“Good morning, Kellan,” Amelia said as she uncrossed her long legs and stood. She sashayed her way toward me, her navy dress swaying around her gorgeous legs, and for a moment I wondered if she was going commando like she had the last time we’d met.
I shook the thought away and walked around her to my desk. “Amelia,” I responded in a curt tone.
She closed my door with a thud and turned to look at me. Judging by the staggered look on her face, I could tell she had expected something warmer and more welcoming. However, for more reasons than one, that was something she was not going to get from me.
I rested my coffee cup and briefcase atop my mahogany desk and took a seat. With a raised brow, Amelia walked to one of the chocolate-colored chairs facing me and took a seat. Her legs crossed in a slow, calculated move. “I imagined your office differently.”
My eyes traveled away from her, focusing nowhere in particular. Most people thought my office was too classic for a man in my position, and, to some extent, it really was. The dark wood and earth tones didn’t exactly scream fashion forward, but they were a soothing reminder of the modesty of my childhood home. In a business as chaotic and fast paced as this one, the sense of security this room provided was what kept me same most of the time.
“Most people do,” I said as I returned my focus to her. “Your father told me you will be working with us from now on.”
A smirk curled up on her lush lips. “I am. Excited?”
“Yes,” I replied, and her smirk turned into a smile. Before she got any ideas, I added, “Yours is a position I’ve been trying to fill for some time, so I’m relieved and excited to have a full staff again. Also, your father told me you’re accomplished and up to the task.”
“Is that the only reason you’re excited?”
Despite the electric current set loose in my spine by her words and the suggestive way she kept staring at me, I kept my gaze firm as I cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, Amelia, it is. This is my job, my company, and my life. I take this very seriously, and I hope you do as well.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave me a challenging look. Ignoring it, I continued. “What happened between us was a mistake—a foolish mistake—and your father must never know about it.”
“And what if I have already told him?”
I rolled my eyes at her childish games. “Then you wouldn’t be in this office, and I would be missing a few teeth.”
“My dad would never hit you,” she muttered petulantly. “And it wasn’t a mistake.”
“Yes, it was. One that won’t ever happen again, I assure you,” I replied adamantly.
With pursed lips, Amelia got up and walked toward me. She pushed the contracts and headshots piled at the edge of my desk away and took a seat on the wooden tabletop. Her green eyes stayed focused on mine as she crossed her legs.
“So you’re telling me that you haven’t thought about fucking me at all?” Amelia tilted her body in my direction, placing her cleavage right in my line of sight. Instinctively, I licked my lips as her voice dropped to a sexy whisper. “Mr. Shepard, I know you want it to happen again just as badly as I do.”
I closed my eyes and took a sharp breath to calm myself. It was hard to tell if my heart was pounding so hard because I was incredibly turned on, unbelievably pissed, or an uncomfortable mixture of both. Before I could gather my feelings, the thumping sound of her red pumps falling to the floor echoed around my office. I opened my eyes just in time to see her foot traveling up to my crotch.
Fuck! I pushed my chair back and stood up. “No,” I lied in a believable tone. “I don’t think about fucking you.” I walked toward the massive window behind my desk and ran a hand through my hair. “You seduced me, Amelia, and I feel for it, but I won’t fall for it again.”
“A man is only enticed by a woman who truly beguiles him,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving mine. “You wanted me just as badly as I wanted you.”
“I’m not saying I didn’t. You’re beautiful and sexy, but I didn’t know—”
“Knowing that I was his daughter wouldn’t have changed how attracted you were to me,” Amelia said, interrupting me. She turned around and walked over to leather couch at the far end of the room to gather her things. I watched her in silence as she made her way to my office door and glanced over her shoulder at me. “I hope you change your mind, Kellan. I promise it would be worth it.”
Amelia’s words hung in the air as she walked out of my office. Once I was alone, I collapsed back into my chair and took several breaths.