Okay, Della. Time to sell it.
I apologized profusely, then asked him to let me prove myself by giving me back my workload. I promised victorious results and he was loving my ideas. I promised that if he gave me back my cases, that I would start tonight and catch right back up.
“Okay,” he said. “I guess it was a childish thing for me to do.”
“It’s okay. We’re starting out on a fresh slate. Remember?”
“I’ll fix everything. But you better get caught up.”
“Thank you so much.”
I said goodbye and walked out of the kitchen, eager to get out of the luxury mansion before I accidentally screwed it all up somehow. As I reached for the door, though, a hand shot out in front of me and held it shut.
My body tensed as Robert leaned up behind me. The warmth of his bare chest ironically sent little shivers up and down my back. Little drops of water ran down his other arm as he pressed it against the door on the opposite side, effectively fencing me in.
“Don’t go,” he said, the lusty whisper tickling my cheek as his lips brushed against my ear. “Take off that dress, and I’ll show you a fresh start.”
I wanted the man on the roof, not the one I’d met in the office. I thought rooftop Robert was my mystery man, the one who’d swept me off my feet. I wanted so badly to rekindle some of the magic we felt that first time. But this guy wasn’t my dream man.
It was nothing more than mistaken identity.
Despite my efforts, his hands never stopped moving. His body pinned mine firmly against the door, paying no heed to my squirming.
“I’ll let you pick how you want to make love. Not only how, but however many times you want too.”
“Robert—”
My eyes snapped shut of their own accord, but when I heard the towel final tumble to the floor, I ducked beneath his arms to create a quick barrier of space between us.
“This is not what I mean by starting fresh.” I refused to let myself look anywhere lower than his chin, even while he stood completely naked in front of me.
He paused for a second, staring me hungrily up and down, then finally picked up his towel.
I caught my breath and nodded quickly.
An awkward pause ensued, and no one moved or said a word.
Finally, I cocked my head toward the door, wearing a sarcastic smile. “Would you mind letting me through? My cab is waiting outside.”
He glanced out the window, then moved aside and opened it for me, staring down with that same predatory expression as I rushed past him and out into the cold.
Chapter 24
Madison and I raced through our morning checklist at lightning speed, then caught a cab and headed to a nail salon down the street. Madison had set me up on a date. She was ecstatic about my bold gesture earlier that day, and as we were buffed and polished, her speculations ran wild.
“What do you think you’ll get up to?” she asked in a conspiratorial hush, waving her blood-red nails in the air to dry them. “Or down to, as the case may be.”
My brow creased in confusion, and I sat very still to avoid kicking the woman who was kneeling at my feet. “What do you mean by that? It’s a simple date. What do you think we’ll be doing?”
She laughed lightly, tossing back her long hair. “Of course you’ll have sex, genius. I mean, what kind of sex?” She raised her recently plucked eyebrows knowingly, demanding the honest truth. “Any kinky stuff, dear?”
Oh goodness. Girls like Madison Montgomery should not be allowed to be caffeinated.
“I’m not even...” I trailed off as the two manicurists glanced up at us with scarcely contained smiles on their faces, blushing almost as red as Madison’s polish. “I will not even dignify that with an answer. I’m not sleeping with him on the first date.”
“Oh, come now!” Madison sat taller in her chair, grinning from ear to ear. “The first time, you did the deed on the roof, and then you were sneaking around with him in my wine cellar. Then, just this morning, the man tried to lay it on you against the front door. Surely you have some more adventures in mind.”