Velvet Kisses(18)
I don’t recall favoring any particular booth. Saxons was a regular haunt of ours that also regularly took a hit on my credit card because apparently truffles are the gold standard of food.
“Yes, that’d be great. See you then.” I nod, pretending to bury my nose in paperwork as she shuttles herself out the door.
One dinner won’t hurt. Hell, it might even get my mind off Ms. Jackson for five solid minutes. It turns out I’ve got a boner to contend with myself, and there isn’t any way that Monica is going to alleviate what’s panning out to be one very young, very damn beautiful craving.
* * *
“Knock knock,” a sweet voice emits from the door. It’s been a half hour since HR sent up the warning. I was beginning to think she got lost on the way. She. I automatically assumed it was a woman. I’m pretty disappointed in myself for that. But, nonetheless, I’m right.
“Come in.” I stand to greet her.
“I would have been here sooner, but I ran into—”
I give a hard blink in the event the apparition that’s been haunting my daydreams has somehow manifested in front of me.
“Marley?”
“Wyatt?” Her eyes spring open wide.
Another beat of confusion ticks by before I circle around my desk and motion her to the seat before me.
“Um?” She points to the door before shutting it. “So this is your office?” Her hair is glossy, smooth as silk today—much paler in hue than I remember. Her eyes are dusted blue, the same color of the sky just before a storm.
“This is it.” For now. “So are you temping?”
“No, actually yes—my friend Laney, her husband got me the job.”
“Ryder.” My jaw tightens. Something in me doesn’t want Ryder or Bryson or any of the other testicle-wielding idiots that work around here to lay a single eye on her—even if they are married. Not that Ryder or Bryson are idiots, but for some reason I’ve elevated Marley to something private—a character I dreamed up in my mind all for myself. I like the idea of that on a perverse level. “Please, take a seat.” I lean against the desk wondering what to do with this.
“Look”—she hesitates—“I really need a job.” She shakes her head, her eyes suddenly glassy and pleading. “You see, I’m not exactly living it up over at the dorm. There’s an unlawful amount of ramen going on over there if you know what I mean, and every now and again a girl likes to sink her teeth into something meaty.” She swallows hard as her gaze rides up and down my body.
A dark laugh rumbles from me. “My ego appreciates the fact you haven’t lost your appetite for the meatier things in life.”
“Yeah, well, the offer still stands.” She gives a weak smile, sinking deep into the seat. “My article could certainly use a—”
“Guinea pig?”
She averts her eyes as if the concept were deplorable. “Subject. A willing subject.”
“What’s the news with the boyfriend?” I head to the mini fridge and pluck out a water for the both of us.
“Ex-boyfriend. Due to the spectacular amount of foreign assets he’s familiarized himself with, his offer has since been revoked.”
“His loss, those velvet cuffs held an unordinary amount of promise.”
Marley loosens with a laugh. “That they did.” She gives a less-than-innocent shrug. A dimple cuts in just shy of her lips, and I’d like nothing more than to sink my tongue into it. “And they still can.”
“Marley.” I scoot into my desk, trying to hide the blooming ache in my pants. This might be the reaction Monica was hoping to elicit, but it’s Marley who’s getting the rise out of me. “I’m essentially your boss now.” Things have taken a turn for the worst. Not only was I feeling older than dirt around her, but the fact she’s my doe-eyed secretary doesn’t exactly spell out match made in heaven. More like a match made in human resources litigation hell once I’m slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit. And don’t for a minute think it’s not coming. “Our relationship is now relegated to the work environment. It begins and ends right here in this office.” I lay it down thick in my heavy authoritative voice, and her cheeks brighten like peppers.
“I’m okay with keeping things behind these four walls if you are.” She straightens while putting on a pair of dark rimmed glasses as if she were ready to make a business proposition. “I’m not looking for roses and chocolate. I’m looking for a man, someone strong, hot as hell like you, who’s willing to test out a few theories with me, that’s all.”