by Nicola Marsh
‘You’re right, I know you’re right.’
Hadn’t Charlotte given herself the very same pep talk? But using cool logic to explain away her raunchy behaviour and keeping Alex at an emotional distance seemed much easier in theory.
‘Maybe I’m confusing lust with a stronger emotion?’ Charlotte shrugged, as if her concerns meant little when in fact she needed all the help she could get. ‘I’ve never felt this way about a guy before so perhaps I’m in over my head?’
And terrified that, no matter how hard she tried to dress up this thing with Alex as a fling, she’d find it difficult to walk away at the end.
A frown slashed Abby’s brow. ‘Have you discussed your fears with him?’
‘Hell no. He’d end things instantly.’ She screwed up her nose. ‘Alex is a “no muss no fuss” kind of guy. He travels a lot. Doesn’t stay in one place too long.’
Abby nodded, ponderous. ‘And he’s been upfront with you from the start about an expiration date on this fling?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘Hmm...’ Abby sipped at her cocktail, some bright pink thing with bubbles that would give Charlotte an instant headache. ‘Honestly, Char, I don’t know what to say. I want you to keep having fun with this guy because it’s good for you. But your tears indicate you’re already emotionally invested, which can only end badly for you when he leaves.’
Charlotte managed a watery smile. ‘You’ve just articulated exactly how I feel. But without giving me a solution.’
Abby took another healthy slurp of her cocktail, like the alcohol would give her clarity. ‘Is there any chance... I mean, do you think he feels more for you beyond the obvious?’
In her more deluded moments, when he cradled her in his arms as if he never wanted to let go, Charlotte liked to think so.
But she’d given up believing in fairy tales a long time ago, around the time her folks dumped her with her weird aunt so they could travel the world, and the only fantasies she believed in these days occurred between the pages of her favourite novels.
‘He’s made it more than clear we’re short-term, nothing more,’ she said, wincing. The facts hurt.
‘Then you’ve got a decision to make,’ Abby said, clasping her hand and squeezing. ‘Keep having fun and take what you can get. Or end it now before you get hurt.’
Charlotte smiled in gratitude at her friend, not stating the obvious.
What if it was already too late?
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
HANGING OUT IN the hotel bar last Friday night hadn’t given Alex the emotional distance he’d needed from Charlotte. In fact, it had only served to reinforce how much that part of his life had lost its appeal. Not good.
So he reserved his cowardice for the office and ensured he avoided her all week.
Sure, they discussed work projects when needed but he told her he needed time to organise the new staffing hierarchy going forward and thankfully she believed him.
He’d referred three new clients to her too, all involving a lot of work to ensure she stayed busy.
And stayed away from him.
But all that was about to change because somehow he’d been so swamped for the last few hours that he hadn’t noticed the time and now they were the last two people in the office on a Friday night again.
Damn.
He remembered the last time this had happened, every erotic moment replaying in his mind like a dirty movie.
His cock thickened just thinking about it and he snuck a surreptitious glance at her as she crossed the outer office to the photocopier.
There was nothing remotely remarkable about her outfit today. Calf-length navy skirt. Pale blue shirt. Negligible heels on navy pumps. She fitted the stereotype of a dedicated accountant but he knew what lay beneath that sedate exterior and he clenched his hands into fists to stop from barging out there and tearing off her outer layers.
She stabbed at a few buttons on the photocopier then leaned forward, drawing the skirt tight across her ass. Alex bit back a groan, his cock at full attention now and making sitting uncomfortable.
He couldn’t see a panty line at this distance and imagined her wearing a thong. Black satin. Smooth. Slippery. Easy to hook aside as he spread her legs wide, bent her over that copier and entered her...
Fuck.
He stood and stalked around his desk, chastising himself for being a fool but unable to stop this relentless desire for her.
She chose that moment to glance over her shoulder, her gaze knowing, as if she knew he’d been watching her.
He made it as far as the door to his office when her bold stare zeroed in on his cock, an obvious bulge in his trousers.
Her tongue darted out to sweep her bottom lip in a gesture so provocative he felt it all the way to his balls.
This woman was fire and ice.
Hot and cold.
Temptation and reservation.
She was something else.
His cell rang at that moment. A smart guy would have ignored it and followed through on the lust pounding through every inch of him. But he’d turned into a dumb schmuck lately and the cause was staring at him with a beguiling mix of daring and defiance.
Taunting him. Challenging him.
So much for avoiding her. He wanted her so damn badly his vision clouded with it.
But giving in now wouldn’t end well for either of them, not when he knew in his gut that Charlie wanted more from him than he could give, so he managed a terse nod, swung around and closed the office door.
* * *
‘This is bullshit,’ Charlotte muttered, furious for allowing herself to be dragged into Alex’s stupid game again.
He’d been doing this all freaking week, business one minute, casting lustful glances her way the next.
She. Was. Over. It.
They couldn’t go on this way. Something would snap. She had a sneaking suspicion it would be her. Or his neck if he ever let her close enough again to wrap her hands around it.
Not that she didn’t appreciate his faith in her work ethic. She’d never been so challenged professionally, with the three clients he’d referred her way taking up most of her time. With a little luck she’d be in line for a big promotion to the coveted managerial role that would ensure she could afford her upcoming mortgage and then some.
She had a feeling he was grooming her for it and while she understood his reticence for discussing it, she couldn’t help but hope. But all the work in the world couldn’t distract from how much she missed their physical contact, how much she craved his touch.
It wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t have to see him every day, strutting around the office in those designer suits that moulded his body to perfection, smiling at everyone, being charming and affable because that was who he was.
What would it be like to be that confident? To draw people to you without trying? To be a natural extrovert who never knew the agony of uncertainty and awkwardness?
She’d accepted who she was a long time ago but she’d be lying if she didn’t admit to being a tad jealous of people like Alex who breezed through life without a care in the world.
So after a long week she’d decided to stay behind tonight in the hope they could have a word. Maybe get supper together. Maybe indulge in something more.
Because she’d come to a decision after her chat with Abby last Friday.
She would take what she could get while she could and ensure she waved Alex away with a light heart when he walked out of her life.
She’d wanted this.
She’d called the shots at the start.
No use getting the proverbial cold feet because her long-term dreams and her current fantasies had got mixed up.
Clarity wouldn’t come from mulling and second-guessing.
Clarity would come from screwing her brains out and walking
away from this fling a well-satisfied woman.
She’d sensed him watching her earlier, had been delighted to discover he still wanted her as badly as she wanted him, the evidence of his desire making her salivate.
But he’d closed the door on her, deliberately shutting her out.
‘Good luck with that, buddy,’ she said, kicking at a leg on her desk as she channelled her indignation into tidying up.
She wanted to be ready to execute her plan the moment he tried to make his escape.
He made her wait a full twenty minutes before exiting his office. He paused on the threshold, uncertain, as he glanced at her picking up her satchel and turning off her office light. She kept her back to him, not wanting him to see the first part of her plan until it was time.
He didn’t move as she headed for the elevator.
If he didn’t follow her in, her plan would be scuttled. But it would also be a good indication that maybe she’d read this situation all wrong and he’d cooled things off between them ahead of schedule.
She pressed the elevator button to go down and by the time it arrived and the doors slid open, he still hadn’t moved.
She stepped inside, thankful this old building didn’t have cameras in the elevators, and held the button to keep the doors open.
Then she turned around.
His eyes bugged as he caught sight of her blouse, unbuttoned to the waist, revealing a sheer creamy lace bra.
She’d been wearing provocative lingerie all week in the hope he might get to see it and if this didn’t do the trick, nothing would.
Her finger cramped from pressing the elevator button and just when she’d given up hope he bounded towards her and almost skidded into the elevator in his haste to join her.
‘Going down?’ She arched an eyebrow, biting back a triumphant smile as he launched at her. One hand splayed behind her head, the other on her ass, his lips crushing hers.
Her finger slipped off the button as he backed them into the corner of the elevator, his hard cock hitting her sweet spot and making her whimper.
He ravaged her mouth as she clung to him, devouring her as if he’d never get enough. Nipping at her bottom lip. His tongue sweeping into her mouth. Challenging. Commanding.
Charlotte was so damned turned on she momentarily wondered if she could come from kissing alone. But then he wrenched his mouth from hers, pausing long enough to hit the stop button. The elevator juddered to a halt but they were just getting started.
‘You are so fucking hot,’ he murmured, rucking up her skirt and smoothing his palms up her thighs. ‘Do you have any idea what you do to me?’
She palmed his cock through his trousers. ‘I think I do.’
He plucked at her panties, almost tearing them off in his haste, his urgency delighting her. Emboldened by his obvious desire, she unzipped him and slipped her hand in. ‘I want you inside me. Now.’
He slipped a finger between her slick folds, another, and groaned. ‘You’re certainly ready for me.’
She bit back her retort, ‘always’, because that sounded too permanent and she didn’t want to scare him off, not when she wanted him this badly.
‘So wet, so sweet.’ His fingers slid in and out, sweeping over her clit every third stroke, before gliding in again. Sure, masterful strokes designed to ratchet her excitement to unbearable levels.
‘Inside. Now,’ she gasped, as he slipped a third finger inside her, stretching her, alighting her nerve endings.
He claimed her mouth again as he sheathed himself in record time before plunging into her to the hilt. The back of her head thunked against the elevator wall. She didn’t care, the fleeting pain diluted in a wave of pleasure spreading from her core upward.
He plundered her mouth as his fingers clamped onto her ass, hoisting her higher so she could wrap her legs around him. He thrust into her repeatedly, thick and long and oh, so good. Filling her in a way she’d never imagined in her wildest dreams.
With every slide out, with every thrust in, he hit her sweet spot. Over and over until she hovered on the edge of an orgasm so powerful her back spasmed.
Then he changed the angle of his hips and she plummeted over and into a free fall of carnal bliss so intense she screamed.
He kissed her, swallowing her cries of release and groaning his own into her mouth, his fingers digging into her ass so tight she’d have bruises for sure.
She didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything right now but the way Alex made her feel, wishing she could feel this good all the time.
‘How long are you staying around for now?’
The moment the question slipped from her lips she regretted it. In her post-sex stupor she’d overstepped a line they’d agreed on at the start. And in adding in that one significant word ‘now’ she’d implied that because of their involvement he’d extend his time in Sydney.
Crap, she’d screwed up, big time.
‘I’ll be gone once the project here is done, another few weeks max,’ he said, his cool tone chilling her as he withdrew from her, physically and emotionally.
He turned away, giving her time to fix herself up. How kind of him. A gentleman now that he’d had his way with her.
Okay, so that was grossly unfair. She’d seduced him and when he shut down as she’d expected she blamed him.
‘Can you press the button, please? I need to get home.’ She sounded so prim, so proper, she inwardly cringed.
‘Sure.’
The elevator lurched as it started its descent again as they stood side by side, watching those infernal numbers count down.
How could they have such a strong physical connection but anything further resulted in this frigid standoff?
When the doors opened into the car park and they stepped out, Charlotte mustered her best nonchalant expression. ‘See you tomorrow—’
He kissed her, a mere brush of his lips against hers, his tenderness almost undoing her completely.
When he pulled back, she couldn’t read the turmoil of emotion darkening his eyes. ‘I’m taking you out on a date tomorrow night. Pick you up at your place around seven.’
With that, he spun on his heel, leaving her confused and gaping and wondering what the hell had just happened.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ALEX HAD NEVER been so torn in all his life.
He wanted to give Charlotte a night she’d never forget.
He wanted to let her down gently.
He wanted to express how incredible she made him feel but that it had to end.
He knew that, after last night. The moment she’d asked how long he’d be staying around for, he’d known. She’d invested far too much into this fling and the damnedest thing was, maybe he had too.
Easier to break it off now, before he ended up breaking her heart.
He didn’t want to hurt her. She was too special for that. And he knew that was exactly what would happen if they continued spending time together.
The sex was sensational but somehow, whenever they hooked up, he was left wanting more and if her post-coital question in that elevator was any indication, she did too.
She’d left him no choice.
He had to end it.
Tonight.
He could have done it last night but it would have been too callous after they’d just had sex. Besides, he knew Charlotte was a hearts and flowers kind of girl. That damn house she coveted so badly told him that.
So that was what he’d give her tonight. A night of romance, a night a special woman like her deserved. Then he’d take her home, give her a chaste kiss, and end it.
She’d understand. They’d both known the fleeting nature of this going in and he hoped that once she got the promotion she’d be too busy to give him the evil eye at work.
Another two weeks and he’d be out of here, leaving Sydney beh
ind and heading to Auckland for a conference before weighing up his options. He had companies in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne begging for his attention and he hadn’t decided which one to tackle first. Maybe Perth would be the best option, the other side of the country so he wouldn’t be tempted to hop on a plane and return to Sydney if he lost his mind and ended up pining for Charlie.
‘Idiot,’ he muttered, jabbing at her doorbell.
He had a clear-cut plan.
He had to stick to it.
The door opened and he sucked in a breath. Charlotte stood before him wearing a purple strapless mini dress that hugged every curve of her body. She’d curled her hair and it fell in soft waves over her shoulders. She’d used smoky make-up on her eyes and a plum gloss that made her lips shimmer.
Fuck. She was a knockout, determined to shatter his limited self-control.
He couldn’t screw her tonight, it wouldn’t be right, but damn it was going to be hard to keep his hands off her when every cell in his body clamoured to be all over her.
‘You look incredible,’ he finally said, when he unglued his tongue from the roof of his mouth and stepped forward to place a kiss on her cheek. ‘Stunning.’
‘Thanks.’ She blushed and tugged on the hem of the dress self-consciously. ‘My flatmate left a stack of dresses behind when she moved to New York so I raided her wardrobe.’
He bit back his first response, ‘You should do it more often,’ for the simple fact he wouldn’t be the beneficiary of seeing her metamorphose into a sex goddess after tonight.
The thought left him feeling winded.
Thankfully, she didn’t notice anything amiss as she turned to grab a black clutch and her keys off the hall table. When she turned back he’d managed to get himself under control and forced a lazy grin that belied the churning in his gut.
‘Where are we going?’