details of her trip and he thought of Ainsley in Manhattan. Steven was pleased with Dinah’s plan of action. She’d check in daily, but he didn’t like to micromanage unless things were going poorly. He hired the best people so he didn’t have to do their jobs for him.
It was midnight when he was ready to leave the office. And he took a moment to log in to his personal e-mail account. He wanted Ainsley. And he wanted her to be thinking of him.
He wanted to disturb her workday the way she had his. Because although he’d been focused on work, she’d been like a shadow in his mind making him wonder what herday was like. It was five in the morning in Manhattan and he wanted her first thought to be of him and their date.
He composed an e-mail to her. Taking his time with his words because he wanted every moment between now and the time they were face-to-face again to be a slow seduction.
I can’t stop thinking about you. The feel of your lips under mine and the scent of your perfume lingers in the air around me. Be safe in New York.
Steven
He could have written more, but he preferred to be subtle. He’d learned early in life that small gestures often had a deeper impact that big, flashy ones.
He hit Send and left the office. The streets in the financial district weren’t busy and he made his way easily though the traffic, which was a good thing because he found himself thinking of Ainsley next to him in his car.
The scent of her perfume hung in the air; it was almost as if she were there. He shook his head, hoping to dislodge the thoughts of her and find his peace again.
Once he got home and undressed, he lay naked in his king-size bed and groaned. He remembered the feel of her curvy body against his and the taste of her mouth under his.
Ainsley had a hard time adjusting to the time change. She’d gone to bed at six p.m. yesterday and gotten up at five. She had a lot of meetings to attend and would be getting as much work done as possible.
Freddie had accompanied her, since he was her right-hand man. They had always worked together as a team, and even though she was the boss that relationship—the closeness of it—had remained.
He kept odd hours, though, and she doubted he’d be awake now. So she called room service and ordered a pot of coffee and fiber cereal and fruit for breakfast. She wanted to order the New York cheesecake with strawberry sauce and in the old days she would have, but she forced out the word muesli and hung up before she could give in and order something fattening.
It was silly, but she was constantly battling with food. She had talked to her leader about it when she’d been on Weight Watchers full time and Marianne had suggested that she used food to cope with life.
Ainsley knew that was true. She’d been overweight most of her life and then at college, when she’d been on her own, she’d found comfort in doughnuts and carbs. Before she knew it, she was obese. That had helped with her studies. Had made it so much easier to focus on her education because most men weren’t in the least bit interested in her.
It had been almost three months since she’d been tempted by a sweet like the cheesecake. And she knew that it was because of Steven.
He was making her feel unsure of herself, and she had always combated those feelings with food. It didn’t help matters that she knew if she were fat he probably wouldn’t have even noticed her. Ugh, this was making her crazy— he was making her crazy.
When she closed her eyes, she could still see his face as he’d kissed her. And she wanted to be a girl worthy of his attention. She wanted him not to be disappointed in her. But she was afraid that wouldn’t be the case.
She had lost all her weight by dieting, not by exercising. So even though she was slim now, she still had parts that weren’t as fit and toned as those of someone who hit the gym every day, twice a day.
What if he saw her naked and changed his mind about
It was midnight when he was ready to leave the office. And he took a moment to log in to his personal e-mail account. He wanted Ainsley. And he wanted her to be thinking of him.
He wanted to disturb her workday the way she had his. Because although he’d been focused on work, she’d been like a shadow in his mind making him wonder what herday was like. It was five in the morning in Manhattan and he wanted her first thought to be of him and their date.
He composed an e-mail to her. Taking his time with his words because he wanted every moment between now and the time they were face-to-face again to be a slow seduction.
I can’t stop thinking about you. The feel of your lips under mine and the scent of your perfume lingers in the air around me. Be safe in New York.
Steven
He could have written more, but he preferred to be subtle. He’d learned early in life that small gestures often had a deeper impact that big, flashy ones.
He hit Send and left the office. The streets in the financial district weren’t busy and he made his way easily though the traffic, which was a good thing because he found himself thinking of Ainsley next to him in his car.
The scent of her perfume hung in the air; it was almost as if she were there. He shook his head, hoping to dislodge the thoughts of her and find his peace again.
Once he got home and undressed, he lay naked in his king-size bed and groaned. He remembered the feel of her curvy body against his and the taste of her mouth under his.
Ainsley had a hard time adjusting to the time change. She’d gone to bed at six p.m. yesterday and gotten up at five. She had a lot of meetings to attend and would be getting as much work done as possible.
Freddie had accompanied her, since he was her right-hand man. They had always worked together as a team, and even though she was the boss that relationship—the closeness of it—had remained.
He kept odd hours, though, and she doubted he’d be awake now. So she called room service and ordered a pot of coffee and fiber cereal and fruit for breakfast. She wanted to order the New York cheesecake with strawberry sauce and in the old days she would have, but she forced out the word muesli and hung up before she could give in and order something fattening.
It was silly, but she was constantly battling with food. She had talked to her leader about it when she’d been on Weight Watchers full time and Marianne had suggested that she used food to cope with life.
Ainsley knew that was true. She’d been overweight most of her life and then at college, when she’d been on her own, she’d found comfort in doughnuts and carbs. Before she knew it, she was obese. That had helped with her studies. Had made it so much easier to focus on her education because most men weren’t in the least bit interested in her.
It had been almost three months since she’d been tempted by a sweet like the cheesecake. And she knew that it was because of Steven.
He was making her feel unsure of herself, and she had always combated those feelings with food. It didn’t help matters that she knew if she were fat he probably wouldn’t have even noticed her. Ugh, this was making her crazy— he was making her crazy.
When she closed her eyes, she could still see his face as he’d kissed her. And she wanted to be a girl worthy of his attention. She wanted him not to be disappointed in her. But she was afraid that wouldn’t be the case.
She had lost all her weight by dieting, not by exercising. So even though she was slim now, she still had parts that weren’t as fit and toned as those of someone who hit the gym every day, twice a day.
What if he saw her naked and changed his mind about
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