Star Struck(BBW Rocker Romance)(9)

Arms folded, Ethan was leaning against the wall and watching her with an amused slant to his lazy smile. “Our last stylist Fiona – the one we fired so I can hire your boss. Now Fiona’s great idea was to continue the whole grunge look, which I must say worked pretty well for me these past few years. She wasn’t very original though, so we let her go.”

“Maybe it worked in the past,” Mandy muttered, flinging the items aside with distaste. “But trust me, you won’t be paying us to style you to look like you just rolled out of bed; wrinkles, stains, and all.” Mandy picked up a huge leather belt with an equally sizeable metal skull buckle. She shook her head and couldn’t help thinking how much work Jessica had on her hands.

And on my hands too, Mandy thought as she remembered Jessica’s warning. “This could be your big break – the chance to prove your worth,” Jessica had said just that morning. “Not many get this opportunity so soon in their careers. For some reason Ethan has a thing for you – I’m not even sure what the fuck that means. But I’m going to take a chance and let you handle the one week Vegas tour on your own. I’ll focus on Ethan’s new wardrobe and his outfit for the award ceremony next month. You just do what you need to do to keep him happy and on our client list.”

Ethan has a thing for you, Jessica had said. Mandy didn’t want to think about whether her boss was way off mark or simply astute. Not that it mattered. Mandy intended to focus only on the task at hand and keep Ethan at a distance as much as possible…

Mandy was so engrossed in thinking about how much responsibility had been placed so unexpectedly on her shoulders that she hadn’t even noticed Ethan had moved. It took a few moments to sense the presence of solid heat behind her. Suddenly, she felt Ethan’s lips brushing across the back of her neck.

Mandy froze, holding up a pair of black leather pants. Her fingers now clenched around the slick fabric, with only her eyes shifting as she felt the unmistakable pressure of lips trailing over the side of her throat.

“What…are you doing, Ethan?” she asked, frantic. When she dared to turn her head to the side, she could see him in the mirror that ran alongside the closet wall. Ethan wasn’t touching her, but he stood close behind so that she could feel each swell and dip of his tall, granite-hard frame. With just his lips he teased her, barely making contact with her skin.

“Ethan?” Mandy said again, still not moving. Her voice stayed calm even though deep inside, her heart was pounding, her stomach flip-flopping, her breath catching in her throat. A million thoughts flew through her brain like a Rolodex of possibilities. Should she scream at him, rush out? Would she screw up her career if she left? Would her boss fire her?

And then the burning question floated in the air between them. Passion blanketed every logical thought.

Did she even want to leave?

Beneath her skirt and just at the juncture of her thighs, a moist heat was rising.

“Your perfume. You.” Ethan’s voice was raspy and she couldn’t see his face. The long curtain of his blond hair shielded him from view. “Driving me insane.”

She was experienced enough to have felt his attraction to her from the first time they’d met. But then, she also knew that for a man like Ethan, seducing a woman he’d just met was a knee-jerk reaction, nothing more. She was certainly nothing special and she knew it. She was average at best. Ethan could have any woman he desired…surely he didn’t really desire her?

“I know you’re no good for me. But I’m not sure I can control myself when I’m around you,” Ethan was saying, his voice a growling whisper. Her upswept hair gave him easy access to her neck and throat, and he trailed wispy kisses over her now-burning nape. His hands remained at his sides but she felt his powerful presence as though she was being branded with his fiery, possessive kisses.

“I’m no good for you?” Mandy retorted, staring at his reflection, wishing she could move or that he’d look at her. But damn, it felt so good to have Ethan standing behind her, his tall lean frame a perfect backdrop for her curvy figure.

“No good,” Ethan replied without looking up. “I’m twisted. You’re not.”

Her nipples peaked beneath her shirt, making her feel vulnerable and exposed. Mandy shifted, still barely moving, struggling to respond. “You’re my client, and I am seeing someone. So whatever you have in mind…whatever this is…it should stop.”

There, she said it. She did what she was supposed to do. Though it wasn’t at all what she wanted to do.