Electric! (13 page)

Multiple orgasms could do that to a girl.

When they pulled into Chase’s driveway, he cut the engine on
her SUV and rounded the front to open her door.

“Wanna tour?”

“Sure.” She was curious to see what his private space looked
like.

He showed her the open floor plan with the stunning spiral
staircase and the breathtaking views of the mountain preserve backing the
house.

“Quite the gem,” she said.

“It’s a decent size and the location is great. Not too far
from the office.”

Ah, the office.

Cassidy wrung her hands. How, exactly, were things supposed
to go tomorrow when they returned to their professional environment?

Why couldn’t this be one of Chase’s travel weeks? She’d be
less unsettled if she didn’t have to face him tomorrow in front of their
coworkers.

How would she sit across from him at the Monday morning
meeting and not think of the fact that she’d been tied up and he’d used a
vibrator and nipple clamps on her?

The room started to spin.

“How about a drink?” Chase asked, clearly unaware of her
sudden freak-out.

“Thanks, no.” She headed toward the door. “I’ve still got
some files to get through and well, you know. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She couldn’t get out of his house fast enough. She climbed
into her SUV and was off like a shot, not even checking to see if Chase had
followed her out.

Reality crashed down around her. Hard. From the onset, she’d
suspected it would. But she hadn’t given consideration to how fierce that crash
might be.

Because she’d never given consideration to how out of
control things could get with Chase.

Monday morning was right around the corner. She had to work
with this man whom she’d gotten all kinds of wicked with the past two
nights—and not blush or lose focus when she sat across from him at meetings or
went toe-to-toe with him on account issues.

Nervous anxiety compelled Cassidy to troll her Grayhawk
estates, north Scottsdale townhome and organize every square inch that was
already OCD-organized. She tossed her clothes from the weekend into the washer.
Hung her party dress in the closet. Buried the goody bag in the empty cabinet
under one of the dual bathroom sinks in her master suite.

She poured a glass of chardonnay and tried to relax. Her
body was all molten and languid, but her mind raced.

So she picked up the phone, knowing there was only one
solution to her dilemma.

“Damn, I’m glad you called,” Chase immediately said.

Cassidy sank into her favorite chair on the patio and
sighed. “That’s good to hear.”

“Really, you bailed so fast that I blinked once and you were
gone.”

“We have to work together in the morning,” she said without
preamble. “Doesn’t that weird you out?”

“No. But clearly it does you.”

Cassidy drew in a long breath.

He said, “Nothing’s different, Cass.”

She choked out a laugh. “
Everything’s
different,
Chase.”

“No. We’re exactly the two people we were two years ago,
when we first met.”

“How can you reasonably qualify that? We had sex!”

He chuckled. “More than that, we had
hot
sex.”

“Fine. Whatever.” She wasn’t about to delineate the
difference. That would mean rehashing multiple orgasms and the use of a satin
sash and a whip and… Holy Moses. She really couldn’t go there right now.

Chase said, “Chill for a sec. Give this some serious
thought. Regardless of what transpired between us up north, we’re still the
same people we’ve always been down here. We’re professionals. We’re adults.
We’re crazy about each other…”

She laughed a bit easier this time. “Well…you might have me
on a technicality there.” She relaxed a little. Sipped her wine.

“So we’ve veered off course. Taking my path, instead of yours.
Is that so bad?”

Cassidy thought of the past forty-eight hours and had to
admit that giving in to Chase and his desire
was
bad…in a really
good
way.

She just needed to learn how to sort through it all. Deal.
Not get worked up over having stepped out of her perfectly constructed and
well-maintained box.

She pulled in a few calming breaths, then said, “You’re
right. I’m just prone to mini-anxiety attacks when I do something out of my
element.”

“Sure,” he said with a smile in his voice. “I get it. Just
try to remember who you’re dealing with. I’m not going to do something stupid
to jack this up, Cass. I’ve waited too long to be with you.”

Her stomach coiled. “I know. And above all else, I
appreciate that, Chase. The truth is…
I
wouldn’t want to let
you
down.”

“Not going to happen.”

She swallowed a lump of emotion. Told herself to get a grip.
Then she said, “I should get going. I have some stuff to do before tomorrow
morning’s meeting.”

“Don’t be nervous about seeing me in the office, babe. I’m
still me.”

She grinned. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but there never
was such a thing as
just you
. Especially after I’ve seen you naked and
you did all those amazing things to me.”

He chuckled. “I’m not done.”

Her toes curled. “Okay. But I do need to go now…”

“Sure.” His tone held a hint of amusement infused with heat.
It sent a tingle along her skin. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. See you.”

* * * * *

Chase put a hell of a lot of effort into keeping his
cat-who-ate-the-canary smile from his face the next day. The morning meeting
breezed by in its usual fashion, with updates given, crises noted, subrogation
cases discussed and so on.

He hadn’t lost a client this past week, and that was damn
good news. Not that they dropped like flies by any means, but his turnover rate
wasn’t pristine. He considered Cassidy’s track record of keeping her insureds
happy and loyal, and he wondered if maybe he ought to get a few pointers from
her to help improve his odds. He could land the accounts, no problem there. But
every now and then, he received a notice of intent to not renew, and that
actually did disturb him.

He returned to his office after the meeting, deciding to
make a few phone calls to current clients, when Grace strolled in.

She had
I’ve got news you’re going to love
stamped
across her face. Grace was an attractive redhead. Svelte. Professional. Great
at her job. She didn’t bother flirting with him, though. He’d never once
encouraged that sort of behavior from her and Grace clearly didn’t stoop when
no interest in her had been extended.

Dropping a few files on the corner of Chase’s desk, she
said, “Mr. McClellan wants to have lunch with you today. I cleared your
schedule. Meet him at his office at eleven forty-five.”

Chase eyed her skeptically. “I just spoke with him at the
party on Friday night.”

She shrugged—a bit too coyly. “Maybe he’s got some good news
for you.”

He stood. “What do you know?”

“Just that he doesn’t have lunch with directors as a rule.
That must mean something positive, right?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, he said, “Or that he’s
firing me.”

“Chase!” she scoffed. “You bring in the most clients and
they’re all big accounts. No way would McClellan get rid of you.”

Grace had been with the company for over five years. She
knew a thing or two, and he generally listened when she had pearls of wisdom to
impart. Still, he mumbled, “Why does this feel fishy?”

Waving a manicured hand in the air, Grace said, “Sometimes
he has lunch with a member of the management team to praise them for their
work.”

“Sure, someone from his senior management team. I’m still
sophomore level.”

“It isn’t like you to be pessimistic.”

“It isn’t like McClellan to have lunch with a director. You
said so yourself.”

“Well.” She did the dismissive hand-waving thing again and
turned on her tall heels. “I think you’re totally taking this the wrong way.
Otherwise, I’d be packing up my desk.”

He snickered. Grace was a feisty one, but she was also loyal
and dedicated. And she always had her ear to the ground, so he tried to latch
on to the fact that he truly had brought in some serious revenue over the past
couple of years.

Maybe she was right. Maybe all McClellan wanted was to give
him a pat on the back.

Maybe.

* * * * *

Cassidy set aside her portfolios, locked her computer screen
and collected her purse. She headed toward the elevator and hit the Up button,
nervous anxiety roiling through her.

The doors slid open with a smooth
whoosh
and she
stepped inside. She pressed the button for the top floor, the one above hers,
and then pulled in a deep breath.

Before the doors shut, Chase swooped in and they jerked
apart. He stepped into the car with a sexy grin on his face. The mere sight of
him made her melt.

“Hey, there, babe.”

She cringed, despite the excitement racing through her. “Not
in the office, Chase.”

“We’re in an elevator. Alone.” He leaned in close. So close,
she inhaled his delicious scent and nearly sighed out loud from the thrill it
sent down her spine.

“Still,” she managed to say. “We don’t want to slip.”

“Oh, come on. Like everyone in this building isn’t
anticipating us hooking up? I bet there’s even a pool going.”

She flushed. “Probably.”

“Anyway,” he said with a wink, “I don’t really give a damn
if anyone knows about us. Do you?”

Given all the speculation over the past two years, she’d be
crazy to care. “I suppose not. I just want to keep things professional when
we’re in the office.”

“So I’m not allowed to grab your ass as you step out of this
elevator?”

She shot him a droll look. “I know you’re only teasing,
because you know how much decorum means to me.”

“Maybe.”

The suggestive glint in his ocean-blue eyes made her panic.

Would he?

“Chase,” she all but hissed.

“Oh relax.” He chuckled. “I’m on your side, remember? I’d
never do anything to make you feel discredited.”

She sighed. “I know. Sorry. I’m just really nervous
about…everything.”

They stepped into the huge reception area of the executive
wing, with its slight intimidation factor permeating every square foot. Sure,
Cassidy came up here each Monday morning to meet in the large conference room
with the heads of the various divisions—and Mr. McClellan himself—but she
didn’t have an office on this penthouse floor with the senior management team.
Nor would she ever.

Crossing the beige marble with Chase at her side, she smiled
at the receptionist, Tilly.

“I’ll announce you both,” Tilly said congenially.

Cassidy took a seat. Chase sat next to her. She eyed him
curiously.

“Who are you here to see, by the way?”

“McClellan. We’re having lunch. You?”

She swallowed hard. “McClellan.
We’re
having lunch.”

Chase whistled under his breath. “Interesting.”

Terrifying
would be her word choice.

What did the big cheese himself want from
both
of
them?

A bit taken aback, she mumbled under her breath, “Was I
drunk at the party and
imagined
he’d said we turned a healthy profit
again this quarter?”

“Nope. And he told me you and I were significant
contributing factors to the bottom line.”

“He said that to me too.”

So why couldn’t she breathe all of a sudden?

Because her whole life was wrapped around this job. Around
proving her worth.

“Anyway,” Chase said with a nudge of his elbow. “Looks like
we’re about to find out what this is all about.”

She glanced up and found McClellan coming down the hall. He
greeted them with formal handshakes.

“We have reservations at T. Cook’s,” he told them.

“Wonderful,” she said.

“Great,” Chase added.

Who would argue a lunch venue with the man who signed their
paychecks?

McClellan led them to the bank of elevators. Cassidy’s
stomach churned as the reason for the impromptu meeting ate at her.

When they reached the ground floor, they crossed to the tall
glass doors and arrived at the curb where a sleek Bentley limo awaited them.
The men allowed Cassidy to slip in first. They followed her and she tried to
bring her anxiety down a few notches.

What did McClellan want with
both
of them?

She stole a glance at Chase and it suddenly dawned on her.

Oh shit!

McClellan knew about them! Somehow he’d figured out they’d
hooked up over the weekend and he was going to make a big fuss about it being
against company policy and then he was going to fire them!

She gripped her purse in her lap, her knuckles turning
white.

She could barely breathe again.

Except… Wait. MII didn’t have a policy against coworkers
canoodling. And seriously, the sexual harassment policy was so damn lax, how
could he possibly take offense to them getting together?

Mentally shaking her head, she fought to keep her
consternation at bay. Willed herself to ease the bunching of her shoulders and
loosen her grip on her purse.

But she couldn’t keep the panic from rushing through her or
stop the
what if?
thoughts suddenly plaguing her mind.

Chase and McClellan made idle chitchat on the drive to the
Royal Palms Resort & Spa, where one of the valley’s most renowned
restaurants was located. Cassidy nodded her head and smiled when appropriate,
but couldn’t find her voice to contribute to the conversation.

Her whole career could be hanging in the balance at this
very moment. What if McClellan really did object to an office romance, found it
inappropriate and let them go? How would she explain that to her family? And
would she have to give
forbidden office nookie
as the reason for her
dismissal when she interviewed for another job?