Free Secrets of the Playboy's Bride by Leanne Banks

in disapproval. “What’s your opinion of it?” she asked.
    “What he does in his personal life isn’t my business,” Leo said. “I just want to get the contract.”
    Silence followed and he glanced at her, finding her gazing at him thoughtfully. “Yes?” he asked.
    “What is your opinion of taking a mistress for yourself?” she asked.
    He laughed. “I have a beautiful, passionate wife. Why would I need a mistress?” he asked. “You’re not worried, are you?”
    She lifted her chin. “Of course not,” she said and returned her attention to her report.
    He noticed she fanned through the pages very quickly and wondered if she was truly taking in all the information. She set down the report and returned her focus to her laptop.
    “What is Mr. Kihoto’s age?” he asked.
    “Fifty-three,” she said without looking up from her screen.
    “His wife?”
    “Forty-five,” she said.
    “How long has he been CEO?”
    “Twelve years. They have two children. A son and daughter. The son is oldest. He works for his father’s company. He’s married with a mistress too,” she said, narrowing her eyes in disapproval. “His daughter is studying to be a doctor. No husband. No wonder,” she muttered.
    “Why do you say no wonder?” he asked, curious.
    “With a father and brother who rule the roost and runaround, she probably would run screaming from marriage,” Calista said. “Take control of your own life instead of giving it to a man.”
    Surprised by her reaction, he studied her carefully. “Is that why you don’t want to quit your job?”
    She hesitated a half beat, looking cornered and caught before she regained her composure. “From a personal standpoint, I gain satisfaction and confidence from completing my assignments with my job. Bringing that confidence into my relationship with you is a good thing. Plus, it’s not as if we have children—”
    Leo’s stomach twisted at the mention of children. “And we won’t have them, at least not for a long time, if at all.”
    She nodded. “I agree.” She gave the report a little shake and shot him a considering glance. “It occurs to me that I know more about Mr. Kihoto, in some ways, than I know about you.”
    “Hmm. Really?”
    “Well, aside from what happened before you were hatched at sixteen,” she said.
    “Life inside the egg was pretty boring,” he said.
    “I’m sure. But I know Mr. Kihoto’s favorite food, favorite drink, favorite movie, and I don’t know yours.”
    “Favorite food, lasagna. I had it a long time ago and I keep trying to find a restaurant that replicates the taste, but I haven’t,” he said. “Scotch or beer to drink, depending on my mood. Favorite movie, a tie between Transporter and The Shawshank Redemption .”
    She tilted her head to one side thoughtfully. “What did you like about Shawshank ?”
    “They were trapped, imprisoned, some were innocent. Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins had to find their wayto freedom,” he said, thinking back to the days before he took his freedom into his own hands. It had required careful planning. He’d had to stick to his plan even when he was sweating with terror.
    “You ever felt trapped?” she asked.
    She had no idea. “Well, life inside an egg is bound to get claustrophobic,” he said with a wry grin, pushing aside his darker memories. He was determined to leave his past in the past.
    She nodded. “I guess we all have, at some point,” she said and looked away.
    He watched her, seeing another glimpse of the struggle between desperation and confidence. “When did you feel trapped?”
    She bit her lip. “Mostly teenage years. A few times since then.”
    After her father’s debacle, he realized. He wondered how much she knew about it. “What made you feel that way?”
    “Family things,” she said. “My father died and then my mother. My world turned upside down.”
    “You don’t talk about your parents much,” he said.
    “Just as you don’t discuss your time in