An electronic sound beeped from the desk. My eyes shot open and my hands fell from his head.
“Shit,” Vincent cursed, running one hand through his hair and straightening his suit with the other.
He walked over to the desk and pressed a button on his phone. “Vincent, your three thirty is here. Should I send him in?”
“Give me another five minutes,” he said into the speakerphone before looking back at me. “I’m sorry about the interruption. We can pick this up after work. I’ll be done at five.”
I stared at my surroundings, lightheaded. My skirt was just inches away from exposing my damp panties. I sat up quickly, smoothing it back over my legs. What the hell did I just do? I’d never lost my senses like that before and I was both mortified and furious with myself. This was completely inappropriate and unprofessional.
I got up to leave with what dignity I had left.
“Kristen, are you okay?”
I took a deep breath to control my temper. “This was a mistake Mr. Sorenson. It shouldn’t have happened and I apologize for my part.”
“Mistake?” His brows furrowed.
“I wasn’t thinking clearly and you took advantage of it. We can still move on and pretend like it never happened, or I can transfer you to Richard—” My nails dug into the palms of my hands.
He let out a frustrated breath, shaking his head. “I’m not working with anyone else but you. I thought that was settled.”
“Look, I admitted I’m attracted to you, but we shouldn’t have acted on it. You’re a client for Christ’s sake. You caught me off guard and I was confused.” I tried to make it sound as convincing as I could, but he didn’t look like he was buying.
He stooped to pick up the paperwork and my work bag. As he walked over to me, I scrambled to my feet. My heels felt wobbly, and I took a step back, worried he was going to kiss me again.
He eyed me darkly, “Are you sleeping with anyone?”
He just wasn’t going to give up. “No, but I don’t—”
“Then there was no mistake. Stop apologizing, and stop denying what happened. We both wanted it.” His brows narrowed, his gaze was intense. It was clear we were both exasperated, but for very different reasons. “If you still think you’re confused, I’ll make you a bet: before this week is done, you’ll be touching yourself while thinking about me.”
His casual reference to my masturbation routine left me shocked and wordless. Though I was no prude, I hadn’t talked openly about touching myself to anyone but Riley and certainly not with any men I’d dated. And I wasn’t even dating Vincent!
He watched my shocked expression as if waiting for me to speak, but I couldn’t think of a coherent response.
“Right now I have a meeting. What I said earlier stands. If you’re not my point of contact, I’m not doing business with Waterbridge-Howser.” He gave me the signed contract and guided me to the door, his hand at the small of my back. I didn’t have the energy to fight it. “This isn’t over Kristen. We’ll discuss later.”
When I stepped out of the office, no one seemed to notice my shellshock or even pay me any attention. I let out a deep breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding and checked my reflection in the glass wall, one eye trained on the office staff. The collar of my blouse had been turned upwards and I quickly folded it down. I ran my hands over my skirt to smooth out the wrinkles, but my panties were a lost cause. I’d have to pick up a spare on the way back or do without for the rest of the day. As I ran my fingers through my hair, I could see my face was a shameful red in my reflection.
The sooner I got out of there the better. That kiss was a mistake that might cost me more than my career. Now that Vincent had seen the effect he had on me, I had a nagging feeling he wouldn’t stop until he had exactly what he wanted.
I studied my face in the Waterbridge-Howser bathroom mirror again, searching for traces of what happened in Vincent’s office. It still didn’t look right. For the third time, I wiped off my lipstick and reapplied. It had to look fresh, like I decided to redo it after getting the contract in anticipation of the big celebration. This was a huge deal. I should be happy.
During the walk back to the office, I’d decided I was going to remain his point of contact. Nervous as it made me, landing Vincent would be huge for my career. I couldn’t let that opportunity slide. Even if I’d just let something almost unthinkable happen. A client had kissed me, and I had reciprocated. I knew he expected it to happen again, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to resist his potent sexual energy. It was irritating that a bad boy like him could have such an effect on me. Hadn’t I told Riley I liked nice and caring guys?