He speaks first, “About last night—”
I swallow the coffee in a rush and interrupt him. I have to. I’m too nervous about what he will say. Afraid he will say he wants me gone. “Luke, stop. It’s okay, you don’t have to worry. I just want to forget about last night. We were both very drunk. I can barely remember what we did, anyway. Can we just pretend it never happened? Is that okay?”
Luke gazes at me, confident and unashamed. “Is that what you want?”
I can’t tell whether he’s upset or relieved so I plough on, “Yes. It’s what I want.”
“Too bad,” he says firmly.
His answer startles me. “What?”
“I can’t pretend it never happened,” he says. “And I don’t want to forget about it.” He leans forward intently and pins me with his sapphire eyes. “It’s all I’ve been thinking about since I woke up this morning. It’s a shame you were already gone.”
I shake my head. “You don’t think it was a mistake?”
“The only mistake I made was not seeing how beautiful you are sooner.”
My breath catches in my throat. Does he really mean it? I find it hard to believe. Maybe he’s just trying to smooth things over with me. He regrets what happened, but doesn’t want things to be awkward between us.
I imagine that as soon as we land in America, he’ll distance himself from me. Maybe I’ll get transferred to another department in the company. Maybe he’ll fire me. I need to fix this myself before things get out of hand. “Listen, Luke,” I say. “We were drunk. We didn’t know what we were doing.”
“I was drunk, yes. But the most intoxicating thing last night was the touch of your lips on mine.”
Holy shit.
Warmth floods my body, and butterflies take flight in my stomach. I’m dizzy. My whole world is spinning.
“I knew exactly what I was doing last night,” he says. “And I know exactly what I want to do to you again. I know you want it, too.”
I open my mouth to deny it, but the words don’t come. He’s right. I desperately want him. I could quite easily let him take me right now. But I’m afraid. He awakens feelings inside of me that I can’t control. It’s thrilling and terrifying, all at the same time.
That’s Luke Remington in a nutshell.
The very thing that makes him so sexy is the same thing that makes him so intimidating. He’s sexy and powerful, dominant and cocky, unstoppable and irresistible. He’s like a force of nature, sweeping me up in his strength. I feel powerless against him. Still, I have to try and resist. “Luke,” I say, shaking my head. “I think you were right all along. We shouldn’t have mixed business and pleasure. I don’t know if I can be as professional as I was while we are sleeping together. I’m worried that I’ll screw up and disappoint you. If we put this little hiccup behind us now, maybe then things will to go back to normal between us.”
He laughs humorlessly. “What you call normal between us was based on a lie. Your lie.”
My eyes widen. “I don’t understand.”
“The day you showed up in my life wearing a costume, you lied about who you are.”
I shake my head. “It wasn’t a costume. And my appearance has nothing to do with who I am. I’m still the same woman you hired.”
His eyes become stormy. “That’s where you’re wrong. Your appearance has everything to do with who you are.”
I lean back in my chair and stare at him, disappointed. I can’t believe he could be such a shallow egoist. “Oh, so just because you now think I’m attractive, that somehow changes who I am inside?”
Luke slams his hand on the table, making me jump. “Dammit, Jade. You’re smarter than this. You changed who you are inside by changing your appearance. I saw you last night with our clients. You weren’t the meek and mousy Jade you’ve been pretending to be. You were sparkling. Those guys were eating from the palm of your hand. That was the real you. The normal you. And that was all because of how you looked. You weren’t hiding behind your dumpy facade. Surely, you noticed the difference inside yourself?”
I hadn’t considered that. I forgot the client meeting while being in the complicated situation I found myself in this morning. Between the hangover and the wild sex with my boss, I barely remembered how I’d acted with the clients. Now that Luke has called it to my attention, I know he’s right.
I had been on my game last night. At points, it felt like I ran the whole meeting, even though Luke sat beside me. He contributed to the conversation, but I’d been in control. No other client meeting had gone like that. I usually sit back and let Luke work his magic. But not last night. Last night, I felt confident, and let myself shine. It never occurred to me it might have something to do with the way I was dressed, but it certainly made sense.
“You know I’m right,” Luke says.
“So what if you are?”
“So that means last night was the real you. Everything before that was a lie. If you want things to be normal between us, then you need to be the Jade from last night. Not the fake Jade you’ve been for the last two months.”
My head pounds away. “And you want the version of me who sleeps with you?”
He shoots me a cocky grin. “Damn right I do. And not just because you’ve never been sexier, but because the new version of you is a force to be reckoned with. With you at my side, we can take over the whole fucking world.”
As much as I like the sound of that, I’m scared, too. I have to ask him the question burning inside me, “Has sleeping with you become part of my job description now?”
He frowns. “Of course not. It’s not a job requirement. You don’t have to sleep with me. Only if you want to, but I know you do.” Luke leans in close to me so no one else can hear. “In fact, if it wasn’t for this damn conference, I’d take you upstairs right now and fuck you senseless.”
My heart stops beating in my chest. I can’t breathe. Wetness pools between my legs. He’s right. Since the day I started working for Luke, I’ve imagined what it would be like to be with him. Idle day dreams turned to sultry fantasies of feeling his strong hands all over my body. None of those fantasies can compare to the real thing. Now that I’ve gotten a taste of him, I need more. I would welcome him into my body anywhere, anytime he chooses to avail himself to me. In fact, my only objection would be to being drunk next time. I want all of my senses sharp, so I can savor the feelings he ignites in me.
“We didn’t use a condom last night,” he says softly. “Are you protected?”
I flush to the roots of my hair. “Yes, I’m on the pill,” I admit, then I hurry to add, “but I’ve never gone bare before.”
He flashes his teeth. “Neither have I. My mother was such a proponent of safe sex I’m sure she would have preferred me to jerk off into a condom too.”
I giggle and he laughs too. For a while, there is no tension between us. Then that sexual thing rears its head again. My head is still throbbing and all I want is to be back in bed with him.
“I should go,” I say.
“You haven’t eaten your breakfast yet.”
I shrug. “Nah. My stomach feels funny.”
“Then wait for me, and we’ll attend the seminar together.”
“Uh, I’m not attending the morning sessions. I have to go up and prepare the sheets for your talk this afternoon.”
He frowns. “When will I see you again?”
“Mr. Dimitriou is just going to brief you, so you won’t need me for that. I’ll see you for lunch with Carl at the Golden Orchid restaurant. It’s on the third floor.”
“Fine. I better go get some food then,” he says standing up. Before I can do anything, he bends down and brushes his lips against mine. As if we are a couple. As if that is the most natural thing in the world for him to do. I watch his tall imposing figure stride away, my heart hammering in my chest.
Chapter 8
Jade
Upstairs in the printing room, I meet another one of the speaker’s PA. A sweet local woman calle
d Anong. She too, is preparing hard copies of the presentation to be handed to the attendees of her boss’s talk. She hands me a green and white box. It says Tiffy on the outside and is written in English on one site. It’s a Thai version of Acetominophen. They are very effective and in less than twenty minutes, my headache is gone. I tell her that I need to pop down to the hotel’s boutique to buy a suit for a lunch meeting.
“No. No,” she says shaking her hand. “Hotel boutique very expensive. Come with me I show you very good shop,” she offers.
I look at her doubtfully. “How far away is it?”
“Next door. You will like.” She nods vigorously.
I grin at her. “Okay.”
The shop turns out to be the gift that keeps on giving. It is one of those amazing little places that sells knock-off designer gear for one tenth of the price in other shops. I have heard of these secret places where you could go and get tailored suits for fifty American dollars. Like a kid in a sweet shop, I buy dresses, pant-suits, skirts, tops, jackets, shoes, bags and scarves. In less than an hour, I max out both my credit cards and leave carrying six bags of stuff for me. I even got a gorgeous silk suit for Emma. It’s one of those classic #sorrynotsorry moments. I’ve blown six months of wages, but heck, I won’t have to shop for the next five years!
After running up to my room to change, I come down in a fitted red suit to meet Luke and Carl Magnus for lunch at the Golden Orchid. I’m ten minutes early, so I walk into the restaurant, hoping that the men aren’t here yet. I want a few minutes to compose myself. Get a handle on whatever is happening between us. Things are quickly spiraling out of control with Luke. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but this isn’t who I am. I never leap before I look. I need something to clutch to right now, when my whole damn world feels like it’s been turned upside down.
But of course, both Luke and Carl Magnus are already at the table.
Carl is one of our major Swedish clients. Though I’ve never met him in person before, I’ve spoken to him on the phone a few times and I’ve seen pictures of him before. They don’t do him justice. He’s a helluva lot better looking in person.
His Viking heritage is clear. He’s a big man, about the size of Luke, but with broader shoulders. Long blond hair frames his rugged face. Despite the tailored suit he’s wearing, he looks about two seconds from tearing his clothes off and charging into battle.
I perceive all this in a distant way, because even though he’s startlingly handsome with beautiful grass-green eyes, he’s just not my type. And even if he were, my heart doesn’t have room in it for anyone else but Luke. I’ve spent the last two months falling for my boss, and the last twenty-four hours have been the culmination of all those feelings.
Luke notices me first. His blue eyes shine at me like a beacon, dimming everything else in the dining room. I can’t look away from him. His eyes devour me. Then he smiles and his crooked smile makes my heart flutter.
Like a proper gentlemen, both men stand as I approach.
Carl’s eyes move appreciatively over my body. “Miss Jade Emerson. In the flesh,” he says softly. His voice is deep, warm and accented.
I smile politely. “Mr. Magnus.”
I reach out my hand for a handshake, but he ignores it and sweeps me into a hug. The unexpected familiarity, so unlike the exceptionally polite and distant way the Japanese clients greeted me last night, startles me, but Carl is an important client.
“I can’t breathe,” I say breathlessly.
Carl laughs and puts me down. Then he kisses me on one cheek, and then the other. It’s an oddly delicate greeting after the bear hug, but he’s European. I assume it’s how they do things over there.
“My apologies, Jade,” he says. “Can I call you, Jade?”
My eyes widen. “Yes, of course.”
“Good. You must call me Carl.”
“Okay.”
“It’s just nice to put such a beautiful face to the efficient voice on the phone.”
I blush at that, not expecting the compliment. Again, he’s being a bit forward, but I don’t call him on it, out of politeness. Besides, that may be the way they do things in Sweden. Anyway, he hasn’t really crossed any lines. Luke would certainly step in if he had done that. I glance at him, but he just stands there, flashing me his billion-dollar smile, so everything must be okay.
Both men wait until I sit down before taking their own seats. It’s just the three of us at the table, so I sit between Luke and Carl. I’m still reeling from Carl’s exuberant greeting, but luckily, Luke is on his game. He jumps right into business discussions, allowing me to sit back for a moment and gather my bearings.
Chapter 9
Luke
I’m talking business with Carl, but it’s almost like my brain is on auto-pilot. The way he hugged and kissed Jade is still making my blood boil. It took all my willpower not to push the fucking table over and yank him off her.
Carl is a good client, but I have no problem punching him in his stupid, cocky face if he tries something like that again with her. As it is, I’m half tempted to cut this meeting short right now and sever all ties with him. There are other Swedish fish in the sea. I don’t need him.
But I know that’s just my temper getting the better of me, so I pretend as if nothing is wrong and smile.
Jade shoots me a worried glance, then she relaxes, and sits down.
I watch the curve of her smile as she takes the menu from the waitress. I stare at her. I still can’t believe her complete transformation from dowdy librarian to this raving beauty sitting beside me.
I don’t know when it happened exactly, but sometime yesterday, she became incredibly important to me. She went from being my assistant to being a woman I can’t stop thinking about.
Something about her drives me wild in a way I’ve never felt.
There have been plenty of other women in my life, but they tended to be casual affairs. They come, literally, and then go. It’s not a conscious decision on my part, and it’s not their fault either. I just tire quickly. Most of the time it’s like, I take them to bed, and by the morning, I already want nothing to do with them.
Maybe that makes me a womanizing bastard, but that’s just how it was. I never lied to those women. They knew exactly what they were getting into when they hooked up with me. I gave them no illusions that it would be anything more than great sex. Some of them tried really hard to tantalize me. I’ve seen every trick in the book. They probably fooled themselves into believing that they were more special than the other women I’d run with, that they were the one who would finally tame me and make me theirs for good.
But they never were.
Then there’s what-a-surprise, frumpy, dumpy’ Jade. We’ve already had our night together. Really, I should be done with her, or at the very least, have started the distancing process, but I only want her even more. Now that I’ve seen the swan hiding underneath the ugly duckling clothing, I can’t stop thinking of her. How good her body felt beneath mine, how sweet her pussy tasted, and how mesmerizing her face looks when I make her come. In the limo, and in my bed.
She is perfect for me.
It’s a lot more than just how sexy she is. I actually like spending time with her that doesn’t include sex. That’s a massive difference from all the other women I usually hang with. I have no idea what makes Jade so special. All I know is that she is. She actually makes me happy, for fuck’s sake.
The only fly in the ointment is that she’s my assistant.
Dating my assistant feels crude and low-class. Only scumbags do that. I can’t exactly fire her, then ask her out on a date. I’m a bastard, but I’m not a fucking bastard. But I can’t stop this freight train of desire either. I don’t want to stop it. I don’t want to throw her away like I’ve done with all the other women. I want to keep exploring her, both her body and her mind. I want to see where this goes.
The sound of Jade’s laughter cuts through my train of thought. I had retreated into my own head
while Carl kept talking, but now, I notice that he’s sitting a lot closer to her than I like.
“You’ve never been to Sweden?” he says. “Well, that is something we must fix very soon. I will show you all the wonderful things about my country, yes? I will fly you out there on my private jet and you will stay with me.”
Jade smiles at him. “That sounds nice. I’m sure your country is beautiful.”
“It will be even more beautiful with you in it,” the smarmy bastard oozes.
Jade laughs.
My heart blazes with black fury.
“You’re too kind, Carl,” she says. “Maybe one day we can arrange something, and I can visit. But you know how busy I am.” She throws a look at me. “With Luke.”
Carl has the balls to turn to me like we’re fucking friends. “Luke, you can spare Jade for a week or two, can’t you?”
I’m one second away from punching him in his smug fucking face, but I remind myself that I’m not in the jungle. I’m not a caveman. I’m not going to act impulsively. There is a better way. I smile. If he can’t see it’s a tiger’s smile then he’s a bigger fool than I think he is. “No, Carl, I actually can’t spare her.”
He doesn’t even seem to notice the rage flaring inside me. Incredible!
Jade, who is obviously, a lot smarter than him, does. She turns and gazes at me with a worried expression.
“Don’t be silly,” Carl scoffs with a laugh. “Let her off the leash for—”
I slam my hand on the table, shaking the plates and the glasses. “Jade is not a fucking dog on a leash.”
Half of the people in the restaurant stop talking and look in our direction. Jade blinks in confusion while Carl leans back slightly and regards me with a curious, almost satisfied expression.
I force myself to smile. I doubt it reaches my eyes, but it’s the best I can do. “You’re being inappropriate, Carl,” I state, my voice tighter than I want it to be. “This is a business lunch. Act like a fucking professional and stop harassing my assistant.”
Too hot to handle: A curvy girl romance Page 34
