“Look,” I whisper, and I fight the urge to gather her against me, to press my hips forward, against her body, to feel the curve of that ass against me. “Look what you did.”
She twists around, throwing her arms around my neck, hugging it tightly. “We did,” she states, and when she pulls away, she is beaming.
She’s right. We did it. And dammit, I can’t mess everything up now.
Chapter 9
Her
four months later
Las Vegas. I win three thousand dollars on a slot machine and am stretched out on my bed, basking in my newfound riches, when Trey walks in. He cocks a brow at me and holds out his wrist. “I need help. This cufflink is a bitch.”
I roll over and sit upright on the edge of the bed. When he steps forward, between my legs, I look up at him.
“This could get interesting,” he murmurs, a wicked gleam in his eyes. His shoes settle into place, and his pant legs brush against the inside of my knees.
It won’t. The man is a complete tease. He flirts like a teenage boy, then walks away and leaves me panting.
“There are certain lines I don’t cross, and fucking my employees is one of them.”
His line from my interview plays on repeat in my head. After our San Francisco road trip, I looked up Vicka Neece. Like I had expected, she is beautiful, and very different from me. Blonde instead of brunette. Taller than me, and thin instead of curvy. She has that sophisticated scowl that I’ve never mastered. I can see why a man would go for her. And I can see, in the tattered remains of Marks Lingerie, what interoffice relationships can lead to.
I hadn’t thought much about it while I was with Craig, but in the last five months as a single woman, Trey’s stance on fraternization has haunted me. And right now, his belt is at eye level, the buckle begging to be freed, zipper yanked down, and all of Trey Marks’s mysteries unveiled. My hand hovers above the belt. It would be so easy. I sigh and reach past it, for his waiting shirtsleeve, my hands quick and efficient as I fasten the cufflink. I look up at him and stick out my tongue.
“What is that for?” He extends the other hand, a smile playing across his lips.
“You. You and your ridiculous temptingness.” The truth slips out before I can harness it in. I bite my bottom lip and look down at the cufflink, struggling more with getting this one through the hole.
“Oh good. I was worried I was losing my touch.” He flips over his hands, offering them to me and I pull, getting to my feet.
“Nope. No worries there.” I eye his suit. “So it’s this kind of a dinner?”
“You were expecting the buffet? Keno and sweatpants?”
“Don’t tempt me,” I groan, moving past him and to the bathroom. “I’ve worn heels for, like, fourteen hours now.”
“You don’t have to come.” He stands in the doorway and watches me. I grab a washcloth and rub it over my face, removing my makeup. I glance in the mirror, at my face, slightly pink from the hot water, and frown. Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised that Trey isn’t trying to fuck me. Not when he sees me like this, in threadbare yoga pants and a shirt I borrowed from his suitcase without asking. That’s what he gets for owning T-shirts that feel like suede and for booking us in adjoining rooms. I may be bringing his company success, but I’m not above blatantly stealing from his suitcase.
“I know Mira and her husband,” he continues. “Why don’t you take the night off? Get room service and a movie.”
I turn off the water and glare at him in the mirror. “Her husband owns thirty-seven department stores in California. I don’t care if you know Mira. Their first order, if we can get it, will be huge. No offense, but I’m not letting you screw it up.”
“How can I not take offense to that?” He barks out a laugh, and follows me to my suitcase for a straightening iron.
“It’s the truth.” I plug in the iron. “And don’t flirt with her.”
“Oooh … jealous Kate. I knew you were in there somewhere.”
“I’m not jealous, I’m sane. You don’t know how you are, what you do to women. You say something casual to her, and her husband is going to bury you into next year—”
“Kate.”
“…and he isn’t going to care if—”
“KATE.” He steps forward, pushing me against the bathroom counter, the line of his body hard, fitting perfect into my curves, one of his legs moving forward, in between mine, a stiff line of muscle against an area that hasn’t gotten any attention since Craig in Hong Kong. “It’ll be fine. I’ve met her husband before. Everything … will … be … fine.”
He drops his eyes from mine and down to my lips. His hands are resting on either side of me, flat upon the counter, caging me in, and I flinch when he moves just his thumbs, the scrape of them slowly caressing the sides of my hips. I can feel the delicate shift of air as he exhales, his eyes tracing over the lines of my lips, and I wet them in preparation. I should step aside, make a joke, mention the time. Instead, I close my eyes, my chin lifting, and wait for his kiss.
I hear his groan in the moment before he pushes off the counter, his body leaving mine, my skin suddenly cool without the heat of his touch. I open my eyes and he is there, against the wall of the bathroom, his hand worrying over his mouth, then crashing through his hair. He steps through the doorway, and then there is the slam of the connecting door, and I am alone.
I sag against the counter and let out a curse.
Him
My shoes clip across the hotel tile, a dominating sound that grounds me, another piece of the external appearance of control. I need the illusion, while inside, I fall to pieces.
My company needs her.
I need her.
And, unfortunately, so does my cock.
And that right there, is how things fall apart.
I step toward the maître d’, and hope like hell she doesn’t come to dinner.
Her
My hair up, I wear my best suit—a sexy YSL number that Trey bought for me in New York. He had groaned when I had stepped from the dressing room with it on. A very similar groan, in fact, to the one that had ripped from him in the bathroom.
Maybe he likes to torture himself. Or maybe he can only get himself off, and women are all just pawns in his ridiculous game of arousal.
Whatever the reason, this dinner is too important to let our misplaced sexual tension get in the way. I pass the hostess stand, my heels careful on the slick wood floors, and move through the tables, looking for him. In the back, in an elegant four-top overlooking The Strip, his eyes meet mine. He rises from his seat, and I step toward him.
Mira and Edward are from San Diego. She is a hugger, and I brace when she wraps her arms around my shoulders, her height putting her face uncomfortably close to my breasts. She’s in a low-cut red dress, one that shows off impressive curves and olive skin. She’s not traditionally pretty, but has the sort of face that is transformed when she smiles, her energy infectious. Her husband is more of the strong and silent type, a courteous gentleman who rises alongside Trey and extends a polite hand toward me. He is our mark—his upscale department stores the perfect home for our lingerie. We are in town for an expo, and Edward, apparently, loves any excuse to gamble.
“Trey was just telling us all about you.” Mira leans forward, tucking a dark curl behind her ear and lowering her voice as if this is a secret of some sort. “He said you used to work at Lavern & Lilly.”
“I did.” I make a face. “It wasn’t nearly as much fun as working for Marks.”
She gives me a knowing smile. “Oh, I believe that. I worked with Trey before. I know how well he keeps his coworkers entertained.” She steals a shrimp off the appetizer platter and turns to Trey. “Isn’t that right, Trey?”
Trey attempts to give her a stern glare, one that loses its impact in the curve of his mouth. “It’s not like that, Mira.”
Goosebumps pop along my arm, and I study her face, the way she smirks at him before dipping the shrimp into sauce. From under the table, I feel Trey’s hand settle on my thigh, his fingers squeezing, a brief warning that is entirely unneccesary.
“I’m sorry.” I smile politely. “I didn’t realize that you two worked together.”