Blurring the Lines (Men of the Zodiac)

by Marisa Cleveland

  She re-crossed her legs, drawing his attention to her smooth, bare skin. “It would be more fun if you guessed.”

  He shook his head. No way would he dig himself into that hole. “Guessing has never worked in my favor.”

  She pouted. He waited. She caved. “Fine. Twenty-five.”

  “I would’ve guessed younger,” he admitted.

  Her nose wrinkled. “My early twenties weren’t good years for me.”

  Interesting. “Why not?”

  She held up her empty glass. “No goals. A spontaneous and very bad haircut.” She smirked. “I was going through a…transition.”

  His gaze landed on her hair, and for the briefest moment he had the wild instinct to tuck a piece behind her ear, to use that action to cup the back of her neck and feel if the dark strands were as soft as they were shiny. “And now you’re not?”

  The vigilant bartender took her empty and handed her a full one. She said thanks and looked at Blake over the rim as she took her first sip. “Oh, I’m still transitioning, but at least I have a job, a goal, and my hair is longer.”

  Her hair, loose and flowing, tempted him as much as her bare legs. He could play this a dozen different ways. They both needed to relax. She’d banked almost as many hours as him since she started, and not once had she protested. They worked so well together. In fact, he couldn’t recall ever having such a compatible secretary. But rather than risk saying what he really wanted to say, he said, “You do have a job. And long hair.”

  Her grimace betrayed her confusion. “Was that almost a compliment?”

  “I—” He paused. She looked so young and fresh and eager. It was too easy to forget that he never dated employees. “Do you like working at Whitman-Madison?”

  She cocked her head to the side and as if reading his imaginings from moments before, tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’m adjusting to office life. How’s Brutus?”

  “I returned him to the vet. They found his owner.”

  She leaned forward and placed her hand on his forearm. With a smile that drew his attention to her mouth and all the ways he’d like to taste her, she said, “I’m so glad he’s going home.”

  Home. He wondered what her place looked like. He shouldn’t care, but he was curious.

  Tish and Keith returned, and Blake tossed back the rest of his drink and settled both their tabs.

  “Thanks for the drink.”

  “Anytime.”

  Tish interjected, “Really? Anytime for a drink? Because we might take you up on that.”

  Drinks again with Kira? Bad idea. If he needed further proof just how terrible an idea it was, he got it when she slid off the stool, landing so close to him he could feel her heat.

  She gripped his bicep. “Don’t worry. We won’t hold you to that. Unless you want us to.”

  Hell yeah, how he did. He wanted her to hold him to all sorts of things.

  Kira gripped Tish’s hand and dragged her out the back door of the restaurant. “No. No, no, no. This is so wrong. I can’t have a crush on my boss. I can’t.”

  Her roommate collapsed in the car. “You want my advice?”

  Kira started the engine and backed out of the lot. “Only if you’re going to talk me off the ledge.”

  “Nope. I’m going to tell you to jump.”

  Every fiber in her body wanted to run back inside and drag Blake home with her. He’d helped her reach so many goals, and not just because of the money. Unlike when she’d been working for her dad, working with Blake allowed her to continue fostering. She didn’t even mind the long hours, because now she had more funds to contribute toward the community. Maybe parts of the job weren’t exciting, but she’d enjoyed going over the contracts and offering teasing hints that there was more to her than she’d admitted. She’d have to pick up a few more packages of pink sticky notes… But that was exactly why she didn’t want to ruin things. She needed to remember who she was and why she was working for him in the first place.

  “Ever since I met you, you’ve been focused on finding out what direction to take your career, and now that you have a chance to just have fun and enjoy a great guy, you’re hesitating. Get him out of your system.”

  It wasn’t that easy; it wasn’t like she could just go up to Blake and be all like, Okay, please give me some of your magic. She snorted.

  When a popular song came on the radio, Kira upped the volume. “We both know what happens to the employees who get too close. And even if he’d have me, I don’t want to be a drunken Friday one-night stand.”

  “Ooooh. You’re so right.” Tish hummed along for a couple beats and then said, “We don’t need men.”

  “You’re focused on your career. That’s admirable. You’ll find someone when you least expect it.”

  Finding Blake had definitely been unexpected, and she bet her favorite sundress that no one like him existed.

  Tish slouched low in the bucket seat. “Guys don’t like me.”

  “You’re perfect just the way you are.”

  Her friend climbed out after they’d parked and followed the path to their front entrance. “Easy for you to say. I bet you two end up having fabulous office sex.”

  She envisioned Blake sprawling her over his desk. “Yum.” Then she frowned. “No. Bad image. Stop it. He’s my boss, and we both know what happens to secretaries who want more.”

  Tish collapsed on the sofa and closed her eyes. “Ask Keith about a job in the legal department. Then Blake wouldn’t be your boss…”

  “What? No. This job isn’t a stepping stone. I promised one year in exchange for a seat at the table when the new architectural plans arrive. This year will help me narrow down an organization I can really focus my efforts on.” She wanted to be part of so much, but with limited funds and not enough time, she knew better than to overextend herself.

  Tish nodded. “I think your interest in the community is fantastic.”

  That was how Kira felt and now that she’d made the leap, she could feel the excitement at being a part of the revitalization for an area that meant so much to her. “Once you start working, you’re pretty much working for the rest of your life. I just want to make it mean something.”

  “I never knew you felt that way.”

  She shrugged. “You just thought I wanted the big paycheck that came with the dual degree?”

  Tish giggled. “It’s nice being able to buy designer.”

  “I know, but it’s also nice knowing that because of me, our downtown might be revitalized as something to preserve history that also attracts tourists.”

  It took her a quarter of a century to find her purpose. No way would she let the broad chest and bedroom eyes of her boss stop her now.

  Chapter Nine

  “Blake?” Kira stopped in the frame of his office. After their flirting in the bar Friday night, she’d thought about him all weekend and was relieved things hadn’t seemed awkward when she’d arrived that morning.

  He looked up, his honey-colored eyes crinkling slightly at the corners in a friendly smile. “What’s up?”

  It still threw her slightly off guard how casual he acted around her, and again she reminded herself that just because the CEO was nice didn’t mean he wouldn’t fire her if she tried to cross the line. The problem was her inability to read him, because every time he charmed her with that knee-weakening smile, she wondered how the attraction could only be one way.

  Pointing over her shoulder, she asked, “Would you please come help?”

  He shoved out of his chair and followed her to the main reception area where some other staff decorated for Halloween.

  “Ah. This time of year again. Need me to pin something to the ceiling?”

  “I need you to lie down.” She bit her lower lip, hoping he wouldn’t balk at the idea. In his crisp shirt and tie, he looked amazingly powerful. What she wouldn’t give for an excuse to fall on top of him again. Last time had been quick and awkward, but this time…just thinking about him prone on the floor ga
ve her all kinds of indecent thoughts. How she could take her time enjoying the full length of his firm muscles…

  One of his dark brows arched. “Excuse me?”

  She swallowed her wicked ideas. “Just please lie there.” She pointed to the hardwood floor. “I Swiffered, so you shouldn’t get too dirty.”

  “Why do you want me to lie here?” he asked, even as he squatted.

  She took a moment to appreciate the way his pants tightened across his ass as he crouched. He really was a specimen of a man, and it seemed almost a shame that she’d started this platonic thing when she might not have the willpower to follow through with it. Maybe when her contract ended, she could—what? She shook that thought from her head and answered his question. “It’s almost Halloween.”

  Sitting now, he tilted back his head to look up at her with an adorable grin curving his mouth. “That explains nothing.”

  She smoothed her hands down her skirt, and when his gaze followed her hands to her legs and then his golden pupils seemed to darken, her stomach fluttered. With a light laugh, she said, “We need a body to outline.”

  He reclined and clasped his hands over his stomach, crossing his legs at the ankles. “You know, Halloween was one of my grandmother’s favorite times to visit the office. I think that’s why my grandfather started the ‘decorate and bring your children to trick-or-treat’ tradition.”

  She grinned down at him, well aware that should he choose, he could see up her flimsy sundress. “Little kids dressed in costumes are pretty cute. May I?”

  She gestured toward his hands, and he unclasped them. “Where do you want them?”

  All over her body. “I’ll just—” She grasped one of his wrists and lifted his arm above his head, bending it at the elbow.

  He caught on to her idea and positioned the other arm in a classic angle, adjusting his feet accordingly. Then, she took the masking tape and crouched next to his face. Tearing off the first strip she’d use to outline him, she said, “Just please stay lying down.”

  When he closed his eyes and whispered, “Only for you…” she choked back a sigh.

  She made quick work to tape around his head and hands, but when she reached his waist, she paused. Could she be brave enough to tape between his thighs? She had him right where she wanted him. On the floor, on his back, a willing victim to her…

  “Marilyn?” she called to another secretary hanging cobwebs around the receptionist’s desk.

  When the woman glanced over, Kira wiggled the tape and pointed toward Blake. Marilyn’s eyes bulged right before she burst into laughter. “No way. How in the world did you get Blake to lie on the floor?”

  He opened his eyes. “I believe it’s her excellent powers of persuasion.”

  Kira’s cheeks heated. “Would you mind?” She handed the tape over.

  “With pleasure.” She snapped off a long strip of tape and knelt between Blake’s spread legs. “You know, we’ve never thought about outlining a body before. Shame that Mrs. Whitman isn’t here this year.”

  “Mrs. Whitman?” Kira hadn’t given consideration to Blake’s parents, but she had no idea what they had to do with the Halloween decorations.

  Marilyn ripped off a long piece of tape. “Blake’s grandfather would bring Mrs. Whitman to the office, and she’s the one who actually started the tradition for the staff to have their kids walk around for candy during the day.”

  Kira watched, envy rising, as Marilyn boldly placed one end of the tape dangerously close to Blake’s privates. She didn’t know why she’d called Tyler’s assistant to help her when she herself could have done the deed, but something about seeming too forward stopped her, and she knew the other woman—with her rock star husband and wild ways—wouldn’t bat a fake eyelash at putting her hand so close to the boss’s privates.

  “That’s so cool,” she said, not knowing what else to say. “I’m sorry about your grandmother, Blake.”

  Marilyn scooted to the other side of Blake’s thigh. “Oh, hah. His grandmother isn’t dead. She’s on a cruise.”

  Embarrassing tingles heated her cheeks. “My misunderstanding. But in a totally good way.”

  “Are we about done?” he asked, sitting up and twisting around to inspect the outline of his upper body.

  She placed the last bit of tape by the sole of his shoe. “I think so. Thanks.”

  Marilyn, with her back to Blake, gave Kira a knowing wink then took a pile of paper pumpkins from another secretary and moved to another section of the lobby. “Sure thing, doll.”

  Her boss hopped up. “So why didn’t Marilyn get Tyler to sprawl on the floor?”

  Kira shrugged. “It was my idea. He might be the CIO, but you’re the CEO.”

  “Brilliant.”

  “All part of my charm.”

  “Damn it!”

  Blake heard Kira swearing under her breath, and he grinned. He shouldn’t find her anger amusing, but she was so cute when she was flustered.

  “Need help?” he called, capping his pen and marking the page in the report with her pink sticky note.

  “No, thanks. I’ve got it covered.”

  He rolled out of his chair and moved to the doorway, a mistake made clear the moment he caught sight of her. On her hands and knees, head buried under her desk, he couldn’t quite figure what she was trying to accomplish, but he couldn’t tear his gaze from the flimsy material draped over her ass. If he tilted his head slightly to the left, he could just make out— What an ass he was. Damn. Did he really just sneak a peek at his secretary’s pink panties? What the hell was the matter with him? He swallowed. Then choked.

  The noise must have alerted her to his presence, because she swung around quickly and gaped at him in wide-eyed shock. “Blake! I said I was handling it.”

  “Handling what?” Prickly awareness tingled up his neck. Damn, he was too aware of her, and he was pretty sure it was more than the fact that on that first day she’d said she was off limits to him. He’d asked if she was sexually attracted to him, and she’d said absolutely not. Back then he’d liked that answer. But now? Still, wanting her because she didn’t want him? It couldn’t be that base a reason, could it? Just because she said no to him before he’d even asked, suddenly he found himself intrigued by the challenge?

  A faint red flushed from the V in her blouse to the curve of her cheeks. “I’m trying to straighten out the cords under there. I’m tired of the mess, so I’m clipping them and color banding them.”

  It was definitely more than her looks. She had a way about her that screamed tidiness, and she had a competency he enjoyed challenging. As he’d promised Keith, he’d made it a point to not keep her past six or seven on too many evenings, and surprisingly, he hadn’t needed to. She kept him organized during the day and, with folders clearly labeling evening issues to tackle, he’d gained a bit of spare time as well.

  “Kira, you’re doing a remarkable job.” Almost too good, if he compared her with his other secretaries. He’d never met a woman as efficient or as sexy as Kira. She checked every box on his requirements list for a competent employee and then some, proving that he hadn’t known what he’d needed until he’d found her. His gaze fell to her stack of sticky notes. Pink and shaped like a flower, she’d used them to point out key discrepancies in more than one contract. Her enthusiasm for keeping him on track, for going above and beyond any secretary who’d ever worked for him, drove him to want to please her. Show her he was as sincere in wanting to help her as she was in helping him. He made a mental note to sweeten the pot with the other board members, so the vote for the downtown redevelopment went the way she wanted. He owed her that…and more.

  Why she’d settled on being a dog walker, instead of working for a high-powered exec long before now, he had no idea. It seemed strange, but maybe she never felt she was cut out for a 9-to-5 existence. Or she’d never found a boss willing to keep her foster dogs in his office.

  Her body stiffened and he heard her quick intake of breath. Then, she sna
pped a tie around two cords and shot him a confident grin. “Thank you. I’ll admit that I like it here a lot more than I thought I would.”

  Considering he’d forced her hand at taking the job, he liked her answer. “Really?”

  He found her sheepish grin adorable. “Well, maybe not the job itself, but some of your projects are remarkable, and I’m excited to see the dog park’s progress. Plus, I saw another email about the new architectural plans for making downtown historic rather than modern.”

  And just like that, she’d reminded him how she was just like every other woman he’d expressed an interest in. He might feel an undeniable chemistry toward her, but even if he were tempted to break his own rules about dating in the work place, he’d never know if she said yes because she needed to stay on his good side to save her mom’s building.

  Or if there was something else she wanted. He’d have to keep an eye on her. Maybe going above and beyond wasn’t merely to help him out, but because she was looking for something else. She did have access to a great deal of company information.

  Focusing on work, he said, “Listen, I’m sorry to ask you on such short notice, but we have a conference call scheduled for seven tonight. Can you stay late?”

  “Of course. But I need to let Tish know.”

  “Actually, she’s our accounting part of the conference call. We’ll be discussing private real estate equity investment strategies, and I’m hoping you’ll be able to run the recordings.”

  “Not a problem. I don’t mind working after hours.”

  She might not mind it, but he’d begun to think of her as more than an employee, and he’d been trying to keep his distance; the more hours they spent together, the harder that was. Not that it mattered when he couldn’t get her out of his head, but—

  Keith marched straight by her desk, grabbing him by the arm. “We have a situation.”

  His brother always had a situation. He thrived on confrontation, as evidenced by the gleam in his eye and the excited way he charged toward Blake’s office. Once inside, he sighed with aggravation. “What now?”

  Keith whirled around and rubbed his hands together. “Morris Clinic is being sued.”