He walked back around and faced her. "Your turn." He grasped her wrist and tugged her closer, watched her eyes widen, her breath rush between her lips. He stared down into her flushed face before holding up her wrist. "This is the weak spot right here." He ran his finger over the silky, pale skin of her arm where his thumb and fingers joined. "You want to rotate your wrist toward the weakness and apply force away from it. Twist and push."
Her gaze followed his fingers over her skin.
"Try it slowly."
She took a breath and rotated her wrist then pushed her arm free-hard. He grinned. She was a pro. Charlie raised an eyebrow, her lips tugging up to one side. He'd let her enjoy this brief success because the rest wouldn't be so easy.
"Good. Now we repeat it until you can do it clean and smooth."
They went through the move over and over. The skin on her wrists grew red then raw. Not as raw as the look on her face when she completed the move for the tenth time and all he said was "again".
He reached for her and she jerked her wrist away before he could clutch it.
"Enough, I can do it."
He seized her one last time. "Can you? Do it again now and we'll stop."
Her face flamed and her lips thinned. She twisted her forearm, straining muscles, but he tightened his grip, prevented her from rotating away from him. He caught her other wrist to bring her hot curves against him.
"I want you to be able to do it without thinking, to be able to get away from me when I'm actually trying."
Her expression shattered. "All this time you weren't trying?" A pang of guilt hit him but he ignored it. They needed to start at the beginning and she needed to learn properly.
She jerked and pain slammed up from his knee-cap. His grip loosened for a moment and she moved, twisting her wrists and breaking his hold. She vaulted back from him, her gaze triumphant.
What the … ?
She'd actually done it. Sneaky girl kicked him in the knee and got away. Damn …
"Think you're the only one with moves?"
He stared at her in hopeless fascination. Touché. Her techniques may not be polished or professional but Charlie was plenty resourceful.
"What else you got?" She dared him with the gleam in her eye.
"Turn around."
She turned. Her long neck rose gracefully above the smooth stretch of skin on her upper back. He stepped up behind her and grasped her ponytail. She went rigid except for the slight tremble of her shoulders.
But then she moved, a hand flying behind her to grasp his t-shirt like she might fall down.
He forgot what he'd been about to show her.
He almost forgot his goddamned name.
"Aren't you going to show me your moves?" Again her words were taunting, daring but he felt the moment she melted into the heat that generated whenever they touched. She went liquid against him. Moved restlessly.
"I need you to kiss me."
He remember her words. "No woman wants to feel repulsive." Is that why she toyed with him now. Did she need him to prove she was irresistible?
That she made him cross every line he'd ever had.
His grip tightened on her hair. "How can I when you're pulling out all of yours?"
"What are you talking about?" She leaned back into him.
His hand slipped from her hair and he wrapped his arm around her middle. "You had the balls to walk right up to me in the middle of a bar and demand I kiss you."
Her ribs expanded under his arm.
"So if there's something you want from me, you'd best come right out and ask for it."
Her hand flattened between them.
He pulled her in tighter against him, let her feel the need crushing though him, and it was only the fact that she'd only known him for a day when he'd wanted her for a fucking month, that stopped him from showing her exactly how painful that wait had been.
She covered his arm with hers bearing back for a moment, before sliding herself from his grasp.
She held his gaze, arousal thick in her expression, but weariness rife in her stance, as though she couldn't trust what she wanted.
As though she couldn't trust what he'd offered.
Fine.
She could take her time. He'd waited a month already, he'd give her a few more days before he'd have to convince her.
"I need to get to work." She backed away.
He watched her retreat. "So do I."
***
Where was Lia?
Charlie eyed her PA's empty desk on her way into the office. Lia didn't do late. She checked her phone. There weren't any messages.
She frowned and put her things away. Connor folded his too-large body into the chair on the other side of her desk.
"You just going to stare at me all day?
He stretched his legs out in front of him. "I could always stand behind you if you'd prefer."
Heat exploded over her. Behind her, like he'd been before when he'd demanded she ask for what she wanted.
What was his game?
Who knew what Frank had asked him to do to get to her. A high-pitched shriek came from the other side of the door.
Connor flew to his feet, and yanked open her office before she could catch a breath.
She followed him to the small reception outside her office.
"I'm so sorry." Lia dropped her handbag onto her desk, a squirming bundle of curls in her arms. "I didn't know what to do with him." She set down her son Xavier. "My mom is in the hospital and I didn't have anyone else to ask to take him."
"Is she okay?" Charlie approached the reception.
"She will be." Lia ran a hand over her own curls, which were far more unruly than usual. "Kidney stones."
"What is this?" The voice came out of nowhere.
Charlie groaned inwardly as Frank came into view. "It's fine. Nothing that concerns you."
Frank stepped closer to the three-year-old, who chose that unfortunate moment to tip over a container from the desk.
Paper clips scattered across the floor.
"Children are only permitted to attend work on parent days."
"M-my, mother is unwell. "Lia's gaze darted after her son who'd crawled under the desk.
He eyed the mess. "Then you'll need to take a leave day."
An unpaid leave day.
She'd used up all her paid leave. Single parenting could do that.
Charlie bit her cheek.
Lia couldn't afford to be taking unpaid leave.
"Then I guess Benjamin and Lily are no longer coming by tomorrow?" Charlie stared at her uncle. "Since children are only permitted on parent days."
Frank's gaze snapped to hers.
She hadn't wanted to drag her cousin's children into this. They may be Frank's grandkids but she loved having them stop by as much as he did. Even if they did tend to linger for hours.
But what's good for the goose and all of that.
"Thought so," she said.
Truth was, Lia was a capable multi-tasker. As long as Xavier had a contained space to play in she'd manage just fine until she figured something else out.
"Respectfully, this is my office and my PA." She turned to Lia. "When we're done take my office. Xavy can play in there, just make sure to use the headset today for noise reduction. Miranda at the front desk has coloring books."
Charlie turned back to her office opened the door and held out her hand. Frank stood for a moment, resistant, then smoothed his tie and went through. Connor strode through next.
She pushed the door closed.
"I've come for your answer." Frank said, his back to her.
Charlie almost laughed. "Answer implies a choice."
"You could always take some leave yourself." He turned to her.
He was so freaking evil. How were they from the same gene pool?
Her dad's face flashed in her mind and she sobered. Dad hadn't been so different before his stroke.
All consuming ambition.
He'd had his good points. He'd done his best when Mom left with her fitness instructor and started family number two. It broke his heart but that can happen when you don't speak to a spouse other than to issue an order. She'd witnessed her mother's despair every time she'd tried to get his attention and failed.
"That won't be necessary." She glanced at Connor. "I can handle one bodyguard."
Connor shifted subtly. Had he actually worried she'd refuse?
"Glad you came around." His smile flattened and he left her office. He'd won but he'd lost too.
She looked at Connor. "Thanks for not telling him about last night."
His expression remained impassive. "He'll hear about it on Monday."
Her eyes stretched. Was he kidding? He'd still be reporting on her. "What happened to those guys anyway? Won't I need to make a statement?"
"Mark will come by this morning to take a statement from you."
"Mark?"
"The cop." His gaze twitched away. "Detective."
Hmm. Interesting. "You used to be a cop didn't you?"
He refocused on her. "Detective."
"And you worked with Mark?"
His face turned slightly to the side, eyeing her, and she saw right there in that movement the cop he'd been before. So suspicious. "I did."
A squeal rang out. Xavier. They'd better give him the room before someone in the adjoining offices complained. Charlie collected her laptop and headed out.