SUDDEN DESIRES

In a fit of annoyance, Tess Marshall looked up from the stack of papers she’d been putting together in order of importance and sighed, blowing a curl out of her face. “What the hell am I doing here?”

She’d started as Trevor Ryan’s personal assistant two years ago. Two years she’d had a crush on him. Wanted him. Watched him with other women—and he never gave her more than a look destined for the help. Okay, so he did get that she made his life easier and he seemed to understand that she was really good at her job. But aside from the occasional moments when he let go of his position and really saw her as a person, most of the time she felt like a machine.

Worse, he was selfish and often ungrateful. Thank you rarely came from his lips. He was fond of picking at things he knew little about and she had no power to change. And while she certainly had no complaints about how well she was paid, she was fed up with feeling unappreciated.

Just that afternoon he’d had two tickets to the Lakers game, and he’d given them to his gardener. His gardener! She worked her ass off for him all day, every day and many times in the middle of the night. Hell, she bought him condoms and boxer shorts and he’d never given her tickets to anything. He was richer than god, everyone loved him and watched his stupid movies, and he sent his agent to Hawaii and gave her a gift certificate to a day spa. Very nice and all, she appreciated it and certainly couldn’t have afforded it herself, but she had as yet to use it because she worked for him all of the time.

And frankly, she just didn’t think she could watch him lure yet another brainless actress into his bed. He never cared about them and they never cared about him. Oh he was nice to them and all. Bought them pretty things while they had his favor, but in the end, he walked away, on the prowl for a new conquest.

“Tess.” His voice jarred her out of her thoughts as he walked into the room. “I said I wanted a Cobb salad and they didn’t put enough eggs on it. Take it back and get more eggs.” He tossed the container on the stack of papers she’d been trying to organize for him.

Her vision went red for a moment but then everything shifted and she had a moment of clarity. She’d officially had enough.

Standing up, she grabbed her bag and shoved her picture frames in it. “Take it back yourself. Better yet, let me shove those eggs up your ass! You ungrateful bastard.”

“Whoa! What’s your problem today?” The man had the gall to look handsome and cocky as he said it. He even looked amused.

“You! You’re my problem every day, Trevor. You know, it wouldn’t hurt you to actually utter thank you every once in a while. It took me seven months to track down that copy of your first script for you and you grunted at me when I handed it to you. Like uttering two words would have killed you? But oh no! Instead of thanking me, you actually complained because the cover had a fold on it. I’ve worked for you for two years and you’ve never once remembered my birthday. You remember the cook’s birthday—the cook who I found and hired for you, by the way! You even remember the housekeeper’s birthday—someone else I found and hired for you. You call me at two in the morning and ask me where your extra condoms are! My god, do you even understand how messed up that is? You called me when I was on vacation. Every day! I had to change hotels because you had me paged at the pool. I’m sick of it. I’m done. I’m too smart to be running your fucking salad back for more eggs.” She rounded the desk and headed for the door.

She paused after she’d opened it. “Fuck you very much. I quit.” Freedom claimed her as she slammed the door behind her, stalked out to her car and peeled out down the drive.

Trevor Ryan looked at the door, blinking in confusion and surprise. Who the hell

was that? Hot damn, had Tess always had such a fiery temper? Had he always been an ungrateful bastard? Had she always been so beautiful? She’d been under his nose for two years and he hadn’t noticed the way her breasts jiggled when she moved? He chided himself for that serious breach of attention and vowed to make it right.

* * * * *

He drove his Boxster down the road, looking for her address. He’d meant to go to her house sooner but he didn’t know where she lived and she was always the person who found out such things for him. Hell, she’d even go to the trouble of printing out directions for him in easy-to-read big fonts and colors.

Yes, he’d come to realize her worth to him over the past three days. He’d rampaged around the house when confronted with the knowledge that no one knew where his stuff was. None of his staff could be counted on to know which tie he liked best with the Armani suit and which shirt with the Prada trousers. He had no idea where his dry cleaning was and he was running out of his special shampoo and no one seemed to know where Tess had gotten it. Thank god her notes were so meticulous, he at least knew his own schedule moment to moment for the next year.

More than that, when he really thought about it, he missed Tess the woman. Why he didn’t notice her beauty while it was in his reach he didn’t know. But as he lay in bed at night, it seemed like all he could think of was her. Her sense of humor, the way she sounded on the phone, her laugh. She made him laugh all the time and he took it for granted. Thoughts of her had taken over his day and crept into his dreams.

In desperation, he’d finally called his accountant, who looked up her information from her W2 form. He meant to get her back as his PA and to set about getting to know Tess the woman better. A lot better.

Triumphant when he sighted her house, Trevor pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. Jogging up her front steps, he set his alarm and gave a look around. The house was nice, in Westwood, not too very far from his own. Confident, he tapped on her door and a stranger opened it a few moments later.

He sent the woman his sexy boyish smile. “Hello, I’m Trevor Ryan. Tess’ boss? I’m looking for her. Is she around?”

“Hello, I’m Tess’ mother and you’re not her boss anymore. So I’m thinking that you don’t need to know her whereabouts.”

His smile turned down but only slightly. “Ah. She told you about me, did she? Can

I talk to you, please?”

Looking him suspiciously up and down, she nodded shortly and waved him inside.

And an hour later he was back at his house packing a bag. Or doing his best at it. Damn, it had been a very long time since he’d had to do this kind of thing on his own. Tess was right, he was spoiled.

But the difference now was that he knew it. He knew all the things she did for him and he was set on making her understand he planned to rectify his bad behavior.

He wanted to get her back because she was one of the few people in his life he could count on to really care about him and tell him the truth even when it sucked to hear.

So he shoved the casual clothes he could find into a small case and picked up his toiletry bag—pre-packed by Tess and always ready for travel—and headed for the door.

His agent had sent over a temp to help while Tess was out and he’d already charmed the woman into utter incompetence. He told her to cancel all of his appointments for the next day and left her gaping at him.