“Seriously? You’re calling from a toilet?”
“Best place for privacy.”
“I can’t believe you!”
“Excuse me, I’m not using it.” Natalie propped her chin in her hand. “So, what do you think about him?”
“Who?” Kerri asked, stalling.
“Ethan.”
“Definitely not my type.” Liar, her body said.
A well-shaped black brow arched. “If he’s not your type, what is your type?”
“Tall—”
“Check.”
“—dark—”
“Make an exception. Or give him that wig.”
“—and manageable.”
Natalie choked. “You’re not screening for an associate.”
“No, but unfortunately that’s the most important quality.”
“Manageable men are so…” —Natalie made a face, rolling her wrist in a familiar gesture as she flipped through her mental dictionary— “tedious.”
“Only later on. The newness works to their advantage in the beginning. So all you have to do is keep getting new ones.”
“What would you do with a manageable man? Make him lie down and roll over? Sit up and beg?”
“Manageable, not trainable. Although I’ve heard that having a guy sit up and beg can be kind of hot.”
Natalie laughed. “Oh my god, everyone was right. Kerri Heart-Crusher. You want a man who’ll never ever argue with you or try to compete with The Career for your time or affection.”
“Whatever. That’s such a sexist attitude. No one would say anything like that about any of the guys at the office.” But she wasn’t inclined to really argue the point. People always saw what they wanted to see, and if her coworkers thought her cold and cruel for putting work over romance, more power to them. “Besides, I kind of get the impression that Ethan’s heart is pretty resilient.” She went to the king-size bed and plopped herself down on it. “He doesn’t strike me as the type to sit around pining for his One True Love.”
“No, he’s far too practical for that. One reason why I thought he’d be good for you.”
“Seriously? Hey, what happened to your romanticism? You don’t think I deserve a soul mate anymore?”
“Sure, when you’re ready.”
Kerri doubted she’d ever find this “soul mate.” She was a realist and didn’t have time for self-deception, no matter how much her heart might ache at the thought. Besides, to get a soul mate she’d have to put herself out there. She didn’t have the energy for that sort of thing.
“In the meantime, hey…” Natalie winked. “And just in case you’re wondering, he’s really rich, too. So you can make him pay for everything.”
“Is he the blond twin of your newly acquired husband?”
“No. He works for him.”
“Oh?” Ethan didn’t strike her as the “work for someone else” type. “He’s like a minion?”
Natalie chortled. “Hardly. But I thought the same thing at first, until I saw how much Alex depends on him. I’d say Ethan’s got more power than anybody else at Global Strategies. Alex treats him more like an equal partner than an employee, no matter what the job title is.”