by J. Sterling
I walked calmly toward them even though my insides urged me to sprint there. Leaning down to inhale the fragrance, I touched the petals of the white rose, admiring it the most.
Reaching for the tiny envelope, I opened it and pulled out the card.
In a roomful of roses,
you’re the only one i see.
Please let me see you again.
—Daniel
“You’re in trouble now,” Barbara’s voice warned, pulling me out of my rose-filled trance.
I glanced up at her, knowing full well how right she was but refusing to admit it.
12.
DANIEL
Between calls and meetings, I stared at my computer for most of the day, waiting for Elizabeth’s name to show up in my inbox or on my telephone caller ID. But that never happened. Every hour that had passed with no response from her drove me more and more crazy. I was used to being in control, but she made me feel helpless.
I fought off the urge to text her, knowing that she’d most likely ignore that as well, and I couldn’t handle any more rejection from her today. She’d also wonder how I’d gotten her number, and I refused to rat out her assistant, who was quickly becoming my biggest ally.
Checking the tracking number one last time, I knew the roses had been received at 3:17 p.m., and someone in the main security office had signed for them. Maybe Elizabeth hadn’t seen them yet? I was half-tempted to call Barbara to check, but I stopped myself from wanting to know the truth. What would it mean if she’d seen them but not reached out to me?
Did I remember to sign my name?
Maybe the card got lost?
Maybe I sound like an insecure loser.
Elizabeth had all the goddamn control in this situation, and she knew it. I fucking hated it.
Sitting in my office that was bigger than my first apartment, I stared at the city, silently hating the fact that she wasn’t in it. She was hundreds of miles away from me at the moment, and that fact had done nothing to quench my thirst for her. It only made my desire to see her that much stronger.
A man always wants what he can’t have, I reminded myself.
But I knew deep down that it was more than that. Elizabeth wasn’t some conquest I wanted to win. Yes, she challenged me with her sassy mouth and snarky responses, but that only made me want her more.
Plus, I’d meant it when I told her I wanted to kiss her again. I couldn’t get her fucking lips or the taste of her tongue out of my head. Even my dick would wake up the second she popped into my mind. We were both clearly big fans of Elizabeth Lyons.
Could a man be blamed for wanting to get to know a woman better, for recognizing when someone special had entered his life? That was what I wanted, and so that was what I would get. I refused to take no for an answer from her. I’d warned her last night and again today in one of my emails.
Elizabeth sure as hell wasn’t someone I was ready to let go of. I would have to take matters into my own hands. I’d make her see that I wanted more than just one night with her, and I’d convince her that she wanted the same thing.
13.
ELIZABETH
When I walked into my office the next morning, the fragrance of roses overwhelmed my senses, forcing me to remember that I hadn’t emailed Daniel to thank him. My day had been filled with back-to-back meetings, and I’d kept putting thanking him off until I finally just forgot before I left for home. As much as I wanted to ignore his gesture and whatever it meant, I couldn’t be that rude.
I quickly turned on my computer screen and pulled up a blank email while wondering what exactly I should say to him.
To: Alexander, Daniel
From: Lyons, Elizabeth
Subject: Thank you
I got some amazing flowers yesterday. Any idea who they might be from?
:)
It was simple and friendly but not overdone. When it came to Daniel, I wasn’t sure at all how to handle him. I felt so out of practice.
****
By mid-afternoon, I’d already tackled five international conference calls, four in-person meetings, and one presentation for my bosses. I was beat. Stepping out of the elevator, I walked toward my office, but then I stopped dead in my tracks.
What the hell is he doing here?
Leaning over Barbara’s desk, smiling and pointing at something in her hair, was fucking Daniel Alexander, all six feet three inches of him. Barbara glanced at her computer screen and said something to Daniel before glancing over her shoulder, her eyes meeting mine.
I gave her a look that warned her I’d be killing her later, and I started walking again.
“See, Daniel? Here she is. Right on time, like I told you.”
Daniel stood there, staring at me, his face pleasant and his eyes filled with lust. Even though I’d banned men, I still recognized want filled eyes when I saw them.
“What are you doing here?” I tried to act angry, but inside, I was secretly thrilled. I never thought I’d see him again so soon.
“Nice to see you, too.” He winked and gave me a smile.
“I’m sure it is. How did you get through security?”
We had a two-pronged security system on the lot. You had to pass through the initial gates just to park on the property, and then my actual building had its own security as well. Everyone had to be on a list, show ID, check in, wait to be called up, and then be escorted inside to the proper floor and office.
I glared at Barbara. “You let him in, didn’t you?”
Traitor. I should fire her.
Her eyes widened. “He was already on the lot. I only let him upstairs.”
“So, you were the worst offender then,” I huffed. I turned my back to both of them before walking into my office and shutting the door, leaving Daniel standing outside of it.
If I were at my house, I would have slammed the door so hard that the whole wall would shake. But I couldn’t behave like a fifteen-year-old girl in the office, so I’d settled for closing it—hard.
Stalking over to my desk, I plopped down, clearly frazzled by Daniel’s arrival. My door opened, and Daniel’s body appeared, my insides heating at the sight of it. He was something to look at all right, and boy, did I enjoy looking. I silently willed myself to stay strong.
“I see you got my flowers.”
“I sent you an email, thanking you, this morning.”
“I got it when I landed.”
“Seriously, Daniel, what do you want? Why aren’t you in your sucky part of the state right now?” I fired off anything my mind could think up that didn’t involve kissing or naked body parts.
“My sucky part? My part of the state is way better than yours,” he shot back.
“Then, you should go back there. I’m sure it misses you.”
“You ignored my emails and voice mails. As of last night, you didn’t say shit about the flowers. I told you I wanted to see you.” He stalked over to my desk and pulled out a guest chair before unbuttoning his jacket. As he sat, it fell open, revealing a well-fit button shirt underneath.
“You didn’t come down here because I’d ignored you. Be serious.” I stole a glance at the roses sitting close by.
“I came here because I scheduled a meeting in Santa Monica tonight, but I came down early because you ignored me.”
“You can’t just show up here and expect my attention. Unlike you, apparently, I have actual work to do.” I waved my hand toward a giant stack of unread scripts.
“No, you don’t,” he countered.
I bristled, my joy at seeing him quickly turning into something else. “Excuse me?”
“I checked your schedule with Barbara. You just have one meeting left, and then you’re clear for the rest of the day.”
I growled. I would be having a talk with Barbara about the information she chose to share with people who did not deserve to have such information. “I’m going to kill her or fire her. Which would be worse?” I cocked my head to the side.
“Firing would make h
er suffer more—unless you’re really cruel in the murder, but you don’t seem like the type.” Daniel pushed out of the chair and stood, his large frame towering in front of me. “Come here,” he demanded.
“No,” I shot back.
“Elizabeth,” he said my name with so much want that it lit a fire inside me. “Please get up and come here.”
“What for?” I sounded like an ungrateful child.
“Because I flew out here to kiss you. I told you in my email that I needed to do it again. I meant it. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Try.” I attempted to maintain control of my senses, but they were flying out the window with each word spilling off his tongue.
“I don’t want to. Now, get up before I come over there and make you get up.”
My jaw clenched as my mind debated which option would give me the most control. I didn’t like being bossed around, but having it done by Daniel Alexander was sort of a turn-on. Pushing against the desk, I rolled away from the security of it and rose to my feet, waving my arm in his direction. “I’m up.”
In the two seconds it took for me to say those words, he was in front of me, his body hulking. “I like kissing you,” he said as one hand slipped under my skirt and grabbed my bare ass.
I gasped from the surprise movement, but I didn’t pull away. The feel of his hand clutching and kneading my ass riled me up as heat spread between my thighs. I actually thought my body might melt into a puddle on the floor. His lips found mine, and my mouth instinctively opened to his, allowing his tongue to enter once again. Our lips opened and closed as my breathing grew heavier. His free hand gripped the back of my neck, holding me in place, as he panted against me, his mouth unable to get enough of mine.
He removed his grasp from my neck and reached for my free hand, leading it on top of the hard bulge in his pants. “Do you feel what you do to me?” he asked against my lips.
I stopped kissing him and pulled my hand away, feeling like an idiot, as my senses crashed down around me. The turn-on button suddenly switched off.
Am I supposed to be impressed with a hard-on? I mean, don’t get me wrong, it felt impressive, but that’s not what I meant.
“I make your dick hard? I’m sorry, but you guys get hard-ons if the wind blows across your pants the right way. That’s not really a compliment.”
“My dick doesn’t behave like that.”
“Excuse me?” I wiped my bottom lip and took a step away from him, wondering how seriously I should take him.
“It doesn’t get hard on a whim. It’s fickle. It sure as shit doesn’t listen to me. But it likes you—a lot.”
He glanced down at his pants, and my eyes followed.
“Do girls really buy your line of crap?” I tried to stay tough, but the size of his bulge made me want to drop to my knees and welcome it to my place of employment.
“They do. But I’m not lying to you, Elizabeth. My dick has a mind of its own. Right now, you’re the only one it thinks about.”
“You’re an idiot.” I started laughing and couldn’t stop.
Who talks about his dick that way? Only a superficial, self-assured asshole would walk around, spouting crap about his dick having a mind of its own. But if I hated it so much, why the hell am I so damn tempted to test his theory?
Daniel walked toward me again, and I stood firm. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him, my body pressing into his. As his muscles tightened, I lost myself in his touch. It was too easy to lose all focus in his presence.
I glanced up at his unshaven chiseled jaw, and I didn’t know what came over me, but I kissed it. The rough stubble scraped against my lips like sandpaper, a feeling I’d never realized I enjoyed until this moment.
I licked at his chin before working my way down his neck and back up to his ear. “I think you should go,” I whispered.
He laughed and gave me a full smile. “Not on your life.”
His hand slipped up my skirt again, but this time, his fingers headed straight toward my most private area, and I jerked away, swatting at him.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, completely unfazed.
I sucked in a breath and shook my head. “You can’t just come here and manhandle me like you own me.”
“I want you, Elizabeth.”
“You just think you want me.”
He stepped toward me, and I moved back, keeping my distance from his godlike features.
“No, I know I do. You want me, too. Don’t deny it.”
Oh, I’ll try all right.
“I felt the heat coming off you.” He smirked.
That was it.
Scowling, I practically came unglued. “You felt the heat coming off me? Are you serious with this? Who talks like that? This isn’t some movie where you can waltz into my office, boss me around, and have your way with me.”
Never mind that I’d allowed him to do exactly that. Now wasn’t the time for logic.
He turned away before looking at me again, the expression on his face resembling embarrassment. “I’m not trying to be a dick, I swear,” he half-apologized.
I almost believed him.
“Don’t be mad at me.” His head dipped as his eyes lowered to the floor.
“I’m not. I’m mad at me.” I sucked in a breath before pointing at him and adding, “And you.” I moved to sit back down behind my desk. “Who talks to women they just met like that? I barely know you, so you can’t just say those things to me.”
Truth be told, I was a little uncomfortable. It had been far too long since I had sex, much less been intimately touched by a man. I wasn’t prepared for someone like Daniel.
“Most women like dirty talk.” He moved to lean against the wall in my office, and he buttoned up his suit jacket.
“Well, I’m not most women.”
“You can say that again.” His eyes bored into mine as he licked his bottom lip.
Curse my fucking life if it didn’t make me all hot and bothered again. I did not want to be turned on by him, but my brain was not factoring into this equation. Daniel forced everything inside me into sexual overdrive, and it pissed me off.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” I asked.
He smiled and nodded. “Okay, Elizabeth. I’ll leave you alone—for now.”
“There is a God.” I pretended not to care about anything he was doing or saying as I stood up from my desk and walked over to my office door. I opened it and watched him walk out at a snail’s pace.
“This isn’t over,” he whispered against my ear before planting a soft kiss on my cheek.
Barbara surveyed our every move with watchful eyes.
“You keep saying that.” I shut my door, so I wouldn’t have to see him leave.
“I’ll walk you down.” Barbara’s voice filtered through my closed door before doing what I assumed was, escort him off the premises.
Plopping down on my two-person couch, I closed my eyes and wondered what the hell I was going to do about this guy.
14.
DANIEL
I left Elizabeth’s office with my virtual tail tucked between my legs. Her assistant, Barbara, was required to lead me off the property and to my car, so I intended on taking full advantage of the few minutes I had with her.
“So, Barbara…” I eyed her and watched as her cheeks turned rosy.
“Yes, Daniel?” she responded before punching the elevator down button.
“Do you think I scared her off?”
Her hip jutted to one side as she contemplated my question. “Honestly? I don’t. You just need to be gentle with her. Elizabeth’s had a rough time when it comes to relationships.”
I found myself nodding along with her words. “I figured as much.”
The elevator doors opened, and we stepped inside.
“This isn’t a game for you, right? She isn’t just some piece of ass you’re trying to bang?”
Barbara’s forwardness surprised me but only for a second. “No,”
I said, laughing at her choice of language.
“So, you don’t want to have sex with her?”
I squinted my eyes, unsure of how to respond, when she spoke up again, “I’m just kidding, Daniel. But, really, don’t hurt her. If this doesn’t mean anything to you, then you need to walk away from her right now. She’ll be fine, I promise, but not if you don’t stop.”
“I can’t walk away anymore. Hell, I’m not sure I ever could.” I thought back to waiting outside the bathroom for her. I’d tried to convince myself to walk away, knowing damn well that I couldn’t.
The doors opened, and sunlight filled the space. I lowered my shades over my eyes and allowed Barbara to exit first before I pointed in the direction of my car.
“Why do you care so much?” she asked.
For the first time, I admitted, “’Cause I see something in her that I rarely see in women. No offense, Barbara.” I clicked the unlock button on the key remote for my Jaguar rental.
She laughed. “None taken. What is it you think you see?”
“She’s the total package, you know? Beauty and brains—not to mention, that fucking smart little mouth of hers.” I practically drooled from just thinking about it.
“She is definitely all those things.” Barbara’s face lit up.
“Then, you understand why I can’t let her get away from me, not without seeing.”
“Seeing what?”
“Seeing if this could work. I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t try.”
“Did you even know she existed before the other night?”
I smiled. “I had no idea what I was missing before the other night.”
“Oh God, Daniel. Don’t mess this up.”
“I don’t plan on it, but I might need your help.”
I reached out to shake her hand, and she pulled me in for a quick hug.
“You got it.”
15.
ELIZABETH
Soft knocking interrupted my thoughts as the door creaked open. Barbara’s long dark hair spilled across the doorframe as her face peeked inside.