Chapter 3

When Rooster's salary dropped by a third, I expected her to come at last and ask for a private conversation. To enter my office quietly and, shedding tears, begin begging for support. After all, Granddad's attack had happened suddenly, and he had surely spoiled her. Whatever else could be said about him, I did not remember greed in him.

I was almost certain I would unravel the secret of their relationship and untie the knot of local connections… but she did not come. And kept not coming. Nor did the diligent Rooster's looks or movements reveal any desire to repent or ask me for anything. And that only fueled my anger.

Because I no longer understood a damn thing! Judging by her modest clothes, the small gold earrings with green stones that suited her mossy hazel eyes and white skin so well, and the simple handbag, Rooster did not have much money. And when asked directly how she had ended up in the general director's reception office, she answered evasively: she had been hired through HR, supposedly, and that was that. All questions to Matvey Ivanovich!

Sure, of course I believed that fairy tale. Some girl off the street, indeed! She could tell that story to the people around us, the ones whose mouths could not be shut. People like Kupriyanov, but not me.

So had something really happened between her and Granddad? And how serious was it? Was that why she did not look at the men around her, even though there were plenty of men here eager to make a move on my secretary? She did not even flirt with anyone, and I would have noticed.

Or maybe it was because she had someone?..

After another sleepless night and an entire day spent driving around and visiting sites, my head was splitting and my temples throbbed. I returned to the office grim, hungry, and angry. Cursing the hour when the call had come in Frankfurt and unexpectedly torn me out of my familiar life and into the city where I had been born, and where I had thought nothing held me anymore. The life where Andrey Voronov had his own business, home, mother, gym, time for normal lunch and dinner in restaurants, and sex. Yes, with a business partner, but Anna and I got along well enough when it came to bed and did not touch feelings. She had a great deal to offer.

And what did I have now? No time to eat properly, much less sleep with anyone.

Although "anyone," for me, sounded almost unreal. Lately I had become too selective and dry with women. Although… who knew, maybe I would have snapped at Valerka's bait, Nelly Prigozheva, if not for…

If not for "what"?

The door opened, and my secretary slipped into the office, where it had already grown dark beyond the windows. Quietly, trying not to make noise, she crossed the carpet past me and stopped by the cabinet.

Against the pale background of the wall, a red spot immediately formed and drew my gaze. Unable to keep my attention on the laptop screen, I cast a furtive look at the girl.

Rooster had come to water the flowers, as I had asked, and brought a stepladder with her. Setting it against the cabinet, she ran to reception for the watering can, returned, and glanced at me warily. Only after making sure I was busy with work did she begin climbing up.

One step, then another. Having climbed to the top rung, the Redhead rose onto her toes, braced one hand on the top panel of the cabinet, and reached toward the plants with the watering can…

I did not manage to exhale right away, but the pressure in my temples eased. This was the part of the workday I liked best. When I could stop lying to myself…

Rooster was not merely sweet. She was pretty, and a damned cozy young woman. Apparently the Voronovs' taste overlapped not only in our love of the same car brands and comfortable living, but also in our taste in women. Her presence calmed me as soon as she entered and tuned me for work. But only the part of me that concerned business. As for my libido, whenever she appeared it made my heart beat faster, made me angry, made me curse the former owner of this office, and still made my gaze return to her.

A flexible waist and a rounded little ass; I had always liked women like that. The straight, severe skirt hugged Rooster's backside very appetizingly and showed off her long legs to advantage. I wondered whether the skin on her thighs was as tender as the skin on her wrists. Or whether she had places even more tender…

For example, at the nape of her neck beneath that thick mass of hair she never wore loose? Because any other moron could think about the girl's other places, but not me.

"Rooster." What a stupid surname. Completely ridiculous! God forbid a normal man should get one like that; they would laugh him into hanging himself.

She should get married or something. Even to Granddad. She would be Voronova then, not some… "cock-a-doodle-doo"!

I did not manage to lower my head, and our eyes met. Rooster turned around, suddenly swayed, squeaked, waved her hand, and cried out loudly. The watering can flew down, the stepladder began to tip… And if I had been looking at the laptop at that moment, I would not have managed to jump up, vault over the desk, and catch my awkward secretary against my chest, holding her in my arms.

The stepladder slapped down beside us, and a flowerpot toppled. Rooster wrapped her arms tightly around my neck, opened her eyes wide, and, meeting mine, squeaked again, this time from fear.

"A-Andrey Igorevich… I-I'm sorry!"

Her breasts were three centimeters from my face, and a second earlier I had had to pull my nose away from them. And after the silence that stunned us both, I had to say something, anything, so as not to freeze in front of a subordinate like an idiot. Because Rooster turned out to be cozy not only to look at, but very much to the touch as well.

"What kind of acrobatics is this, Roosterova?! The only thing missing from my office was a circus! Why did you suddenly decide to jump on me?"

"Me?!"

"Yes, you! Don't you have any other assignments?"

"I didn't decide anything. It happened by accident!"

"Of course! And now you're accidentally pretending to be a monkey on me? Well, how is it? Comfortable?"

"No!"

"So in your opinion, I am so unpleasant that it would have been better to let you fall on the floor?"

Rooster's cheeks did not merely flare; they flooded a deep crimson.

"No, you are pleasant… I mean, I wanted to say I didn't want to… You're the one who caught me!"

"Naturally! What would you have me do, sit and watch while you broke your neck in front of me? Then take you to the emergency room and sit in reception half the night? I have endless work here! No time to sleep! Or do you imagine I should think only about you?"

"S-sorry, Andrey Igorevich. That came out so awkwardly."

"Confess, Roosterova, are you intentionally distracting me all the time? Are you bored in your reception?"

"W-won't happen again!"

"See that it doesn't. I am not a palm tree!"