Torrid Love - Caught!

by Lorie O'Clare

  CAUGHT!

  An Ellora’s Cave Publication, March 2005

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

  1337 Commerce Drive, #13

  Stow, OH 44224

  ISBN MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-4199-0168-0

  Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned):

  Adobe (PDF), Rocketbook (RB), Mobipocket (PRC) & HTML

  CAUGHT! Copyright © 2005 LORIE O’CLARE

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. They are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Edited by Sue-Ellen Gower.

  Cover art by Syneca.

  Warning:

  The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. Caught! has been rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).

  S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

  E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature.

  X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

  Caught!

  Lorie O’Clare

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Porsche: Dr. Ing. H. C. F. Porsche K. G

  Styrofoam: Dow Chemical Company

  Probe: Ford Motor Company

  Rolls Royce: Rolls-Royce plc

  Nissan: Nissan Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha TA Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

  Chapter One

  Roxanne Isley lifted the stack of files from the floor, and grunted. This had better be all her boss needed, because she would not haul one more load up those stairs. Her lower back ached, and her fingertips felt numb after flipping through the packed cabinets to find the ones he needed.

  “Roxanne.” Her boss’s voice boomed off the stairwell.

  She jumped from the unexpected sound, and adjusted the stack in her arms so they wouldn’t scatter across the basement floor. The dark and musty space around her housed files from their accounts, which were over a year old. Leaving the small room, she managed to lock the door and work her way down the hallway, past other small rooms where other offices in the building kept their archives. The stairway ahead of her cast light down the stairs, flooding a small amount of space in front of her.

  She didn’t have to look to the top of the stairs to see Jordan Hall standing there. His aura made his presence known without the man needing to say a word. Over the two years she had worked for him, Roxanne had accepted the fact that all Jordan Hall had to do was enter the room, and the pressure would build between her legs.

  She’d kept him out of her thoughts while she dated Jeffrey Mills. But now that he was gone and she was free, Jordan had become a presence hard to ignore.

  As he stood at the top of the stairs, Roxanne felt the swelling grow and the ache begin, that she could only blame on the amount of time that had passed since her last sexual encounter. Ever since parting with Jeffrey when he’d accepted the job in Italy, she hadn’t had time to do much dating. Her boss seemed to keep her too busy to even think about going out after work.

  Besides, she told herself, Jordan Hall was so damned hot he could probably make a virgin swoon. Well, Roxanne was no virgin, but the man definitely could be a distraction. Of course, she had grown accustomed to how Jordan made her body react with his mere presence. She worked for him though, and a professional business relationship was all that would ever be between the two of them.

  Those thoughts had been easy enough to abide by when Jeffrey had been in her life. She’d been so happy with him. But his career was his life. When Jeffrey had told her of the position in Italy, all she could do was encourage him. And it had been tempting to suggest she go with him. But there was nothing for her there, and being completely dependent on a man, no matter how secure he was, had never appealed to her.

  Roxanne’s sandals tapped across the basement floor. She nudged the service elevator button with her elbow and then rode silently to the next floor where her boss waited for her. She passed him without a word, but her nerve endings came to life when she walked within inches of him, heat crawling through her. Her nipples hardened while an ache carved through her with a dagger’s strength, piercing the swelling that throbbed in her cunt. It was all she could do not to alter her course by inches so their bodies would touch.

  “There you are. I’ve been waiting those files.” Jordan took the stack from her and led the way to the elevator that would take them to their offices on the seventh floor.

  Of course you have, she felt like saying. That’s why I’m hauling them up these blasted stairs.

  But Roxanne knew better than to get smart with her boss. Even if Jordan Hall wasn’t the owner of Hall Enterprises, the most successful investment firm in town, and even if he didn’t sign her paycheck every two weeks, something about the way he carried himself made a person want to stand at attention in his presence. That fact alone encouraged something inside Roxanne to do just the opposite. She didn’t deny that looking at him made her ache to have him pounding deep within her, but that wasn’t something he needed to know.

  “I pulled every one you asked to see,” she said, with the pleasant tone she’d mastered since working with Jordan. “I also grabbed the older files on a few of them. It might make preparing the summary easier to do, and more thorough.”

  Those midnight-colored eyes of his took their time strolling over her, and her body tingled from his gaze.

  “Telling me how to do my job now, are you?” Jordan followed her into the elevator, taking his time to admire her backside.

  Roxanne was more than a spitfire. His assistant had intelligence too, a mix in a woman that was hard to find. And word around the office was that she was now available. He doubted seriously that she would stay that way long. Roxanne would be one hell of a catch for any man.

  The doors dinged open onto the quiet floor of Hall Enterprises, a company he’d built up from scratch and was damned proud of. Roxanne opened the glass doors leading into the secretarial pool, and stood to the side so that he could enter. She looked up at him with dark brown eyes. Her lashes fluttered over them, giving him a look he hoped was flirtatious.

  “Call for you on line one, Mr. Hall,” Dorothy said as they entered.

  “I’ll take those.” Roxanne reached for the files in his hands.

  Jordan didn’t mean to touch her when they exchanged files, but his fingertips brushed against her arms. Memories of school, and getting a hard-on when a pretty girl walked by, or gave him a knowing look, rushed through him. Roxanne had managed that and all he’d done was brush his fingertips against her skin.

  He cleared his throat, adjusting his tie that suddenly felt too tight, and ordered his cock to sleep. There was work to do, and now wasn’t the time or the place for such thoughts.

  Ta
king the call in the outer lobby, he watched Roxanne walk down the hallway to his office.

  “I hope you’re ready to work late again,” he told her, entering his office.

  He was unable to keep his gaze from her perfectly rounded ass when she bent over her desk.

  “Why should tonight be any different?” she countered, not looking at him, which was a damn good thing since he was afraid she would have caught him drooling.

  He moved to the other side of his desk and put several pieces of paper from different stacks into one pile. He organized what he would need for their work that afternoon. Roxanne kept him on his toes, and he didn’t want to appear inefficient in her presence.

  She had set the files on the long mahogany table, and then opened the cabinet in the wall where he kept coffee, as well as a small stash of office supplies. She grabbed the can of regular coffee—no decaf for this man—and a fresh legal pad, then turned to face Jordan.

  “We’ll start with the newer accounts, and work our way back,” he decided out loud, finding it hard not to notice the round curve of her rear end as she moved around her desk.

  Bringing her into his own office had been purely selfish. But she did such damn good work, and knew as much about his business as he did. He’d never thought working as a team was his forte. Working alone had made him successful. Opening Hall Enterprises and hiring other accountants allowed him to grow, but when it came to seeking out new business, he was a one-man team. It was damn nice having her so close to him though.

  “However you want to do it,” she mumbled, sitting down at her desk.

  Roxanne had grown accustomed to his meticulous nature—everything about the man was perfect. She knew her opinion of him didn’t stem from a crush, or infatuation. Her heart didn’t have the ability to create such longings. Roxanne knew her body needed sex, and had been deprived for too long. Jeffrey had been gone for almost six months now. Her reaction to Jordan blossomed from need, and she could control that.

  After Jeffrey, any man who had entered her life was just that—a man. Roxanne couldn’t risk any more pain right now. So acknowledging Jordan’s qualities only meant she understood the type of employee her boss expected her to be. Jordan Hall wasn’t an easy man to work for—the high turnover of office clerks proved that point. Roxanne saw in Jordan what others failed to see however. He couldn’t help his appearance—how incredibly sexy he was. Roxanne did as he instructed, but she never cowered, she didn’t waver under his commands, and she never hesitated in telling him her opinion. As a result, the two of them worked well together.

  “I brought up the extra files because I’m sick of running up and down those stairs,” she said, and then dropped the writing pad on her desk. She turned to dump coffee into the filter, and then poured water from the small sink next to the cabinet into the glass coffeepot. “Everything should be here that you need. And you’re going to need them.”

  Roxanne couldn’t tell if Jordan laughed or grunted at her assumption, but she didn’t care. She left the coffeepot as the black drips began to bubble, its sound comforting somehow, and then sat at the smaller desk, which was opposite her boss’ desk and over to the side of the room.

  There had been talk on the floor when Jordan moved her into his office less than a year ago, putting her desk in the same room as his.

  Although she still had a cubicle in the junior accountant’s area where her filing cabinet and shelves filled with reference books and computer discs remained, she spent most of her days in Jordan’s office. She knew more than half the women and some of the men thought the two of them were having some kind of affair on the side, but Roxanne never stooped to office gossip, and so ignored their inquiring looks and suggestive whispers when she supposedly was out of earshot.

  Any woman who spent time with this man would be target for gossip. Jordan Hall had a reputation as a man who took what he wanted. Hair the color of a raven’s, and eyes that were almost black added mystery to his height and muscular physique. In another time he would have been a perfect knight, or rogue tearing across the countryside, a ruler controlling all around him. There was something carnal, yet alluring about him. The entire package made him appear intimidating, seductive, a man on a mission.

  But fantasizing about him like that didn’t necessarily mean he would be like that in real life. She’d imagined an aggressive side with Jeffrey, but that hadn’t been his nature. And she was so strong-willed that her fantasy wouldn’t be right if she asked the man to control her. Her imagination conjured up someone who was stronger than she was, would take charge without being told to, would see what she wanted and give it to her before she could ask. Thoughts of being controlled, yet cherished as an equal were pure fantasy. No man existed who could fill the image she’d created.

  “Ready when you are, boss,” she said, and looked down when he raised an eyebrow at her informal way of addressing him.

  “Let’s start with Uphouse.” He moved the file in front of him, glancing up while Roxanne focused on her computer screen. “He’ll be coming to town tomorrow and we need to make sure we have a good portfolio lined up for him as well.”

  Once Jordan focused on work, it wasn’t hard for Roxanne to do the same. She pulled data, balanced accounts, and prepared summaries. Her legal pad had scribbled notes covering several pages when she moved to the printer to pull the account she had just printed.

  Hours passed before she realized it. She loved working with numbers, watching how they were able to make people’s money work for them. And the way Jordan got into what he did best, watching him as he discussed his clients’ accounts, made suggestions that would be presented to the individual, made him even more impressive.

  “Just leave the report on your desk.” Jordan cupped his hands behind his head and stretched. “You can type it in the morning.”

  “A few of these older files have some discrepancies in them,” Roxanne added, trying not to stare at him while he stretched. “I’ll go over those tomorrow, too.”

  Steady raindrops tapped the windows behind him, and Roxanne focused on the darkness streaked by the drops of water on the panes for a moment, before nodding. They had worked late every night that week, and exhaustion slowly consumed her. A hot bath and her fluffy slippers sounded in order. Now all she had to do was make it across town before she fell asleep.

  Roxanne stood, grabbing her purse from the floor underneath her desk. “I’ll have the report on your desk by the time you’re here in the morning.”

  They walked across the tiled lobby floor in an easy silence. Rain pelted the double glass doors in front of them and beyond that, darkness spread, interrupted by wavering floodlights from the parking area.

  “Give me your keys.” Jordan held his hand, palm up, in front of her, and offered no further explanation when Roxanne looked at him in surprise.

  The last thing she wanted was to wade across the many puddles in her heeled sandals to her car parked on the opposite side of the parking lot. Maybe Jordan guessed her thoughts. She fumbled through her purse and produced her key ring.

  “Wait here,” he instructed, and then disappeared into the rainy darkness outside.

  Jordan took long strides through the parking lot as rain pelted his suit. The downfall remained steady, but lack of wind kept the temperature tolerable. His mind wasn’t on the weather, though. The company’s largest client would be in town the next day.

  Over the next several days, Jordan needed to show the man that his money created more profit with Hall Enterprises than any other company the man worked with.

  And thanks to Roxanne, Jordan knew his company was one of several his client did business with. Without her he wouldn’t be as organized, on top of things. Clients loved to feel they were the sole focus of your attention. With Roxanne by his side, he always had his client’s information up to date, and at his fingertips.

  If Jordan had his way, by the end of the week his client would put all of his business with their company.

  But the
re were the discrepancies, and he kicked himself for not noticing them sooner. Again, he had Roxanne to thank for her thorough perusal of the files.

  Only one discrepancy existed on the client’s file. He knew he didn’t have to tell Roxanne that finding a way to fix that slight error in the books would be imperative if tomorrow’s meeting was to be a success.

  Many companies had gone under due to faulty bookkeeping, and Jordan wasn’t about to let that happen to Hall Enterprises. He’d worked too hard, burned too much midnight oil, and given up too much of his life to let the inadequacy of some office help take him down.

  Jordan pushed the button on his key chain and the car beeped in the damp blackness of the night. His thoughts remained on work as he started the engine and turned on headlights. He stared for a moment through the rain-soaked windshield before starting the wipers. In less than a few months he would be forty. Very few men experienced the success he’d obtained by his age. And he knew hard work and attention to every detail were the keys to his success. Jordan never missed an opportunity when he saw one, and many envied him his accomplishments. The discrepancies bothered him, though. Roxanne would handle it, he told himself, and slipped the car into gear. She was a gem to have by his side.

  Jordan praised his keen sense of observation that he’d had the insight to hire the young woman who had been fresh out of college with no real experience. Roxanne had more drive in her than many seasoned businessmen. But she had more than that. Roxanne not only possessed the intelligence and keen attentiveness to run his office, but the woman was sexy as hell. Almost an impossible combination to find in a lady as far as Jordan was concerned.

  The one thing the woman lacked was knowledge of how incredibly perfect she was. That quality appealed to Jordan the most, and over the past two years he had taken her and molded her into being his perfect assistant.