Valentine Next Door (9 page)
Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:
Working for Him
Willa Edwards
Excerpt
Chapter One
“Merlot, please,” Serena ordered from the bartender, handing him the single paper ticket parcelled out so no one got drunk on the company dime. From the animated conversations around her, a few had already done so at their own expense at the hotel bar.
The Vertical Aeronautics annual all-people meeting had got off to the same start as last year, reminding Serena why she’d chosen to become an engineer. She’d much rather spend the day with gears and equations than people. Plus it was the closest she could get to flying, due to her horrible vision and flat feet.
Subtly, she looked down at her watch, trying to gauge how much longer she had to stand around the banquet hall and make nice with the other employees. The day had already been a long one, and the night continued to drone on. All she wanted to do was get out of this uncomfortable suit and too-tight shoes and relax for what remained of the evening.
“Ms Carter, how are you doing tonight?”
Serena turned and smiled at the man who’d slid up to the bar beside her, even though her cheeks were already tired from so many forced smiles today. “I’m doing well, Larry, how are you?”
He nodded. “Good, good.” He smiled at the bartender and ordered a whisky sour. “Though my department didn’t perform quite as well as yours did last year.”
Serena nodded. “Thank you. We were very lucky.”
Luck had nothing to do with it. It was damn hard work to keep her staff motivated, most of them still begrudging that she’d got the promotion to vice president over many of the more senior team members. But she’d learned long ago that modesty worked better at these work functions than the truth.
“I hope we’re so lucky next year.”
Serena smiled and took another sip of her drink. Sure he did. But that would require him to get off his ass and spend less time between his secretary’s legs. “I hope so, too.”
“How are you liking the conference this year?” Larry continued talking, and Serena fought back a groan at being forced to continue with such pleasantries.
How does he not get the hint?
“The food’s not as good as last year, but I’m enjoying the location. Vegas is a fun time.”
She smiled, wondering exactly what kind of good time he was having in Vegas. “It’s nice to travel somewhere warmer this time of year, but Vegas isn’t my kind of town. Too much activity, too many lights.”
Too many co-workers
.
“You just haven’t seen the city yet. Let me show you around, give you a tour of the casinos.” Larry moved a fraction closer to her along the bar, and against her will the corners of her mouth drooped into a frown. “Play a few games of craps, and you’ll be singing a different tune in no time.”
“I’m not much of a gambler.” Serena tried her best to ease back without showing it.
Maybe the stink of liquor on his breath will help with his perceptions.
“We’ll play slots then. That’s not really gambling.” As he spoke, Larry’s eyes drifted down to her chest. He was far from the first to sneak such a peek today. Even beneath her conservative blouse and knee-length skirt, she still received quite a bit of attention from her male colleagues. Maybe because they came into contact with so few other women in the rest of their lives.
“Good to see someone’s enjoying the bar.”
Serena looked over to her side, where the dark husky voice had emanated from. Richard Barrett stood beside her with his own pleasant forced smile. He looked every bit the powerful playboy billionaire in his perfectly tailored black suit. He’d left the top two buttons of his shirt undone, allowing his collar to gape a bit and display a hard chest and thick dark hair. Serena’s mouth watered at the small peek.
The kid behind the bar didn’t need to know he was the CEO to realise this man was powerful—everything about him portrayed it. His hard, muscular body, his stance, the look in his eye. The bartender didn’t even ask him for one of the stupid drink tickets, he just filled the glass quickly and handed it over.
“Mr Barrett.” Larry immediately snapped to attention, standing a bit straighter and shifting his eyes away from her breasts.
“Mr Thompson.” He nodded to the man. “Ms Carter.” He nodded towards her, a slight curve in his lips as he said her name. He stared back at them with those piercing dark eyes that could make even the most seasoned businessman sign over his company, home and wife if Richard Barrett asked for it.
“Are you enjoying the meeting?”
“Very much, sir,” she responded, a little too quickly.
“Yes, the location is great,” Larry continued, filling in the awkward gap. “I was just telling Ms Carter, since we’re in Vegas, she should at least play a few slots and have a little bit of fun.”
Mr Barrett shifted his gaze to her, and her heart picked up speed. There was something about this man, something about the power and the determination in his eyes, that always called to a very deep part of her, a part she kept hidden from the rest of the world. The submissive part of her.
Pinned beneath his laser stare, unable to hide any of herself from him, Serena shifted uncomfortably. Her stomach fluttered and she pressed her thighs together in the hopes of keeping the throb between her legs at bay. The hum had her panties wet and the impulse to press her face into his chest and breathe in his musky male smell sounding like a great idea, even in front of the entire company.
“What do you think, Ms Carter? Are you inclined to play the slots?”
She looked up at him, blinking through her lashes. “No, Mr Barrett. That’s not the kind of play I enjoy.”
His eyes darkened a bit at the breathy quality of her voice, exactly the reaction she’d been aiming for. His hand slid along the bar next to her, his fingers bumped against hers. Just the briefest touch, but it still set her heart bounding. She knew all too well what amazing things he could do with those big hands. How rough and how gentle he could be, all at the same time.
His fingers moved back, leaving behind a plastic key card. His room key. She reached out, quickly enveloping the flat plastic beneath her shaky fingers before Larry or the bartender could notice the discarded key. Her entire body heated with the touch of the card. It had been another long year, a year of waiting, of dreaming, and now he was here. She’d once again be in his bed, beneath those firm hands.
She cast her eyes up to meet his. His dark gaze focused on her, pinning her beneath his stare. She gripped the bar for support. Her ears buzzed and her stomach knotted. She could drown in those eyes, be taken over, conquered by him, and never complain for a second.
The corner of his mouth turned up, a motion so small anyone not focused on him would never have seen it. He knew what hold he had over her. And he liked it.
“I hope you do have some fun tonight, Ms Carter.” He smiled and her knees decided to rebel, no longer holding her solidly upright as they should. She gripped the countertop hard enough that her knuckles screamed. It was that, or fall to the floor at his feet. “Life can’t be all about work.”
She nodded, his husky words stealing her ability to think, let alone speak.
He picked up his drink, looking past her and breaking the spell between them. “Good luck, Mr Thompson. I hope you have a great night.”
Beside her, Larry nodded. “You too, sir.” He grabbed his own drink and walked away from the bar, determining her not amenable enough to continue his pursuit. She had no complaints.
Once Larry had moved far enough away, Mr Barrett slid along the bar to stand right next to her, his body turned towards the rest of the crowd.
“Have a good night, Serena,” he whispered, so close his breath wafted along her exposed neck. So low no one else could hear his seductive tone. His husky words slid down her spine and shivered across her skin.
“Yes, sir,” she returned, as he walked towards the gathering of senior-level managers across the room.
She held the key card tight enough that the sharp corners bit into her palm. The slight pain only heightened the flare across her nerves. She intended to have a very good night.
About the Author
Willa Edwards has dreamed about being a writer since she was four years old. When she picked up her first romance novel at fifteen she knew she’d found her place and she’s never looked back.
She now lives in New York, where she works with numbers at her Evil Day Job and spends her nights writing red-hot tales of erotic romance. When she’s not at her computer, you can usually find her curled up in bed with her two furry babies, her nose pressed to her ereader.
Email:
[email protected]
Willa loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at
http://www.totallybound.com
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Also by Willa Edwards
Bound by Fairytales: Wandering Off the Path
Tied to the Billionaire: Working for Him
Totally Bound Publishing
