Occupational Hazard: The Ultimate Workplace Romance Box Set

by Eve Langlais

  Nate threw his head back and laughed. Squeezing her arm lightly, he leaned over to whisper, “A girl after my own heart, I see.” He was close enough that Val couldn’t avoid breathing in the musky scent of the light cologne he wore. The scent had first enticed her when he’d kissed her, and her body heated as he continued to crowd into her personal space. “I was too speechless to say so earlier, but you look absolutely gorgeous tonight. If you were on the menu I’d definitely clean my plate.” He winked at her and she swallowed thickly. It was a corny come-on line, but for some insane reason, it was working.

  She turned away from Nate to greet the hospital administrator on her other side. Throughout dinner she managed to engage several people in conversation and ignore Nate for the most part. He sat next to her, close enough she could feel the heat pouring off him in waves, making conversation and smiling at her in turn. At last Doug rose and said a few words, thanking the attendees, and then the auctioneer came up to start the live auction. Val began to excuse herself to go to the ladies’ room, but Nate grabbed her arm.

  “Stay, just for a few minutes.”

  “What did you do?” Her voice came out harsher than she’d intended. Clearly Nate was going to bid on something for her, which was incredibly sweet given the time they’d known each other.

  His eyes pleaded with her. “Just stay put. That’s all I ask.”

  Val’s instinct had been right. Nate was the high bidder on a full day of pampering at the most exclusive spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a gorgeous tourist town about a half-hour north of Buffalo.

  When he returned and set the brochure and voucher in front of her, she looked at them and then back at him. She still couldn’t quite believe it. “You bought that for me?”

  “I thought you could use a little stress relief.”

  She’d been taught to be gracious when given a gift, which made kissing him senseless out of the question, though that’s all she really wanted to do. Instead she tucked the materials into her clutch.

  “Thank you. Truly.” Val leaned over and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. His breath caught and she hoped no one would be able to read their body language, as she feared there was no way to disguise her feelings for the man, or his for her. “Now I really do need to use the ladies’ room.”

  Nate let her go and she made her escape. In the powder room, she fell into a chair and clasped her head in her hands.

  What am I going to do with him?

  When Val finally forced herself to re-enter the ballroom, she looked around but didn’t see either Nate or Doug. Was something wrong? She hadn’t been gone more than ten minutes, she was sure of it. Reaching into her purse, she extracted her cell phone and checked for messages. Nothing. Where were they?

  Val tamped down on her rising panic as she began a tour of the room. When she didn’t see either man in the ballroom she headed out to the hallway. Hearing masculine laughter, she opened the door to a smaller room and came upon a bunch of men having an after-dinner drink. Both Doug and Nate were there. Nate must’ve seen the look on her face, because he immediately excused himself and took her elbow, leading her back out the way she’d come.

  Leaning toward her, he spoke in a low voice. “Doug was spirited out here and I didn’t want to let him go alone just in case. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but there wasn’t really an opportunity.”

  Her shoulders, which she hadn’t realized had been hunched, relaxed at the news. Jerking her head back to the room, she said, “So you think he’ll be okay?”

  “Yeah. Turns out they’re all golfing buddies. I think he’s safe with them.”

  “You know, this is so ridiculous. We’re afraid to leave the CEO alone at a public event because he might get tarred and feathered for something he had nothing to do with.”

  Nate shrugged. “Perception is reality.”

  “It’s hardly fair to blame him for this.”

  “People don’t care about fair. They care about their own idea of justice.” Steering her back into the ballroom, he headed for the dance floor.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Dancing.”

  Jerking her elbow out of his grasp, Val said, “I don’t recall you asking.” Nate looked so perplexed she almost wanted to laugh. “What, in your world it’s acceptable to just drag women onto the dance floor?”

  “No, of course not.” He extended his hand and bowed low. “May I have this dance, milady?”

  People were starting to look at the two of them, so Val took his hand and pulled him up. “Yes, just stop embarrassing me.”

  “Now I’m embarrassing you? I’m hurt.” Pulling Val flush with his body, he began to sway to the music. Val tried to push away from him but he wouldn’t have any of it, keeping a tight hold on her. “Oh, no you don’t. I’m not letting you get away that easily.” With an exasperated sigh, Val let him lead her around the floor. “So you’re not even going to talk to me while we dance?”

  Val was busy trying to remember to breathe and hardly recognized his words. “What?”

  “I said, aren’t you going to talk at all?”

  “Do you normally talk while dancing?”

  “There’s not much else to do, unless you want me to spend the time getting to know your body better. Because if that’s the case, I’m all for it.”

  He spun her into a turn before she could react and, when he righted them again, Val glared at him. “Must you be such a barbarian?” She was hoping against hope he wouldn’t notice the rapid pulse beating at her neck due to their proximity.

  “You love it.” Leaning closer, his breath feathered over her ear and she shivered. “And I think you’re warming up to me too.”

  “What do you mean?” She closed her eyes in mortification, as her voice came out as little more than a squeak.

  “Your heart is racing. Your breath isn’t steady.” He glanced down. “Your nipples are hard.”

  Val looked down too and cursed the fact that wearing a bra had been impossible in this dress. “I’m cold.”

  Nate chuckled. “Bullshit.” And then right there on the dance floor, he kissed her. A thousand points of light exploded behind her eyes as his tongue sank into her mouth. She clung to him, wringing every ounce of pleasure out of the kiss. Then the band finished its song and she stumbled backward, a hand over her mouth. He reached for her and she held up her other hand. Turning, she fled.

  Val heard him swear and knew he was following her, but she had to get away. What had she been thinking, letting herself get carried away like that? Sure, this wasn’t technically the office, but the place was filled with people Val worked with. She knew better. Striding toward the ballroom’s exit as quickly as she could in her heels, she swung the door open and turned left, away from the revelry. Nate was alternating between cursing and trying to get her to slow down. Reaching the corner, she came to a deserted hallway and whirled around to face him.

  “What in the hell were you doing?”

  “Look, I’m sorry.” He blew a breath out and Val noticed his face was flushed. It was little comfort.

  “Sorry for kissing me right in the middle of a party filled with my co-workers, not to mention my boss? You mean that little incident?”

  Nate ran a hand through his hair. “You were driving me crazy. I got carried away.”

  “Damn right you got carried away.”

  “Look, I apologized, okay?” He speared her with a look that could’ve melted Polar ice caps. “But you can’t even try to tell me you’re not attracted to me. I know you are, you’re just fighting it, and I want to know why.”

  “You’re leaving. Plus, we should try to maintain our professionalism, don’t you think?”

  “Why can’t we be together and still have a professional relationship? After all, we aren’t really co-workers since I’m just a short-term consultant, and me leaving is all the more reason for us to stop wasting time. I want you. You want me. What else do we need to know?”

  He moved in again and Val couldn’t di
sagree. He made a good point. It wasn’t like the two of them had to work together for years to come. Ugh. Now I’m justifying this to myself. Against her better judgment she wanted this man, even though a million reasons not to get involved popped into her head. She’d wanted Nate since the moment she’d laid eyes on him nearly a week ago. Resisting the pull of his charm was exhausting and she couldn’t do it anymore.

  Maybe in the cold light of day she’d feel differently and her fears would resurface, but right now all she could think about was wrapping herself around Nate like a cat. He trapped her between him and the wall, his strong arms surrounding her. After giving her a hungry once-over, he pressed his rock-hard body into hers, and even through their clothing she could feel his erection pressing into her belly. He groaned as if he was in pain.

  “Nate–”

  “Do it or don’t do it,” he growled. “But I have to know one way or the other, because this is killing me. I look at you and I want you so badly my entire body seizes. I can’t take it anymore, Val. Do you want this? Do you want me?”

  “Yes.” It was all she got out before he pressed in even more, covering her in his heat. Taking her ear lobe into his mouth, he sucked hard and her back arched in response.

  “Let’s get out of here. It’s late enough. Doug will be fine.” Val chewed her lip, considering. “Stop that,” Nate ordered, pointing. “Or I’ll give you something better to do with that luscious mouth.”

  Val gasped and Nate’s own mouth twisted into a carnal smile. She heard a noise down the hall and looked around him. “We can’t get carried away again in a public place.”

  “Then let’s go.” Shooing her back toward the ballroom, he said, “Get your purse and wrap. I’ll go tell Doug we’re leaving and meet you out front.”

  Val rushed back into the room, grateful their table was empty save for one of the older administrators, who sat watching the dancing. She was able to grab her stuff and get out of the ballroom before anyone saw her. This was one of the most irresponsible things she’d ever done in her career, and yet she couldn’t find the will to feel guilty about it.

  She swept outside and Nate pushed her into his car. Running around to the driver’s seat, he slid in and punched the accelerator. Reaching for the dashboard in front of her, she cried, “Nate, this is a parking lot. You’re going to kill somebody!”

  He slowed down marginally as he pulled onto the road. “My place is closer.” Val didn’t argue and they made it back to his hotel in record time. He valeted the car again and tugged her inside. As soon as the elevator doors closed behind them Nate pushed her against the wall. “No more hiding, Val. I’m going to see all of you tonight, and you’re going to see all of me.”

  Val moaned and he covered the sound, sucking her tongue into his mouth. His hands slid along her sides until they cupped her breasts. She pushed the mounds further into his hands and he let out an agonizing groan. “This thing needs to go faster.” She couldn’t help but giggle, but the sound died in her throat after he grabbed her hand and pressed it to his crotch. “Does this feel like I’m kidding?”

  Mercifully, the elevator dinged shortly thereafter. Nate fumbled with his key card a few times before wrenching the door open as soon as the light turned green. He reached for her and they stumbled together toward the bed then fell onto it, him on top of her. “You need to get out of this jacket,” she told him as she slipped the fabric down his arms. He took it the rest of the way and threw it in the general direction of the chair next to the bed. “That’s a rented tux, isn’t it? You should be more careful.”

  “Screw the tux. I’ll pay them for it. Right now the only thing I care about is touching you.” He stood. “I want you naked.” She rolled over and he slid the zipper at her back down, pressing open-mouthed kisses to her skin as it was revealed. When he was done she sat up and the bodice of the dress fell to her waist. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

  Val looked down at herself. “Not hardly.”

  “You’re perfect,” he insisted, kneeling in front of her to shimmy the dress the rest of the way off. Standing again, he quickly shucked his shirt and tie and reached for the placket of his tuxedo pants.

  “Let me.”

  He put his hands at his sides and let her ease the zipper down, though it was apparent what giving up control was costing him, as his breath quickened with each touch of her fingers on him. She helped him step out of his pants, and he sat long enough to remove his socks before crawling back up the bed to lean over her. “You’re still wearing too much clothing.” She was clad only in a skimpy thong, but he made short work of it and then took her breast into his mouth. “You taste so good. Like strawberries.”

  Val laughed. “That’s my body wash.”

  “Mmmm, edible. Don’t ever change it.” Switching to the other breast, he palmed the one he’d abandoned and rolled the nipple between his fingers. Throwing her head back, she moaned.

  Her fingers crept into the coarse hair covering his chest and made their way to the flat disks of his nipples.

  Turnabout is fair play.

  Raking her fingernails over them, she watched as his arms locked. He sucked on her nipple even harder and she repeated the motion. His hardness swelled against her thigh.

  “You’re killing me.” Scooting down, he parted her thighs and touched the tip of his tongue to her. “Mmmm, like candy.”

  He took a hold of her thighs and licked her slowly. She shuddered in his grip. “Now, Nate, please.”

  “Patience.”

  “No. I need you.”

  He looked up at her. “And you’ll have me. You’ll have everything; just give me a minute to play.”

  Val groaned and dropped her head back on the bed. It wasn’t exactly a hardship to let him keep going, but she feared losing her mind if he didn’t get moving soon. After a few more excruciating minutes, he leaned down and grabbed his wallet out of the tuxedo pants. Extracting a condom, he quickly rolled it on and loomed over her.

  “Please, Nate.”

  Leaning down, he gave her a long, deep kiss as he slowly slid inside. Her body struggled to accommodate him, but when he tried to withdraw she dug her heels into the small of his back. “I’m hurting you,” he protested.

  “Stay with me.”

  “I don’t know how slow I can go, not this first time.” His voice was raspy and strained and Val could see how much of a fight keeping a tight lid on his need to move was.

  “I’m not a china doll. I won’t break.”

  “Oh, babe, don’t tell me that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I want to be gentle with you. I should be gentle with you.”

  “Shhhh…” she soothed. “If it hurts or feels off I’ll tell you. All right?” Nate nodded, the lines of his face seemingly etched in stone. “Good, then give me what I want. Give me you.”

  Nate hadn’t moved inside her the entire time they’d been talking, but now he withdrew most of the way and pushed back in, closing his eyes as he pulled back again. “Feels so good…” Bracketing her head with his forearms, he buried his face in her neck and thrust again. “I can’t hold on.”

  “Then don’t. Let go.”

  A feral sound ripped from Nate’s chest as he gave her several more short, hard thrusts. Val’s muscles closed around him. Oh God, she was getting close. Nate reached between them to stroke her clit and her breath hitched as the pleasure ratcheted up. “Now, Val,” he rumbled as he grew larger inside her. Her release hit like an invisible force, pulling her into an abyss of pure sensation. She clung to him as he gave one final push and his own release hit, hitching his breath and forcing a ragged groan from him.

  He collapsed on top of her temporarily and then rolled off, taking care of the condom before gathering her into his arms. Kissing Val lightly on the lips, he whispered, “You’re an amazing woman.” She was asleep before it even registered she was still in Nate’s hotel room.

  Chapter Ten

  Nate woke on Sunday with a hug
e grin plastered on his face. Then, rolling over, his smile morphed quickly into a grimace. The bed next to him was cold. Jerking to a sitting position, he looked around the room and then swore viciously. She was gone. Reaching for the cell phone he’d tossed on the nightstand, he quickly checked for messages. Seeing nothing, he rose and headed for the showers. If she thought she could just sleep with him and leave like a thief under the cover of darkness she had another think coming.

  Within twenty minutes he was on his way to his car. Driving to her house, Nate tried to decide what he would say when he got there. He wanted to believe there was a good explanation for why she’d left without even waking him. The worst thing was how cheap and yet guilty he felt. Normally when he slept with a woman both of them knew what the score was, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d somehow hurt Val. Shaking his head, he punched the accelerator and the Porsche roared to match his mood.

  Upon reaching her house, Nate pulled into the driveway and cut the engine. Taking a quick moment to breathe, he nonetheless didn’t wait too long, giving Val time to either hide or concoct excuses. Stepping out of the car, he slammed the door and stalked up the walk, punching the doorbell before standing back. When she didn’t answer, he pounded on the door. “Val! I know you’re in there! Open up!” When there was no answer he pounded again. “Val! Talk to me!” She still didn’t open up, and he slapped both hands on the door before turning away. “She can’t avoid me forever,” he mumbled, walking back to his car and climbing in.

  Nate felt like a stalker as he spent the remainder of the day catching up on his own work and leaving Val messages. The feeling was completely foreign to him. Usually the ladies pursued him, not the other way around. Obviously they’d see each other tomorrow, but it pissed him off how she was totally shutting him out. Nate now knew what those women who had wanted more had felt when he’d moved on. Worse, Nate was second-guessing everything about the evening. What had he and Val done that was so bad she had him on radio silence? He doubted she really wanted to have a conversation about their night at work, but it was obvious she wasn’t thinking clearly.