go public?” He sounded surprised.
“It’s okay with me.”
“Really?”
“Sure.” She tried to read his expression but couldn’t. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“You could be worried about what people might think if they find out you’re sleeping with the boss.”
“I’m not. Anyone whose opinion I value knows we’ve been friends for years. It’s a non-issue.”
“This could be a momentary slip you’d rather not tell the world about.” Tension was etched in his face.
Ah, now she got it. He didn’t trust that she actually wanted more than a one-night stand. “I don’t consider it a momentary slip.”
Some of the tension eased from his expression. “Are you sure? Last night just sort of . . . happened, and I was prepared for that to be the end of it. I mean, you satisfied your curiosity, and –”
“Oh, Tony.” To heck with what she looked like. Getting up from the floor, she came over and sat next to him. “Last night wasn’t about satisfying my curiosity.” She laid a hand on his thigh.
“It wasn’t?”
“Okay, maybe a little.” She smiled at him and rubbed his thigh. Her touch got him hot and she liked watching his eyes darken. “I’d never seen you naked. That was a treat.”
“But I’m not a jock.”
“I don’t want a jock. I want a friend and a lover. I can’t make any guarantees at this point, but I think we’re off to a great start. You’ve seen what a disaster I am first thing in the morning and you’re not running for the hills.”
“A disaster?” He stared at her in disbelief. “What are you talking about? You’re beautiful!”
If she hadn’t been in love with him before, she was now. “Thank you.”
“I mean it. You’re all mussed and rosy and all I can think of is dragging you back down on that comforter and using another condom. Maybe we should call in sick. We could say we shared a meal and both came down with food poisoning.”
“No, that’s a terrible idea. It’s not the way to begin if we intend to tell everyone we’re seeing each other.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “That’s just it. I don’t want to tell them.”
“You don’t?” Now it was her turn to worry about his intentions. “Why not?”
He looked into her eyes. “This will sound dorky, but then, I’m a dork. I’ve imagined making love to you for years and now, against all odds, we’ve spent an incredible night together. It was special.”
“Yes, it was.”
“I’m not ready to share it with anyone else.”
That was reason enough for her, at least for the time being. “Okay.” She cupped his bristly face. “We’ll keep it a secret for now.”
He rested his hands on her shoulders. “The fact is, I still can’t believe any of this is real.”
“It’s real.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “I promise.”
----
T he next three days in the office were a challenge as Charlotte struggled to act as if she wasn’t having amazing sex every night with her boss. She couldn’t tell if Rylan and Frazer noticed anything different about the dynamic, but she caught Dulcie, the receptionist, giving her curious glances. No doubt Dulcie had caught Charlotte gazing at Tony’s ass when he walked down the hall.
She’d tried not to do things like that. Really she had. But she’d loved every minute of their private time together and was more than ready to let the rest of the staff know they were a couple, especially Blake Pearson. Besides Dulcie, he was the only one who seemed to sense that something was different. He didn’t exactly leer at her, but he came close a few times.
If given a choice she would have avoided him completely but she felt obligated to keep an eye on him. She didn’t want another incident with Miranda, and Dulcie could also be a target. No woman was safe with a lecherous guy like Blake around.
The weekend gave her a blessed reprieve from Blake and trying to disguise the fact she was sexually involved with Tony. They spent Saturday night
“It’s okay with me.”
“Really?”
“Sure.” She tried to read his expression but couldn’t. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“You could be worried about what people might think if they find out you’re sleeping with the boss.”
“I’m not. Anyone whose opinion I value knows we’ve been friends for years. It’s a non-issue.”
“This could be a momentary slip you’d rather not tell the world about.” Tension was etched in his face.
Ah, now she got it. He didn’t trust that she actually wanted more than a one-night stand. “I don’t consider it a momentary slip.”
Some of the tension eased from his expression. “Are you sure? Last night just sort of . . . happened, and I was prepared for that to be the end of it. I mean, you satisfied your curiosity, and –”
“Oh, Tony.” To heck with what she looked like. Getting up from the floor, she came over and sat next to him. “Last night wasn’t about satisfying my curiosity.” She laid a hand on his thigh.
“It wasn’t?”
“Okay, maybe a little.” She smiled at him and rubbed his thigh. Her touch got him hot and she liked watching his eyes darken. “I’d never seen you naked. That was a treat.”
“But I’m not a jock.”
“I don’t want a jock. I want a friend and a lover. I can’t make any guarantees at this point, but I think we’re off to a great start. You’ve seen what a disaster I am first thing in the morning and you’re not running for the hills.”
“A disaster?” He stared at her in disbelief. “What are you talking about? You’re beautiful!”
If she hadn’t been in love with him before, she was now. “Thank you.”
“I mean it. You’re all mussed and rosy and all I can think of is dragging you back down on that comforter and using another condom. Maybe we should call in sick. We could say we shared a meal and both came down with food poisoning.”
“No, that’s a terrible idea. It’s not the way to begin if we intend to tell everyone we’re seeing each other.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “That’s just it. I don’t want to tell them.”
“You don’t?” Now it was her turn to worry about his intentions. “Why not?”
He looked into her eyes. “This will sound dorky, but then, I’m a dork. I’ve imagined making love to you for years and now, against all odds, we’ve spent an incredible night together. It was special.”
“Yes, it was.”
“I’m not ready to share it with anyone else.”
That was reason enough for her, at least for the time being. “Okay.” She cupped his bristly face. “We’ll keep it a secret for now.”
He rested his hands on her shoulders. “The fact is, I still can’t believe any of this is real.”
“It’s real.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “I promise.”
----
T he next three days in the office were a challenge as Charlotte struggled to act as if she wasn’t having amazing sex every night with her boss. She couldn’t tell if Rylan and Frazer noticed anything different about the dynamic, but she caught Dulcie, the receptionist, giving her curious glances. No doubt Dulcie had caught Charlotte gazing at Tony’s ass when he walked down the hall.
She’d tried not to do things like that. Really she had. But she’d loved every minute of their private time together and was more than ready to let the rest of the staff know they were a couple, especially Blake Pearson. Besides Dulcie, he was the only one who seemed to sense that something was different. He didn’t exactly leer at her, but he came close a few times.
If given a choice she would have avoided him completely but she felt obligated to keep an eye on him. She didn’t want another incident with Miranda, and Dulcie could also be a target. No woman was safe with a lecherous guy like Blake around.
The weekend gave her a blessed reprieve from Blake and trying to disguise the fact she was sexually involved with Tony. They spent Saturday night
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