“Possibly,” I reply playfully.
“You have exactly one minute so let’s not waste it.”
I turn in my swivel chair and glance out the window again to the high-rise where Jackson’s office is housed, almost able to imagine Aria behind her desk. Her legs crossed, her sex hot and wet as she reacts sensually to my voice in the same way my cock is hard reacting to hers. “I’m calling to let you know that you’ll need to pack a bag this weekend.”
“Oh,” she says, and I hear the smile in her voice. “Do I need a passport?”
“No, we’re staying local.”
“Any hints on where we’re going?”
“Absolutely none.”
She laughs quietly and then her laughter abruptly ends, telling me Jackson has come to her desk. I wouldn’t put it past the fool that he’s been listening in on all her conversations to catch when I would call. “Thank you for calling, Mr. Maxwell.” Another pause, and then she adds quietly, obviously to avoid Jackson’s eavesdropping, “Now stop bothering me at work. You know the rules. You can’t see or speak to me before the weekend. That’s all you paid for.”
“Rules are meant to be broken,” I tell her firmly.
“Not these rules.”
My mouth creases in heated amusement. “That sounds like you’re telling me what I can and cannot have, Aria?”
“That’s because that is what I’m saying.”
There’s the push in her voice that she does so well. The edge that she knows drives me fucking crazy. It’s a game. She knows it. So do I. She pushes and pushes and pushes, teasing and toying with me, knowing how much I want to take control. “Do you know what happens when you cage a beast, Aria?” I ask her slowly, feeling the burn of power slide through my veins.
Her breath hitches through the phone line, and her voice, while firm, heats with promise. “He sleeps.”
The phone line goes dead.
I lean back in my chair and absorb the way she conjures such dominance in me. It’s what I’ve always found so intriguing about her. She makes me want to own her. She’s sassy and strong and sexy, and every goddamn thing that I want. She has no idea what she’s started here today. I suspect she thinks I’ll find what she’s said cute, and that
I’ll patiently wait for her like she’s told me that I must do.
Aria doesn’t know everything there is to know about me.
Yet.
Aria
Wednesday’s conversation with Liam remains heavy on my mind on Thursday, while I sit behind my desk in my office across from Jackson’s. I tease Liam, and I’m not sure why I do it. Maybe it’s because I can. I like that I hold power over a man like Liam. It’s addictive. It’s sinful. It makes me feel powerful.
Through the glass walls of my office, I stare into Jackson’s office, seeing his brows draw together tight. He’s not wearing his suit jacket and his cuffs are rolled up, which tells me he’s feeling flushed. He’s not happy, that much I can tell. His mood has slowly and surely been worsening as we get closer to the weekend. I understand why—he doesn’t want me anywhere near Liam. It’s why I’ve never allowed this thing to happen with Liam. Hell, it’s the only reason. Because I care for Jackson. Deeply. And I won’t hurt him by being with the man who Jackson hates so much.
I glance at the time on my computer monitor and see that it’s nearly noon. I can’t leave today with Jackson being so miserable. Hoping to lighten his mood, I leave my desk and move toward his modern large corner office wondering if I can get him happy by filling his belly. “I was thinking I could go and grab us some lunch,” I say, leaning against the doorframe.
He doesn’t even look up, his voice tight, surly. “Sure.”
“Thai?” It’s his favorite.
“Sure.”
“Pad Thai?”
“Sure.”
The third “sure” in a few seconds can’t be good. I hate this. Every part of it. I hate how much I want Liam. I hate that I’m looking forward to this weekend. Because I hate what it’s doing to Jackson. “You’re not still mad at me, I hope.” I enter his office, shutting the door behind me. We’ve been avoiding this conversation all week but I need Jackson to be okay with all this. “My loyalty is to you, and always will be to you.”
Jackson heaves a long sigh and glances up, his stormy green eyes narrowed, mouth set into a firm line. “It’s impossible for me to be mad at you, Aria, and you know this. I’m concerned for you.”