by Rita Sawyer
She glanced at the clock and blew out a breath. He’d be coming soon, but lucky for her, she was not going to be there. She felt a twinge of shame at sneaking out after she told him they would talk this morning, but Tuesday mornings were set for her weekly meeting with Marcy and Julia. She gathered her notepad and purse and headed for the elevator. They usually went out for breakfast somewhere, leaving their bosses to fend for themselves, but with Kale being so dependent on Julia right now, they were going to use his conference room and keep their meeting brief.
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Lost in her own thoughts she stepped forward and into a hard body. She gasped and looked up into Dexter’s eyes as his arms wrapped around her pressing her firmly against his chest. The intense look in his eyes from yesterday morning was back. Most people’s eyes were expressive, but not Dexter’s. For the second time in two days she had absolutely no idea what he was thinking. She knew the smart thing to do was pull away, but for just a second she leaned into him and let herself enjoy his warmth.
“Where are you going?” She knew it was foolish, but oh, how she wished the roughness in his voice meant more than it did.
She eased out of his arms and they edged around each other. “Up to Kale’s office for the weekly review with Julia and Marcy.”
“I’ll be waiting.” He stepped into the hall and stood there staring at her until the doors slid closed.
Big surprise. The question was, should she take his comment as a reminder or a threat. As the doors slid open and Marcy stepped into the elevator, she decided it was what it was. He was going to be waiting to talk when she got back. At least today she was prepared. Dressed in her normal black slacks and a pastel blouse she felt confident, ready to handle anything, even Dexter Chapman.
“I have nothing new to report so this should be quick.” Marcy’s smile told Patsy she was starting to settle in.
“Me either,” she confessed. Of course, this close to their Christmas break she didn’t think any of them were going to have much to say.
They stepped off the elevator, surprised to find Julia rocking a sobbing baby. Kale crouched down on the floor, stacking coffee cups onto a tray. Marcy took the baby from Julia, who sighed with relief and moved to help Kale. Patsy assumed the large brown mark on the gray carpet was coffee, which would explain the shattered glass. She walked over to Julia’s desk and picked up the phone.
Patsy called the cleaning company they kept on retainer and scheduled someone to come in tonight to do the carpets. Then she set about getting as much of the liquid out as possible.
If she was going to keep the stain from setting, she needed a few things. “Kale, Julia, do you have any towels and club soda around here?”
Kale got to his feet and rushed into his office. In the short time he was gone Julia had explained Kale’s wife was out shopping with a friend and they stopped in to say hello. The friend had swung out her arm as Julia was walking by and sent the tray flying. Kale came back and Patsy used the small stack of towels to blot up as much of the coffee as she could.
“I’ll just take these and rinse them out,” Patsy said, leaving Kale and Julia to deal with the broken cups and the rest of the mess.
Keeping her hand under the towels to keep them from dripping on the floor she quickly dashed into the kitchen. It only took her a few minutes to rinse them all out. She left them in the sink for Julia to deal with later. As she turned off the water, she heard voices coming from the bathroom.
“Bella, trust me, it’ll be okay.” She recognized her boss’s sister’s voice, Callie, who also happened to be Kale’s wife.
“I think we should reschedule. I really don’t want to meet your brother smelling of some nasty coffee blend.” The snotty tone of Bella’s voice could only mean she was one of Callie’s high society friends.
Patsy groaned, knowing the last thing Dexter needed was some rich broad trying to wrap him around her finger. “My brother won’t mind. Actually it’s probably a good thing that we don’t make this look like a setup. Remember, this is just supposed to be a casual meeting.”
“I know, but I was hoping with a little encouragement a random meeting would lead to much more.” A tinkling laughter followed Bella’s words.
“I can tell you exactly where it would have gone. Nowhere. I’m not sure why, but forward women completely turn Dexter off. In fact, at the last firm he worked for he went through six secretaries in one year. The slightest bit of flirting on their part, and he switched to another associate.” Patsy smiled. This was it, the missing piece to her plan.
Nothing else worked so far. What was a little more embarrassment if it helped her to achieve her goal? How would he react if his sister and her friend happened to show up while his assistant was coming on to him? She grabbed a paper towel and dried her hands on her way out the door.
~* * *~
Dexter put the three shiny boxes under the tree in his office. He was going to give Patsy all of them, but the order was going to depend on how she reacted to his confession. Last night he’d had a long drawn out talk with Evan, who surprisingly had a lot to say on the subject. After a few beers, Dexter had too. Evan had given him an ultimatum he couldn’t ignore. Either he told Patsy how he felt or Evan was going to consider her fair game. The son of a bitch had given him two weeks, but after he left, Dexter had come up with a plan of his own. Everything was in place. Now all he needed was Patsy to see how things played out.
He heard her come into the outer office and moved to his doorway. His first thought was ‘wow that was quick.’ He hadn’t been watching the clock, but he was sure she hadn’t been gone more than twenty minutes. She dropped her purse and notepad onto her desk and as if sensed him watching her she turned and look right at him. Their eyes locked and from the way his chest tightened, he thought his heart actually stuttered at the smile she bestowed upon him. As he noticed during their brief encounter in the elevator, she was once again wearing her normal work attire. Was it too much to hope things were back to normal? Not that it would last once he told her what had been running through his head lately. And truthfully, he didn’t want it to.
He was wondering how long they were going to stand there staring at each other. The reasons for his apprehension were clear, to him at least, he just wished he had a clue to hers. Dexter could hazard a guess they had something to do with all the stupid things he’d said recently. Unable to take them back, he’d just have to hope she’d forgive him. He watched in awe as she squared her shoulders and walked towards him. Her hips swayed gently with every step and his body grew harder in appreciation. There was no way to hide his reaction. Not that he would, even if he could. The time had come for her to see what she did to him and deal with it.
With her eyes locked on his, she didn't seem to take notice. Though she looked calm, he could tell by the quick rise and fall of her breasts she wasn't. She ran the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip, and he sucked in a breath. Did she know how those little innocent moves burned him to the quick? All she had to do was say the words and he'd give her anything and everything she wanted. Starting with the three gifts he'd already stuck under the tree. He'd like to see her under that tree, wearing only some strategically placed garland.
She stopped with less than an inch between them, closer than she'd ever been before. Unable to stop himself, he inhaled deeply letting her scent swamp him. He couldn't help noticing her shirt was unbuttoned enough to give him a teasing glimpse of her breasts. However miniscule the view, it was tantalizing. Dexter opened and closed his hands, wanting so badly to touch her. He wasn't making a move until she gave him a solid opening.
“Dexter.” God, every time she said his name, which was way too damn few in his opinion, his cock lurched in response.
“What happened to Mr. Chapman?”
She dropped her gaze to the floor and he instantly regretted asking.
Her lashes fluttered and she let out a little sigh. He prayed to God she wasn't going to cry. Was he ever go
ing to say the right thing when it came to her? Probably not, but he'd find a way to make it up to her. Starting right now.
He reached out and used his knuckle to gently tip her chin up. “I'm sorry. Everything I say to you lately comes out wrong.”
She leaned towards him giving him a small smile. “I guess I haven't been all that receptive lately either.”
“We make quite a pair.” He was totally serious and he hoped she saw it too. “Are you ready to tell me what's been bothering you?”
She shook her head and his hand slid along her jaw coming to rest with his palm on her throat.
“Do you want me to tell you why I've been at a loss on how to deal with you?”
Again she gave her head a small shake from side to side. At that moment, he had no idea what to say or do. He could feel her pulse hammering under his thumb. Afraid of losing this tentative connection, he curled his fingers a little tighter around the back of her neck. The urge to pull her close and cover her mouth with his was raging inside him, but he fought it back.
“Can you tell me what you want right now?” He wanted, needed to know, even though there was a good chance she was going to tell him she wanted to leave and never see him again.
~* * *~
All the bravado Patsy worked up on her way down crumbled into a hazy dust that filled her mind the second she laid eyes on him. Still, she wasn’t sure how she managed to make her way over to him. Once he started talking, she froze up, not knowing what to do next. She looked away hoping it would give her a second to get it together. Patsy should have known he wasn’t going to let her get away with it. His touch, which was so innocent as he turned her face back to his, sent her blood racing. It was the soft rumble of his voice that had her looking up into his brown eyes. She was swamped by what she thought she saw there. His jaw was clenched tight, but his eyes looked almost sad.
He was patiently waiting for her to say something. Knowing there was nothing left to say, this was a time for action, she took a deep breath and slid her hands onto his hips. Her thoughts were as wild as the lust she was trying to hold back. Don’t show it hurts when he pulls away. Please don’t let him end this before it gets started. You fool, he’s supposed to fire you, not ravage you. Would it be so bad to have him just once before I leave forever? Once will never satisfy me.
His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open a little bit. Whatever sadness she thought she’d seen had been clearly replaced by shock. She waited a moment or two, but when he didn’t pull away she slowly slipped her hands around to his stomach. He was hard and firm under her fingers, but she could feel the subtle give of his muscles. She knew her hands were probably shaking against him. Of course, she had touched him before, but unlike those times, this was different. Intentional, and way more intimate. It wasn’t a handshake, or their fingers brushing when she handed him something, or even her arm pressing against his on the rare occasions when she would lean over his desk to point something out.
He sucked in a loud deep breath as she inched her hands up to his chest. The hand on her neck tightened and pulled her closer. Neither of them spoke as he lowered his head to hers. Their lips met, and she took the initiative to bring their hips into direct contact. He pulled back. His lips hovered over hers as he let out a noise. She figured it was probably as close to a gasp as a guy made.
She smiled and his brown eyes got darker. His momentary shock wore off. He lowered his head again and this time when their lips met, he slid his tongue past hers, invading her with a ferocity she met eagerly. His free hand latched onto her hip, and he held her against him.
Suddenly, as if it finally occurred to him what they were doing, he grasped her shoulders and held her still as he took a huge step away. He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. This is it, she thought, trying to catch her breath and slow her rapidly beating heart. At least he’s been nice enough to give me a tasty memory to remember my last day here.
Maybe she should just make this easy on him and get it over with. “Dexter…”
“Wait.” He opened his eyes and held up his hand, she stopped talking and let him lead her over to the Christmas tree. “Before this goes any further I have to say something. Sit down, please.”
Patsy looked down, surprised to see two of the pillows from the couch in the waiting area on the floor. The thought that she may have been interrupting his plans had her hesitating for a few seconds, but she pushed it out of her mind. She lowered herself to the floor and waited. Dexter paced back and forth a bit, blew out a breath, and ran his hand through his hair. He looked a little pale, which made her even more nervous.
“Dexter, you don’t have to say anything. I understand.” He stopped walking and stared down at her.
“Really, then at least one of us does.” Before she could even make a move to get up and leave he held up his hand and said, “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It’s just I hadn’t planned on…I didn’t mean to, well, you know.”
She knew what would be coming next and didn’t want to draw it out any longer than she had to. “I know and I understand.”
“Good.” He lowered himself down to the cushion across from her. “As long as we’re on the same page.”
“We are,” she assured him, knowing she’d feel so much better once this whole mess was over.
The smile he gave her had her stomach doing some major flips. “I’m glad. I hate playing games.”
“Me too.” She wanted to tell him how horrid this last week had been, but she was smart enough to wait until he actually fired her before admitting it.
His eyes locked on hers and she found herself unable to look away. “You know that since we’ve crossed this line there’s no going back. The thing is, I can really say I don’t want to.”
Why couldn’t he just say it had been a purely physical reaction and let himself off the hook? “I agree, but trying to work together while pretending it didn’t happen wouldn’t be a possibility either.”
He started laughing and she must have been looking at him like he lost his mind, which was totally possible from his behavior, because he said, “Sorry, not the time for that, but really, it’s better than the alternative.”
She didn’t want to know what that was, so she just nodded. She watched him reach under the tree and pick up three boxes. Her hands started shaking so she tucked them under her thighs. She started thinking maybe they weren’t on the same page after all. He laid the boxes out in front of her. The two small ones were almost the same size. The other one was bigger, but not by much. The bright paper reflected the twinkling lights from the tree. Some sappy Christmas carol drifted in from the outer office. She looked up from the boxes to his smiling face. What the hell is he trying to do now?
“I think this will go much smoother if we’re completely honest about our expectations. Since you and I agree there is no going back, all we can do is go forward. I’m hoping these will help us to do that.” He tapped one of the boxes, drawing her attention back to them.
“I don’t get it,” she confessed, hoping he’d explain where he was going with this.
He chuckled again and this time she was tempted to kick him. “I know. See, you and I work so well together, you know we basically read each other’s thoughts. But obviously the personal side of things is going to need some work.”
Personal. Did that mean he thought they had a personal relationship, or that he wanted to? She had to have heard him wrong. There was supposed to have been a don’t, didn’t, or something along those lines mixed in there. Dexter had to have lost his mind, or maybe she had been missing something else all along. Shit, maybe he just caught on to her feelings and was playing with her.
“Personal side?” she managed to say after taking a few breaths.
“I wasn’t sure how you’d react to me telling you I wanted to move things in that direction, but after that display earlier I think we’ll fumble along alright enough.” He picked up one of the small boxes and held it out to her. “Before we ta
lk anymore about that, I want you to open this.”
She took the box and unable to resist gave it a shake. “I think I’d like to talk first.”
“Patsy, talking isn’t real high on my list of priorities right now. Open the box.” Somewhere she found the nerve to work up a smile as she tore the paper off.
She lifted the cover and seeing the gold tissue paper let the cover fall to the floor. All the trepidation she’d been feeling disappeared as she flipped back the shiny paper. Lying beneath it was a copy of her contract. She pulled the papers out and held them up. Patsy didn’t need to look at Dexter to know he was staring at her. She quickly flipped through the three pages and stopped where his bold signature was written next to the box checked off — release her out of the contract. Patsy tried to wrap her mind around everything. All she got was the start of a headache. Before she could ask him anything, he picked up another box.
He held it out to her and she tried to take it, but he didn’t let go right away. “I decided to let you go, if it was really what you wanted. Before you give me an answer, I’d like you to open this.”
“Why?” He let go of the box and she ran her finger over the fancy little embossed trees while she waited for his answer.
“I want to see your face.” His voice was softer than she ever heard it, and way more dangerous.
Her body throbbed with excitement. Well, parts of it did, while in others it was more of a nervousness that had her strung tight. Thinking back to the bulge she’d felt when she pressed her hips to his she began to wonder if his reaction was more than just physical. She glanced over at him and squirmed under his intense scrutiny.