Chapter 4

Dasha

"What is that? Who is that?"

"Where?"

"Under your desk. There's someone there!"

I froze, clamping a hand over my mouth when I heard the Man-Eater's frightened squeak and the indistinct scuffling above me.

I think I had just sneezed, but it happened so unexpectedly—right in the thick of eavesdropping on my boss being seduced—that I hadn't even had time to understand what was happening before it was all over.

Damn it all! It was my hair's fault, the wretched stuff! And the person who'd mussed it up!

"Andrey, who's there? I clearly heard someone sneeze… What's going on?" the brunette asked anxiously. "We're not alone?!"

If Voronov gave me away now, I'd never forgive him—and I'd quit!

"I didn't hear anything. You must have imagined it, Nelly."

Whew. He didn't give me away.

"But, Andrey!"

"So what? I told you, you were late. There's nothing interesting here for you!"

What? Oh no! Not this! Didn't Voronov know that if you wanted to calm a woman's suspicions, you couldn't leave her question unanswered? Especially a frustrated woman's question! This was Kupriyanov's bloodhound we're talking about. Now she was bound to want to know!

I jerked backward, then forward again, frantically trying to figure out what to do. My boss—the rude, overbearing tyrant—was still keeping me pinned against his leg, but then his fingers suddenly shifted from my cheek to my lips, as if he was afraid I'd give myself away.

Too late, boss! It's all over! You can't hide a Rooster from a fox! The Man-Eater hadn't come here to be led around by the nose. She was going to find me any second, and thanks to the self-important goblin who'd shoved me under the desk, I'd be sitting there like a cowardly rabbit—or a thief caught red-handed!

Just what I needed. Thanks to my boss's high-handed stunt, I was about to lose the last shred of my dignity in front of that Prigozheva woman!

"Oh, so that's what it is… Why, it's Rooster!"

There it was. I knew it. She'd found me! And I was rudely standing with my back to her. I hadn't even greeted her properly.

I backed up butt-first, but Voronov wouldn't let go, so I had to bite his finger. Very angrily. What was this, kindergarten?

I crawled out from under the desk and stood up, trying to burn my boss to a crisp with my glare. This was all his fault, the bastard! As if I hadn't figured out what kind of game he was playing. He was mocking me! He hadn't believed that I'd told him the truth.

"It's not an 'it.' It's me!" I lifted my head and glared at Prigozheva, who was sliding off the desk.

When I saw what the brunette looked like, my eyes widened. I stared in amazement at Kupriyanov's assistant, her blouse unbuttoned.

Wow. Now that's determination!

How much experience did it take to get undressed so easily and quickly in the CEO's office? Give it another five minutes, and if it hadn't been for me… I mean, my sneeze—who knew which of us would have gotten closer to Voronov!

But wait. What had he said at the end of that conversation? What was that hint about someone having caught his interest? Where had that come from?

Or maybe Voronov hadn't meant me at all? I mean, me—but not really? (He can't stand me in real life, that's a fact!) Maybe he'd been hinting to Prigozheva that she'd shown up at the wrong time?

I had felt the effect she had on him. Matvey Ivanovich's grandson had nearly been drooling; the poor man was so worked up by the Man-Eater's shamelessly displayed charms. He'd mussed up my entire hairstyle, the jerk, trying with all his might to hold himself back! If I hadn't been there, they would have guzzled down their "coffee" in no time and gone at each other right there on the desk, to hell with corporate ethics!

Or… or had he actually believed me after all? Believed what I'd said about Prigozheva and Kupriyanov plotting some terrible crime against him? Otherwise, why hadn't he immediately asked to be left alone with the brunette, even though I could tell he was annoyed?

I didn't understand a thing.

Meanwhile, disappointed, Prigozheva started buttoning her blouse and tugged her skirt back into place. I might as well straighten mine, too, so I did, pressing my lips together proudly. I didn't bother fixing my hair—it was hopeless. The neat little "bun" I'd had a moment ago now sagged crookedly to one side, with thick, tousled strands sticking out everywhere.

"I can see that," the Man-Eater muttered, sparring with me through our glares. We were both straightening our blouses. "How did I miss that?" she sneered. "I could've guessed!"

"Yes, she's my secretary," Voronov backed me up for some reason, utterly unruffled. As if sitting under the desk were a perfectly normal thing for a secretary to do. "What about it, Nelly?" He raised one dark eyebrow pointedly.

What kind of questions were those? The last thing I needed was for that nasty Prigozheva to announce her version—and for me to hear it!

"I was picking up documents under the desk," I hurried to explain, making it sound important.  "Andrey Igorevich knocked over a stack. Very important documents!"

"Documents?" Little Nelly snorted as she looked me over. "Sure. And where are they?" Unconvinced, she looked at my lips as though she hadn't been the one planning to do something indecent, while I had just done it with mine.

No, this was too much! But my hands really were empty, so I had to wriggle out of it. Let the boss think whatever he wanted!

And why was Prigozheva talking to me as if we were friends?! She should be grateful I hadn't gone to the police to complain about her—Voronov had forbidden me. Too bad! Then I wouldn't have to stand here blushing in front of people like her.

"I didn't have time to pick up the documents. They were left right there on the floor. The moment I heard that little bleating voice of yours saying, 'I want it so bad,' and talking about firm muscles, I forgot why I'd crawled under the desk in the first place. Did you happen to get the offices mixed up, Prigozheva? Because it sure seems," I twirled my fingers in the air, "that you got either the boss or the timing wrong!"

Wow, I sounded fierce! I hadn't expected that from myself. I'd even hinted, straight out, at her connection with Kupriyanov.

But attacking was definitely better than defending myself, and thanks to Voronov's stupid stunt, I already had the losing position. My cheeks were burning; just thinking about how it had looked from the outside made me feel hot. And Prigozheva was exactly the kind of gossip who'd spread her suspicions through the corporation like a virus. Just try washing gossip off afterward! I'd had enough of the old rumors without growing new ones.

"What exactly are you implying?" The black-eyed vixen narrowed her eyes at once and squared up for a verbal attack. Her nails dug into the polished desktop. "That Valery Alexandrovich and I… that we… How dare you, you little upstart!"

The main thing now was to keep a straight face. I'd warned her!

Just in case, I planted my hands on my hips, proudly refusing to give the beauty an inch—my claws were just as sharp, and I had nowhere else to go. I tossed out loftily:

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Liar, Rooster!"