Sizzle(5)
“I liked her, too,” he agreed, shooting a confused look at Molly, noting the determined look on her gamine face. “So?”
She wanted to scream. Loudly! Groaning, she shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m going to ask this, but what the hell was wrong with her? She was beautiful. Friendly and well connected. Judging by the grin you wore the first few days you dated her, I’m assuming she looked as good on her back as she did standing upright. So, with all those glowing attributes, I’ve just gotta know. What the hell was her problem?”
“Clingy.”
“Pardon me?” Molly sputtered, narrowing her eyes at him.
Looking up at the redheaded spitfire with steam rising from her ears, Devil stifled a laugh. “She was clingy,” he informed her evenly.
She wanted to scratch his eyes out. Of all the infuriating things he could have said, that topped the list. “Then let me make a suggestion, you satanic slut! If you don’t want clingy, then stop trolling the zoo for boa constrictors! And in the likely event that you can’t resist the lure of the reptiles, stop using me as the Pity Party Police for these unfortunate women!” Pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts Molly announced heavily, “Carolyn broke my heart! She looked shattered when she left here, and I feel like I’m the one that broke the pretty picture. That’s your fault, Devil.” Maybe, if all else failed, she could shame him into being something that could pass for a compassionate human being. Maybe.
“Carolyn will be fine. She got flowers and a nice parting gift. I didn’t make her any promises, Molly.”
“You never make any of them any promises, Devil,” Molly returned with a frown. “It doesn’t stop them from hoping that they’ll be the one to reform you.” Like that could ever happen, she thought irritably. Pigs would probably fly before Devil Delancy considered a woman as something other than arm candy.
“I can’t control someone else’s delusion, honey,” Devil chuckled. “I’m upfront about what I want from my lady friends from the get go.”
“It’s hopeless,” she muttered, lifting her eyes to the ceiling. “Absolutely hopeless.”
“Glad you’re finally recognizing the obvious. Now, if we’re done here, I’ve got work to do. Shut the door behind you, please.”
Recognizing a dismissal when she heard one, Molly growled low in her throat before spinning on her heel and stomping toward the door. “You mark my words, Devil. One day, you’re gonna meet your match. I just hope I’m around to enjoy the fireworks when you do!” she huffed before throwing open the door and disappearing back into her domain.
Fortunately for him, she never saw the wide grin etched across Devil’s face as he watched her go.
Chapter Three
Still seething an hour later, Molly gave up any pretense of working on the Excel spreadsheet she’d been preparing on the newest company Devil had acquired a few days ago. She’d stumbled over entering the last several figures anyway, and the busy work was doing nothing to distract her from the original source of her aggravation.
Rising, she paced to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Atlanta skyline. It wasn’t like she was being unreasonable, was it? She didn’t consider it too much to ask to be left out of Devil’s dating dilemmas. Not that he’d agree that there was actually a dilemma to speak of.
She was certain he thought the subject was closed.
Of course, it actually was closed for poor, pitiful Carolyn.
For her, too, she supposed.
Until the next time one of his women came along to disrupt her world. Unfortunately, chances were that the next of Devil’s passing fancies would be a lot less like Carolyn and a lot more like Cleopatra’s evil twin.
Oh, there would be another woman. Molly knew there would be another lady for him as surely as she knew the sun would rise in the East tomorrow. She’d accepted long ago that where the highly-sexed William Delancy was involved, she’d probably have about seven to ten days of relative peace in the valley between conquests.
She should savor the serenity while it lasted, right? It was, after all, her favorite time of year. Late November had finally obliterated the hot humidity that Georgia was known for, and Christmas was just around the corner. Soon, she’d be putting up Christmas decorations in her small apartment in Druid Hills and shopping with her girlfriends for gifts at Perimeter Mall.
‘Twas definitely the season to stop obsessing over her employer’s love life and start concentrating on her own.
Molly Ramsey needed a good man. An honest man. A man brave enough to not shudder in the face of evils like Devil Delancy and his tap-dancing hot harem of harlots. Finding that guy was becoming what she quickly was finding an insurmountable challenge. Between Dev, his floozies, and her overprotective big brother, the odds of finding that magic male were dwindling at a lightning pace.