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you. And so does my handsome husband.
Ally nearly choked on her water, swallowing it with difficulty. She actually flushed when she
thought about the heated kiss Travis had laid on her that morning.  I m his assistant, and I irritate the
hell out of him. I doubt very much that he s lusting after me, Ally denied, giving Asha a dubious
look. He might have kissed her, and maybe he really would screw her, but Ally suspected it was just
because she was single now, convenient and available.
 I ve watched him when you re around. He s lusting, Asha stated adamantly.  And neither of the
Harrison men have ever been players. Kade had a longtime girlfriend to whom he was faithful for
years, even though the bitch dropped him the moment he wasn t physically perfect anymore. And
Kade said that Travis is never seen with a woman. He had a few brief relationships in college, but
nothing much since then.
Asha was right. Travis did do everything alone.  Are you trying to tell me that Travis Harrison
never gets laid? she asked Asha curiously.
 If he does, he s quiet about it, Asha replied thoughtfully.  Travis likes to play the badass, but he
does have a heart. He s done some wonderful things with his charities.
 I know, Ally admitted.  If he wasn t such a jackass, I d probably worship him because he s a
brilliant businessman and humanitarian.
 I think since he s the oldest, he feels totally responsible for repairing the Harrison name after the
scandal with his parents. The whole family was completely humiliated, and hounded unmercifully by
the press. Their life was a living hell for a very long time.
Although Ally hadn t known Travis at that time, she knew about the Harrison scandal; she knew that
the siblings father had killed their mother and then took his own life.  It had to have been horrible for
all of them, Ally admitted, her heart bleeding for a younger and more vulnerable Travis.
Asha nodded.  It was. And Kade says Travis always got the worst of it from his father because he
was always trying to protect them.  Asha visibly shuddered.  The man was completely insane, and I
can only imagine the kind of abuse Travis suffered. I know what Kade went through, but he swears
that Travis took most of it.
Ally s heart squeezed in her chest. The thought of a very young Travis taking abuse from his father
made her clench her fist in indignation. She d had a chaotic upbringing and a humiliating one, but she
suspected her sad childhood with her alcoholic mother had probably been nothing compared to what
Travis had suffered at the hands of a madman.  What about their mother?
Asha hesitated for moment before answering.  I don t know, but from what Kade has told me, I m
not sure she was all there either. She was terrified of her husband, and did nothing to protect the
kids.
 So they were all completely screwed, Ally mused aloud.
 Speaking of getting screwed, how are you holding up after what happened with your lowlife
fiancé? Asha asked in a hushed tone.  Are you really okay, Ally?
Ally nodded at Asha as she toyed with her pasta.  I am. I have some things to clear up, but I ll
survive.
 I hope karma bites him in the ass, Asha said venomously.  You d tell me if you needed anything,
right?
Ally probably wouldn t, because she rarely asked for anything from anyone, but to make Asha feel
better, she answered,  Yes. I m okay. I just need to clean up the mess and move on. Some of it s my
fault. I was so blinded by my plans and what I wanted for our future that I never saw the signs that he
was a snake.
 I m so sorry you were hurt, Ally. But I m glad you didn t marry him. Since you re on vacation next
week, do you want to meet up with Maddie, Mia, Kara and me? We do lunch once a week. It s a lot
of fun. We all complain about what protective pain in the asses our husbands are, and then we sigh
over the sweet things they do. Asha laughed softly.  But we could focus more on the man-bashing for
you.
Ally laughed.  I d like that. I haven t had much time for friends in the last few years. She hadn t
had any time, but she wanted to. Although she wasn t as well acquainted with the other women, she
liked them all. Sliding out of her seat, she grabbed up her purse to take out some money for her lunch.
 I suppose I should get back to the office so Travis can give me his daily lecture and hire me back
again.
Asha got to her feet and grasped Ally s wrist.  My treat. It s your birthday. Asha handed the waiter
the small folder filled with cash.
 Thanks, Asha. And thank Kade for the flowers in case I don t see him today. They re beautiful.
She hugged the slender Indian woman, grateful that the two of them had become friends.
 I have no doubt you can handle Travis. You always do. I think you re the only one who can, Asha
replied, squeezing Ally before letting her go.
Ally wanted to tell Asha that her skills at handling Travis were a little off lately, ever since he d
thrown her off-balance with his odd behavior and panty-melting kisses. But she simply bade her
friend good-bye, agreeing to call her about lunch the following week, and drove back to the Harrison
building.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the office and found Travis gone, apparently out at
meetings for the rest of the day according to the brief note he d left for her. She was grateful for the
reprieve, and tried to deny to herself that she was also slightly disappointed. How sick was that? She
actually missed getting one of his lectures?
The afternoon flew by quickly. With Travis out of the office, she had to deal with whatever calls
that she could handle, plus finish a mountain of paperwork that needed to get done. Before she knew
it, she looked up at the clock and it was past time for her to leave.
I need to get to Sully s!
Quickly shutting down her computer, she opened the large bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out
some spare clothing she now left at the office just in case she forgot her casual clothes for bartending.
Snatching a red tank top, jeans, and her sneakers, she hesitated a moment before dashing into Travis s
office and closing the door. She could be changed in a minute, and she didn t want to go down the hall
to the restroom because she was short on time. The blinds were open, but the office was so far up that
nobody could see her unless they were in the next building, and even then, they d probably need
binoculars.
She toed her heels off and quickly stripped off her dress, pulling the tank top over her head. She was
just reaching for her jeans when Travis s office door opened, taking about ten years off her life as she
let out a horrified screech.
And then& there was complete silence.
Ally froze, her gaze on Travis, his hand still on the door handle as he stared at her, his hungry eyes [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]