A Bargain with the Boss
She turned her head and looked questioningly up at him.
“About making love,” he elaborated.
“Did I not seem sure?”
“I guess you did.”
“Should I have made you wait?”
“That might have killed me. I’ve been desperate for you since day one.”
She smoothed her hand across his chest. “I’ve been resisting you for a while now.”
He let his ego absorb the compliment.
She curled herself into a sitting position.
“What are you doing?” He wanted her to stay exactly where she was.
She moved to the edge of the bed. “Now that we’ve got that out of our system.”
“Whoa, what?” His system was just getting started.
She rose and crossed the bedroom. “I realize it was inevitable. It might be nothing but chemistry, but it’s still pretty powerful stuff.”
Nothing but chemistry?
Okay, sure, he remembered saying that. Problem was he couldn’t remember why.
She slipped into her panties, turning to face him while she dressed.
For some reason, he’d expected her to be shy. He wasn’t sure why, maybe because of the clothes she usually wore.
He sat up, draping his legs over the edge of the bed. “You don’t have to leave.”
She stopped in the midst of fastening her bra, looking surprised. “We need to get to sleep. I assume we’ll be leaving first thing in the morning.”
“There’s no rush.”
They were flying in a Tucker jet. They could leave any old time they wanted. It didn’t even have to be tomorrow.
“We’ve got a ton of work to do,” she said. “I said I’d help, and I will. I’ll do as much as I can. But you’ve got to do your part, Tuck. Dixon could be back soon. You might not have much time and you need to start proving yourself.”
Wait a minute. “We want Dixon back.”
“Sure we do. But not right away, not if you want to show your father you’ve got what it takes to run the company.”
Tuck came to his feet. “I don’t have what it takes to run the company.”
Amber dropped the dress over her head, pushing her arms through the flimsy cap sleeves. “Maybe not yet.”
“I don’t know what you think I can do.”
“You can start by hiring some new executives. Lucas needs help.” She turned and presented him with the zipper.
He didn’t want to zip her up. He wanted to strip her down again. He wanted her naked again, in his bed, in his arms, making love until neither of them could move and then sleeping until noon.
“I can’t hire new executives.”
“Zip me up. Yes, you can.”
“That’s a permanent decision. I’m temporary.”
“You’re a Tucker and you’re in charge. Make a decision.”
This was the first time Amber had struck him as being cavalier. She was normally careful and methodical.
“Is there something wrong with my zipper?” she asked.
“You don’t have to go yet.”
She reached back and zipped herself, making it most of the way up. Then she turned and gave him a quick kiss. “I’m exhausted.”
“Sleep here.”
She stilled, a stricken expression crossing her face. Just as quickly, it disappeared. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Why not?”
“This was a bad idea. I mean, it was a good idea, because it had to happen. But at its foundation, it was a terrible idea. We need to forget about it and move on.”
“Move on to what?”
He didn’t want to forget about what had just happened between them. It was the greatest sex of his life.
“Haven’t you been paying attention?” she asked. “You’re going to run Tucker Transportation. It goes without saying, but I’m saying it anyway, absolutely no good can come from a fling between us. It’ll compromise your credibility and it’ll destroy my career. You’ve fired me once. I’m not about to give you or Dixon or your father a reason to fire me again.”
“Nobody’s going to fire you.”
She shook her head. “That’s the only sure thing that happens when assistants get involved with their bosses.”
“You can’t know that.”
She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. “Do you want to do this?”
He didn’t dare hope she meant make love again. “Do what?”
“Do you want to try? Or do you want to spend the rest of your life as a self-indulgent playboy and a vice president in name only?”