They had to be true because he was pretty enough to lick in his shirt and black slacks that practically oozed money. The grey also brought out the blue in his eyes.
And the throb between her legs, pounding like a second pulse point.
Damn it.
Colette swallowed hard. She felt her neck and throat bob with the movement. The simple act of swallowing had never been so hard in her life. It felt like she’d just stuffed her own fist in there. Or her foot. That was probably far more apt.
“You- you have a reputation. I thought…”
He crossed his arms again and there were all sorts of rippling going on under his shirt as the fabric strained to accommodate his ripped chest and bulging arms.
“You thought that because people say that I like to have a good time and enjoy the finer company of a woman that you could just walk in here and command that I take your v-card.”
“I- er…”
“Without even wining and dining me first. I must say, Office Baby, you have a lot to learn about charm. No wonder you’re still a virgin if that’s how you proposition people. Tell me, do most guys run screaming down the street when you come at them like that?”
His droll tone filled up the office and Colette cringed. Yeah. Okay. She deserved that.
“I- I’m…”
“Sorry? No. Don’t say you’re sorry. Because we both know you’re truly not.” Blaze’s lips thinned into a hard line and his eyes glowed absolutely predatory. “I never said I wouldn’t help you out. I don’t want it to get out that I’m anything less than a gentleman.”
“You’re- you’re toying with me now.”
His grin revealed a line of perfectly even, white teeth, but the gleam in his eyes made Colette shiver. He was staring at her like he wanted to devour her.
“Always, Office Baby.”
Drawing on whatever dignity she had left, she sucked in a breath. “Can you not call me that? I find it offensive and humiliating. It’s like constantly pointing out that I’m the youngest one here and that’s all that matters, that you see me as a child, no matter my skill set and the asset I’ve been to this place over the past two years.”
Annoyingly enough, he just shrugged. “If that’s how you choose to see it…”
“It’s not how I choose to see anything. It’s degrading. I want it to stop.”
“Alright.”
“Alright?”
“Yes, alright. You could have simply asked me before. I wasn’t aware that it was degrading in any form.”
“It singles me out.”
“As you think you should be, based on what you’ve just said that you bring to the table.”
“Stop twisting my words.”
Blaze held out his hands in front of him in a gesture of mock innocence. It was hardly believable, given that his eyes gleamed pure evil. “I’m not twisting anything. Just ceding to your wishes.”
“And what about my other request? Are you going to cede to that too?” Since she’d already put it out there, she might as well see her heinous request through to the end, even though regret was already creeping up, strangling the life out of her.
Why did Blaze Hanson have to be so hot and so purely wickedly, evil? Crimes against humanity. Against all womankind. That was pretty much him in a nutshell, with that devastatingly handsome face, that ripped, god-like body, and those cold blue eyes. Underneath that gorgeous surface, she was pretty sure there lurked a monster.
One she’d just offered herself up to on a silver platter.
“Before I agree to anything, I want to lay down a few ground rules. First, you will sign a contract stating that this is in no way sexual harassment. You will indemnify me against any and all charges that may arise from a scenario like this, and I in turn, promise not to hurt you in any way that you don’t ask for.”
Colette’s mouth fell open. “That I don’t ask for?” she echoed.
“That’s right.”
She rolled her eyes on cue. “I didn’t realize you were such a gentleman.”
“Yes, well, now you know. My second condition is that this can’t just happen cold turkey. It’s not at all appropriate for you to offer yourself up like a piece of meat. I’d much rather break you in slowly. Take you out for dinner, get you warmed up to me. So that we’re not strangers.”
“Why are you even considering my request?”
He pointedly ignored her question and continued like she hadn’t even spoken. “Third, I have a reputation for a reason. Most women would give an ovary to spend a night with me.”
“Wow.”
“No, not wow. Yes, wow. But not how you just said it. After a night with me, you’ll pretty much be ruined for all other men, and seeing as it would be your first, I’m giving you a chance to rethink that, as it’s hardly fair to you.”