C6 6

Eva sat on her sofa, her long legs stretched out before her across the white cushions, her cell phone in her hand against her ear as she gazed out of the floor-to-ceiling windows behind her, looking out onto the streets of Manhattan.

The grin on her face made her even lovelier than she already was. Her shoulder-length straight hair was curled inward at the ends, her wide set dark brown eyes were fringed with thick black lashes, her full lips were tinted red, and her chocolate skin glowed with a honey bronze shine.

Eva had a trimmed and tone figure with generously rounded feminine curves, which she kept fit with regular workouts and walks throughout Central Park. She found that since she had moved within two blocks of it, she was visiting the running paths that twisted through the natural enclave much more often than she used to when she lived further north of the city.

“I’ve never heard you sound happier than you have been these last couple of weeks,” Jamie said with a bright smile that could be heard through the phone.

Eva nodded and looked blissfully around the city outside her windows. Spring was coming on, and everything was cool still but blooming with soft pastel colors, and the days were getting longer.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy,” Eva answered her. “It’s such a big change from my old life. The new job… the new home… it’s like I stepped out of my old life and into a dream of some kind. I never had any idea that my life could take a turn like this, and I love it!” Eva had grown up in a lower middle class home, always having enough but never splurging or having the very best of anything. She had worked hard to get good grades all through school and college, and she had graduated at the top of her class in high school and in college. She felt that all of her hard work had finally paid off.

“Is this new job still good? Everything going like it ought to?” Jamie asked interestedly. Jamie had been Eva’s best friend since middle school, and they had been sure that they had seen everything together, or at least as much as they could have by their mid-twenties. Jamie was still in college, but she was tremendously proud of her best friend for making it through school fast and well.

“Yeah, it’s really good! It’s a great job. I’ve got it all figured out now. I had a little bit of a learning curve the first week, but it’s running like clockwork now. It’s easy as anything now.” Eva smiled and watched a few puffy white clouds sail across the bright blue sky.

“That’s because you’re so smart!” Jamie laughed a little. “How’s the new boss? Is it weird being someone’s private secretary?”

“No, it’s not weird. I think it might even be easier than working for several different people or with the public because I only have to concentrate on one personality—his, and so far we fit together pretty well. He’s really something else.” She grinned and felt her cheeks warm slightly.

Jamie listened closely and then laughed a little. “Is that so? What’s he like?”

Eva looked upward and sighed with her wide smile. “

He’s amazing. He’s smart and funny and flirtatious and beautiful.”

There was a momentary silence on the other end of the line. “Oh girl… you like him?” She sounded surprised and wary.

“Yeah…” Eva admitted reluctantly. “I think I do. I guess I have a little crush on him. He’s so damn sexy! Jamie… the man is beautiful, and brilliant, and rich, and he’s really nice. He’s genuine… you know, the real thing. He doesn’t act with a lot of fake personality, he’s just… who he is, and that’s all. I am crushing on him a bit.”

“You better watch out for that! Do you think anything will happen between you two?” Jamie asked with cautious optimism.

Eva shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s a pretty good flirt with me too, but he doesn’t go over the line. Also, I don’t want to lose my job. I just got this job. I’m being really careful, but I’m enjoying the hell out of it in the meantime!”

“If he comes on to you, are you going to take him up on it?” Jamie wondered curiously.

She bit at her lower lip thoughtfully for a moment. “I don’t know, to be honest. For me, the most important part of all of this is the job. I definitely don’t want to lose the job, but if Derrick came on to me, I might not say no because he’s just so damn delicious! I can’t risk anything, though. I have this great new apartment because of my great new job as his private secretary, and I’m not going to lose it. I’ve never had anything this nice. Not ever. I’m not going to let any of it go because of a fling. I can’t take a risk like that no matter how hot the man is, and my god is he hot.”

Jamie spoke thoughtfully then. “Have you been with anyone since Ryan?”