LUST (2 page)

But he seemed entertained with me; I was
getting glares from the other employees in the elevator. Surely
they thought I was trying to get in good with the boss on my first
day. “Well, Jargon really liked her. I’d hoped we’d see you in the
park while we were out, so they could play together.”

He wanted our dogs to play together? That
must be it! He’s being nice because his dog needs a play date! Oh
now that makes perfect sense! “I’m sure we can arrange for them to
get together for a walk sometime. His name is Jargon?”

“Legal Jargon to be exact. One of my rare
moments of humor, I’m afraid,” his English accent rolled off his
tongue with a sensual tone. Damn it to hell. Did everything he said
have to sound like he was asking if I preferred him to lick my left
breast or the right? My skin filled with goose bumps every time he
spoke.

I giggled, “It’s about as silly as Nuscience
for a dog’s name, I suppose.”

Carlton nodded, “I suppose so!”

The elevator slowly emptied as it came to my
floor. “Good seeing you again Mr. Michaud,” I said as I stepped
forward.

His thick hand grabbed my arm firmly; I
looked down as if I was being attacked as he issued a stern look
informing me not to leave the elevator. I stood stock still as the
remaining employee’s exited. The elevator doors closed but he held
me in his tight grip.
Should I pull away?
I waited as the
doors closed tightly, then he turned to me, “Could we take the dogs
for a walk this evening, Liz?”

Totally out of my element, I wasn’t sure how
to respond. He was so rousingly gorgeous and there was no doubt
that I was attracted to him, but still… he was my boss of sorts.
Much higher up the food chain, but still my boss ultimately. Surely
this wasn’t a good idea. Then again it was just a couple of people
walking their dogs together in the park. I wasn’t fond of walking
Nucy by myself; maybe having a man with me was good protection?
This was plain silliness! He just wanted our dogs to play together;
they were the same breed after all! “Of course Mr. Michaud, what
time is good for you?”

He studied me carefully as though he’d asked
me a complicated legal question, “I take Jargon out at six. Is that
good?” He let go of his grip on my arm as though it was an after
sight that he still held onto me.

“Six is perfect. Shall I meet you
downstairs?”

“I’ll swing by your apartment,” he said as
the elevator doors opened again and I stepped forward anxious to
get myself out of this awkward position. Being alone with him in an
elevator seemed to be our MO now. Despite his excruciatingly good
looks, I sensed something dangerous lying within this man. It both
attracted me and frightened me. I turned to respond but the
elevator doors were closing behind me. He smiled a small grin as he
disappeared to an upper floor. How did he know which was my
apartment?

My day
went by so fast that I’d barely taken time for lunch, and by the
time I stepped into our apartment I was starving. I checked my
watch; I had time to whip up something and put it in the oven
before walking Nucy. She was sound asleep on her bed in the living
room anyway. She’d only lifted her head to acknowledge my arrival,
then dozed back off.

In the kitchen I pulled out a few cans of
stewed tomatoes, sausage, hamburger, and spaghetti noodles. Since
our mother had died five years ago, all of the cooking duties had
rested on me. I wasn’t delusional enough to think that I was any
good at it, but somehow I’d managed to feed us all these years.
Well, we were both still alive at least. I mixed up the sauce and
left it to simmer on the stove while the noodles were boiling.
After dumping a few large spoonfuls of garlic into the water I
headed for my bedroom to change.

With my running shoes, jeans and a t-shirt,
I plodded back to the kitchen to check my creation. The knock on
the door startled me. I checked my watch, and it was six o’clock on
the nose. I unlocked the maze of bolts that secured our front door
and came face to face with Carlton Michaud. Again he looked
downright delicious in faded jeans, flip flops and a navy polo
shirt. “Can you come in for a moment, Mr. Michaud? I need to turn
all of this off before we leave.”

“It smells incredible!” he said as he
stepped across the threshold.

“It’s just spaghetti, but you’re welcome to
eat with us if you like,” I said, not at all sure if it was a good
idea. As a matter of fact, I didn’t know why that offer came out of
my mouth at all. What was I thinking!

“No, I wouldn’t want to intrude. Mr. Martin
may not appreciate his wife inviting a man to dinner,” he smiled
almost timidly. I knew for a fact he was the most feared attorney
in New York City, yet he seemed unsure of himself in my
apartment.

I laughed, “Since Mr. Martin is my little
brother, he doesn’t have much of a say as to who I invite for
dinner! Besides, I always cook too much. You’d save me from having
to eat spaghetti for lunch tomorrow.”

“Well, if I’m saving you from a lunch of
leftovers then I accept!” he grinned. I still had the sense that
something was well hidden in his attempt at friendliness. In the
elevator this morning he’d nearly frightened me, now he was my best
friend? This was a man with a lot of secrets, most certainly some
of them dark. He was downright rakish; men that look like that
always have dirty, dark secrets. I doubted he’d try anything with
me since we both now know that I work for him. No, certainly he
wouldn’t.

The front door opened and Palmer nearly
bumped into Carlton as he bounded inside. “Whoa! Sorry dude, didn’t
know we had company.”

I stepped forward and put my hand on
Carlton’s shoulder lightly, “Palmer, this is Carlton Michaud, and
that bovine kissing Nuscience is Jargon. Do you mind if they stay
for spaghetti?”

Palmer shook Carlton’s hand lazily as he
tossed his back pack onto the sofa, “Oh hell no!” I could see my
brother performing a full length scan of our guest. “Is he for me
or you? Because he’s delicious!”

I rolled my eyes, “Hands off Palmer. Did I
forget to mention that Mr. Michaud is also my boss?” Palmer was
still closely examining Mr. Michaud as though he was a feast.

“Well then, in the interest of refraining
from workplace relationships, I’ll take him!” Palmer wore a
Cheshire cat grin that was openly devouring my boss.

Mr. Michaud held up his hand, “As tempting
as that sounds, I’m afraid I’d only disappoint you.”

“That’s enough Palmer. Go get cleaned up so
we can eat,” I said sternly as I shook my head in disbelief.

As Palmer scuttled down the hall towards his
bedroom, I gave Mr. Michaud an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry. I’m
afraid my brother hasn’t yet balanced the openness of New York
lifestyles with his manners.”

Carlton Michaud loomed above me, “No
worries, being propositioned by anyone is a compliment to me these
days.”

“Can I pour you a glass of wine Mr.
Michaud?” I asked stepping into our small kitchen.

“Sure,” he said as he pulled one of Palmer’s
artsy bar stools to the kitchen counter and sat down.

I pulled a bottle from the refrigerator and
held it up, “I’m sure you’re used to better than this, but will
this do for tonight?”

“It’s my favorite, I have a wine cellar full
of it upstairs,” he smiled deviously. He was trying to be polite
and I knew it.

I opened the bottle and poured the chilled
wine into one of my mother’s Waterford wine glasses. It was silly,
I know, as Carlton was certainly used to the finer things in life,
but I was thankful that I’d thought to pack a few luxuries for our
stint in the city. We’d left the South Carolina house fully
furnished with Aunt Kerry for the three years we were planning on
being in New York. Therefore, we’d had to purchase every single
thing new for our apartment. Palmer had done an incredible job; it
was too modern for my style but I liked it for the short term. Our
budget certainly hadn’t allowed for luxurious crystal though.

Stirring the sauce on the stove I was aware
of his heated gaze on my back. I felt small and inconsequential
with this man. With law school behind me I generally felt
accomplished; it’d been a struggle raising my brother at the same
time. Yet as he studied me from behind reality hit home. I
was
small and inconsequential to him. “Mr. Michaud, I hope
you like garlic. I tend to be a tad heavy handed with it?”

“I love it, but do you mind if I ask a
favor?” He sipped his wine as I turned to look at him. Even sitting
on top of the bar stool he was tall. Palmer is five foot eleven;
Mr. Michaud must be almost a foot taller. His dark brown curls
seemed unruly tonight, at work this morning it’d been slicked back
and professional. It was as though he’d spent the day running his
hands through it.

“Sure…anything,” I muttered lost in his dark
brown stare. I was so lost in his hair that I’d nearly forgotten
he’d asked me a question. Crud, it’s too late, I’m crushing!

“Can you just call me Carlton?”

I stared at him blankly as if I hadn’t
heard; I simply had to stop this ridiculous childish behavior
around this man! “Sure Mr… I mean Carlton.”

He smiled broadly, his white perfectly
aligned teeth flashed at me, “”Liz, do I make you
uncomfortable?”

I startled at his question unsure of how to
answer. “Um, well… I guess I wasn’t prepared to have dinner with my
boss after my first day of work. I mean, I don’t want anyone to
think I’m trying to climb some ladder or anything.”

His laugh rambled through the kitchen, “I
wouldn’t worry about that, Liz.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” I blurted. I mean was he
gay or something? There was no doubt in my mind that every single
woman and half the men in our firm used his face to masturbate with
nightly. Hell, I’d done it myself the night before, but that was
before I knew he was my boss!

Carlton seemed amused at me, every time he
looked at me it was as though there was some secret he wanted to
tell me. “I’m afraid I don’t date much,” he sipped his wine
quietly. I got the feeling that was the end of his divulgence of
information.

Maybe he felt awkward around me? Was he that
inexperienced around women? I laughed at my own absurdity. A man
that looked this godlike surely didn’t have issues finding women
who willingly jumped into his bed. I didn’t want to ask so I turned
my back again and stirred the spaghetti sauce. Palmer had changed
and wandered into the kitchen, he took the spoon from my hand and
tasted the sauce, “Mmm, Liz you nailed it this time!”

Palmer poured himself a glass of wine and
stepped to the living room to roll on the floor with Nucy and
Jargon. Carlton chuckled as he watched them, “So you moved all the
way from South Carolina to be with your brother?”

I hadn’t mentioned being from South Carolina
to him! How did he know all these things about me? It was almost
like he’d purposely gone and read my personnel file. It was
downright verging on creepy. “Carlton, how do you know all these
things about me? You have me at a disadvantage.” I used my best
female southern voice as though I needed to fan myself with my hand
as I was speaking.

His eyes sparkled at my humor but he didn’t
comment. “Afraid I took the liberty of reading your personnel file
Liz. I guess that was intrusive huh?”

I nodded, “Actually it
was,
but since
you sign my paychecks I forgive you!”

With a laugh he finished his wine. To my
alarm he stood and rounded the counter into the kitchen. He stepped
next to the stove and tenderly took the spoon from my hand, “I’m
sorry, Liz,” he whispered, tasting the spaghetti sauce. “I wanted
to know more about you.” His voice was sultry and borderline
illicit so near my lips. Red danger alerts began flashing across
the insides of my eyelids. My nipples perked with his closeness.
“Mmm… this is great sauce!” My eyes couldn’t withdraw from watching
his lips around the spoon. Each flick of his tongue across it sent
ripples of excitement to my clit. My heart was pounding. It was
official; this man knocked me off my rocker. I was out of control
when he was near me. I wanted to grab him, throw my arms around his
neck and pull his head to mine. That wonderful tongue would tangle
with mine so deliciously. I shook my head free of my thoughts. I
needed to stop this! Carlton was my boss for God’s sake!

“Is this a family recipe?” His words jarred
me back into reality.

“Oh um, no… actually I just threw some
things together at the last minute. I’m afraid to say that’s the
way I cook everything. If it’s a good home cooked meal you want
this is the wrong restaurant. Everything was once in a can,” I
teased. I’d come back to myself temporarily. Somehow, every time I
was near him I started fantasizing about tasting his body parts.
The weak smile on his face indicated that he appreciated the perk
in my attitude. It was almost as though he was begging for a sliver
of happiness in his life. It drew me to him.

“Liz, you have a natural talent. Are we
ready to eat?” His smile seemed almost forced, but it was genuine.
I thought maybe I was starting to
get
him. The incredible
package on the outside didn’t match the soulful man inside; he
seemed lonely.

“This was wonderful Liz, thank you so much
for cooking. I’d love to have you all up for dinner… anytime!”
Carlton seemed cheerful almost. He helped to clear the table and we
left the rest of the mess for Palmer to clean.

“Are you ready for our walk?” I asked as I
picked up Jargon and Nucy’s leashes from the hallway table. The
dogs had been playing and nuzzling one another all through dinner
as if they’d known each other all their lives. Their heads snapped
to attention the second I picked up their leashes. Amazing how
they’d bonded into real friends in just this short time.