When I found her, I was not at all ready for what waited for me. I knocked briskly on the door to the conference room, not wanting to barge in if she was in her underwear or something, and then got all the breath knocked out of me when I opened the door and saw her.
She had chosen a shimmery, emerald green dress for the evening. It was floor-length and slim, hugging every one of those curves I was trying so hard to ignore. Fucking impossible to ignore them now.
Lilac looked like something out a movie. She had on simple silver jewelry and they had painted her lips a deep shade of red.
It was a potent mix. So potent that I got slammed with a hit of lust so strong it nearly buckled my legs. Thankfully, I was still holding on to the doorjamb.
After steadying myself, I walked toward her. The closer I got, the more I felt like she was enchanting me somehow.
I couldn’t tear my fucking eyes away from her. If Grant had thought I had tunnel-vision before, I was glad he wasn’t seeing me now. Everyone else in the room and even the room itself faded into the background. She’s fucking gorgeous.
When I reached her, I took her hand without a second thought and spun her around. Lilac giggled, smoothing her hands over her abdomen when she took a step back and released my hand.
“You like it?”
I nodded, but couldn’t bring myself to say anything. Besides, if I opened my mouth right now, there was a hundred percent chance I was going to say something highly inappropriate. Like how about: fuck the gala and get my cock between those red lips.
Yeah, best to keep my mouth shut. Hearing the scuff of a shoe on the floor, I remembered we weren’t alone. I turned to face Emily, seeing that her team was already in the process of packing up.
“Thank you. You did an excellent job.” I waited until most of her minions were out of the room and Lilac was chatting to one of the remaining women before discreetly handing Emily a generous tip.
After they had left and we had locked up, Lilac and I headed down to the parking garage. My car was here, but I had a surprise waiting for her.
She gasped when she saw the sleek black limo as we stepped off the elevator, eyes widening as she turned to face me. “Is that for us?”
“You bet.” I grinned, waving away the driver when he tried to open the door for us. He rounded the vehicle and went back to his seat while I reached for the door handle. “After you.”
Lilac looked surprised at the gesture, but didn’t mention it as she lowered herself into the limo with a grace I hadn’t noticed before she possessed. I was starting to realize there were a lot of things I hadn’t noticed about her before.
“You look absolutely breathtaking tonight,” I told her once we were settled. I had taken the seat beside her, and I could feel the heat from her body on my side. Even the scent that drifted to my nostrils was warm and sensual, spicy and heady.
When she smiled in response to my compliment, I had to try my best to keep from pouncing on her. God, I think I overestimated my self-control by sitting so damn close to her.
How had I never noticed before how truly stunning her smile was? It was beyond me. The same went for how I had never noticed that her eyes were as brilliant as jewels, and those were not words I thought easily or often. If fact, I didn’t think I’d ever had a thought like that one before.
Clenching my hands into fists on my lap, I tried to reconcile this gorgeous creature with my soon-to-be CFO. It was hard, though. I couldn’t quite get there.
“Thanks,” she said, still wearing that smile that made fire race through my veins. “You don’t look so bad yourself. You wear a tux well.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, more as a distraction than because I was really curious to know the answer.
Lilac shrugged, but somehow even the simple motion of moving her shoulders up and down looked elegant tonight. “Some guys can’t pull tuxes off, you know? It’s like the tux wears them instead of it being the other way around. That’s not the case for you. You wear it well.”
“Thank you.” I hated that the words came out sounding more like a question than a statement, but thankfully the limo started pulling up to the curb outside the gala and I didn’t have any time to think about it. “Here we go. There’s a short walk down the carpet into the venue. There are always some members of the press at these things, but don’t worry about them. Just smile and hang on to my arm. I’ll get us inside as fast as I can.”
Lilac nodded, but I noticed her taking in a few gulps of air as I opened the door and stepped out. Reaching a hand back inside the limo, I helped her out and tucked her hand into my arm.
Camera flashes went off as we walked, but I was hardly even aware of them. Usually, I had trouble not scowling at the cameras, but that wasn’t a problem this time around.
I grinned as widely as I ever had—no reason not to. I had the most beautiful woman on my arm and suddenly the evening didn’t feel like it was going to be such a drag after all.
Chapter 16
Lilac
People said that you learned something new every day. I had learned two new things today: Joseph Matthews shouldn’t have been allowed to wear a tux when one couldn’t rip it right off, and that I really didn’t like cameras flashing in my eyes.
The walk down the carpet seemed to take forever, but I remembered what my dearest boss had told me and forced a very fake smile to my lips. All I could think of was not doing anything that would embarrass myself or my date. Well that, and that his arm had to be made of freaking steel.
Copping a feel of his arm would probably be frowned upon and very, very weird, but at least it gave me something to focus on as we made our way into the venue. White spots danced in front of my eyes by the time we made it inside, but I could definitely breathe easier now that we were away from the cameras.
I’d never really thought too much about celebrities, never mind felt sympathy for them. I did now, though. It suddenly made perfect sense to me why they so often wore sunglasses in the middle of the night, why the press caught them wearing the darkest glasses when they stumbled out of bars, clubs or restaurants in the early morning hours. It wasn’t just because they liked looking like douche bags after all. It was to protect their corneas.
“You okay?” Joseph murmured after we walked into a magnificent ballroom, his lips moving my hair just slightly as he bent down.
A shiver passed through me, and it wasn’t only because I’d never been in a setting quite as opulent as this. Oh no, this shiver had everything to do with having Joseph’s lips so close to my ear.
The ballroom was nice and all, but it wasn’t shiver-inducing. Joseph, however, absolutely was.
I’d meant it when I said he wore his tux well. He wore it better than well. When I’d first caught sight of him in it, I’d gotten all lightheaded and stuff. I wasn’t the type who got lightheaded, for God’s sake.
But it had so happened back in that conference room. Okay, it might have been because my breath had caught and held, all of the moisture in my body traveling south at an alarming rate.
Seriously, if they were making a calendar of sexy military men this year, I would nominate any photo of him tonight for the centerfold. There wouldn’t be a dry pair of panties in the house. I would personally guarantee it.
Mine sure weren’t, not that I’d ever admit it. Joseph Matthews might be my boss, but for a second there I could have sworn we’d both forgotten that. It was like one of those cheesy moments of serendipity in a romantic comedy.
“Lilac?” I heard his voice again, and realized I’d never answered his question.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Those cameras were pretty disconcerting, though.”
He chuckled, the sound low and deep and still way too close to my ear for me to remember that this was my boss. “They can be the first few times you face them. You did well, though.”
A waiter wearing a white suit approached us, an entire tray of full champagne flutes balancing on a silver tray in his hand. “May I offer—”
I grabbed one of his flutes before he’d even finished his sentence, draining almost half of the slim glass in one go. Joseph laughed softly, accepting a glass of his own. “Thank you. The lady thanks you, too. It was her first time facing those vultures outside.”
I turned a wide-eyed stare at him, but he just smiled softly and put a gigantic hand over mine, still in the crook of his arm. “You should have seen me after my first time. I downed whiskey like you just did that champagne.”
The waiter was already gone, leaving me to look up into Joseph’s eyes and really notice the colors in them for the first time. I’d never been close enough to see that the hazel was more blue-green with a hint of gold around the pupils and the edges.
I’d also never been close enough to him to smell the citrus-y yet somehow woods-y scent of him, nor had I ever realized how perfectly my body fitted into his side. Yeah, and you should never have noticed any of those things.
Ignoring how snarky my subconscious voice was being, I took another long sip of my champagne and blinked innocently at Joseph. “Actually, I was just thirsty. Now, tell me what’s on the agenda for tonight.”
“Dinner, dancing, a lot of ass-kissing. That kind of thing.”
“Dancing?” My voice came out so high it was practically a squeak. “I don’t dance.”
“Don’t worry.” He grinned, tightening his grip on my hand before removing his from over it. “I’m actually pretty good at it. Learned how to dance as part of my physical therapy after I got home.”
I frowned. “Is that part of their reintegration program or something?”
Joseph shot me a look I had no idea what to do with. “Rehabilitation, actually. Let’s go grab real drinks before the mingling starts. We’re both going to need it.”
I had no idea what he was talking about at the time, but it turned out that he was right. And that’s the way that the most insane night of my life started.
When I thought back about it, I tried looking for signs that might have clued me in about what would happen that night. There was nothing.
It didn’t start out all that insane; it was where the night ended that made me question my sanity. The night started out pretty much as I had expected it to. We drank, we talked to a whole slew of people. I made small talk with a series of vapid, blank-looking women and we ate a few bites of overcooked chicken during dinner.
It was the dancing with my boss that, in retrospect, should have given it away. Joseph held his hand out to me after dinner. “Shall we?”
He inclined his head toward the dance floor, where a few couples were swaying to the beat of a slow popular song that I loved. I placed my hand in his and smiled. “Sure. As long as you don’t mind getting your toes stepped on.”
He raised one eyebrow before leading me out to the dance floor. “Trust me, Lilac. You won’t step on my toes.”
It turned out he was right. So very, very right. Joseph took one of my hands, enveloping it firmly and completely in his. His other arm banded around my back, giving me one tug that had my body fitted flush to his.
With my heels on, we were actually pretty well lined up. The smooth skin on his chin brushed against my cheekbone, but those weren’t the only body parts that touched occasionally while we danced. Okay, so the others were covered by clothes, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t feel him against me.
He wasn’t hard or anything, but I definitely felt something against my pelvis as he held me close and swept me across the dance floor song after song. It was only when I was half out of breath and my body was throbbing painfully that he finally let me go.
“Let’s take a break. I hate this song,” he said. I tried to figure out what song it was, but I was stuck in some kind of lusty loop. My brain refused to function, but the spot between my legs had no such problem.
“Yeah, let’s,” I agreed, and let him lead me back to our table.
When I sat down, Joseph was still standing. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Please.” I was parched. I’d had a few more drinks since we’d arrived, and something non-alcoholic sounded like a good idea. “Just a soda.”
I made to get to my feet to go with him, but he stopped me. “Stay. I’ll be right back. Are you sure you only want a soda?”
Another waiter appeared behind him and presented me with more champagne. I took it, because when was I ever going to be getting such top-shelf stuff for free again? Screw it. I’m not at home tonight. Lincoln’s with Jodie and we have a driver. It’s okay to cut loose a little.
Joseph grinned. “Okay then. I’ll get you a soda to go with that, then.”
He turned and disappeared into the crowd. I sipped my third glass of champagne and waited for him to get back when my phone rang from the small clutch I had brought with me.
It was on the table in front of me, but I felt the vibrations of it ringing since my arms were crossed and resting on the tabletop. I didn’t really want to get it in my buzzed, happy state, but since it might have been Lincoln or Jodie, I pulled the device out.
It wasn’t Lincoln or Jodie. It was my fucking ex. The words ‘Kurt calling’ on my screen taunted me, like he couldn’t even let me have this one flipping night I hadn’t even wanted.
Gripping the phone in my hand, I pushed to my feet and ducked out of the ballroom. As always, Kurt just kept calling until I finally answered.
Since I was already tipsy, I wasn’t nice to him. “I told you to stop calling me.”
I was standing out in the hallway leading out of the venue now. It had been full of people waiting to get into the ballroom earlier, but it was deserted now. After checking that there was no one coming or going anywhere near me, I decided it wasn’t necessary to keep my voice down.
“You’re wasting your time, Kurt. It’s never going to happen.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, little Lilac. You can’t keep me away from him. You know, I wasn’t going to try for full custody, but I’m starting to think that’s exactly what I want. With that fancy job you have now, you’ll have to pay me so much child support Lincoln and I will be able to move to Hawaii.”
“You’ll never get any of it,” I snarled, feeling one of my heels buckling underneath me. Sky-high heels, a thick carpet and three glasses of champagne with some other stuff in between, combined with the total shock of what Kurt was threatening me with this time, obviously wasn’t good for my balance.
I sagged against the wall, leaning my head back and trying to calm myself down. It didn’t work. “You hear me, you asshole? You’ll never take him away from me, not over my dead fucking body.”
“What makes you think it won’t be over your dead body?” His voice was dark and cruel. It might have scared me if I didn’t have a decent amount of liquid courage in me.
“I’ll absolutely get a restraining order against you,” I yelled into the receiver. “Don’t threaten me unless you have the balls to follow through, Kurt. I promise you, even if it’s with my last breath I will make sure that you never, ever get to him. A restraining order will just be the beginning of what I’ll put you through.”
The phone was snatched out of my hand in the next second, and I opened my eyes to find Joseph towering over me, glaring at my phone. He didn’t say anything into the receiver before he ended the call.
There was another glass of champagne in his hand and he handed it over to me. I groaned and drained the whole glass this time. “Don’t ask, I don’t want to talk about it.”
He gave me a long look, those beautiful eyes of his almost all dark now. I saw his chest rising and falling on a deep breath before he relented. “I figured. Let’s go dance.”
“Best idea you’ve ever had.” I smiled a lopsided smile up at him and let him lead me back into the ballroom.
By the time we were heading back to the limo, I’d had at least two more drinks and I’d never had that soda. We settled into the buttery soft leather seats of the luxury vehicle and I leaned back. I was messing up my hair, but I didn’t
care.
I was drunk, absolutely, but I was also pissed at Kurt for ruining what had been a pretty cool night. The world spun ever so slightly, but I wasn’t in such a bad state that I felt sick or anything.
I was just in that pleasant place; the one where my skin hummed and my ears buzzed. I’d have been happy in that moment if it hadn’t been for ex-hole. Ha. Asshole ex. Ex-hole. Wonder why I didn’t think of that earlier?
Joseph climbed in, taking his seat next to me. I felt the intensity of his stare without even having to look at him. Groaning again, I lifted my chin. “What?”
“What was that all about, Lilac?”
I didn’t want to tell him, didn’t want to see the pity in his eyes or ask for his help. I just wanted to cling to whatever vestiges of happy were left in me after my first night out in I didn’t even know how long.
So, in my infinite drunken wisdom, I kissed him. I kissed my boss. And the worst thing about it?
I didn’t fucking stop.
My hands acted without my permission, one of them reaching up to cup the back of his neck and haul him to me while the other snuck down to his pants.
It was insane, crazy, but that didn’t stop me. The lust that had been building up for him since the second I’d first seen him in person was in the driver’s seat now, and it wasn’t giving up its spot.
Joseph made a surprised sound in the back of his throat, but he didn’t stop the insanity either. Instead of stopping, he took over.
His hands gripped my hip and the back of my head, holding me close to him. My lips parted on a gasp, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue between them. He tasted like champagne and something delicious that made my core clench. Just him. It had to be just him.
I didn’t care in that moment, though. Driven by primal instincts, lust and a desperate wanting to avoid talking about Kurt, I threw myself into the insanity with everything that I had.
The next thing I knew, my hand had made its way into his pants and I was cupping a very impressively sized, very hard cock in my palm. I gave his length a stroke, reveling in the animalistic sound that escaped him.
Come Work For Me Page 10