Waking Up with the Boss by Sheri Whitefeather Page A

you want me to come over for real? Or are we only fantasizing about it?
    He popped off a quick, Yes, I want u to come over. For real.
    She released the breath in her lungs and replied, Give me a few minutes.
    To think about it?
    To come over. She didn’t want to keep thinking about it. She just wanted to be with him.
    He wrote, Excited to see u.
    She was excited, too. And she wanted to look refreshed, to comb her hair and reapply her lipstick.
    Before this went any further, she asked, Do you have what we’ll need? They couldn’t do this without protection.
    Yes , he told her. It’s not a problem.
    Then I’ll be there soon , she wrote.
    I’ll be waiting , he replied.
    Unlock the door on your side , she reminded him.
    I will came his reply.
    If Carol was the brazen sort, she would untie the front of her dress, take a seductive selfie and send it to him. But she wasn’t that kind of girl. Already, she was stepping outside of her comfort zone. But she wasn’t going to back out. She was going through with this, no matter how nervous she was.
    She went into the bathroom to freshen up, warning herself to relax. Not that it would change anything. Calm or nervous. Shy or bold. She was going to make love with her boss.
    And she needed to be with Jake tonight. She needed to finish what they’d started at the beach, to feel his aroused body next to hers, to kiss him with unbridled lust, to rake her nails down his back.
    Once she looked presentable, Carol walked over to the doors that divided them. A few breathless beats later, she crossed the threshold.
    Jake was waiting for her, just as he said he would be. He looked tall and dark and stunning: wearing no shirt, no shoes, just his trousers. By now, she was barefoot, too.
    Their gazes met, and he smiled, as if he was about to commit a secret little crime.
    But he was, wasn’t he?
    Mesmerized, she moved closer. There were so many facets to that smile, so many ways in which it defined him.
    â€œWhat kind of trouble did you get into?” she asked, reaching out to skim his jaw, her fingers igniting from the feeling.
    He leaned into her touch. “What are you talking about?”
    â€œWhen you were young,” she explained.
    He shrugged, lifting his shoulders, as if he were knocking the weight of her curiosity off them. “The usual.”
    To her, there was nothing usual about getting into trouble. She’d done everything in her power to toe the line, to be the kind of kid who didn’t make waves. “Did you ever do anything really bad?”
    â€œWhat do you mean? Like break the law?”
    She nodded and waited for him to reply. She couldn’t begin to guess if he had a juvenile record. At the moment, all she knew was how dangerous he still seemed, all grown-up.
    â€œYes,” he said. “I got caught once.”
    â€œDoing what?”
    â€œIt isn’t important now.”
    â€œIt is to me.” To understand the boy he once was, to make love with the sexually charged man he’d become.
    He took her in his arms. “We can talk about it later.”
    He was right. This wasn’t the time to discuss it. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the sweet flutter of letting him hold her.
    Then Jake ruggedly whispered, “I want to strip you. Tell me I can. Tell me to do it.”
    With a jolt of excitement, she opened her eyes and looked into his. “Yes, do it. As fast as you want.”
    He didn’t hurry, even if she’d just given him permission. Ever so gently, he removed the body veil that was draped around her dress. The fabric fell away, drifting to the floor. He continued his quest, untying the sarong. As he unwrapped the dress, she struggled to steady herself.
    â€œIt’s okay,” he said. “You won’t fall. I’ve got you.”
    She was already falling, tumbling into a highly forbidden zone. He tossed her sarong over a chair, and Carol did her darnedest not to