Office Affair (5 page)

Everton & Everton had been sitting on the fence for the last two weeks, weighing up their options about going ahead and issuing debt. Ben had given them a deadline for a decision, and from the expression on his face now, she suspected the decision they’d made wasn’t the one she and Ben had hoped for.

“This has nothing to do with Everton.” He shook his head impatiently. “This has to do with us. Last night.”

Outwardly, Melissa checked her watch. It was eleven in the morning, which meant it was slap bang in the middle of a workday. This was neither the time nor the place to make small talk about last night. No matter how agitated Ben might be. She’d told him she would keep their relationship professional, promised nothing would change. She had to stick to her word.

Inwardly, her stomach twisted into an excited knot. This may not be the time or place to talk about it, but the very thought that Ben wanted to discuss last night made her dizzy with anticipation. Ben wanted to talk to her about something unrelated to work. Hurrah.

It so couldn’t happen.

She couldn’t let him cross the boundaries she’d been so careful to draw. Because if she did, she’d let her guard down. She’d let him in. She’d grow distracted. And she couldn’t afford to be distracted from her goals again.

Mel threw up a desperate hand. “No, Ben, please. Don’t bring this up now. By all means, we can discuss what happened, but we need to do it later. Outside of business hours, when the offices are deserted.”

If she redrew the line in the sand then Ben couldn’t step over it, right?

And neither could she, no matter how much she might want to.

A muscle ticked in his cheek. “This isn’t something that can wait until then.”

Her heart leapt, but she forced herself to both breathe and think calm thoughts. “Is it a matter of life or death?” Her greedy gaze devoured every inch of his gorgeous face, from his short, jet-black hair to his chocolaty eyes, high cheekbones and oh-so-delicious lips.

“What? No.”

“So no one will die if we don’t discuss it now? Or suffer serious injury, at any rate?”

He grimaced. “No one’s health will be risked or compromised in any way. But something happened that you need to know about.”

“Did you change your mind?” Please, God, don’t let him have changed his mind. She’d only just reached out to him. She didn’t think she could bear it if he pushed her away so soon. “If you don’t want to meet again tonight, that’s perfectly fine,” she lied.

Ben clenched his jaw, the muscles in his throat standing out in stark relief. “No, damn it, I didn’t change my mind. But I received something that may change yours.”

Her curiosity was piqued. She was desperate to know what he’d gotten. But if she gave in, if she let him speak about what they’d done, she’d never want him to stop. She suspected her walls would come crumbling down, and she’d focus on nothing else for the rest of the day.

She might even begin removing her jacket and shirt…

No. Better not to discuss anything now. No matter how pressing the matter. Befriending a colleague would distract her from her goals, and she had to stick to those no matter what. She had to make partner. Had to prove to the world, to herself, that she could do it. Prove to herself and everyone she knew she was no longer the failure she’d been in high school.

Besides, befriending Ben would inevitably lead to sex, because now that she’d had a taste of him, there was no way she could keep her hands off him. And fucking a colleague in her office, with everyone around, would in all probability lead to instant dismissal.

“Ben, whatever happens between us after office hours has to remain between us
after
office hours. During the day nothing can change.” A hint of desperation crept into her tone, and she chased it away. “Which means we don’t get to talk about
us
while there’s an office full of people or while there are contracts that need follow-up and businesses that need financing.”

“Seriously?” Ben’s eyes glittered. “You’re not willing to acknowledge anything that happened? No matter how it might impact you?
Us
?”

Lord, she wanted to, so much. “Not now.” Her voice was hoarser than she would have liked.

“You’re not even the least bit curious to know what’s so important?”

“God, of course I am.” She was all but bursting. “But I can’t allow myself to think about it now.” Melissa had to get him out of her office before she caved in and begged him to tell her. Fortunately she had a perfect excuse—a meeting with their team’s financial analyst. “I’m sorry, Ben, you need to leave. Alistair will be here any minute.”

What she wanted, what she really wanted, was to invite Ben to sit down. To take a load off his feet, forget about the real world that waited for them outside her office door, and just keep her company.

She wanted to talk to him. Not just to hear what he needed to tell her, but to talk. Really talk. About anything and everything. To connect with him on a level that had nothing to do with work and nothing to do with sex. Okay, maybe a little to do with sex. Or even a lot. But at least the talk would be personal and intimate. It would be about them. Not about some business deal that she didn’t give a damn about.

Melissa suppressed a sad sigh. It wasn’t going to happen. She raised an eyebrow, awaiting his response.

Ben straightened, watching her in meditative silence. Then he shook his head and gave a short, empty laugh. “Fine, we’ll play it your way. For now. No more talk about us. I’ll see you in my office at ten tonight.” He walked to the door. “But…if we’re going to play it your way, then we’re going to play it properly. So this time, when you walk into my office, come prepared.”

“Prepared?”

He nodded. “No knickers. No bra. No shirt and no camisole. Leave the garters on. Wear any of the rest and the deal’s off. Got it?”

Melissa nodded calmly, feeling anything but. “Got it.” Arousal mixed with relief that Ben might want her again.

“Good. Now, one more thing.” He stared straight into her eyes and wouldn’t let her turn away. Not that she wanted to. In that instant, she could have spent the rest of her life looking into those eyes, seeing the steely resolve in them, the control, the flicker of lust he tried to blink away but couldn’t. And the frustration. With her? “You better make damned sure the batteries of your vibrator are charged. You’re going to need them.”

A million hours passed before ten o’clock arrived. A million hours drenched in anticipation, concern and apprehension. Every time he looked at his desk, which was only
all
the time, Ben got an erection. Impossible not to as he recalled the mind-blowing activities he and Melissa had indulged in less than twenty-four hours ago.

At about eight, Ben began to feel antsy. What? Had everyone at Preston Elks decided to work late tonight? Was tomorrow deadline hell? Couldn’t they just go home?

His thoughts disturbed him. Never before had the presence of someone else been a concern. When it came to sex in public, the risk of being caught was half the fun. But this was a work situation, and both he and Melissa were professionals. If they were caught while having the kind of sex Ben hoped to have with Melissa tonight, it would not only soil his reputation, it would wound hers as well.

And Ben was not prepared to put Melissa’s outstanding reputation at risk.

As for the email he’d received that morning, well, hell. He’d read and reread it several times, unsure how to respond. In the end he hadn’t answered at all. He couldn’t, at least not until he’d spoken to Melissa and formulated an appropriate reply.

By nine thirty Ben was all but climbing the walls. Light still flared from intermittent offices down the corridor. By his count at least three people other than himself and Melissa were around.

There was just another half an hour. Would they be gone in time?

And if they weren’t?

Shit, he didn’t want to think about it. His balls couldn’t stand the torture. Neither could his stomach. Much as Ben looked forward to fucking Melissa, he couldn’t wait to see her again. Couldn’t wait to see those other sides of her personality he found so attractive. Hell yeah, he wanted to bury himself inside of her, balls-deep, but he also wanted to find out more about her, get to know her a little better.

Perhaps develop a third relationship with her. Perhaps he and she could stand a chance of being friends as well as colleagues and sex buddies.

Funny, he hadn’t wanted to get to know a single other woman he’d slept with since Sienna. What was it about Melissa that made him think differently?

He swiveled in his chair, staring out the window. At least it was dark outside. Oftentimes at night he’d see lights shining in the office that faced his, the office in the adjacent building. Tonight it was filled with nothing but shadows, a fact Ben found oddly consoling.

Or did he?

When the wait became unbearable, he made a trip to the men’s room. Anything to pass the damn minutes. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d looked so forward to seeing a woman. When he’d arrogantly gone after Sienna and tried to win back her love, there’d been an enormous sense of anticipation. But it had been tinged with doubt. She’d left him, and he’d had no guarantees she’d want to see him again.

Turned out she hadn’t. Not really.

Melissa wanted to see him again. She was a sure thing. Okay, so a sure thing on her terms, not his, but those terms suited him just fine. No-strings-attached sex? Perfect. Just what he needed now. A harmless fling to help him get over Sienna once and for all. A fling with someone as different from Sienna as a woman could be, although each was outrageously sexy in her own right.

Hell, how much of a surprise had that been? Discovering that beneath all those prim suits of Melissa’s was a firecracker just waiting to be lit. How much of a turn-on?

A huge fucking turn-on. A turn-on that had turned him into a livewire pretty much the entire day. He couldn’t wait to get her naked again. Couldn’t wait to sheathe his cock in her tight, wet pussy.

He took a slow walk back to his desk from the bathroom, and his relief at finding only one other person in the office was immeasurable. Mike Peters, a newly qualified accountant working under Ben, looked up as Ben tapped at his door.

“Putting in a few extra hours?”

Mike nodded. “Thought I’d get this report finished before going home.”

How many times had Ben thought something similar? “Work is important, Mike, but not more important than your friends and family. Don’t neglect them for something that can wait until tomorrow.”

“But if I do this now—”

“Take off, kid. You have your sister’s wedding this weekend, right? Go spend some time with her. Go enjoy your family.” If only he’d been given that advice once upon a time.

The young man nodded, closed his Excel spreadsheet and was out the door minutes later.

Which left the offices of Preston Elks all but deserted.

Ben was back in his chair maybe five minutes before Melissa made her entrance.

She didn’t say a word. She simply stood in his doorway like she had last night, looking imposing and dressed to kill.

And hell, she about gave him a heart attack right then and there. She wore a charcoal, pinstriped skirt suit, with the jacket buttoned up in front, just like she had last night.

Last night, however, she’d hidden every asset with a severe white blouse and her jacket. Tonight, she had on absolutely nothing beneath her blazer. Which meant when she stood at that angle and folded her arms, the jacket gaped a little, giving him an enticing view of a full, firm breast and a dusky pink nipple.

Ben swallowed. Any greeting he might have spoken died in his throat. The wild mane of untamed hair was back. This time she’d lost her ponytail before leaving her office. Her lips were painted a deep, sexy red. His first once-over failed to reveal what the second one did: a pair of lacy knickers hanging off one of her fingers, and a white and blue object tucked comfortably into her other hand.

Just like that he was hard. Again.

“Melissa.”

“Ben.”

“I’m pleased to see you came prepared.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Give me five minutes and you’ll find a whole new reason to be pleased.” Her smoky voice filled the room with promise.

“If you think five minutes is all we need, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Somehow I doubt disappointment will feature as a key element in tonight’s proceedings.” A soft, electric buzz hummed through the air.

Ben’s dick ached. The eternal wait for this moment, combined with the subtle fragrance of her perfume—cinnamon and vanilla—was proving too much for him. He wanted a piece of Melissa Sparks.

Nope, scratch that. He wanted all of Melissa Sparks, but now, with her dressed so enticingly, with the sensual promise of things to come in her voice, he wasn’t exactly focused on everything.

He was focused on sex.

Snap out of it. Show some respect. Hell, show some dignity.

“You haven’t asked me what I needed to tell you earlier.”

She nodded. “I figured if it was that important you’d tell me in your own good time.”