Heart of the Woolf (Woolf Series) Read Free Page A

package over.”
    Tielen filed out, and Jake closed the door behind her. Damn.
Even his backside had the ability to burn her into lust. She had read plenty of
romance novels describing the hero as having broad shoulders that tapered into
slim hips, but Jake’s was the only real life male body she had seen that looked
like that. Her fingers itched to caress his butt, to hold onto his ass as he
rode her.
    He sat beside Marcy, assessing Adrienne with his intelligent
dark eyes. There was none of the passion that she had imagined earlier, none of
the naked lust that made her want to tear away his clothes and make fierce love
to him.
    Still, he had the power to affect her. Fire raged within her,
making her aware of yearnings that had long been plaguing her.
    He was also very sharp. His intelligence matched hers,
surpassed it even, which was one of the things that attracted her to him. Given
enough clues, he would be able to put all the puzzle pieces together and fill
in the missing blanks to get the whole picture.
    And her secret was one puzzle she didn’t want him working on.
    “Jake, did you come to see me about something?” Cool and
efficient.
    “What’s this about a package?” Jake lounged back in his seat,
giving the impression of the relaxed executive.
    Without hesitation, Adrienne showed him the card and the
black rose. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Marcy’s surprised expression.
    “I didn’t want to mention it earlier, with Tielan here and
all, but I suspect I might be the butt of another practical joke.” Adrienne
turned to Marcy with a rueful smile and said, “Which was why I didn’t want you
calling the police. Imagine my embarrassment when they find out it’s all a
gag.”
    Jake fingered the card. He frowned. “Practical joke?”
    Marcy smacked her lap with one hand. “Why didn’t I think of
them earlier?” She rolled her eyes. “ The Mean Girls , you mean?”
    Poor Jake looked even more bewildered. “Mean Girls?”
    “I don’t know how the name stuck, but yes, I do mean them, no
pun intended.” Adrienne turned to Jake. “What I’m going to tell you is strictly
off the record.”
    He nodded.
    “Some of the marketing associates were ... let’s just
say, dissatisfied with my promotion to assistant manager. The reasons being
that one, they were here longer than I; and two, the fact that now, instead of
being on the same level, they have to report to me .”
    His small pink wedge of a tongue slipped out again.
    Adrienne stared at his mouth, fascinated. In the space of a
heartbeat, her arousal level shot up, leaving her wet and breathless and
hungry.
    “I see how that might rankle. But you were promoted based on
leadership skills.”
    “Nobody refuted that. They know better. If they said anything,
they’d probably lose their jobs.” Adrienne decided to be blunt. “They’ve been
calling me the ‘boss’s pet’ behind my back.” She gave a snort. “Instead of
confronting me to my face, they play these silly jokes and pull these stupid
stunts. No guts.”
    “Tell me who they are.” There was a hard glint in Jake’s
eyes. “I’ll have a talk with them.”
    This was what she was afraid of. “No, Jake. I didn’t tell you
so you’d confront them. Some of them are my team members, and I’ll handle them
the way I see fit.” Her voice was firm and brooked no arguments. “Moreover,
I’ve known them for far longer than you. I’ve been here for more than a year,
while you started here barely two months ago. I only told you the background so
you’d understand why they were playing these practical jokes on me. They want
me to go, but I won’t give them the satisfaction. If they truly want me gone,
they’ll have to do better than pulling a few mean-spirited pranks.”
    “What have they been doing?”
    “Sending me messages like: ‘You won’t last on this job’ and
‘Pets don’t think; they only obey,’ those kinds of things.” Adrienne left out a
few of the others. The