Unavoidable Heat [Men of Iron Horse 6] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Morgan Fox

  Grabbing her purse from her desk, she headed for the car. The driver was waiting for her in the garage. It felt weird to have someone chauffer her around. She was used to taking care of herself. Letting someone else help her was a nerve wracking adjustment.

  It’s just a car service and it’s only for today.

  The driver parked in front of the Italian restaurant and Janie grabbed the door before the driver could move around the car. “I’ll be back shortly,” she said, moving inside the restaurant.

  She headed for the bar at the back of the restaurant and quickly placed her orders. She ordered two of her favorite dishes and hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. Otherwise, she might have to run out and get Victor something else and that would make finishing all that she needed to get down more difficult.

  Within fifteen minutes, she had paid for the meal and was heading back to the office. When she got back to her desk, Dennis was standing in Victor’s office. She returned her purse back to the drawer, and waited until the two men finished talking.

  It seemed the moment Victor noticed she returned, he expedited the conversation with Dennis, ushering him out the door.

  “We’ll be ready,” Victor said, patting Dennis on the back.

  “Good. Excellent,” he replied, heading back in the direction of his own office.

  “I’m starving. I hope that’s lunch.”

  She smiled. “I hope you like Italian.”

  “I do,” he said directly. “It’s my favorite.” Relieved to hear that, she stood to open the bag to offer him his lunch, but he stopped her. “Would you like to join me? I had hoped to go over the itinerary of tonight’s dinner with you.”

  Her mouth went dry. “Oh, sure. I just need to get us drinks.”

  “Allow me. What would you like?” He moved into his office and opened a mini refrigerator underneath his desk. “I’ve got diet soda, water—”

  “Something diet would be great.” She smiled. “I didn’t know you had a refrigerator in here, too.”

  “If I didn’t keep one in here, I might never eat or drink.”

  “Right, the whole time it takes to go the breakroom and back must be brutal.” She snickered. “I imagine you have a catheter hooked up during working hours, too.”

  He furrowed his brow. “First, I try to avoid wasting time. Secondly, ewe. A catheter—that’s just wrong.”

  She laughed again. “Sorry. I’ve got two brothers. They tend to be vial creatures. I fear they’ve rubbed off on me.”

  “It would seem so.” He smiled, taking a seat at the round table in the corner of his office.

  Janie placed two to-go containers in front of him. “This one’s a salad.” She pointed to it. “And this is a pasta sampler. It has manicotti, cannelloni, and lasagna. I hope you like it.”

  “You must’ve gone to Tony’s,” he said plainly.

  She cringed. “Is that a bad thing? If it is, I can run out and get you something else.” She was practically rushing to her desk to get her purse, but Victor reached out and grabbed her wrist.

  “Sit down, Janie. I love Tony’s. I go there a few times a month.”

  “Oh,” she breathed. “Good.”

  “Why are you so nervous?”

  She grimaced. “Nervous? I’m not nervous.”

  He laughed. “Really? What would you call that?” he asked, pointing at her twisting hands in her lap.

  She looked down and the second she noticed what she was doing, she stopped. Sighing hard, she confessed, “I hate buying food for people. There are so many choices and people have different likes. It’s hard to gage if you screw up or not.”

  He patted her hand. “Well, I hate it, too. That’s why I asked you to do it for us.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

  Victor tore open the container with the salad and picked up his fork. “Did you happen to get some dressing?”

  Janie almost forgot. She dug into the bag and handed him two small plastic cups. “I wasn’t sure which dressing you preferred, so they gave me one of each.”

  “I like their house dressing the best,” he told her. “It’s tangy, but sweet.”

  “Good, because I like the other one,” she said, opening her own salad.

  He chuckled and took a bite. Once he finished chewing, he explained, “We’re going to Stuart’s Steakhouse tonight. As of right now, it’s just Mr. and Mrs. Hunt attending, but their son Braden could join us, too.”

  “What would you like for me to do?”

  “Eat dinner with us,” he told her, placing another forkful of salad into his mouth.

  “I thought I was there to” –she paused looking for the correct word—“work.”

  He meet her curious gaze. “You are.”

  She didn’t understand. How was her attending a client dinner helping if all she had to do was eat? “And what will you need me to do,” she repeated.

  He placed his fork down on the table. Now it was his turn to look nervous. “I wasn’t completely honest with you about the dinner tonight.”

  She felt heat rise up from her neck and fill her cheeks. She didn’t like the feeling surfacing inside her, like she was about to be punked. “And,” she said, as if to warn him that now would be a great time to spill the full truth.

  “I needed you to be my date.”

  Her mouth hung open. “Wait. You said that this was something your assistant did for you. Was that a lie?”

  He raised his hands as if to block her from assaulting him. “No. I wasn’t lying. Ruth attends these events with me because I—”

  She gritted her teeth. “Now would be a great time to finish your explanation.”

  “I’m the only partner not married.”

  “So,” she said, dragging out the word.

  “I needed a date.”

  “So you did lie to me.”

  “No. I didn’t. I just didn’t tell you—”

  “The truth,” she barked.

  He groaned, standing to pace his office. “Damn it, Janie. I don’t like to bring just anyone to client dinners.”

  “I don’t understand. You must have a rolodex of women you could ask to go with you.”

  He crowded in on her and she had to lean back in her chair to look up at him. “But none I trust with company business.”

  Her eyes rounded. “And you trust me?”

  “Yes,” he said, sitting back down in his chair. “You give a shit about the kind of work you do on a temp job. And you basically told me to go fuck myself your first day here.”

  “I did not,” she agreed, feeling bad for being so direct with him.

  He grinned. “Yes you did, and it was that behavior that made me chase you down to make sure you came back to work for me.”

  “Oh,” she muttered, the tension of their conversation subsiding a little. Just then, she laughed. “And here I thought it was some unavoidable need to sleep with me again.”

  The corner of his mouth quirked and his eyes flickered with heat. “It’s funny you should say that, Janie. I never stopped thinking about having you again, since the first time.”

  Chapter Eight

  Victor knew he probably shouldn’t have admitted his desires, but he couldn’t help it. He was tired of hiding his need for Janie, tired of wanting her and fearing that she’d up and quite working for him. If there was any way he could taste her sweet lips again, he wanted to cash in on it.

  But she’s your assistant for the week.

  He hated it when he brain overruled his cock.

  “Are you going to quite now?” he asked, holding his breath.

  “Do you want me to?” she asked, and her question caught him off guard.

  “No.”

  “Okay.” She tore into the package containing the pasta dish. “But I’d suggest you remain honest with me and your intentions for the rest of the week. I’m not one for games, Victor. I prefer to keep things open between us.”

  “Fair enough.”

  He w
as stunned. Was it possible that Janie had the same desires he did? Did she want more from him than a job? He quickly shook the thought away when she asked, “Just to help me clear up the matter, am I your date for tonight or am I your assistant whom you date?”

  He swallowed hard. “Which would you prefer?”

  “I’ll be your assistant at work and your date tonight.”

  She gasped as his fingers glided over the side of her hand. His eyes darkened to a rich aqua blue. “And after dinner?”

  She nibbled her lower lip, her chest rising with heavy pants. If only his office was more private, he’d have her in his arms and kissing the breath from her lungs. He liked the pink color that filled her cheeks. He’d give anything at that moment to feel just how wet she was for him.

  She stood, and for a moment, she just looked at him. “I better get back to work.”

  “Janie,” he whispered, standing to catch her hand in his. “Don’t go.”

  “We need to keep things professional right now and I have work to do.”

  He released her hand and watched her leave his office. She didn’t return to her desk. He feared she was leaving, but a few minutes later she returned. The day was going to be longer than he wanted it to be.

  * * * *

  Janie was ready to pull up her skirt and make love to him on his office sofa. Had she not escaped when she did, she would’ve lost her job for sure. She had to keep thinking about Josh and her family responsibilities.

  What’s happening to me?

  She was getting caught up in a rich man’s fantasies and it was making her wanton. That wasn’t her. She kept a level head. Played it cool, even. Shit, she didn’t like men like Victor—all sexy, charming, and loaded with arrogance.

  But when he talks to me, I don’t feel like he’s arrogant. At least, not anymore.

  She covered her face with her hands. She was going mad, wanting a man she shouldn’t want and fantasizing about a man who shouldn’t want her.

  The world is going nuts and taking me with it.

  Closing up the last of her documents, she looked at the time and realized she needed to change. Victor hadn’t come out of his office since lunch, so she knocked on his door. “We’ll need to head to the restaurant soon,” she told him.

  He didn’t look at her, simply said, “Thank you.”

  With her garment bag in her hand, she headed for the bathroom. When she opened it up, she gasped. He’d not only purchased the dresses, but she now had three matching pairs of black panties, stockings and bras to go with each dress. At the bottom of the garment bag, she spotted a box. It was a pair of elegant black high heels.

  When had he purchased those?

  She didn’t know what to make of the items now. Before, they had been a necessity as part of her job, but now they were gifts so she could be his date. Her emotions tittered from appreciative to confused.

  Just make it through the week. Then it won’t really matter anymore.

  She opened up her make-up bag and pulled out everything she’d need to freshen up. Then she stripped out of her office clothing and put the new undergarments and dress she liked the best. Finally adding lipstick to her mouth, she stepped back to see herself in the full-length mirror.

  Her mouth hung open as she looked herself over. The body-hugging evening dress revealed the top portion of her full breasts and sexily narrowed at her waist. The three-inch stilettos gave her legs a longer, leaner appearance. As her gaze wandered back up to her face, she smiled, loving the way her hair framed her face and her smoky eyeshadow forced her eyes to pop with interest.

  Never in her life had she been dressed the way she was or felt as sexy as she did. There was a fluttering need growing in her belly, tickling at the back of her mind—one that screamed for the same kind of reaction that she was having come directly from Victor.

  Gathering up her things, she returned to her desk, but didn’t see Victor in his office. She hung the dresses back up in the closet behind her desk. When she closed the door and faced her desk, Victor was watching her.

  Startled by his sudden appearance, she placed her hand over her heart and blew out a breathy laugh. “You scared me. I didn’t see you there.”

  His jaw ticked, but he said nothing. For a long moment, he just looked her over and she did the same to him. He’d changed from his gray suit to a black jacket and slacks. He still wore a tie—one that matched the color of her eyes.

  He started to move toward her, but froze. “Are you ready? If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late.”

  She snatched her clutch purse from the draw and followed him toward the elevator. Once they were inside and the doors closed behind them, the space seemed to fill with tension. She was sure it had everything to do with the comment he’d made at lunch.

  And after dinner? His question rang out in her mind.

  Shit, she had no idea what would happen after dinner. Ideally, she’d be dropped off at home. But her wild, more desired filled thoughts hoped he’d take her to his home instead.

  The elevator doors open, jarring her from her wayward thoughts and she stepped out to see the driver waiting for them in the garage. He opened the door and she got in, sliding over enough to allow Victor to come in after her. His leg bumped against hers and a quiver of excitement charged through her body. Just the idea of knowing that he wanted her, even if for just another night was rattling her straight to the core.

  The drive to the restaurant was quicker than she’d expected. She’d never been to Stuarts—it was ridiculously expensive. But she couldn’t hide the excitement she was consumed with.

  The entire night was a whirlwind of experiences. And even though Victor said few words to her the entire evening, he stayed close by her, clasping her hand in his whenever he needed to lead her through a crowd, or escort her to and from the table. She wasn’t sure if his actions were just a show or perhaps that he genuinely wanted to touch her.

  As he spoke to the Hunt family, she couldn’t help but listen to each of his carefully chosen words. He knew exactly what to say and how to say it. Victor Cadwell was a natural and he clearly loved law. Janie marveled at his ability to talk business and still make everyone at the table feel as though they were part of his genius plan. By the end of the meal, he had a signed contract in his hand.

  Dennis beamed like some adolescent boy getting his first peek at a pair of perky tits. She couldn’t help but smile, too.

  When they were finally back in the car, she told him, “You were amazing.”

  He slanted her with a curious look. “Thank you.”

  “I can see why you’re a lawyer. The things you said—” She paused to admit, “I have no idea what it all meant, but it sounded perfect.”

  He chuckled. “Thank you.”

  He brushed his fingers over her hand. “You make an excellent sidekick.”

  She laughed. “Do I? I wasn’t sure I did much of anything, but laugh and smile when appropriate.”

  “That’s not all. You made me feel—”

  She furrowed her brow, waiting for him to finish his thought, but instead of words, he closed the distance between them and pressed his mouth to hers. For a moment, she was startled by the sensation, but soon wrapped her arms around him, relishing the power of his lips. He sank into the kiss, shoving up her skirt so she could straddle his lap.

  His firm erection glided teasingly over her panty-covered pussy, warning her of his intentions. She wanted desperately to ignore them, embrace the moment that would lead her to a night like they once shared. But her damn mind wouldn’t turn off all the reasons why sex with him would be a terrible idea.

  “Wait. Stop. We can’t do this.” She shoved against his chest, shifting back onto the seat beside him. Adjusting her dress, she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

  “You’re sorry?” he grumbled, looking scorned. “You have no idea.”

  She grimaced, disliking the tone he used with her, and the hidden meaning behind his words. “I had no idea about what?” He
r question was sharp and filled with the same angry fire she saw reflecting back from Victor’s narrowed eyes.

  “We’re at your apartment. You can run away from me now.” She gaped at him, but before she could speak, he finished his thought, “That’s what you want to do, isn’t it? Run away and pretend you don’t want me. Pretend you don’t have feelings for me.”

  She huffed out a breath, realizing he only wanted to sleep with her again. He really does think highly of himself. “I knew it. I knew you couldn’t handle working with me. That this would become some kind of game to you. Shit, I’m surprised you hadn’t tried to fuck me on your desk already. I’m sure I wouldn’t have been the first assistant you tried to nail at the office.”

  * * * *

  Janie opened the door and raced toward her apartment. As Victor feared, she couldn’t get away from him fast enough, but he wasn’t done talking. He fled from the car, chasing after her.

  Taking hold of her shoulders, he spun her to face him. “Is it so wrong to want me, Janie? Is it so wrong to admit that you enjoyed being with me?”

  “I never said I wanted you,” she argued, jutting her chin toward him defiantly.

  “You never said you didn’t,” he countered, his temper getting the better of him. “I thought you might…” He let his words drift away, watching her jaw lock tight, her expression pained.

  Her voice shook as she spoke. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

  He closed the distance between them, cupping her face in his hands. “How can you not know?” He felt as if he already offered himself up for the taking. His eyes and words hinted at the desire that plagued him. His need for her was astounding.

  A tear rolled down her cheek as she closed her eyes. A soft whimper moved from her lips. “I don’t know what to do.”

  His heart twisted. Was she talking about him? Or something else? He placed his index finger under her chin and raised her watery gaze to meet his. “I had hoped you’d want” –He was stunned by his own thoughts— “me.”