Despite their best efforts, their US competitor had beaten them to their product launch.
Marcus was going to be pissed off. Hell, she was pissed off. Had she made the right call? Fuck, would he blame her?
Leaving her breakfast untouched, she raced upstairs, pulled on a pair of trousers and a polo neck, plaited her hair and applied some gloss to her lips.
That would have to do.
Grabbing her mobile, she hit the stairs and issued a hurried text to Marcus.
Work emergency. Need to talk asap.
It was six a.m. He had to be up, right?
If he didn’t reply by the time she got to the office then she’d ring him until he did. The situation was still salvageable. She knew it. She just needed him to know it too.
* * *
When she arrived the foyer was deserted, save for the security guard. She greeted him and took the lift to her floor. She knew someone was in because she’d seen the lights of the main office from outside.
It had to be him. Who else would be in at this time?
The usual rush had her pulse skipping and she breathed through it.
It wouldn’t always be this hard—it couldn’t be...
Exiting the lift, she looked towards his office. The lights were on behind his blinds.
Definitely him, then.
Her tummy somersaulted and she ignored it, shrugging off her coat and heading straight to her office. She dumped her belongings and immediately left for his.
The noise of him moving around reached her. Her tummy was taking on the feats of an Olympic gymnast but she fought it.
She rapped on his door and, swinging it open, strode straight in. ‘Marc—’
The remainder of his name died on a gasp and her legs halted mid-stride, an instant fire making further somersaults in her stomach impossible. He was standing in the open doorway to his bathroom, his virtually naked rear glistening with an indecent strip of towel slung low about his waist...
He started to turn towards her and she twirled on her heel, cheeks burning. ‘So sorry.’
‘Hey, easy,’ he said, his husky intonation teasing every rigid stretch of her body. ‘I think you’ve seen enough of me before not to get bashful all of a sudden.’
‘Sorry, I should’ve knocked properly—should’ve waited. I shouldn’t... I just didn’t expect... Well, I didn’t think you’d be so...naked,’ she babbled, standing at the doorway to his office, needing to move through it yet finding herself rooted.
‘I wasn’t expecting anyone to be in yet.’
She bit into her bottom lip. She could hear him moving behind her, and the urge to look was driving her crazy. Just one glance...
‘Granted, having seen the news this morning, I should’ve expected you to be.’
‘Uh-huh.’ It was all that could come out, and was high-pitched as it was. She should leave him to get dressed. Their conversation could wait that long, at least. She moved away from the door. ‘I’ll just—’
‘Did you see what the press are saying about it?’ He talked over her, and his tone and topic drew her in.
‘Not yet.’
‘Take a look at this.’
Her eyes wavered between the doorway and him, without truly focusing on either. She needed to get past this. She was the one who had said no more sex, but, Christ, she’d hardly expected to find him half naked...again.