Our eyes locked. “There’s a record?”
I couldn’t help but mirror his slow smile. “Well . . . in case there is, that should be on there.”
His gaze dipped to my drink, then across to my shirt and down, down, down. And then he licked his lips before turning back to the bar and taking another sip of his drink.
“I’m a Catholic,” I said. “A bad Catholic but still, I suppose I just needed to confess.”
“What else . . . needs to be confessed?”
Lust growled at the base of my spine. What was he really asking?
“I hoped you’d be here tonight,” I said.
He didn’t reply. I’d gone too far. Said too much. Silence stretched between us. I shifted back to face the bar and gulped down a mouthful of wine. Andrew might like his edges. Mine could do with some smoothing.
I took a deep breath in and as I exhaled, Andrew leaned closer and whispered into my ear, “I want to take you home and make you come.”
My pulse pounded in my ears and my heart thumped across my chest. If I’d been standing, I would have fallen, as I’d lost all feeling in my legs.
My asshole boss wanted to get me naked. And the feeling was entirely mutual.
I slipped off the barstool and pulled on my coat.
“You leaving?” he asked.
“I am,” I replied. “And you, James, are taking me back to my place to do every last dirty thing you have got going on in your imagination.”
Sixteen
Andrew
It was inevitable that I’d end up here. I wasn’t sure if it was her body and smile or her attitude and brain that paralyzed my self-control and had me crossing every line in the sand I’d ever drawn. Maybe it was all of it. The entire package. I was here against my own better judgment, but I was here nonetheless. If regret was to follow, I would just have to make sure tonight was worth it. The decision had been made. There was no going back.
It was James she’d invited back here tonight. And for a night, maybe I could be James with her, not Andrew. Not her boss. I was going to press pause on reality. Just for tonight. Even if it led to disaster.
I undid the top button on my shirt as I followed Sofia into her bedroom. She stopped and turned to face me when she reached the foot of her bed. Was she second-guessing herself? She certainly hadn’t seemed unsure back at the bar. Far from it.
“Do you have water?” I asked.
She padded to her bedside cabinet and took out two bottles of water and handed one to me. I set my wallet on the bedside table and shrugged off my jacket. “Make sure you’re hydrated.”
She transferred her weight from one foot to the other and nodded. Her anxiety was clear now—I’d never seen her fidget at the office. She took a couple small sips of the water. I took in a deep breath, and cupped her face, watching her amber-brown eyes as they searched mine. Stroking my thumbs across her cheekbones, I bent and tasted her lips before pulling back.
Eventually she opened her eyes. I slid my hands from her face to her collar, then slipped the buttons of her blouse open, one after another, revealing a white lace bra. The contrast with her olive skin made the sight even more mouthwatering than before, and I pushed her shirt over her shoulders, all the while keeping my gaze on her breasts where they pushed against the lace, straining to be set free.
Next, I peeled off her skirt, revealing long, lean legs. I stepped back to take in the whole picture. With clothes on she was a knockout—sexy, curves in all the right places. But naked? She was a fucking goddess. My cock nudged my fly and I pulled in another breath, steadying myself. This was a marathon, not a sprint.
“Are you inspecting me?” she asked.
“Absolutely. You’re gorgeous.”
“And I’m almost naked. Whereas you are not.”
That was just how I liked it.
I moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “Come here.”
After barely a moment of hesitation, she stepped toward me. “Where do you want me?”
I growled in response but added, “Everywhere, but for now, turn around so you’re facing away.”
She paused and narrowed her eyes slightly. Sofia had a temper, that was clear. I’d never had an assistant who was so very visibly irritated by me. She was outspoken and opinionated and certainly no pushover. It was all part of the attraction. In the office, she didn’t seem to understand that she needed to follow my rules. Now I wanted her to comply with my instructions. Whether she knew it yet or not, doing so would be in her own best interest.
She half-lifted one shoulder before turning away. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her against me so she was sitting on my lap.