Roselle almost forgot why she came in there.
“I’d appreciate it if you don’t warn anyone away from me. First of all, it’s inappropriate. Second of all, I can handle Jayson. If I wanted to get rid of him, I know how.”
“So you want his attention?” Stephan asked sarcastically.
“No, I don’t, but I also don’t see the need to be rude.”
“So I did you a favor. You should be thanking me.”
“Really, Stephan?”
“What do you want me to say? That I’m sorry? Well, I’m not. Remember how you acted with Namia at Le Rêve? How you defended me? I did the same for you. You’re welcome.”
“I didn’t act like a dog over a bone, and I wasn’t rude to her.”
“You sure about that?”
She reviewed the memory. Maybe she’d been a little rude when she stepped up. Definitely possessive. Okay, maybe a little bit like a dog over a bone.
“You know what, none of that matters. This is a place of business, and we have to conduct ourselves professionally. I don’t want any trouble.”
“Place of business or not, I don’t like that guy, and I definitely don’t like him sniffing around what belongs to me.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “Belongs…excuse you? Nothing on me belongs to you.”
“That pussy belongs to me.”
“No, it does not!” she said hotly.
“You sure about that?” He tilted his head, gaze dragging over her in a possessive way. Then his eyes met hers head-on. “As far as I’m concerned, I licked it, so it’s mine.”
Heat flooded her cheeks, and Roselle took in a sharp breath, the memory of what he’d done surging back with unexpected intensity. He’d lapped at her like melting ice cream on a cone and made her scream with his insatiable appetite to satisfy.
“You say anything, don’t you? You are so crude and so disgusting—”
Stephan slow-clapped as he pushed off the credenza, shaking his head in admiration. “Brilliant performance. You almost had me with your righteous indignation act.”
“That was not an act, Stephan.”
“It most definitely was, Roselle.”
He came closer, and she took two steps back. It was unsafe to allow him too close.
“I said exactly what I was feeling,” Roselle said.
Amusement filled his eyes. “Nah, you didn’t. You were actually thinking about this.” He wagged his tongue at her. “Or was it this?” Using both hands, he pointed at his crotch.
She refused to look and instead shot daggers at him.
“I spent the weekend thinking about you and me, and I tried to figure out if I was the only one who enjoyed our time together in and out of the bedroom so much that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t be. You didn’t fake your laughter and the happiness in your eyes when we went sightseeing. And you sure weren’t faking those moans and cries and the way you tore into my back every time I made you come. Right now you’re angry because I’m calling you out, but I know you want me, which sucks because if you didn’t, resisting you would be so much easier. My mother warned me away from you before we went to Paris, and I couldn’t resist you. And here I am again, struggling. Happens every time I see you. I think about us making love, how responsive you are, how you give as much as you take. And it…” His voice went lower, huskier. “It’s driving me out of my mind.”
She also thought about their time together way more than she should. Every minute detail of the trip replayed in her head like a rewound film. She wanted to go back in time for an hour—a few minutes would suffice.
“I don’t want to hear this,” Roselle whispered.
“It’s hard as hell, isn’t it?”
She stared at the middle button on his shirt and imagined opening each one and sliding her hands over his smooth chest and down between his legs until he moaned.
Stephan continued. “So now here we are, two people who want each other and are pretending we don’t.”
He advanced slowly, like a lion on the prowl, and again, she retreated. When her back hit the wall, she swallowed hard. He placed a hand above her head, and her breaths came a little faster.
Stephan leaned in closer. “What are we going to do about this thing that we started in Paris?” he asked.
“We have to be adults. We need self-control.”
“When I’m near you, my control is almost non-existent. I have another idea. Why don’t we keep having sex until we get tired of each other?”
“That’s a terrible idea.”
“One that will put us both out of our misery. Admit that staying away from each other is harder than you expected, and let’s do something about it.”
“Your ‘something’ involves having sex.”
“You have a better idea? Because we’re going to have sex in a few minutes, so you better speak up.”
“You can’t be serious. We’re at work,” Roselle said in a shaky voice.
“Then walk out. Otherwise, I’m going to have you up against this wall, with your legs around my waist. And you’re going to have to be quiet. None of that screaming you like to do.”
She wanted to leave, but the image he described made her nipples hard, and his nearness turned her knees to mush.
“Second warning, Roselle.” His eyes had turned heavy-lidded with desire. “You better get out of here now, because I’m kissing you in five seconds.”
“You better not,” she said weakly.
Denying him was the right move to make. She should walk away. It was so easy. One foot in front of the other.
“By now, you should know I always do the opposite of what I’m told.”
Neither moved, and the pound, pound, pound of her heart knocked against her chest in anticipation. He waited longer than five seconds, giving her plenty of time to escape. Then his face hardened with determination, and his mouth came down onto hers.
He sandwiched her between the wall and his hard body. Then his hands slid up her thighs under the pleated skirt of her dress and tilted her hips into his. An unmistakable hard-on pressed against her swollen mons with each circular grind of his hips.
She ached with need, aware of every hard muscular inch of his body, from the press of his chest to the muscled thighs beneath the well-pressed pants.
With ease, he pushed down her panties until they fell around her ankles.
“Step out,” he said.
She did as he commanded, solely focused on the deep-seated need for him that wouldn’t go away.
She had gone on a date with the doctor, but the entire time she compared him to Stephan. His eyes weren’t whiskey-brown or filled with amusement. He made her smile but didn’t make her laugh out loud the way Stephan did. And when he kissed her goodnight at the apartment door, she didn’t experience a single tingle of arousal.
She sucked on Stephan’s neck and listened to him groan. She thrilled at the sound that proved he was as hopelessly out of control as she was.
Stephan took out a condom and then quickly unfastened his belt and pants, letting the lot fall to the floor around his ankles. When he’d sheathed himself in protection, his hands went back under her skirt, and his fingertips grazed the lips of her sex.
Roselle gave a little cry of frustration, which prompted him to grin arrogantly.
“You’re ready, aren’t you?”
With his hands cradling her bare bottom, he hoisted her against the wall, and her legs went around his waist automatically as he slid between her thighs with a low grunt.
Roselle bit down on her bottom lip and closed her eyes. The only reason she didn’t scream was that in the back of her mind, she remembered that they were at work and didn’t want to risk being heard by an employee passing in the hall.
Stephan kicked one foot out of his pants and widened his stance. Chest heaving, he went to work, surging into her. Their breaths comingled while their bodies slid together in a sexy, decadent dance of lust. She kissed him again, demanding
and eager as their tongues tangled in a heated embrace, sinking her teeth into his lush bottom lip with a feverish, darn near unquenchable desire.
Her fingers stroked over his soft hair, and she smoothed her palms down his neck and across his broad shoulders. She loved touching him and was excited by the strain of his muscles as he used his strength to hold her up as his body thrust again and again into hers.
It didn’t take long for them to come. When Roselle did, her legs clamped around him, and she buried her face in his neck. She whimpered and clenched her fists behind his head to keep from screaming.
Stephan slammed a hand against the wall and held her up with one hand. He shuddered and groaned with a final thrust and then let the air out of his lungs with a mighty whoosh.
Roselle remained wrapped around him for a long spell, her head against his shoulder, his face against her neck as they struggled to slow their breathing. Finally, she released her death grip on him and lowered her feet to the floor.
Stephan dipped his head and gently kissed her mouth.
He wound her hair around his hand and tugged her flush against his body, forcing her head back, so she had to look up at him. “The rules of engagement have changed. Whenever you enter this office, close and lock the door, because any time you come in here, you’re getting fucked. Whenever I come into your office, you’re getting fucked. That’s what we’ll have to do until we can get each other out of our systems.”
He sealed the deal with another kiss, harder this time, almost angrily.
Roselle whimpered as a gentle throb reemerged between her legs. At this rate, getting her fill of him could take forever.
Chapter 18
“You should step back. Someone might come in here at any minute and see us,” Roselle warned, placing a hand to Stephan’s chest. They were alone in the break room, and though she complained, she liked being so close to him but didn’t want to get caught.
“Jayson been bothering you?” Stephan asked.
“No. He’s left me alone.” Jayson didn’t even look at her now. She felt kind of sorry for him.
“Good.” His voice dropped lower. “Maybe I should close that door, and we can have a quickie.”
“What! No. We can’t.”
“I disagree.”
He reached around for the zipper on her dress.
She gasped and shoved his hand away. “Quit. What are you doing?”
“Trying to make up for lost time.”
“It was five days, Stephan.” She’d had to put him off when she was on her menses, and he’d acted as if the world was coming to an end.
“Felt like fifty,” he said deadpan.
Roselle giggled.
He braced a hand on the counter. “I’ve been thinking about something. Instead of hooking up at the office or at a hotel like we did once, how about you come to my place?”
Startled, Roselle didn’t know what to say at first. “Your place?” she squeaked out.
“Yeah. How about this Saturday, at seven o’clock? I’ll send a car for you.”
Another step closer to getting tangled in the Stephan Brooks web.
“I, um…I’ll have to think about it. I usually go to see my great-aunt at the nursing home on Saturdays.”
“You spend all of Saturday and Saturday night with her?”
“No,” she admitted.
“Then let me ask you again, how about Saturday night at seven? I’ll feed you dinner.” He placed both hands on the counter, trapping her between his muscular forearms.
“Someone will see us,” Roselle hissed, peeping around him.
“Better give me an answer fast, then.”
“Stephan…”
“And the answer better be yes, because I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“Fine! Yes!”
He grinned down at her. He was irresistible, and he made her do things that generally made her cautious. Like going to a man’s house and being alone with him.
He bent to her ear. “Can’t wait to taste my delicious pussy again.”
Roselle closed her eyes for a split second and shuddered. No man had ever spoken to her like this. She’d never wanted them to.
Their eyes locked, and she knew he was going to kiss her, and she wanted the kiss. But then the sound of feminine laughter broke through the air, and Stephan quickly stepped back.
One of the administrative assistants from her side of the floor walked in. Phone to her ear, she cast a curious gaze at them.
Stephan cleared his throat and spoke in a loud voice. “So I’ll have that file for you before the end of the day.”
“Good. Thank you,” Roselle said, equally loud.
Stephan walked away, but doughy knees kept her from moving. At the door, he turned to look at her one last time. With the admin’s back turned to him, he licked his lips and walked out with the right corner of his mouth lifted into a sexy half-smile.
With an extra pep in his step, Stephan marched into Ella’s office. He’d been light-footed for a while, ever since he and Roselle had sex in his office a couple of weeks ago. They’d hooked up two more times at work and once at a nearby hotel after work, where they’d ordered room service and taken their fill of each other’s bodies before going their separate ways.
Though he’d enjoyed the hours they spent together, the experiences left a bad taste in his mouth afterward. They didn’t feel right.
So he’d wondered, how would she feel about coming to my house? That’s what had prompted the invitation in the break room.
He stopped next to the settee in Ella’s sitting area. She didn’t notice him, preoccupied with the architectural plan she had taped to the wall.
Those must be the plans for expanding our New York office.
Stephan pulled up short. Our New York office, which included him. It was an odd thought, as if he were part of SJ Brands, too. He’d certainly become more entrenched in the work of the business development team, conducting his own research and running ideas by Roselle from time to time to take advantage of her knowledge base.
“You rang?” Stephan said.
Ella swung around to face him, a frown creasing her brow.
What was wrong with her?
She walked over to where he stood, chic and professional in a cream long-sleeved blouse, black wide-legged pants, and black heels. Her long hair, hanging straight down her back, was secured at the nape with a diamond-studded clip.
Folding her arms, she asked, “Anything you want to tell me?”
“No. You called this meeting.”
“You sure you have nothing to tell me?”
“About what?”
As far as he knew, he’d had a great couple of weeks. He’d done more research on the Brazil market by talking to a contact one of his cousins connected him to in São Paulo. It was too soon to share the results of his labor, but he was feeling really good about the progress. Not to mention, he arrived to work on time every day and hadn’t fallen asleep once in any of Marcus’s boring-ass meetings that would take half the time if he wasn’t so wordy.
“About one of your work friends?”
Stephan’s stomach tightened. Uh-oh. Had Jayson said something about their confrontation? Stephan knew better than to incriminate himself, so he kept this voice neutral and said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Are you sleeping with Roselle?”
Stephan threw up his hands. “Whoa. How did you come to that conclusion?”
“Rumors are flying around about you two.”
“In the office?”
“Where else?”
Stephan cursed softly and ran a hand over the back of his head. All he could think about was the warning Sylvie had given him before he left for France. “Has Mother heard these rumors?”
“I don’t think so. Are they true?”
He waffled on whether or not to be honest, and decided not to lie. He trusted his sister. “Yes.”
“Stephan!”
“I don’t
need a lecture.” He paced away from her and rubbed his hands together. “I have to assume Mother doesn’t know or she would have said something by now. I’m also pretty confident she won’t find out.”
“I found out, and I’m only one step below her.”
Good point. A surge of panic hit him. Over a billion dollars in assets were at stake.
Had he been that sloppy? Other than yesterday, when he and Roselle were caught standing close to each other in the break room, he couldn’t remember another time when they behaved in a way that justified suspicions that they were sleeping together. They didn’t have lunch together anymore to ensure they didn’t fuel the office rumor mill, and they were very cautious not to be seen together or addressing each other around other people. Maybe that was the problem. Had they been trying too hard? Or had Jayson complained to another employee about the warning Stephan issued to stay away from Roselle?
If Sylvie found out… Actually, he didn’t want to consider the consequences if she did. His inheritance was on the chopping block.
“How did you find out?” he asked.
“I overheard a conversation in the bathroom this morning.”
“Wonderful,” Stephan muttered.
“The things they said about her were not nice, Stephan.”
He hadn’t thought about that. The stigma of sleeping together assuredly affected her more than it affected him. “What were they saying?”
“You don’t want to know. And when Mother finds out, she’s going to kill you.”
“Okay, calm down, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. You overheard a conversation in the bathroom. Mother has her own bathroom in her office, so she won’t be overhearing any gossip. And I can’t see anyone going to her with relationship gossip about me. They’d be too embarrassed to tell her. I’m pretty sure I don’t have anything to worry about.”
That wasn’t entirely true. Before the trip, a person or persons had informed her that he and Roselle had eaten lunch together. Damn snitches.
“You hope. I just have to ask you, are you insane? Mother will be furious when she finds out you slept with one of her employees. Especially Roselle.”
“The chances of her finding out are low.”
Two Nights in Paris Page 11
