"Perhaps I have," Merinus responded soberly now. "But really, who needs to? You've seen him. You've worked with him. I knew him before he laid eyes on you, before he sensed that you could belong to him." She leaned forward intently. "He's never known love. He's never known a caress that didn't involve some sort of payment, or a kind word that he didn't suspect didn't come with strings. And I know you, Rachel. I've watched you. You might not love him, but you care for him."
"I lust after his body," Rachel griped. "He's seriously ripped. That doesn't mean I want to risk my sanity for it."
"You care for him." Merinus shook her head in denial. "Don't lie to me. We both know you do."
"He's not completely hateful." She shrugged. "He's tolerable. I don't hate him."
"Are you in love with him?" Suspicions suddenly clouded the other woman's eyes.
"Indeed not." Rachel's eyes widened. "I haven't lost my mind yet, you know."
"Give it time." Merinus waved her hand negligently as though losing her mind were a foregone conclusion. "You haven't lived with Jonas yet."
"And you have?" Rachel questioned the confidence in her tone.
"Not on a bet." Merinus laughed. "Not even for the world.
This is one time, my friend, I do not envy you the adventure."
Just what she needed, an adventure Merinus wasn't willing to fight her for.
"You're going to owe me," Rachel promised her.
"And as always, I'll pay up." There was blissful unconcern.
Rachel had a bad feeling, a very bad feeling, things were going to get very, very complicated.
And unfortunately, she had yet to see a time when her bad feelings didn't pan out.
She had a feeling it might have been more prudent to have stayed in Switzerland.
CHAPTER 5
The office was set up on the far side of the cabin, a vacant wing that Rachel had learned had been added only in the past year in case Jonas was forced to attend to business from his cabin in Sanctuary rather than the Bureau's offices in D.C.
The three-room wing boasted a large outer office for Rachel, a larger inner one for Jonas and an attached nursery for Amber complete with a Breed nanny to oversee her while Rachel was working.
What more could a personal assistant ask for?
Outside the wing was a large parking area, a sheltered yard with a toddler play set that Amber wouldn't be playing on for quite a while, if ever, and a Breed guard.
All the benefits of the D.C. office complete with additional security. There was no chance of meeting Brandenmore after dark any longer. Nope, all she had to contend with now was Jonas.
After a week of dealing with Jonas in his mating mood, Rachel was starting to wish she simply had to face Brandenmore. She doubted the other man was as completely arrogant as Jonas on a bad day.
"Rachel, if you schedule another appointment with Racert in D.C., we're going to have words." Jonas stepped from the office first thing that morning and glared at her with the promise of retribution gleaming in his eyes.
Rachel lifted her brow once that first breathless, sensually weak feeling that always assailed her when he walked in the room had passed.
"Racert is important to the funds that Senator Tyler is attempting to get approved through the Senate, Jonas, you know that," she reminded him as she kept her attention on the file she was currently adding information to. "I would be more than happy to deny the meetings he requests once you get those funds."
"You're going to begin denying them now," he informed her. "I have an assistant director, you know. Pawn the bastard off on him."
Rachel turned and stared back at Jonas with an expression of mocking disapproval. "We need to discuss your idea of an assistant director. Brim Stone isn't exactly the most tactful choice you could have made. I think his attitude may even be worse than yours. He growled at a congressman's aide yesterday and caused the man to wet himself."
No one ever accused the Breeds of failing to use intimidation to get their way.
"Pawn the damned meeting off on him," Jonas ordered.