by Aimee Duffy
Georgia strove for an innocent expression. ‘No idea what you’re talking about.
‘Yeah, right, that smirk you’re sporting means trouble, if I know you.’
She laughed, feeling lighter than she had all morning. Janice was half right. She would probably end up in trouble. But it was Max’s turn to sweat for a while. Payback for the morning from hell.
They made it to the glass entrance of Briggs when one of the security staff stepped in their way. Georgia frowned at him, but she had a sinking feeling she knew what this was about. He couldn’t stop her from leaving – it was her lunch hour, for cripes sakes.
‘Miss Lewis, Mr. Briggs wants you in his office immediately.’
Ignoring the wide-eyed look Janice aimed at her, Georgia fought to control the anger bubbling below the surface. Did Max want all his staff to find out what they were doing? He couldn’t make it more obvious than if he’d put a message out over the store speakers asking for her to go spread her legs wide on his desk.
Though she wanted to tell the man he could let Mr. Briggs know not to hold his breath, she could sense the stares of the gossip girls boring into her. They didn’t need a reaction from her to blow the stories out of proportion.
Georgia turned to Janice with what she hoped was an easy smile. ‘I’m sorry. Will you bring me back a bagel?’
Janice twisted her lips, like she did when she was trying to work something out. But one good thing about her mentor was that she knew when to keep her thoughts to herself.
‘Sure, Georgia. I’ll see you after lunch.’ Janice skirted around the security guy.
‘I’ll go right up,’ she said with the sweetest tone she could muster.
All the way she seethed, cussing Max out over and over again. The lobby to his office was empty, so Lucy must be on lunch. Well, if he thought he was getting any after this he had another thing coming.
Georgia opened his door without knocking, organizing all the insults running through her mind to find the perfect one to use first.
The words died on her tongue. There were no lights anywhere except for the glow of a small lamp and dozens of candles. His desk was clear and the small conference table he used for meetings was covered with several dishes from the sandwich place across the street.
Max was in his chair wearing a scowl. Pity he’d gone and done all this, because there was no way she could call him out now. She wasn’t an ungrateful bitch.
‘Close the door,’ he instructed, his voice giving nothing away.
Her heart raced as she did what he asked. She leaned against the oak, wondering what the hell she should do. There was no way she was going to let him seduce her, not now all the staff knew where she was spending her lunch hour. And yeah, they might assume she was in trouble for something, but that would change if she didn’t get her ass back to her desk pronto.
‘I’d no idea you’d planned all this.’ She swept her hand around the room to indicate the candles. ‘After not hearing from you for most of the day I thought you’d changed your mind.’
‘Who’s your date with?’ he demanded.
She gritted her teeth. He was making it hard for her to keep her cool with his how-dare-you tone. ‘Janice. What made you think getting security to stop me from leaving on my lunch hour was a good idea? Are you insane? Now everyone will be gossiping about us.’
He smiled then, the tension gone. ‘Relax, honey. It doesn’t matter what they say. You and I know what’s happening here and that’s all that matters.’
There it was again, the endearment. Georgia wondered if he called all his lovers by that name and it didn’t help much with her pissed levels. ‘So you’re quite happy for everyone to know you’re fucking one of the accounts women?’
He rose, then rounded the desk. She grabbed the door handle, getting ready to bolt. The steel in his blue eyes was loud and clear, even in the dim light. She was thrown back to the week before when she’d been in this very office calling him out while fantasizing about hot, angry sex on his desk.
The lick of arousal in her stomach froze her to the spot. If she gave in now, what would be left of her pride? She had so little since he read the email… No, she had to get out of here, regroup and figure out what to do about Max. Doing anything in the office was a headliner of a bad idea.
Georgia pulled the door open a crack but he was fast. He pushed above the knob and it slammed shut.
She opened her mouth to give him hell but he clapped his hand over her lips.
‘No, I don’t want the staff to think we’re fucking. If anything, I’d prefer they assumed we were in a relationship.’
Her heard swelled with hope, but it was short-lived. She slapped his hand away. ‘We’re not though. It’s some sick, twisted game to get Clarissa back, isn’t it?’
If Georgia thought he’d been mad last week, he was absolutely furious now. How could blue eyes look that hard? How could a beautiful face like his twist into something so ferocious? She swallowed and the blood drained from her face, leaving her skin cool and clammy.
That had been the wrong thing to say. It was times like this when she wished she’d been born without a voice box, or maybe some control over what came out of her mouth.
‘If you think I’d use you to get back with a woman who publicly humiliated me, you might as well walk out that door right now.’ His voice was controlled despite the chill, and it didn’t help her anxiety levels.
She was tempted to leave, but then he’d think that’s what she really thought. It wasn’t, not anymore. She’d had her suspicions about why he needed her by his side. If nothing else, Friday night proved he could handle being in Clarissa’s company without Georgia on his arm – or anyone else.
‘Then I don’t get why we’re pretending to be something we’re not.’
Max spun her until her body was wedged between him and the door. His erection was thick and hard against her stomach and she couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped her lips. The heat that flared between her thighs.
Hell, who was she kidding? She wanted him bad. And she didn’t want it all one-sided either. She wanted to make him feel like he’d made her feel on Friday night. She wanted to taste his come, feel all that hard flesh in her palms and mouth. Him surrendering to her this time.
‘There’s nothing pretend about this,’ he said, then his lips caught hers.
Georgia tried to stay unaffected, keep a shred of control so she could do what she wanted. The second his fingers tangled in her hair and he tilted her head to get a better angle, her lust levels went off the charts. Struggling to breathe through her nose, she could only take what he gave her. His tongue was thick and full in her mouth, stroking and demanding.
The kiss was too much, though she could sense it was one-sided. She’d pissed him off and the thought he was doing this to get her where he wanted her stung. To keep her sweet so she’d keep up the charade. It was about gratitude to him, not about give and take. Pain wasn’t something she could handle and was grateful when the emotion morphed into something hotter, something that pissed her off.
She pushed at his shoulders hard, until he staggered back a step. Taking a firm hold of his tie she used it to pull him around until their positions switched. Though his eyes widened he didn’t fight her.
She unzipped his fly, determined to show him they were equals. Make him admit that whatever was between them wasn’t just about him giving her pleasure. Her mind fogged with lust as she dropped to her knees on the lush carpet and freed him from his boxers.
There wasn’t time to undo the belt or buttons. She wanted to prove to him she wasn’t his to do with as he pleased, that she could give right back and he could trust her to. This was her chance to get in the driver’s seat and call the shots.
As suspected, his cock was stiff and heavy in her hand, though she didn’t spend time admiring the view. She sucked him all the way into her throat, just past comfortable, and groaned. Max’s fingers wove into her hair again and she didn’t know if it was the head of his length
pushing at her gag reflex or the way he tugged her hair that made her eyes water.
Swallowing, she heard him hiss but refused to meet his eyes. She was on a mission to bring him to his knees – like he’d done to her in the alley. Sucking as hard as she could, Georgia used her tongue, lips and throat to work him hard and fast.
‘Georgia, stop!’ His voice was strained, but she heard the undertone of demand.
She was too into this to stop. He needed to know that he was her boss at work, but her life was lived the way she wanted to. As she milked a delicious shot of bittersweet pre-come from him, she also needed this for herself. She wanted to give him this.
Max’s hands cupped her head, then gently pushed her back an inch. She fought against him but he was too strong. His dick slipped from her mouth with a wet popping sound. He was breathing hard as he stared down at her with confused lust.
‘What…the…hell?’ he asked.
‘I want to do this. Now.’
Before she could wrap her lips around him again, he hauled her up to her feet. Struggling, she tried to take hold of him in her hand but it was pointless. It wasn’t pain that made her blood run cold and diverted her gaze to the floor. Rejection washed through her, wiping away the last of the heat. It couldn’t be clearer that they’d never be equals than if he’d spelled it out to her.
Max’s heart was beating every ounce of blood he had into his cock, but her now-vulnerable state hurt more than the blow job he hadn’t let her finish. He must be losing his goddamn mind, because that was the best he’d ever had – she’d even told him she wanted to do it – and he’d stopped her.
Tilting her face up, he studied her flushed cheeks and wide, embarrassed eyes. He was glad he put an end to it. If she was feeling half of what he was, her emotions were all over the place. So much for some time off putting distance between them. Instead, it seemed to make them both so frustrated they had an out-of-control sparring match that ended rough and a bit wild.
‘Didn’t you enjoy it?’
Max tucked himself back into the prison of his slacks. ‘Georgia, you have no idea how much I did.’
She stepped away from him, which felt like a blow to his chest. The only saving grace was the fire in her eyes. She wasn’t vulnerable anymore. Thank God.
‘Then why stop me?’ she asked.
‘I didn’t want this to be about me. I promised you’d get more from us and I’m keeping my word. Five more seconds and you’d have sucked my brains out.’
Her lips twitched up at the corners and she took a step closer. ‘That’s what I want. I want to give you what you gave me on Friday.’
Max took both her hands in his and used them to pull her flush against him. Looking down to see those puckered lips had a fresh flow of blood pounding south. He shook his head to clear the haze. ‘It didn’t feel right having you on your knees, especially after our conversation on Friday.’
Her lips parted, but he quickly pinched them together.
‘And you’re right. I shouldn’t have asked you up here to mess around. I never thought about the gossip and I don’t want those women to make you feel uncomfortable. If you like, we can pick up where we left off tonight?’
He released his hold on her mouth, but for once Georgia didn’t speak straight away. A little frown appeared above her eyebrows and he longed to smooth it away. But he didn’t touch her.
She crossed the room to the table, running her finger along the wood. It was like she’d pulled away from him, more than just physically, and everything in him was pushing him to get her back, and he took a step closer. Holy shit, when had a woman had this much of an effect on him?
‘Why did you do all this, Max? There’s no one here but the two of us. We could have screwed and still had time after to get lunch. Separately.’
Raking a hand through his hair, he blew out a breath. Saying anything now would be too telling. It would lead her on, give her hope they could blossom to more. He was done tearing himself wide open to get left over and over again.
She turned to him, leaned back against the table and folded her arms across her chest – making her breasts press higher. A stronger, more carnal, arousal ripped through him and it took every ounce of willpower he had to take a casual step back to lean against the door. The picture of ease on the outside, even though he was almost vibrating with need for her.
‘How about I tell you what I think?’ Georgia said with bravado, but her eyes were shadowed with doubt. ‘You want me, but you want to compartmentalize everything you’re feeling into a certain category – that would be lust, by the way. All this, it’s because you wanted to spend time with me. Time not spent fucking.’
He gritted his teeth but didn’t say a word. What the hell was there to say that wouldn’t make this worse?
After a few seconds the air was so thick with tension he thought he might choke. The serious expression she wore became edged with doubt.
Georgia shook her head. ‘You’re not going to admit it, are you?’
Max wanted to reach for her then, but that would give her false hope. He doubted he would break her when they ended – she’d been through so much and was stronger than anyone he knew. Still, no way would he take that risk. Not with her.
She studied him for what felt like forever. Finally she crossed his office, stopping a foot away from him. He could reach out, touch her. If her eyes hadn’t hardened, he might have.
‘I think it’s best if we quit whatever this is while we’re ahead, don’t you?’
The question was most likely rhetorical, but he wanted to scream no.
‘I’m leaving now.’
She didn’t meet his eyes as he stepped out of the way to let her past. He had to fist his hands against the urge to grab her and never let go. Fear froze his chest until breathing became impossible, but he didn’t know if it was her walking away from him or the way she choked him up with so much want and need.
He didn’t have time to process. The ringtone he dreaded hearing and could never ignore made the blood drain from his face.
Chapter 6
Holy shit.
She was crying, actually crying. Drops of moisture trailed down both of her cheeks as she crossed the room to the corridor. Pausing, Georgia swiped a finger under each eye and stared up, trying to stop the insanity.
Yeah, she was hurting. Hurting over a guy who didn’t want more from her than some strings-free fun. Oh and someone to stand by his side at functions so he could save face in front of his ex. She’d thought – hoped – the effort he’d made for their meeting meant something to him. Had even put her pride on the line, she’d been that sure. Or that hopeful.
For the first time ever, she had no idea what to do. Going back to work and pretending the conversation with Max didn’t just happen was a given, but after? Had she just ended things between them before they’d even started? Hell, did she want anything to get started?
Pushing away from the wall, she took a step down the corridor. The sound of his door opening made her turn. Max’s face was pale and he was holding the door frame with shaking hands.
A glimmer of hope that this was all for her dispelled the burn in her eyes and made her heart flutter, until she gave herself a mental slap.
If he looked this upset, the man who could hide behind a mask of emotionless composure … ‘Has something happened to your father?’
Max swallowed, then ran a shaking hand through his hair. ‘He’s…’
Oh God, no.
‘At the hospital. They think he’s had a heart attack.’ The strain in his voice was evident and his wild eyes made her heart throb.
‘You’re going to see him?’ she asked, knowing it was a stupid question.
Max staggered forward a step. He nodded, pulled his keys out of his pants pocket, but they dropped to the floor. Shit, he couldn’t get behind the wheel like this. He’d wind up in the ER right next to his father.
Georgia crossed the space between them and swiped his keys from the floor. �
�I’m calling a cab. You can’t drive.’
He shook his head and waves of hair fell across his forehead. She wanted to push it back, to touch, to comfort. ‘Max, don’t be an idiot.’
‘There isn’t time,’ he said. ‘Do you have a license?’
She did, but she hadn’t been behind the wheel since she’d moved to New York – never mind behind the wheel of a sports car. There were a million other reasons why nodding her head, letting him lead her through the store while she almost jogged to keep up with his long strides, then sliding into the driver’s seat was a bad idea.
But it was Max’s father, maybe his last chance to see him, and hers. How could she refuse to help?
Max didn’t say a word, even when she stalled the huge machine at the first set of lights they came to. Glancing at him, she could see a frown marring his brow and his hands were fists against his thighs. In that second she knew she was right, he was angry at his father. But why?
That question plagued her all the way to the hospital. Not that she had any business worrying about Max’s relationship with his father. He’d made it pretty clear he didn’t want to talk about it on Friday. Now any hopes of what they could have had been crushed, but she shouldn’t be thinking about that now. She pulled up at the entrance.
‘I can park up then get a cab back to work,’ Georgia offered, but had no idea if he heard her.
His gaze remained fixed on the front of the building, the expressionless mask he wore back in place. She wished she could see his eyes to get an idea of what he was feeling.
‘Max?’
Blowing out a breath, he turned to her and her heart sank. Pain and fear were so clear in his eyes that she mindlessly reached out. Cupping his smooth jaw with her hands, she stared at him with all the sympathy and support she wanted to offer.
‘Come with me,’ he said, covering her hands with his and holding them to his face. He closed his eyes.
Georgia’s heart swelled and throbbed. She wanted to, she really couldn’t say no, but this time she wasn’t in danger of sleeping with him, it was losing her heart to him that scared her. He’d told her he didn’t want more, told her exactly what he could offer her and nothing else.