—was only a few feet down the hall. Working closely with her was too much. Out of the question. He wouldn’t do it.
    “Oh, I’m so sorry, Anastasia,” he said smoothly. “But Maria just started here, and she hasn’t got the experience you’ll need. Don’t worry, though. We’ll take good care—”
    Like a grizzly bear rising on her hind legs to scratch her back against a tree, Anastasia drew herself up to her full height. “I want Maria,” she said in a chilling, otherworldly voice that sounded like that of the possessed girl in The Exorcist.
    Out of Anastasia’s line of sight, Maria flashed him a smug, triumphant smile before she schooled her features and tried to look worried. “I couldn’t,” she said to Anastasia. “I’m just an account assistant, and I do the filing and stuff envelopes—”
    “I won’t hear of it,” Anastasia roared, rounding on David. “You put Maria on my campaign—right now!—or I’ll ring Essex House so fast your head’ll spin.”
    An ominous silence fell.
    David stretched his lips across his teeth in a faux smile for Anastasia’s benefit, and forced himself to speak in a pleasant voice. “If you’ll just give us a moment,” he said to Anastasia, his back teeth clenched so tightly he felt like a ventriloquist, “I need to speak with Maria.”
    Anastasia crossed her arms over her chest like a sulky child and watched while David and Maria left his