"Come on, Carter. She's thinking about her own economy. Her own country. She’s not in it to help you save lives. If the jobs go back to Shanghai, she wins."
"Correction, we both win."
"I suppose so."
"I know so, and she promises that she can help raise the money."
I wonder for a moment what Carter means by raising money? Isn’t it too early to start thinking about re-election?
"Don't looks so dubious," he says, noticing my pensive gaze. "Although, you look awfully cute when you're deep in thought." He flashes a disarming smile.
"Very funny."
"No, I mean it."
I watch as Carter takes a few steps toward me and I notice the distance between us is shrinking. He's so close now that I can practically feel the warmth emanating from his body. The look on his face has changed, and a pregnant silence fills the air.
He clears his throat. "Can I be honest with you?"
"Of course. You can always be honest with me."
He brushes his hand up against my own. I immediately recognize how big and strong it is. "It's women like you who cause global warming."
"Oh yeah? What's that suppose to mean?" I smirk and roll my eyes. But inside, my heart starts beating faster. It’s like I want to believe him and fall into his arms, you know? I want to see where this is going.
"You're so hot you've raised the temperature of this room at least 20 degrees."
"Is that the best you've got?" I roll my eyes and sigh again. But I’m smiling. Ear to ear.
"What's going on between you and Liam?"
Oh. My. God.
The question catches me off guard. "What do you mean?"
"Come on. Don't think I haven't noticed. What are the secret meetings about?"
"It's nothing. Honestly."
"Sex?" he asks me.
I bristle. "Listen, to me, Carter Andrews," I say, taking a step forward and placing my index finger on his lips. "If I didn’t tell that Communist bitch Tina about my sex life, what makes you think I’m going to tell you?"
"Because you’re going to be having sex with me in about five minutes," he says, his eyes boring down into me.
He thinks I can’t hold out five minutes?
OK, babe, I know I can hold out for three. I think we should try and do six.
He's standing so close to me that his cologne is clouding my judgment. The smell is classically masculine, and confident, with a hint of spice and the airiness of the Mediterranean—Sandalwood, juniper, sea salt, and citrus. In other words, it's the kind of scent that makes you want to lean right in. I look at the computer on his desk and notice his open browser. I touch his arm softly and say, "You still use Internet Explorer?"
"Observant. Do you always look on people's computers?"
"I guess that means you like things nice and slow, huh?"
"Sometimes, I'd say so." He leans in and drags his fingertips across my cheek. Our eyes are locked on each other and my pulse quickens.
"I suppose," I say, "But sometimes you need to think outside of the box."