Torrid Love - Caught!

by Lorie O'Clare

Jordan snapped his cell phone shut and slid it into his shirt pocket, then glanced around the still crowded banquet hall. Luncheons like this always bored him, too many arrogant assholes eager to give speeches on how successful they were. Jordan had no need for any of them. But since he was the most successful broker in the tristate area, he had to make an appearance, and let all the suck-ups kiss his ass. He scowled at the still mingling group.

  Jordan had considered bringing Roxanne to the affair, but he’d known it would be a bore. Besides, the gossips in the crowd would go nuts over the most eligible bachelor in the business world showing up with his personal assistant as a date, although she was so much more than a personal secretary.

  Roxanne wasn’t ready for that yet. He needed more time with her alone first. The phone call he’d had with her just now confirmed that—she didn’t trust him. He began moving for the elevator as he mulled over the conversation he’d just had with her. She’d sounded reluctant to tell him where she was, and what she was doing. But it was more than that, something in her tone made him think she’d just been doing, or saying something that she didn’t want him to know about.

  Obviously she was content to live her life without him. That bugged him. No. It did more than bug him. He wanted her to think about him, wonder what he was doing, be happy to hear his voice on the other end of the phone.

  She’d been on his mind for a while now, but fucking her had been like releasing a gate that had held back all of his feelings for her. Sure he’d thought about her over the months, watched her, craved her, but now… Now he needed her…and he would do what it took for her to need him too.

  The woman would not lie to him, he’d see to that. But she had definitely been up to something that she hesitated in telling him about. Secrets would not be accepted either. Jordan felt an incredible urge to get the hell out of there and to Roxanne’s immediately. If she was with another man…

  “Oh, there you are.” The female voice behind him made him cringe. “Jordan dear, I thought you might have slipped out on us.”

  Jordan masked his feelings and turned around to face Mrs. Elaine Rothchild as she approached with her oversized, artificial-looking breasts that didn’t bounce, in spite of the strut she put in her walk.

  “Matthew and I were just talking about you.” Elaine slithered up to Jordan, drowning him in her too sweet perfume.

  He managed a gallant smile, although he wanted to curl his lip at her and run.

  “You aren’t leaving, are you?” she purred.

  “Unfortunately, my dear, I have another pressing engagement that I need to attend.” His smile came easier at her crushed expression. “I do believe my secretary keeps my schedule booked to keep me out of trouble.”

  Elaine giggled, and ran sculptured pink fingernails through her blonde curls. He noticed the pink polish matched her lipstick, which he felt had been applied a bit too thickly.

  Jordan had almost made it to the hallway where the elevators were, when Elaine slipped her arm through his and began walking with him. He allowed her to escort him down the hallway, noticing the perfect line of gray hair when he looked down at her that had grown from her scalp before the blonde hair took over.

  As soon as they were away from the banquet crowd, Elaine turned to face him and ran one of her long nails up his shirt. “You know Matthew and I have a very open marriage. Did you know that, Jordan?”

  “No.” Jordan realized a tall fern plant standing next to the elevator doors blocked their view from the banquet door. At least no one could see Miss Fake Boobs coming on to him. He managed a crooked smile that he hoped appeared amused. “I guess I didn’t know that about you two.”

  “Well, it’s true. And I know my husband would do anything to secure a position with your company.” Elaine ran her fingernail back down his chest and hooked it in the waistband of his slacks. “I would do anything, too.”

  “Oh?” Jordan could feel Elaine’s hard tit press against his chest when she reached to tap the down arrow button next to the elevator. Roxanne’s full, soft tits came to mind, and he felt his body respond at the thought. Elaine must have felt his dick move too, because when the elevator door slid silently open, she looked up at him with a mischievous grin and almost tugged him into the elevator.

  “Oh yes, Jordan. Anything you want.” She leaned against the back wall of the elevator, grinning while she watched him push the button for the lobby.

  Jordan knew Matthew Rothchild had just undergone a scandal with the company he was with. More than likely, the man had nothing to do with the scandal, but exposure like that could tarnish a good broker’s reputation. Jordan wouldn’t risk adding a man like that to his staff. Mathew was shit out of luck, and there was nothing Jordan would do to help him out of his bind. Jordan had his own company’s solid reputation to keep in mind.

  The elevator doors slid closed, and Elaine pushed herself away from the wall. She pressed into Jordan, mashing her implants against his chest, and cupped his dick with her bony hands. He knew that even soft, he could impress a woman with his size, and Elaine was no exception. She smiled hungrily at him. “Matthew told me I could take you up to our room if I wanted,” she whispered.

  Jordan wondered how many men Matthew tried to pawn his wife onto, and decided he couldn’t blame the man for trying to be rid of her for at least an hour or so.

  “That’s not likely to happen.” Jordan politely put Elaine at arm’s distance.

  The elevator doors opened and he walked into the lobby, leaving the woman pouting in the elevator.

  Fresh air helped clear his nostrils of the sweet perfume he had endured the last couple of minutes, and he waited patiently for his car to be brought around. Glancing at his watch, he realized the allotted thirty minutes that Roxanne had told him it would take to get to her house had now passed.

  The valet stopped Jordan’s Porsche in the circular drive, and after Jordan handed the kid a five, he slid in behind the wheel just as his car phone rang. Jordan picked up the business line.

  “Jordan here,” he said, as he shifted into first gear.

  “Ralph here, boss.” Ralph Layette had a scratchy, deep sound to his voice, making him sound, in Jordan’s mind, just as he appeared—like a bulldog who smoked cigars. The man was a good old boy, and a damn good accountant. Jordan had put Layette on his staff shortly after he opened Hall Enterprises, and he trusted the man with his life. “You got a minute?” Ralph asked.

  “Yup. What’s up?” Jordan turned onto the street, and switched the phone to speaker.

  “We’ve got a discrepancy on some of the accounts, all overseas. I’ve been tracking it for a while, and thought it was time to bring it to your attention.” Layette’s rough voice filled the small car through the speaker. Jordan knew about the discrepancies already, thanks to his “on-top-of-it” assistant, but he thought Roxanne had resolved the problem since she hadn’t mentioned anything to him since the night she went into the office to help Tipley. “Our three largest accounts—Uphouse, which you handle, and Rantom and Curry, which Boswell handles—all seem to have errors in their files. I’ve done a little poking around.”

  Jordan knew Layette often took the liberty of going over the accounts that the younger brokers supervised. Jordan had never assigned the job to Layette, but the man kept an eye on things and that was just fine with Jordan. Of course, it would get the dander up of any of the young brokers if they thought they had a babysitter. But Layette liked to feel he had a hand in everything. The man didn’t make a show of going over all the accounts, often staying late or going in early to make sure all was in order. The way Jordan saw it, there was never any harm in double-checking everyone’s work.

  “What did you find, old man?” Jordan accelerated as he hit the on-ramp for the freeway, and glanced at the digital clock on his dash. Roxanne should be at her house right now, waiting on him.

  “I checked the codes to see who last had activity with each account. Oddly enough, your personal assistant has recently been acc
essing files with all three of these accounts. Do you have her assigned to overlook overseas files now?” There was a touch of disapproval that Jordan didn’t miss in Layette’s tone. And Jordan knew the man had strong convictions about women in the work force.

  “Tipley contacted Roxanne about a problem with one of his accounts, and I know she is looking into it,” Jordan said.

  Layette grunted into the phone, and Jordan thought he heard papers rustle. “Speak your mind, old man.” Jordan didn’t hide his smile.

  “How well do you trust Miss Isley?” Ralph Layette asked, then immediately cleared his throat.

  “I trust Roxanne.” Jordan didn’t hesitate. He knew how much the woman cared about Hall Enterprises, he could see it in her enthusiasm for her work. “Why do you ask?”

  “I ran into Uphouse last night at one of the downtown bars,” Layette began. “He told me he had spent time with Roxanne.”

  “I took her with me when we met Uphouse for a business luncheon.” Jordan frowned. “Is that what he meant?”

  “Well, boss, he didn’t mention you being there.” Layette chuckled.

  The wrinkles in between Jordan’s eyebrows increased. “What did he mention?”

  “Just that he had her up to his room for a private luncheon yesterday.”

  Jordan slammed his steering wheel with his fist. He had specifically told her not to see that man. Jordan straightened in his seat as his entire body tightened with controlled irritation. He accelerated and whipped the Porsche into the left lane so that he could pass the car in front of him, then whipped the car back to the right lane, glancing at the large green sign that passed over him telling him he had three and a half miles before his exit. Well, Layette didn’t know Roxanne had defied orders, so that wasn’t the man’s reason for telling him about Roxanne’s personal life.

  “And?” Jordan couldn’t hide the irritation in his tone, and sucked in a breath to remain calm. “What else did Uphouse say?”

  “Not a lot. Got the impression he liked her. But then I guess what man wouldn’t.” Layette snorted, as if no more needed be said on that subject.

  And the man was right, Jordan thought. What man wouldn’t be attracted to Roxanne?

  Layette continued without prompting. “But I’m thinking that Uphouse is our largest account, and also one of the accounts with discrepancies. Your little assistant has access to all of our accounts, and has recently gone through every account with problems. Now someone is doing something to screw up things. And personally, I don’t think it’s happening by accident. There are a handful of accounts with balances that don’t match up. Someone is making withdrawals, and not documenting them in the files.”

  “Roxanne is not doing anything to jeopardize Hall Enterprises,” Jordan barked, not liking where Layette headed with his line of thinking. “Someone may be jacking with accounts, but it sure as hell isn’t her.”

  “Okay, boss,” Layette said quietly, backing down. “I’ll keep checking.”

  “You do that.” Jordan hit the button on his dash, and turned off the speakerphone, which also terminated the call.

  His day had gone from bad to worse. Jordan agreed with Layette, someone was fucking with his clients’ accounts. And Jordan would make sure whoever it was never worked in the industry again, that was for damn sure. But Layette had Roxanne figured wrong. The only thing that woman was guilty of was defying his orders.

  Jordan reached the exit that took him to Roxanne’s house, and decelerated when he hit the off-ramp. He merged into local traffic, and cruised the few blocks to her street. Pushing the button on his door, which opened his window a few inches, he let the air run through his hair. Best to cool down a little bit, and not storm into her house on a rampage. Roxanne had some news to share with him, but the best thing to do would be to see if she would offer the information voluntarily. He hadn’t spoken to her in a couple of days, and so would give her the benefit of the doubt that she hadn’t had opportunity to explain to him why she had gone against his wishes and seen Uphouse anyway.

  There was also the issue of her sounding a bit evasive when he had asked what she had been doing when he called her earlier. Granted at the moment that seemed a bit trivial, but Roxanne needed to come to the decision on her own that she would do best if she answered to him, and him only.

  Jordan pondered over his decision to have Roxanne. There had been women before, but bachelorhood suited him, and he had made it clear in all previous relationships that there would be no plans to walk down the aisle.

  One or two women in his past had inspired him to seek out their complete loyalty. The women hadn’t had what it took, though. Jordan tried to pin down what exactly he saw in Roxanne that made him feel she was different, and why it had become imperative that he have her loyalty. The answer came to him like a brick upside the head, jarring his senses with its painful reality.

  Dear God, he couldn’t be falling in love with her, could he?

  “No fucking way,” he muttered, denying the reason that came to him too easily.

  Jordan knew he had never experienced love. Not as an adult. Not for a woman. There had been some hard-core, serious cases of lust, but not love.

  Roxanne might be the sexiest woman he had ever laid eyes on, and she definitely had a keen eye in the business world, not to mention a way about her that made people feel at ease. But all that meant was that he had made a damn good choice in hiring an accountant and making her his personal assistant.

  He thought about how she could fuck, how erotic her reactions were to his demands on her, and surmised he had fallen into another case of serious lust. And this case simply demanded that he have her complete loyalty. Jordan blew out a relieved breath of air, convinced that lust was the core of his need to possess Roxanne.

  He managed to relax his body as he pulled his Porsche behind Roxanne’s Probe in her narrow driveway. He stopped the engine and got out of the car then approached her house, noticing the front door stood open. He couldn’t see into the house through the glare of the screen door, but took the open door to mean she expected him and so left it open. He felt calm, and began organizing his thoughts as he pulled open the glass door and stepped into her living room.

  Roxanne glanced at her wall clock hanging across the room on her dining room wall, and realized it was almost four in the afternoon. The day had disappeared without her realizing it. She had left to visit Joanie after breakfast, and the two of them had lost hours discussing Joanie and David’s upcoming wedding. If only the conversation had stayed on that and not swayed over to her confused love life. Love? What was she thinking? She wasn’t in love with Jordan Hall. For crying out loud, he was her boss! Not to mention he was pushy and demanding—definitely not the man for her.

  If she could only convince her body of that. Just thinking about him raised her body temperature, created a yearning that started deep in her gut and surged through her like a fever.

  She picked up her phone to call her voice mail, and plopped down at one of the chairs at her dining room table. She felt the moisture between her legs as she sat, and slid a finger up her shorts so she could dip it in the cum lodged between her pussy lips. With one hand, she punched in her code to retrieve her messages, while she sucked the cum off her finger on her other hand. Glancing up, Roxanne’s heart felt as if it had just exploded when she realized Jordan stood just inside her front doorway.

  Roxanne pulled her finger from her mouth. “How come I never hear you enter my house?”

  “Taste good?” Jordan walked across her living room, forcing her to lean her head back as he approached so that she could see him.

  Even dressed casually she was an incredible sight. Her flushed cheeks, and her eyes sparkling with sensuality. Her lips had puckered into a delightful circle as she looked up at him.

  Jordan took her wrist then lifted her hand to his mouth and sucked on the same finger. He pulled her from her chair in order to get her hand to his mouth, and she tossed her phone onto the table next to
her. Her free hand pressed against his chest, the warmth of her touch scalding his senses.

  Jordan unnerved her, and she knew he would be able to sense that if she didn’t control her feelings. He read people well, and she wouldn’t have him always taking the upper hand with her. Roxanne got her footing, and pulled her hand free from his grasp.

  “Do you like how it tastes?” She turned from him, needing space.

  “You know I do.” Jordan wrapped an arm around her, and pinned her against his chest. His free hand slid down her shorts and he slipped a finger easily into her pussy. “You are soaked, my dear. Did the thought of meeting me here get you that excited?”

  Roxanne knew if she told him that it did, they would be naked and entangled within minutes. That didn’t sound like such a bad idea, but she had a feeling he wished to meet her here for other reasons, and she wanted to know what they were.

  “I guessed you wished to talk to me about something that happened at the banquet you attended today,” she said, and squirmed with no success to be free from imprisonment next to this virile man.

  “The banquet was boring as hell,” Jordan grunted. “Why are you so wet?”

  “I’m horny.” Roxanne saw no reason to lie about the obvious, and again she struggled to free her back from being pinned to his chest.

  This time Jordan let her go. Roxanne took several steps away from him, moving to the other side of the table, before turning to face him.

  “So why do you pull away from me?” Jordan watched her, his displeasure obvious when she put distance between them.

  Suddenly she was on the defensive, trying to justify her actions and how she felt. Roxanne couldn’t allow him to put her in such a position every time they were alone together. Just standing near him made it difficult for her to think. She had to move just to stay focused.

  “So that we could talk.” Roxanne waved at the air between them, as if implying this mutual space made conversation easier. “You wanted to meet me here, so tell me why.”

  Jordan didn’t speak. Roxanne felt that mutual space grow heavy in the lingering silence until she glanced up toward Jordan’s face. His dark eyes appeared to glare down at her, and she crossed her arms, shifting from one foot to the other, until she could take it no more. She met his dark gaze head on.