Inconveniently Tempted

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Jake hadn’t thought he’d be so bothered by the possibility, but now that she’d told him no, he could feel everything inside of him relax slightly. “Engaged? In a serious relationship?”

  “No and no,” she replied firmly, then turned back to the screen, pretending to review the code. But they’d only made minor tweaks. Megan was a computer whiz and had already memorized the new coding.

  Besides, she’d already done more than half the work to create the idea she’d told him about in the elevator. So, what was the real reason she hadn’t been able to sleep?

  “So, what’s really going on?” he asked, determined to get to the real issue.

  Megan turned in her chair, quickly backing up because her arm brushed against his knee, but Jake noticed the shiver, the glance at his knee. Had she felt the shock wave as well? Was she…?

  “What do you mean?”

  Even as she asked the question, he saw her eyes shutter, locking her secrets away and slamming the door on them. She used to do that when she hadn’t done as well on a test as she’d thought. And Megan didn’t like to talk about her failures, so when she’d come to his place after the exam, he’d immediately known when she was hiding something. It hadn’t taken much to coax the truth out of her. A few kisses, touching her back or her arms…she was an extremely responsive woman…anything like that would get her talking. He’d learned simply to distract her from whatever it was that she was trying to hide, get her thinking about something else, then ask her again when her guard was down.

  But Jake didn’t have those options at the moment. So, he couldn’t toss her over his shoulder and throw her onto his bed, make love to her without giving her a release until she told him what was bothering her.

  “Never mind,” he sighed, turning back to the code. For the next several hours, they brainstormed, inputting different commands to get the desired results. By the time the rest of the team arrived, they’d finished that section.

  Hours later, Megan was running on fumes. In the bathroom that afternoon, she stared at her reflection in the mirror, noticing the unflattering dark circles under her eyes, as well as the sickly pale skin and the tightness around her mouth. All signs that she’d pushed herself too hard.

  She washed her hands and splashed cold water on her face and neck, trying to revive herself. Unfortunately, nothing was really working. She was worn out from lack of sleep and lack of food. Plus, the added tension of having Jake lean over her shoulder to talk about one thing or another, all of it combined to increase her overall fatigue.

  “This has to stop,” she told herself. But looking at her eyes in the mirror, eyes that were rimmed with red, she knew that she secretly wanted to be around Jake, even if it was just to work with him. She loved…she enjoyed being around him. He was full of energy and vitality…not to mention, he was brilliant at not just coding programs, but understanding the bigger picture and how to make all the different parts of a project work together smoothly.

  “Pull it together,” she muttered to her reflection in the mirror.

  “Are you okay?”

  Megan jumped, surprised to find another person in the restroom. “I’m fine!” she replied quickly, possibly too quickly.

  “Are you sure?” the woman replied kindly. Her name was Becky or Becca or something. Megan wasn’t great with names and it was only her second day. It would take her a while to connect names and faces

  Megan shrugged and reached for paper towels. “I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m always excited when I start a new project.”

  The woman smiled in agreement. “I’m with you. I love the beginning of any new project, all the excitement and possibilities. It’s the time before the problems, the obstacles, and the exhaustion surfaces. But this project is even better than usual. I’m excited to be on this kind of a task.” Her grin widened. “Especially working with Mr. Hughes!” she replied with a giggle and a sparkle to her eyes as she disappeared into a bathroom stall.

  Megan blinked after the woman, stunned. Becky/Becca was on the younger end of the age group, and cute. Pretty. Was she smart, too? Megan wasn’t sure, but she knew that Jake was turned on by intelligence, among other things.

  Walking out, she tried to ignore the woman’s giggle echoing in her ears and what it implied. But deep down inside, Megan felt that green stab of jealousy.

  That stab grew into a sharp pain when she stepped into the computer lab, her gaze automatically drawn to Jake’s office. Unfortunately, at that particular moment, he was working with another woman. This one was older and not as classically beautiful, but she had an air of confidence about her that made her more attractive than someone who had all of the “right” beauty features.

  As Megan watched, the woman leaned over Jake’s desk, pointing to something on the computer screen. Fire burned in her throat when Megan noticed that the woman’s breasts were almost in Jake’s face! He had to lean back in order to avoid getting poked in the eye!

  How dare she act so brazen in a work environment! What kind of woman acted like that?

  When the brazen hussy left Jake’s office, Megan wasn’t aware of her hands fisting by her sides at the look of triumph on the woman’s features. Smug, Megan thought in disgust. Whoever she was, Megan decided that she hated her! Hated her to the very core of her being! The horrible woman walked back to her work area and Megan could almost taste the sense of triumph emanating from her.

  “That’s Margaret,” Becky/Becca said and Megan whipped around, looking into the younger woman’s eyes and cringing. Becky/Becca sighed, resigned as she shook her head. “I guess that’s it for the rest of us, huh?”

  What was “it”? And why did Becky/Becca look so stoic? “I’m sorry?”

  Becky/Becca shrugged, tilting her head slightly to indicate Margaret. “When Margaret sets her sights on a man, she gets him. I’ve seen it over and over again.” Becky/Becca grimaced. “She and I have been on several projects together over the past few years. And she always goes for either the best looking man, or the guy in charge. Mr. Hughes isn’t just in charge, he’s one of the owners, and he’s amazing looking. So Margaret will probably keep him once she’s gotten her talons into him.”

  Becky/Becca moved away, walking to her work area with a wistful sigh. Megan knew the feeling and her gaze moved back to Margaret, wondering how Becky/Becca had realized what she was feeling.

  “Megan? Can you take a look at this?” Jake asked, from the doorway of his office.

  Looking over at Jake, she wondered what he would do if she simply turned around and…and what? She was in a secure area! It wasn’t like she could just walk outside and kick some rocks. Not that she would kick rocks, even if she had the opportunity. But she felt like kicking rocks. Or something. Maybe a tree named Margaret.

  No, she wouldn’t kick a tree. That wasn’t nice to the tree.

  Jake walked over to her. “What’s wrong?” he asked softly, his hands fisted on his hips.

  “Nothing,” she replied quickly, stepping back, intending to walk around him and head back to her computer.

  He reached out and put a hand to her arm, stopping her retreat. “Something is obviously wrong. You look like you want to punch someone.”

  Megan looked down and realized that her hands were curled into fists. Slowly, she unclenched her fingers, stretching them out.

  “I’m fine,” she lied.

  Jake’s hand remained on her arm for another moment as he looked at her. Then he shook his head. “You’re not fine. Come with me,” he ordered and walked over to the elevator.

  She debated ignoring him and heading over to her computer but knew that he’d follow her. Besides, he was the boss here. Literally, the boss of everyone. She didn’t want to undermine his authority by ignoring him. So she walked over to him and followed him into the elevator.

  “Where are we going?” she asked when he pressed the button for the top floor.

  He didn’t look at her as the doors closed, but leaned over to pre
ss the buttons. In that brief moment, Megan inhaled, breathing in the incredible scent that was “Jake”. He was male and earthy, with a citrusy undertone that made her mouth water!

  “My office. Something is bothering you and we’re going to talk about it privately.”

  She stepped back, trying not to breathe in again. Breathing around Jake was dangerous. “We don’t need to talk about anything, Jake,” she asserted firmly. “We just need to get the project finished.”

  The doors opened smoothly and he wrapped his fingers around her upper arm, leading her down a long, quiet hallway filled with bustling people.

  “No interruptions,” he called to a man sitting behind a desk. Then he pulled Megan into an office and slammed the door.

  “Okay, out with it. What’s going on?”

  She looked around, impressed with the office. She’d been in here only once before, the day she’d spoken to Mike about doing her project with JJH Technologies. But she’d been too overwhelmed to pay attention to the space. It was huge, with floor to ceiling windows that looked out across the river to the city.

  “Megan, what happened?”

  She swung around, glaring at him as her arms crossed over her chest. “What makes you think anything is wrong?” she asked.

  “You’re exhausted, and I know you didn’t sleep a wink last night,” he said, moving closer. “Then you left the lab looking calm and relaxed, but came back with a look of absolute hatred on your face. Did someone say something to you?”

  She dropped her arms. “Jake…” But whatever she was about to say was interrupted by the growling of her stomach. She suddenly realized that she’d skipped dinner last night, and then had worked right through breakfast this morning.

  “Hold that thought. Let’s get some lunch.” He stuck his head out the door. “Could you run over to that Chinese place and get some kung pao chicken, sweet and sour shrimp, and,” he looked back at Megan, smiling slightly when he saw her mouth fall open and her eyes widen, “and drunken noodles. Spicy.”

  Megan whimpered, then pressed her lips closed when Jake’s eyes turned triumphant.

  Closing the door, he headed towards a wall. With a press of a button Megan hadn’t noticed, the cabinet opened to reveal a bar complete with fridge and glasses. He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle. Megan stared at the bottle, wondering…he wouldn’t!

  “That’s not…!”

  The cork popped easily out of the bottle.

  “It’s the Riesling wine that you used to love.” He paused, the tip of the bottle hovering temptingly over the rim of the wine glass as he smirked at her. “Tell me you’ve changed your wine habits and have grown to appreciate a crisper wine.”

  Megan stared at the glass as well as the hand patiently holding it. At that moment, he poured and extended it to her. “Oh, Jake!” she sighed with happiness. “I wish I could tell you that, but I still…” she licked her lips, shaking her head. “But I can’t drink that.”

  “Why not? You love this wine, I remember.” He started to pull the wine away. “But, if you don’t like it any more…”

  She grabbed his wrist, and froze. Their eyes locked. In that instant, the wine was forgotten as awareness crackled between them like lightening. Jake watched her, his eyes narrowing, indicating that he felt it too. The heat in his eyes was intense and Megan gulped.

  “Take the wine, Megan. I know you want it.” His voice was deeper. Huskier.

  Megan licked her lips, her fingers curling around his wrist. “I shouldn’t. It’s the middle of the day.”

  “And you never do anything you shouldn’t, do you?”

  Amusement lit those enigmatic grey eyes and Megan’s narrowed suspiciously in return. He was laughing at her!

  Instantly, the tension eased and she sighed, relieved that the spell had been broken.

  She took the glass and sipped defiantly, ignoring his soft chuckle.

  Stepping back, she put several feet between them. “Why are we up here? We could have had this conversation in the computer lab.”

  He walked back to the bar, putting the wine back in the fridge before grabbing a beer for himself. “Because you’re upset about something. And I want to know what that is without the other team members overhearing our conversation. I didn’t want to share the wine with them either.”

  She sat down on the leather sofa, perching carefully on the edge. “And your office downstairs wasn’t private enough?”

  “Nope.” Popping the top on the beer, he took a long swallow, and settled on the sofa facing her. “It wasn’t private enough. Relax and tell me what’s going on.”

  She lifted her glass of sweet wine to her lips, surveying him over the rim as she wondered what to tell him. There was absolutely no way that she’d admit that she was jealous of Margaret! “The system is…”

  Immediately, he shook his head. “Ahead of schedule and we’re only on day two. That’s not the problem. What happened?”

  She huffed a bit, irritated that he was eliminating her only good excuse. Leaning back, she relaxed against the soft, supple leather. “Why do you think something happened?”

  “Because you looked ready to commit murder.”

  Only if Margaret was her target, Megan thought acidly. “I’m tired.”

  He chuckled softly and Megan remembered how much she loved that sound!

  “You become silly and punchy when you’re tired. Not angry. What happened?”

  She tilted her head. “You think you know me so well. But I might have changed over the last few years.”

  A dark eyebrow lifted challengingly. “Have you? Am I wrong?”

  Megan opened her mouth to deny it, to tell him that he was way off base. But she’d never been able to lie to him, which was one of the reasons she’d left so abruptly.

  “You’re not wrong. I was angry.”

  “Was?”

  “Am,” she corrected and took another long sip of wine. “But it doesn’t matter because the issue isn’t relevant. What’s going on with the user interface?” she asked, changing the subject.

  Or tried to.

  “The interface isn’t nearly as interesting as what got under your skin. Talk to me, Megan. Did someone say something to you? The team told me they were excited to work on the project and I personally handpicked the team, knowing how important this project is. But if someone said something, I want to know about it.”

  She smiled, thinking he was sweet. Well, sometimes. She suspected that he wasn’t always nice. She’d seen him in class and knew that he had a zero tolerance for stupidity or games.

  “The team is great. I’ve been impressed with everyone’s skills. They’re good. You did a great job of finding people that understand the vision and know how to get the work done. It seemed as if everyone worked late last night.”

  “A few people have kids and had to head out on time. But they are also the ones that came in early this morning.”

  She laughed. “We were all here early this morning.” Lifting her wine, she took another long, delicious sip. Yeah, she knew that it should be a dessert wine, but she was too bourgeois to care. She liked this wine, so she drank it. Life really was too short to drink wine that one didn’t enjoy, she thought.

  “Why aren’t you married?”

  Megan choked on the mouthful of wine. “I’m sorry?”

  Someone knocking on the door stopped the conversation. Thank goodness!

  “Come in!” Jake called.

  A moment later, his assistant stepped through the door with a huge bag of food containers. “Billy said hi,” Jake’s assistant said as he set everything on the coffee table, then quickly retreated.

  “Thanks Tom,” Jake called as the door closed again, leaving them alone.

  Megan looked down at the bags, her stomach growling loudly. “You got sweet and sour shrimp.”

  “Is it still your favorite?” he asked, pulling boxes out of the bag and handing her a pair of chopsticks. She took the wooden sticks, a memory flashing behind h
er eyes – a memory of him teaching her how to use chopsticks and how she’d made such a mess, he’d resorted to feeding her with his own.

  “Yes,” she replied finally, swallowing past the lump in her throat at the memory. “Yes, I still love it.” Although, she hadn’t had any in years, not since the last time she’d eaten it with Jake because the memories were too painful.

  He handed her the box and she stared down into the deep-fried pieces of shrimp doused in a thick, sweet sauce.

  “Remember how to use them?” he asked, his voice low and sexy as he watched her.

  “Of course,” she replied, trying to appear calm, but her hands shook as she dipped the chopsticks into the box. Holding the shrimp to her lips, she took a bite, watching him the whole time, daring him to remind her of the first time she’d tried using the sticks.

  “Better,” he chuckled. “You’ve been practicing.” He lifted a piece of beef out of his own box and leaned back against the leather cushions of the couch. “Pity. I wouldn’t mind helping you again.”

  She blinked, startled by the admission, but he lifted his bottle of beer to his lips, looking off to the side and she couldn’t read his face. So she had no idea if he meant what he’d just said, or if he’d said that just to rile her.

  Unfortunately, they couldn’t go down that pathway again. Cancer had conspired to keep them from having a future the last time they were together. And she couldn’t guarantee that her cancer wouldn’t be a bitch again, returning to haunt her with another round of hell.

  “I’ve got it covered,” she told him, looking down because staring into his eyes was dangerous.

  They discussed the project while they ate and Megan devoured the sweet and sour shrimp, hungrier than she’d realized. Of course, she’d skipped dinner last night, and breakfast this morning so her body was more than ready for food. When she’d had enough, she set the box down on the coffee table, careful to tuck a napkin underneath in case the sweet sauce seeped out. Megan didn’t want to be responsible for damaging a piece of furniture that probably cost more than she earned in a month.

  “So, where do you want to go from here?” he asked, opening another beer and topping off her glass of wine, which she hadn’t noticed was empty.