SEVERAL DAYS LATER, Eric was bracing himself before he left his desk. He shook his head in wonder. Two months ago—hell, two weeks ago—he wouldn’t have considered Gunthrie S&I a hazardous workplace. He had dealt with violent criminals, pathological liars and burned-out colleagues in his D.C. office. None of that prepared him for Julie and her sexy aliases just outside his door.
Each day had been a different look. It was as if she hadn’t gotten enough chances to play dress-up as a child. But there was nothing innocent about these disguises. Each alias was an onslaught to his senses.
Tuesday had been a tough day when she showed up as Glamorous Julie. She had paid attention to detail and the result was breathtaking. Julie had worn her hair up in a tight twist and he had been itching to rip out the pins and let her hair fall. She had worn a pale pink dress with a deep neckline. Her simple diamond necklace had been strategically placed to drag the eye to her cleavage. He hadn’t been able to stop staring at her breasts and remembering how perfect they felt in his hands.
Bad Girl Julie on Wednesday had been worse. She had owned that look, Eric reluctantly admitted. Julie had brimmed with attitude when she wore skintight jeans and a black bra that peeked out from under her white tank top. He had enjoyed how she had strutted in her knee-high black boots. Eric had been tempted too many times to pull at her ponytail, wrap it around his hand and then tame her with one hot kiss.
He barely got through Wednesday and then Thursday happened. Trashy Julie, she had explained to the group of men who had suddenly gravitated to her cubicle. Eric never thought she could have pulled off that alias. But she had, with the heavy makeup and naturally sensuous movements.
Her brown hair had been wild and sexy, but it hadn’t been able to compete with her red cotton top that was more corset than camisole. Yet it had been the Daisy Duke shorts that sent his blood pressure soaring. Her hips had been barely concealed in the faded shorts and she had swayed provocatively when she walked in her red platform heels. When he had caught a glimpse of the henna tramp stamp, he hadn’t trusted the lock on his door or his rapidly declining self-control. He had to leave the office.
Now that he thought about it, the sexiness of the aliases had been escalating. Eric rubbed his hand over his face and took a deep breath. He didn’t know what to expect, especially since it was Casual Friday. Bikini Julie?
He refused to speculate anymore. Julie’s role-playing was getting more brazen at the same rate his restraint was weakening. But he had to see her or he’d imagine all kinds of aliases throughout the day. Once he saw her, he had to keep his distance and not make contact.
He wanted to get this over quickly. Eric wrenched open the door, stepped across the threshold and glanced in Julie’s direction. He froze as his gut squeezed hard.
Almost Bare Julie. The label wafted through his sluggish brain. That’s what he would call it.
He slowly blinked, unable to tear his gaze away from her. Julie wore a flirty, loose, one-shoulder dress. It kind of reminded him of a toga. A short, navy-blue toga that exposed a lot of bare leg. Her shoes were delicate strappy things. If he chased her, she wouldn’t get far.
Damn. Why did have to think about that? He should have locked himself in the office.
What was it about the dress? His gaze focused sharply on Julie as his body hardened. It didn’t accentuate her figure, but it looked as if it could fall off at any minute. It made him think of rumpled sheets. Like she just got out of bed and gathered a sheet around her. One sharp pull and the dress would fall.
Julie tilted her head back and laughed, her hair cascading down in waves. Eric shifted his attention to the man at her side. His shaven head and muscular build indicated that he was one of the security guards on the payroll.
Eric caught the man’s salacious grin and wanted to knock it off his face. He glared at the man, noticing his macho stance and the puffed-up chest.
He couldn’t tell if Julie noticed it, too. She was chatting away as she handed the man a folded uniform.
The man rested his hand against the wall behind Julie and leaned in. He was about to make a move on her.
Eric made a step to intervene but stopped when he watched Julie laugh and blush. She said something he couldn’t catch but it made the security guard smile. She patted the guy’s muscular arm and smoothly sidestepped his maneuver.
Interesting. Eric watched Julie walk away from the security guard with a friendly wave. He was surprised that she didn’t get flustered. That she handled the guy with aplomb.
But then, Julie could twist him into knots without any effort. Eric’s breath lodged in his chest as he stared at her long, bare legs. Julie walked with confidence, as if she knew she had everyone’s attention.