All That She Wants(12)

Her face betrayed everything – a whole whirlwind of emotions, but most powerful of all:

She was attracted to me.

And she liked it when I said she was beautiful.

For the first time in over a year, my heart skipped a beat.

And in that instant, I decided I wanted to sleep with her tonight.

All of that raced through my head as I kept talking.

“ – who is poised, very intelligent, in control of herself, doesn’t take any crap – ”

Should I?

Yeah… let’s have a little fun.

“ – oh, wait… skip that last part,” I said, and made a face as though I were making a mental note for future reference. Then I turned around and started walking – which was good, because I didn’t want her to see the grin on my face.

“Is it this way?” I called over my shoulder.

I could almost hear her fuming as she ran after me.

“You know, you talk a big game for a guy who’s here to look at somebody else’s business files on a Friday night after closing hours,” she taunted me.

I laughed. “Uh oh, did I touch a nerve?”

I could almost see the steam coming out of her ears.

Which was perfect.

There’s only one cardinal sin when dealing with a beautiful woman: being boring.

They’ll forgive you just about anything else but that.

“Why are you here, exactly?” she challenged me.

I put my hands in my pockets and looked around casually, like I was taking stock of the place. “Oh, I don’t know… thinking about buying the company.”

She snorted derisively. “Right.”

“Maybe one day. Once I save up my pennies.”

“So you can have a whole company to kiss your ass, huh?”

I looked over at her, momentarily shocked. And then I burst into a belly laugh.

Damn, this little secretary has balls of steel!

Or had, anyway.

She blushed and looked like she immediately regretted saying it – but I was impressed she’d said it at all.

She was going to bust my balls?

Fine.

I’d bust hers, too.

“I don’t know about other people kissing my ass, but…”

I angled my head back and took a look at her derriere.

Her very nice derriere.

“…I wouldn’t mind kissing somebody else’s.”

BAM – she went red as a fire engine, instantaneously.

I grinned and kept walking –

But she didn’t.

“Hey!” she snapped from somewhere behind me.

Uh-oh.

Might’ve gone too far with that last one.

I turned around and gave her an innocent Who, me? look.

“What?”

She crossed her arms and scowled. “You know that’s highly inappropriate, right?”

Yeah, she was pissed.

And to be honest, she had every right to be. I was an outsider here, in a business setting, and I was making inappropriate comments of a highly sexual nature. Sure, she’d been busting my chops earlier – but over money. And I had invited it by acting cocky.

She hadn’t asked for me to leer at her.

I’d gambled hard, because that’s what I like to do. High risk, high reward.

But this time it didn’t come out in my favor.

“Sorry,” I said, and meant it.

More than anything, I was pissed at myself that I’d played this all wrong. After a year-long failed relationship, and then eight months of self-imposed celibacy, I was apparently pretty rusty with women.

“I apologize,” I continued. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. You’re just… sorry. I won’t do it again.”

Something in her expression shifted. “‘You’re just’ what?”

Aha.

Maybe I hadn’t played it wrong.

“Well, you’re – ”

Her body leaned in the slightest bit.

I could see she wanted me to say it.

I’m back in the game.

I shook my head ruefully. “Never mind.”

“‘You’re just’ what?” she demanded.

Okay, I’d played it exactly right.

I smiled and decided not to feed her another line.

I was just going to tell her the truth.

“I find you very attractive,” I said.

Her entire expression went soft and doe-eyed.

“I’m used to being a little more… aggressive, and I forgot the setting and my manners. I’m sorry.”

That’s a little heavy, Templeton – lighten it up some.

I held up both my arms like this was a stick-up. “I’ll stop, just don’t file a sexual harassment lawsuit, okay?”

She stood there, and her expression slowly hardened as she thought it over.

She was more difficult to read than I’d initially thought…

…which I kind of liked.

Definitely a challenge.

Which I really liked.