Dark Perception: The Corde Noire Series by Alexandrea Weis Page A

desires?
    “ Melinda?”
    She stared into his eyes and then she
felt it—that burning in the pit of her gut. Soon, the heat began to
radiate outward to her limbs.
    “ I was six.” She pictured
polar ice caps and glaciers to cool her runaway fire.
    “ That’s awfully young to
lose a parent, especially like that. You’re lucky you had your
grandmother.”
    Melinda slipped out from under his arm
and stood from the sofa. “Yes, Grandma Teresa saved me.” She dashed
across the living room and scooped up her glass of champagne.
Frantically, she downed three large gulps.
    “ Hey.” Nathan came to her
side. “I didn’t realize talking about your mother would upset you
so.”
    Melinda reveled in the rush of the
alcohol. Finally, the burning in her gut melted away.
    “ It’s not that.” She stared
at her glass, afraid to face him.
    Nathan moved in closer and lifted her
head. “Then what is it?”
    He gently removed a stray strand of
hair from her face and placed it behind her ear. When his eyes
connected with hers, the images of the two of them came blazing
back to life, even more powerful than before.
    “ You’re doing that on
purpose!” she shouted, slamming her flute down on the
bar.
    “ What?” Nathan seemed
astonished by her reaction.
    She backed away from him. “You’re
thinking those thoughts.”
    “ What thoughts?”
    Melinda searched his eyes while he
inched closer.
    Nathan’s mouth became a thin line,
adding to the tension in the air. “I think I should go. You’ve had
a long day. We can talk again tomorrow after you get settled in. We
will need to go over my agenda.”
    What’s wrong with
me? Get a grip .
    Running her fingertips over her
forehead, she struggled to clear her mind. “What
agenda?”
    Nathan picked up his glass and downed
the contents. “I have meetings scheduled this week and next about
that property development we spoke of the other day.” He shifted
his eyes to her. “There’s a formal cocktail party at the home of a
New Orleans socialite next weekend. She’s interested in my plans
for that property and wants to talk to me about funding the
project. You’re to accompany me to the party and all of my
meetings, then you can tell me what you feel about these people.”
His eyes traveled over her T-shirt and torn jeans. “You’ll need to
dress professionally for the meetings, and you’ll need a formal
gown for the party. I’ll have Bob take you to Canal Place for some
new clothes.”
    “ I can’t afford new
clothes, Nathan.”
    He raised his brown eyes to her. “I’ll
take care of that, not to worry.”
    “ You’ve given me this
apartment, furniture, even a new television. I can’t have you
buying me clothes, too.”
    “ Melinda, you’re going to
be my assistant. I can’t have you escorting me places dressed like
that.” He motioned to her clothes. “You need to look the
part.”
    Melinda wanted to argue with him, but
she thought better of it. He wanted to buy her some new outfits,
what of it? After all, this is what she had always wanted—to be
taken care of.
    “ Yes, Nathan.” She gave him
a weak smile.
    “ Good girl.” He abruptly
headed for the door. “I’ll come by tomorrow evening and we can go
over my itinerary in detail. I have a new cell phone coming for you
tomorrow, as well as a credit card. Use the card to buy your
clothes and anything you may need for your job.”
    “ A credit card? Are you
sure you want to trust me with that?”
    Nathan smirked with amusement. “Just
make sure you don’t go too crazy. I still have to justify it all to
my accountant at the end of the month as a business
expense.”
    “ Is that why you’re telling
everyone I’m your assistant?”
    He frowned at her. “What do you
mean?”
    “ If you tell people I’m
your assistant, even though you already have a secretary, don’t you
think that will look funny?”
    He squinted his eyes, appearing
interested in her reasoning. “Funny, in what way?”
    “ Perhaps