The mahogany desk was a barrier, a fortress of polished wood that had separated Arthur from the world for forty years. He was sixty-two, a man whose life had been a library of quiet, orderly silence. His only companions were the first editions lining his study walls. He was a virgin, a fact he’d long accepted as a simple, unchangeable truth, like the color of his eyes or the ache in his knees. His new secretary, Elena, was a splash of vibrant, chaotic color in his monochrome world.She was twenty-eight, a widow whose grief had scoured her clean, leaving behind a raw, aching need for connection. She was a creature of touch and warmth, and Arthur’s world was one of cold paper and ink.“Mr. Sterling, the Henderson files,” she said, her voice a low melody that seemed to vibrate in the air.Her hand brushed his as she placed the folder on his desk. A jolt, electric and sharp, shot up his arm. He flinched, a minuscule movement, but her eyes caught it. A slow, knowing smile touched her lips.
Read more