Cat on the Fence (3 page)

She cocked her head at him. “Well, wouldn’t you know it, but
those are usually the kind of people who work at a zoo.”

He winced inwardly, wishing he’d kept his comment to
himself. “Right,” he said quietly, glancing awkwardly at the tabletop. Would he
belong here? He’d been hoping that once this three-month contract was up they’d
officially hire him. He was new to Chicago and the place felt so big and cold
compared to Detroit. But the job market in Chicago looked much brighter than
Detroit, and it wasn’t as if there was anything—or even anyone—keeping him warm
back home in Michigan. So Alex made the move to Illinois in hopes of better
opportunities, both professionally and personally.

This zoo right in the middle of the big, bright, busy city
seemed like a misfit, just like him. And the people who worked in it acted like
a family. Something he’d never had—a family. He’d thought he wanted to work at
a place like this. Perhaps he’d been mistaken. He liked animals okay, he
supposed, but now he was wondering if he liked them
enough
.They
were cool and all, however at the end of the day they were just animals to him.
Maybe he wouldn’t fit in here either.

But then he caught a sparkle in Karabi’s eyes. It was brief
but he’d seen it. It gave him some certainty that the attraction he felt for
her was mutual. He made up his mind right then and there that he wanted to fit
in here. For reasons that were inexplicable to him, he wanted to fit in with
her
.

He smiled but crossed his arms and spoke in a firm tone. “So
let me get this straight. You don’t want to cut expenses, you don’t want to let
go of people, you don’t want to get rid of any animals and you don’t want a
fundraiser. Just how do you propose we find enough room in the budget for what’s
needed for the lions?”

“We could get rid of you, for starters.”

He smirked. “I thought you just said we weren’t getting rid
of anyone?”

She scoffed and turned up her nose. “That doesn’t apply to
pesky consultants who can’t see past dollar signs.”

He arched an eyebrow and let the left corner of his mouth
curl upward. “Are you trying to get rid of me already, Miss Minstry?”

“Well, I can’t exactly say I want you here.”

“You don’t want me? Period?” Alex leaned downward so he
could meet her at eye level. He let his gaze roam over her body—whose curves
even that ugly-ass sweater couldn’t completely hide—lingering for a moment on
the swell of her full breasts. “Or just not here? Perhaps you want me someplace
else?” He said it plainly but he gave her a smoldering look that he knew would
make it clear his double entendre was fully intended. There was a specific kind
of response he was expecting—her being thrown off guard, maybe even a little
flustered or embarrassed, but either way ready to be more amenable on reaching
an agreement. But what he got was completely unexpected. She uncrossed her arms
and leaned in even closer. “That depends,” she said, encroaching upon him until
their faces were just inches apart—so close he could almost see his own
reflection in her eyes, smell the cherry gloss that glistened on her lips. “On
if you’re ever going to show me that you’ve got something worth wanting.”

His cock leapt in his pants, volunteering to put on a show
just for her. Alex’s throat went dry and he fixated on her moist mouth for a
moment, contemplating crushing it with his. Then he realized his plan was
backfiring.
He
was the one being thrown off guard. Looking away, he
cleared his throat and straightened his back to regain his composure.

“You keep—” He coughed again when he heard how strained his
voice was. “You keep rebuffing every idea I throw out. How about you tell me
what it is
you
think we should do?”

“Certainly we can find more funds from other areas of the
budget. Isn’t there an emergency fund? An investment account? Some savings?”

He shook his head. “Emergency fund is gone, long-term
investments are on the decline and the zoo has funds in savings planned for
other upcoming mandatory expenses.”

“What about donations?”

“You’re bleeding money
now
, and it’s fresh after the
holiday. I wouldn’t recommend relying solely on donations for this. What else
have you got?”

He watched the way she frowned and wrinkled her nose while
in thought. “Do we really need four extra caretakers for the cub? I’m willing
to put in twenty-four-hour days here until Kimba and Musaka recover. Between
myself and just one other dedicated person, we could be all that is needed.”

“That’s very generous of you. But it’s impractical. And not
desirable.”

“Not desirable for who, you?”

“Not desirable for the lions, actually. That would require
your complete efforts and energy toward the injured cats, taking your needed
attention from all of the other ones for months. I’d imagine the mother that is
now missing a cub will be a bit agitated about that, right? You neglecting them
right now wouldn’t be good. Not to mention, it doesn’t sound like the best idea
for your well-being, either.”

“Yeah but with proper planning, I—”

“Weren’t you just saying that all of the brilliant planning
in the world couldn’t make up for a shortage of personnel?”

She stared at him for a moment, her twisted mouth softening
just a bit. “You’re right,” she said with a sigh, gently shaking her head in
frustration. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“See, I
am
thinking about what’s best for the
animals.”

Karabi rolled her eyes. “Sure, this time.”

“So what else have you got?”

“We could hire a financial advisor who doesn’t suck?”

He smirked. “If you’re trying to hurt my feelings, that won’t
work. I don’t take offense easily.”

“I get it, you’re made of steel.”

“Pretty much, actually.” He grinned. “Sounds as though you’re
out of clever ideas. So how about that ball?”

She looked caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “I guess
I’m fine with it.”

“Okay then.” He grinned. “A zoo ball it is. I’m so happy we
could reach an agreement on this.”

“I bet you are,” she grumbled as she headed toward the door.
“You got what you wanted.” Her voice was gravelly with defeat and irritation
yet it somehow managed to provoke him even further. He dropped all professional
pretenses and closed in on her, put one hand on the door, trapping her between
it and his body. He leaned in, his body entering the personal heat that
surrounded hers. He stood so close, the tips of her breasts pressed against him
as he stared down into those big brown pools of temptation.
Got what I
wanted?
He laughed to himself. She had no
idea
what he really
wanted. Although he knew it was unprofessional and inappropriate, he felt compelled
to solicit her, to give her an invitation. He couldn’t seem to help himself. “Is
that what you think, Miss Minstry? That I got what I wanted?” His lips were so
close to hers he could have tasted that sweet gloss if he’d just stuck out his
tongue. “Because I mean… I did accomplish the goal and reached an agreement
with you. And you got the quick end to this meeting that you were looking for.
But I’m not so sure either of us got what we really
wanted
.”

She cocked her head, and waves of her long, soft black hair
brushed his hand and forearm. “I still can’t say I want you…here.” She gave him
a look so smoldering, his dick swelled in his pants. But then she ducked from
under him, opened the door and walked out of the conference room without
looking back, giving a wink, beckoning him to follow or any clear indication of
how he was supposed to interpret her last sentence.

When minutes went by and she was long gone, he wondered why
he was still standing there, half erect and completely bewildered, over a woman
he’d just met a little over an hour ago.

When the taxi pulled up to the curb just outside Willis
Tower, Karabi froze and stared out the window. There were so many people going
toward the entrance, all in formal dress but wearing animal masks and
accessories.

Looked as though the Zoo Ball really was going to be a hit
after all.

She’d been wrong on so many counts with Alexander about this
event. She reflected on the conversation they’d had that led up to the decision
to make this a masquerade affair.

“There’s not enough time to plan for a ball,” she had said.

“We can throw the ball on Valentine’s Day.”

“That’s barely a month from now! There’s no way you can
reserve a spot and prepare and get invites out that quickly. Most events
require, like, a year’s notice.”

“Willis Tower only requires a minimum of two weeks’ notice
and they just had a cancellation. I’ve already checked.”

“And people will show up on such short notice?”

“You don’t think so? It’ll be Valentine’s Day. People are
always looking for something to do for that holiday anyway.”

“You’d have to make it a catchy gimmick,” she’d suggested. “How
about a costume ball?”

“Any kind of costume?”

“Animal costume.”

He’d scoffed. “I don’t see that happening.”

“Why not? It’s to help out injured animals. And it’s being
thrown by a zoo, for goodness’ sake.”

“I don’t know how many upper-class folks would be willing to
show up at a party downtown dressed like animals.”

“Then just make it animal masks,” Karabi had suggested.

And just like that, they’d had an animal masquerade in the
works.

Karabi had not expected Alex to be able to pull all of this
off in a month but he had. She hadn’t expected so many people to RSVP but they
had. And apparently they were here.

Which meant she was going to have to get out of the cab and
make the awkward trek into the building amongst all these people, in her
three-inch-high heels and the long, flowing, cheetah-print dress she was
wearing underneath her wool coat. Hopefully she wouldn’t fall flat on her face.

“All set, ma’am? That’ll be six seventy-five.” The driver
snapped her back to reality.

Karabi paid and thanked him, then pulled her homemade
cheetah mask down over her face. Thank goodness it was a masquerade ball. At
least no one would recognize her if she did trip over her own feet.

As soon as she got out of the cab she moved as quickly as
her wobbly legs would let her. It was cold out and the sidewalk was a little slushy
with old snow. She wanted to get indoors as soon as possible. Once she was
inside there was a long line to get on the elevators, so she had to wait. Quickly
growing hot, she took off her coat and draped it over her arm. The wait was awkward
because it looked as though everyone else there was part of a pair, whereas she
was by herself. Karabi was feeling more than a little lonely. It was Valentine’s
Day and here she was at a ball without a date. So sad.

Technically she was there to work, not spend time with a
date. She would be with the other staff members helping run the party,
including Alexander.
Alex
. Her pulse quickened a little as she thought
about him. She’d spent the past month working very closely with Alex yet trying
to emotionally keep her distance. Whenever they were in too close a proximity to
each other, sparks would fly and the mood was always hot but awkward.

Although Karabi had done her best to try to play it off, the
truth was there’d been so many times she’d thought about jumping Alex’s bones.
But she still barely knew the man. She didn’t want to look like a complete
hussy. And hadn’t she just learned her lesson about moving too fast? Plus there
was the fact that for some reason she was almost frightened to really get to
know him. He’d asked her out to lunch several times, even dinner once, but she’d
refused each time. Her legitimate excuse was always that she was too busy
working with Musaka and Kimba, or collaborating with the new temporary staff who
had come on board to help out. Alex had accepted her rejection with patience
and even consideration—at least once a week he’d brought lunch to her when she
was too busy to think about food. He’d even sat in the same room with her and eaten
within her vicinity until the smell enticed her enough to stop what she was
doing and sit down with him for a few minutes to munch.

But she hadn’t let it get too much further than that. She
couldn’t shake the fear that if she got to really know this one, she’d like him
too
much. It’d only been about six weeks since she’d broken up with Rao
and she was still kind of stinging from that. Maybe this was what it was like
to be what was called “on the rebound”? Was she only latching on to the first
new hot, intelligent person she encountered who gave her any kind of time of
day just because she was a little heartbroken? Or was it more than that?

The last time she’d seen him was a couple of days ago as
they were making the final preparations for the event. He’d asked her what she
was going to dress up as and she’d told him it would be a surprise.

“Want to know what I’m going to go as?” he’d asked.

“The financial consultant who orchestrated it all?” she’d
remarked, and he’d laughed. He’d obviously wanted more conversation with her
but she’d forced the subject to stay on work and the planning, saying she didn’t
have much time. The truth was, that day Karabi was especially horny and it had
been so hard for her to be around him when she’d wanted him
so bad
. He
looked, sounded and smelled delicious, and every time he said her name or made
eye contact, her sex grew moist. But she didn’t
want
to want him. She
didn’t want to want anyone right now. She’d rushed out of the office that
night, eager to spend time with Kimba and Musaka when it was her shift.

But Alex wasn’t an easy man to ignore. He was
intelligent—good at math, accounting and finance. Yet he was a people person,
acutely aware of others and exactly what he needed to do to charm the pants off
them. He sure knew how to throw a party too. Alex was considerate, had a sexy “bedroom-y”
voice, was honest and easy to talk to. And he had that finger-able hair and
trance-inducing eyes that wrinkled at the corners when he gave her that
winning, sexy-ass smile.

Shit. She was smitten, wasn’t she?

Karabi was still cursing herself under her breath when it
was her turn to board the elevator. Several people got on ahead of her. There
was an elephant, a peacock, a tiger and a bear. She couldn’t help but smile.
She didn’t miss the irony either that here she was—a cheetah shape-shifter
pretending to be a normal human who was pretending to be a cheetah—surrounded
by a bunch of ordinary humans pretending to be animals.

As more people piled in Karabi found herself squeezed all
the way in the back corner, near the right-hand wall. They were loading more
people onto the elevator than Karabi would have liked. She wasn’t a big fan of
crowds at all—the aroma of so many different individuals surrounding her was
overwhelming and usually made her dizzy and a little nauseated. The elevator
was jam-packed and as the people piled in in front of her she had to
continuously step back. Eventually she tripped over herself in those stupid
shoes. She fell into someone standing behind her, who caught her in his arms.

“Sorry,” she blurted without turning around, embarrassed.
She was more grateful than ever that she was wearing a mask. She tried to
straighten herself but her catcher put an arm around her waist and held her inappropriately
close.

Karabi froze. What in the hell?

She tried to turn around but the person held her so tight
she couldn’t move. She was kept upright so it appeared she was standing
normally and just waiting for the elevator doors to close.

“It’s all right, Karabi. I’ve got you,” a velvety, masculine
whisper against her ear explained softly. Seductively.

She knew that voice, knew that cologne, knew the scent of
the flesh of the man who was intermingled with that cologne. But she said his
name out loud in revelation anyway. “Alex,” she whispered back as quietly as she
could, attempting to hide her alarm.

“Mmm-hmm.” He grunted the confirmation. His mouth was still
near her ear, close enough for her to feel the vibration from his throat
reverberate throughout her eardrum, sending waves of desire all over her entire
body.
Why is this man
so
damn sexy?

With the elevator full, the operator announced he was getting
ready to close the door and everyone squeezed in even tighter, forcing Karabi
back closer still against Alex’s rigid body. The door closed and the operator
pressed the button for the ninety-ninth floor…just as Alex pressed Karabi’s
button by leaning forward and downward, moving his warm breath up and down the
length of her neck as if he were examining every inch of it, teasing her,
inhaling her.

She glanced back up at him briefly and caught sight of the tiger
mask he was wearing before she looked straight ahead again. The fact that he
had the “face of a tiger” while wearing a fancy suit added to the sexual appeal
of the entire situation for Karabi and she could barely contain herself from
breaking out in cheetah spots. She was purring softly—against her will—but
fortunately the elevator’s motor also gave off a low hum, which drowned her
out. It took everything she had to keep her legs from going wobbly as she and
Alex swayed against each other with the movement of the elevator.

The ride up was only supposed to be a little over a minute
but it was going to feel like a long way to the top.

And Karabi was going up in flames.

* * * * *

Alex’s breath quickened and his cock twitched in his pants. He’d
always suspected Karabi had the figure of a lingerie model hiding under her
bulky clothes but now it was blatantly apparent in her cheetah-print gown,
which was formfitting, low-cut and strapless at the top, and long and flowing
from her hips down. The moment she’d stepped onto the elevator, even though she
was wearing a cheetah mask that covered most of her face above her mouth, he’d
recognized her. Those curves. That long, soft dark hair. Her spicy smell. They’d
kept him distracted at work for a month now. He’d probably be able to identify
that woman if he were blind and she were a mile away.

He leaned forward to look down her dress and got an eyeful
of the tops of her round, light-brown breasts nestled enticingly in a tan
strapless bra. Then he got a whiff of her and couldn’t help but move in closer
to inhale her scent more fully. Why did she smell so fucking good? What the
hell kind of perfume was she wearing? He’d never encountered anything like it.
He hadn’t been able to help himself when she got on the elevator and fell
against him. It was as if a grilled steak had fallen into the lap of a starving
man. How long had he craved her touch? How many nights had he spent dreaming
about fucking Karabi until she cried out his name? And now he had her in his
hands, held tight against him.

His cock lifted slightly and brushed against Karabi’s firm
bottom. Then she pulled away and his body instantly went cold without her
touch. He should have left her alone. That would have been the appropriate
thing to do in an elevator full of people. But tonight he felt anything but
appropriate. He moved forward, firmly pressing his semi-erect penis against the
curve of one of her ass cheeks, making it painfully clear that he was getting a
hard-on and he wasn’t trying to hide it. In answer she moved her bottom from
side to side against his crotch, slowly. Teasing. The touch was slight but
enough to let him know that she didn’t mind the intimate contact and in fact
welcomed it.

It took seventy seconds to go to the top of Willis Tower. It
only took thirty seconds before Alex found himself with a full-on erection.

Good god, this woman turned him on. Her very essence was hot
and compelling and aroused a sensation deep inside him. Something untamed,
hungry. A need he hadn’t known was there.

He ran his hand up and down her side, exploring that part of
a woman he loved, the dip between her waist and her hip. Tracing her shape,
caressing her curves. The fact that any one of the people in the elevator with
them could turn around and see only made it even more arousing, mischievous.
They could look if they wanted to—he and Karabi were pretty much anonymous
faces in the crowd right now. He wasn’t sure he would have cared even if they
weren’t masked at the time.

Alex rubbed his palm along the satiny material of her dress,
across her leg. What had made him so bold, he didn’t know. He squeezed the
firm, slender muscle of her thigh, a little surprised by how his hand covered
most of it. She was even daintier than he’d assumed. Hard to tell with the
baggy clothes she wore all the time. But he liked the feel of her in his hand
and he caressed the length of her hip as he pulled her back against him until
her backside jutted firmly against his crotch and the top of her head was
directly beneath his chin. He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled the
smell of coconut shampoo and olive oil. Delicious. He tilted his head down and
let his lips brush against the top of her head.

Karabi responded by grinding her hips against his erection.
It was subtle, very subtle—he almost wouldn’t have noticed it if his cock hadn’t
lunged forward in his pants toward the cleavage of her bottom. He let his hand
slip forward just a little more toward the inside of her upper thigh, wanting
to trace the outline of the triangle between her legs. But she shuddered at the
touch and exhaled one quick, soft moan. Her reaction made Alex have to bite his
lip, still his hand and close his eyes to try to calm himself before he
snatched up her dress and ravished her right then and there, in the middle of
the crowded elevator.