Tempted in the City by Jo Leigh Page B

work, but because he’d been awake most of the night.
    It wasn’t that he’d kissed her. Well, yeah, that was part of it. But hell, he’d wanted to do that for a while. But his exit? Clumsy didn’t come close. He’d acted like an idiot. Left her standing alone on her rooftop. He’d practically flown down the stairs, and when he made it to the street, he’d grabbed the first cab he saw to take him home. He didn’t even live that far away, but he was afraid he’d walk in the wrong direction or take the wrong train.
    Jesus.
    He’d had a couple drinks first thing upon arriving at his place. Stopped himself from having several more. Oblivion would have been welcome, but the hangover would not. That kind of reckless behavior would have been borderline acceptable before he was boss, but now he had to toe the line.
    Which would have been a clever thing to think about before he’d kissed a client.
    All he’d had to do, if the situation was so desperate, was ask Luca to take over for him until George was free. Instead, he’d listened to her garden plans, of which he couldn’t remember one single detail, behaved like an imbecile and fled as if he’d been set on fire.
    At least the humiliation had stopped his burgeoning erection. By the time he’d climbed into the cab, he was reasonably sure he’d never get hard again.
    Which turned out to be yet another stupid assumption.
    Despite swearing that he would think only of Rita as he shook one off in the shower, the moment he’d touched himself, Rita hadn’t crossed his mind again. Christ. And she could be coming back through town anytime.
    Maybe sex with Rita was the answer.
    God, wouldn’t that be great, if it worked?
    Although, at around three this morning, he’d found himself with his hand on his dick once again, and yeah, it was all about Catherine in that black skirt and white blouse.
    At least he’d come up with a plan. Which was why, at just after one in the afternoon, he was standing outside the United Nations visitors’ entrance, typing in a text.
    He tried to imagine where Catherine was. What her office looked like. What she did. Luca said something about her being a translator. But Catherine hadn’t said and Tony hadn’t asked. So much for avoiding personal questions and staying professional. Here he was, with no idea if she was even in one of the buildings he faced. Was she in the big tower or the general assembly? Already out to lunch?
    After hitting Send, he walked for a bit. Paced, actually, iPhone in hand. When he caught an older man staring at him, he stopped. Bad place to look suspicious.
    His phone beeped and he opened the reply.
    Hi. I’m just leaving. I’ll meet you out front.
    He thought about texting back, but that seemed lame. She was on her way. He hadn’t asked her to lunch. Not yet. He wanted to speak to her in person. See what kind of reaction she’d have at his surprise appearance.
    Maybe five minutes later, he caught sight of her. Catherine wasn’t alone. Her companion was a man in a suit. Who looked like he belonged next to her. As they got closer, Tony wasn’t all that crazy about the way Catherine laughed at something suit-guy had said. Shit. He might be a delegate. Clearly someone important. Elegant.
    Very much in keeping with Catherine’s sophistication. She always seemed to hold her back straight, her head high. Her honey-blond hair was pinned up, her blouse almost the color of her blue-gray eyes, and her pants an invitation to look slowly from her flat stomach down her long legs.
    At least Tony had pulled himself together before she spotted him.
    He should have called her. Her voice would have told him so much more than a text. Maybe she’d have given him a heads-up about the guy. Boyfriend? She’d told him she wasn’t engaged, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t seeing someone.
    More than likely, she was