by Judy Teel
Something heavy banged against her door and she looked up. A moment later, the handle jiggled and then the door swung open. Ryan staggered into her office loaded down with shopping bags, his blond hair mussed beyond his normal stylish level.
"I surrender," he said on a hearty exhale of breath.
She pursed her lips in disapproval. "The Wayland meeting is in half an hour. Why were you shopping?"
"Sale at Saks." Ryan dropped his purchases, tripped on them as he staggered to the large sofa in the corner, and fell gracelessly into its cushioned, leather embrace. "Complete insanity. Hundreds of crazed women. But I got the good stuff."
She studied him for a moment longer, not sure what to make of this perplexing revelation. She would never have guessed in a million years that he liked to shop. Then she noticed the smudge of color on his face and understanding dawned.
"There's lipstick on the corner of your mouth. Make some new friends?"
Ryan grinned at her. "Maybe I got a make-over."
CK grabbed the tissues she kept on her desk and tossed them at him. He neatly caught the box.
"Your inventive methods for finding new conquests are a constant marvel, Anderson." She turned back to her laptop as Ryan yanked out a tissue and scrubbed his mouth clean.
"Wait 'til you see what I found for you."
"Why would you get me anything?" she asked, without looking up.
She heard him drag a bag across the floor and then the rustle of tissue paper. Curious, she glanced up. Her eyes widened at the lacy black scrap of material dangling from his fingers.
"What the heck is that?"
"Panties. Half-price."
"Looks like you broke even. It's only half a pair."
His dark blonde brows arched. "Is that a joke?"
"I'll say. That thing's ridiculous looking." She turned her attention back to the contract and typed in the last few lines. "I hope you don't expect me to wear something as silly as that thing."
"It's called a thong. Very sexy. In the full set, no man will be able to resist you."
"Since I don't intend to walk around showing off half-constructed underwear, said men will have to be disappointed." She saved her document and sent it to the printer.
Rubbing the back of her neck, she rotated her head, cracking the tension out. "Contract is done."
Pushing to his feet, Ryan limped over to her desk. He gave her a stern look. "Don't crack your neck like that. Not girly. And if you're determined to go through with this, you're completely changing your look. From the panties out."
She didn't care much for his bossy tone and gave him a level look. "For all you know I don't even wear underwear."
She lifted the contract out of the printer tray and held it out to him. He stood frozen on the other side of her desk, his autumn-sky eyes locked onto her. A curiously intense gleam seared their depths.
A peculiar feeling fluttered deep in her belly. "Anderson?"
"Are you?" he asked, his voice catching oddly.
"Am I what?"
"Not wearing panties?"
She frowned, genuinely puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"You said you don't wear underwear."
"I was being flippant. Here, take the contract. We need to get this finalized so we can focus on the meeting."
He seemed to shake himself loose from some unknown inner world and then an appalled look flashed through his eyes. He snapped his focus back to the contract, flipping quickly through it.
Swiping a pen from her desk, he scrawled something across page three and four and then put his signature on the last page.
A scrape of irritation ran down her back as she took the papers. What was so important that he had to make changes to a perfectly good contract before signing it?
She scanned his additions and frowned. "You gave me an escape clause? Why?"
"You'll be completely in my hands after you sign that CK. You needed an out."
Concern whispered at the back of her mind. "I trust you, Ryan."
That intriguing glitter of heat flared in his eyes and was quickly snuffed out. "You shouldn't. You really shouldn't."
The low, soft tone of his voice sent a quivering vibration rippling over her belly. A warm flush bloomed across her cheeks.
Without question, Ryan was weak-in-the-knees handsome. She wasn't blind, after all, but their friendship had always maintained strict boundaries. That's why they had a friendship. Except for those first few days of knowing him, she'd never felt those kinds of feelings. Not much, anyway.
He was doing something to her. Something on purpose. But why? And how?
She gave him one more speculative look and picked up a pen. "I don't understand anything about what's happening here, which proves that I need your help."
Ryan flattened his hand over the contract. "There's a tiny, low-cut green dress in one of those bags. If you sign, you'll be wearing it to the meeting this afternoon."
"Only if it fits. You don't know my measurements." She pulled the contract out from under his hand.
"I can make you wear it. With the thong," he added, his voice a low growl.
A shiver ran down her back. "Personal alterations that might jeopardize business activities are subject to discussion and final approval by me. Page two, paragraph five." She gave him a hard look. "Now stop trying to intimidate me, Anderson. I'm desperate. You can't scare me off."
Ryan exhaled and the interesting alpha male vibe that had been coming off of him faded away. He gave her a disgusted look. "You're too naive to be scared."
She scrawled her signature across the contract and then grinned at him. "Promise you'll teach me how to do what you just did. It's like testosterone mojo, or something. Except I'll need the female version."
"It's not too late to call this off. Tear that thing up and we'll pretend this never happened."
"Wayland meeting in twenty," she said, happily.
He closed her laptop and leaned toward her, his gaze hardening with determination. "Then we better get down to business."
Her happiness evaporated with the saliva in her mouth. "Are you doing that tough boy thing, again?"
"You said Wayland Junior seemed interested. That makes this the perfect time for a test run. Hair first."
The last of her bravado disintegrated and CK self-consciously touched the tightly knotted bun at the back of her head. "What do you have in mind?"
"First step; loosen you up." He motioned for her to get to her feet.
Her pulse kicked up a notch and she told herself not to be a baby. A month wasn't much time and she had a lot to learn. No pain, no gain. Pushing away from her desk, she stood and pretended her knees weren't shaking.
"You can still change your mind," he said.
"I have to do this."
"Then take off your jacket. I need to see what I have to work with."
Her eyes widened and she took a step back. "You said we were going to take down my hair."
"No, we're going to loosen you up." His hot gaze swept over her body. "All over."
"The Waylands are used to seeing me like this."
He stepped around the desk. "Take off your jacket, CK."
"That's a really bad idea."
"Is it?"
"From a business perspective, right now isn't the time to make changes."
"You want men to notice you, then you have to give them something to notice."
Her neck prickled with alarm. "You look angry."
"You have no idea."
He prowled toward her and panic constricted her chest. Scrambling back, she darted for the door. Ryan sprang at her. Grabbing her arm, he spun her around and hauled her up against his chest.
His warmth spread instantly through her and the strange tension in her belly coiled tight, spiraling down in a way she didn't want to analyze.
His gaze darkened and he gave her a light shake. "I don't want you to change, damn it. You're the one determined to do this. Now, take down your hair, take off your
jacket and undo the top of your blouse or I will." He gave her another shake.
"Okay, okay. You're right," she gasped, her thoughts stumbling around in her head in flustered fragments.
Biting her lip, she reached behind her head and started pulling bobby pins out of her hair. She needed to calm down, she told herself sternly, but it was just that this was Ryan and suddenly...strange feelings were running around crazy inside her and she really didn't understand why.
Her eyes widened. "Are you doing that mojo thing on me, again?"
"The jacket too," he said, stepping away to watch her.
"If you are, stop it. You're making it hard for me to think." Tossing a handful of bobby pins onto her desk, she ran her fingers up into the cool softness of her hair and combed it around her shoulders.
His pupils dilated and the energy of the room shifted toward a daunting, earthy flavor that made her heart pound. He really was good at that, CK realized. Was he testing her? Trying to prove she wouldn't be able to resist dishonorable intentions?
Of course he was. Why hadn't she realized that before?
Well, if he was hoping she'd crash and burn, he was about to be vastly disappointed. She didn't do failure.
She pushed down the excitement tingling along her skin. "I'm keeping the jacket on," she stated, shaking out her hair. "Page two, paragraph—"
He reached out and with a few quick flicks of his fingers, unbuttoned her jacket.
She looked down in amazement, grateful when her hair fell forward to hide her expression.
"Off."
"I..."
"Now." His eyes blazed down at her and CK swallowed.
* * *
Her hair was soft and wavy with streaks of gold running through the rich auburn color, just like he remembered. His heart thumped heavily in his chest and Ryan couldn't take his eyes off of her. Just like he remembered.
Which was stupid.
He needed to focus on the job he had to do and not the aching tension tightening his groin. The quicker he panicked her into giving this up, the better for everyone.
"Now the coat," he said, firmly.
"The hair change will be shocking enough for the Waylands," she said, her voice sharp with defiance. "Conservative and businesslike started this merger and conservative and businesslike will finish it."
"Nice try. Are you going to take it off, or am I?"
Her grip tightened on the lapels and she pulled them closer to her throat.
"Have it your way." Swooping in, he grasped her hands and started prying her grip from the hip-length jacket. The back of his hands brushed across firm breasts and he paused, puzzled. He'd never thought she had much going on in that department; not that anyone could tell, at least.
Her knuckles turned white and she glared at him like she wanted to kill. Smiling, he slipped his hand under the lapel and grazed his fingers across decidedly feminine curves. Dismay skated across her face and her grip loosened. Ryan pulled the coat off one shoulder, and with a quick yank, peeled it off her back and down the other side.
Cheeks burning a bright pink, CK's gaze tracked the jacket as it landed on the chair behind him. Lifting her chin in challenge, she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Uhn, uh," he said, shaking his head. "I'm too intrigued to give up that easily." Wrapping his fingers around her wrists, he firmly tugged her arms away from her chest and held them out to her side.
Her blouse was nothing special. A plain, button-to-the-neck white number with no embellishments. She looked small to average, but he knew what he'd felt. Something else was going on.
"Undo a few of those buttons," he said.
Her blush deepened. "Out of the question."
Ryan peered thoughtfully at her breasts. She was breathing heavily and he could see the rise and fall of gentle mounds under the thick material of the blouse. "What are you hiding, CK?"
Her mouth pressed into a tight line and she pulled against his grip.
"What size are you?"
She froze and stared at him, her expression shocked. "I'm not telling you that!"
"I would have said a B at best, but now..."
"I don't have to answer you. And stop staring at me...there," she choked out.
"Attractive packaging carries a big marketing punch. What size are you?"
She lifted her chin. "I'm a B. Like you said."
"I don't think so. Unbutton."
"No."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you hiding?"
She caught her full bottom lip between even white teeth and looked away.
"I'm perfectly capable of taking your shirt off."
Her violet eyes flashed defiance at him and then her gaze skittered away, again."I'm...a bit bosomy, okay?"
Interest fired up low in his belly, but he pushed it away. "Nope. Not buying it."
Her brows drew down into a sudden slash of anger and she wrenched free of his grip. Planting her palms on his chest, she gave him a sharp push, sending him back a step.
"I wear a minimizer and stop staring at my chest."
"A what?"
"It makes you look smaller."
"Why the hell would you want to do that?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.
She made a low growl of frustration in the back of her throat.
Ryan absently rubbed the tingling spot where she'd touched him and studied her contours, trying to decipher the mystery. "What size are you really?"
She crossed her arms over her chest. "None of your business."
"You made it my business when you signed the contract."
She stared angrily at a point beyond his shoulder.
She wasn't a large woman, fairly average actually. Maybe a size ten? Hard to tell, the way she kept herself covered up. How much of a rack could she be keeping hidden?
"Spill, CK," he said.
"I'm a 32D," she spat out, nailing him with her angry gaze. "Happy now?"
Ryan's breath shuddered to a stop as his fertile imagination provided him with a sudden, lush image of magnificent breasts bobbing gently above a slim, flat stomach and softly flaring hips.
His mouth went stone dry and key places came instantly to attention, pushing insistently against the boundaries of his slacks.
"This is exactly why I've always down played my size. Get a hold of yourself, Anderson. You look like you're about to choke on your tongue."
He sucked in a tight breath and forced his gaze back up to her face. "I'm just surprised." He turned away and casually walked behind the chair where he'd tossed her jacket. "Normal reaction."
"Hair is down, jacket is off, meeting starts in ten. We're done, here."
She marched to her desk, snatched up the thick Wayland report and strode out of her office, her back rigid with indignation.
Without the jacket covering everything up, Ryan couldn't take his eyes off the round, firm, rhythm of her butt moving under her skirt. He'd had no idea she even had a figure. What other mysteries might CK be hiding?
He swallowed and adjusted himself, vainly attempting to ease his discomfort. Probably wouldn't be too smart of him to try and find out, he decided.
On the bright side, his current itch had bought him some valuable information. Information he could leverage.
Ryan picked up the jacket lying in a heap on the arm of the chair and checked at the label. Size eight. Huh. He'd always thought of her as more substantial. Maybe because she was taller than average. Or her feisty personality.
The erotic vision of CK spilled into his thoughts, again, this time with long, shapely legs and her head thrown back in wild ecstasy. His cooling libido flared to rip-snorting life, sending a brain-numbing shot of lust straight up his body.
Ryan crossed to the small refrigerator camouflaged in the paneling that covered the back wall of her office. Snagging several pieces of crushed ice, he pressed them to the back of his neck.
The cold bit into his skin and he sucked in a breath. Disgust over his reaction finished him off and after a
moment, he had himself under control.
It wasn't so much that he wanted CK, he reasoned as his mind cleared. It was more the impact of finding out she was, well, a girl. Not that he didn't know that, but, damn it, this was CK. CK with assets.
Ones he could use to accomplish his goal, he reminded himself. He needed to focus on how he could take advantage of her aversion to showing off what would clearly get her a lot of attention.
He threw the half-melted ice into the sink and grabbed one of the neatly folded hand towels from the basket next to it. He was CK's friend and it was his duty to stop her from making the worst mistake of her life. Random, lust-filled blackouts hadn't changed that.
Ryan fingered the jacket in his other hand. Although they did make him less willing to expose her to other guys swallowing their tongues.
If he could find a way to show her what dogs most men were without actually having her interact with them, that might be enough. All under the guise of feminine wiles 101, of course.
A smile tugged at his mouth and relief eased through him. He knew just the place to take her that night.
* * *
CK barreled out of her office, fury burning through her like a wildfire. Her hair bounced around her shoulders, reminding her with every step of the humiliation Ryan had put her through.
She felt naked without her jacket. Vulnerable. She didn't like it one little bit. And the way he'd stared at her! Playing around and testing her was one thing, but the look on his face? That had taken male mojo to a whole new frightening level.
His eyes had seemed to burn straight through her clothes like she wasn't even wearing any. She'd seen that expression on him plenty of times, but never directed at her. Always it was other women, girls he casually seduced and then ignored when he moved on to his next conquest.
She would not be another notch in his belt, despite the way her stomach had flipped over like a hot coal when he'd touched her breast. A quiver of excitement skated through her belly. She mentally slapped it away.
She was smarter than this. Smarter than all those other women who fell for his seduction and then had their hearts broken. She was the one still standing. She was the one he checked on when she was sick, and had dinner with on Sunday, and joked around with. A little spat of insanity was not going to ruin that for her.