He lifted his head and looked deep into her eyes. "Say it. Say I quit, Robert," he demanded, his voice like gravel.
She shook her head slightly in a negative motion while her fingers caressed his skull. He slid his hands from the indentation of her waist up to her face. He grasped her cheekbones with his strong hands. "I can't sleep with you while you work for me." His words were low and deep, the demand in them absolute.
Renee sucked in a breath and watched him in silence. Okay. It was out in the open.
He continued, "If we had met anywhere else, it would already be a done deal. You know it. I know it." His words softened. "You're fighting against the inevitable." His fingers encapsulated her wrists and braced them against the wall as his lips moved to her cheek and trailed to her ear.
A jolt of lightning shot through her system when she felt him breathe in the scent of her hair. He transferred both of her wrists to one strong hand and moved the other down and wrapped it around her neck.
Renee's mind splintered. Oh, God, this was a seduction she couldn't fight against. She felt like putty in his hands. She had been in serious lust and halfway infatuated since the moment she met him.
Robert felt her heartbeat accelerate. Her body trembled against his. He watched her eyes flare as he pressed against her neck while he restrained her in a more dominating grasp. He measured his strength against her softness. Jesus Christ, she was fine. He needed to get it in her, and soon. He was becoming obsessed with her, goddam
nit!
The acknowledgment hit him hard. He loosened his grip and trailed his hands back down to her waist. He squeezed possessively and said, "Think about it."
He walked out the door and Renee leaned against the wall and tried desperately to get her fractured mind to function again.
****
"Jenny, he's not married." Renee kicked back on her bed, cell phone to her ear, and lifted her legs all the way into the air and examined the new polish on her toes. She felt amazingly good considering all the angst at work.
She twisted her foot one way, then the other, inspecting the new color while she waited for the reaction from her friend she knew was coming.
"What?" Jenny screeched loudly. Renee lifted the phone away from her ear as her friend continued. "Not married? WTF? Are you kidding me? How did that happen? Is he lying?"
Renee smiled at the abbreviated slang. Oh, it was good having teenagers. They really did keep you young. The newest music, up-to-date slang, and of course, gorgeous black cherry toenail polish. She focused back on the conversation. "No, he's not lying. I just assumed the woman that calls all the time and says she's his wife really was his wife, and not his ex. He's divorced." She paused. "And he wants me to quit my job." Another pause. "So he can have sex with me."
She hurried to move the phone away from her ear again.
"What? You've got to be kidding, right?" Jenny questioned. "Did he say that? Has he heard the term sexual harassment? The guy must think he's God's gift. What are you going to do?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure that's why he wants me to quit. I guess he has it in his mind that it's not harassment. He's kind of right, Jen. You can't really harass the willing, you know? You of all people know how long I've had the hots for him. I guess he knows it."
"Yeah, but Renee, your job? You have to have your job. What the hell? Does he think you're independently wealthy, or what?" Her friend's voice was irate.
"I know, Jen. I don't think he's thinking with the big head. It's kind of captivating to watch him, one second he's so controlled, and the next he just loses it. When he kissed me today--"
"Whhhaaattt? He kissed you? At work? Oh my God. What'd you do? Was it good?"
"Yeah, it was good. Really good. Just like I thought it would be."
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know. Play it by ear, I guess. You know I can get my old job back if I need to. I just don't want to be too easy. He's so arrogant. He expects to get his way about everything. I don't know." She sighed. "Enough about him. How are things going with you? How's Richard?"
"Controlling as hell. Possessive. Jealous. Spoiled. Awesome in bed. Hot. Unlike anything I've ever experienced. I'm freakin' addicted." Jenny laughed.
Renee smiled. "Cool. You deserve to go a little wild. Still think he's a mobster?"
Jenny answered, "I have no clue. He's so damn rich and I can't figure out where the money's coming from."
"Well, I guess we've both got stuff to work out."
****
The next day was dark and rainy and Renee was sitting at her desk when the internal phone rang. She picked it up and Robert's voice barked down the line. "Get in here. I want to talk to you."