As Jess scrolled down his BlackBerry e-mails searching for the e-mail, his eyebrows crinkled.
“Oh, there’s an e-mail from you marked ‘my assignment’.” He looked up briefly to Alexa then he directed his back to his BlackBerry screen.
Alexa felt a wave of nausea swoop into her belly. She was going to be sick.
“Oh, it’s not important. I’ve already dealt with the matter.” Alexa gave a nervous chuckle as she struggled to sound as dismissive as possible. What she really wanted to do was climb over that boardroom table and grab that cell phone from his grasp and delete that email. But that would be just so…unprofessional.
Guilt was a tough thing to hide. So was utter and complete humiliation.
Alexa flushed probably a thousand shades of rouge. How could she possibly explain now, that it was just meant to be a private email sent to a friend for an assignment on romance writing? But thinking about it now in hindsight, sending a salacious email about your boss to a third party was probably high up there on the list of grounds for dismissal.
Okay, it’s safe to panic, now! Alexa curdled inside. Now she understood what was meant by ‘die from embarrassment.’
Jess was now into a full blown heat wave. He was both in a state of shock and rock hard. Heat rose in all places of his body. He chuckled nervously shaking his head as he opened his eyes wider to see if he were reading correctly. Uncomfortably, he loosened the tie around his neck as he tried to hide the look of shock on his face from the other board members. Another thought penetrated him. Alexa thinks I’m hot? All this time he thought it was just a one-way sentiment. It took a lot to make him blush. The flush in his face was evident, he was sure.
But this was all wrong. As long as Alexa was his employee, any type of personal relationship was out of the question. This was not going to happen any time soon. She would be a liability for everything he worked for. Suddenly, Jess’s mind drew a blank. He couldn’t think of anything else but Alexa. For a moment he’d forgotten what he was doing sitting in the boardroom or why he went to check his e-mail in the first place. Oh, the client—right.
A cocktail of raw emotions stirred inside him. Shock. Desire. Lust. Confusion. Not a good mixture. Certainly, not now. He knew his weakness. If he didn’t shift his focus and keep his butt on the business. His butt would be on the line.
Damn that erection! He was fully hard by now just reading her passage. It read more like an erotic novel of some sort. This wasn’t the Alexa he knew. Did she really write those words about him? Did she really think of him that way?
“What’s wrong with you, Jess,” Lee’s concerned, high-pitched voice intercepted his pre-orgasmic phase as she noticed her brother loosening his tie around his neck once more. Perspiration moistened his face. His body core temperature must have climbed a few notches while he read the e-mail.
“You look hot,” Lee continued.
Yeah. Apparently, you’re not the only one who thinks so!
Jess thought he had issues to sort out prior to walking into the appraisal this morning. Now his sudden dilemma was…what was he going to do about Alexa?
4
Jess knew damn well he had to get on with the show, however hard it was. Again, he readjusted his tie around his neck and cleared his throat.
Alexa thinks I’m hot?
She really thinks I’m hot? Yeah, so damned hot she had to send an e-mail. Jess had an eerie suspicion given the point of view the e-mail was written in that he was not the intended recipient. If that was the case. Who was the e-mail’s intended recipient? He would just love to know that!
This was not good. This was not good one bit. All the while he motioned for the meeting to go forward as the rest of the board conducted the appraisal. He had excused himself for water, though his coffee was inches away on the boardroom table and he could have intercomed the reception to bring a glass of water. He needed air. To get out. What was happening to him? His mind was a whirlwind daze. So not cool. So not like him. Was he losing it? Was the stress getting to him? Or the fact that he could not, ever have Alexa under any circumstances. He would have to put a stop to this now or this may very well put a stop to everything he’d damned near work so hard for.
Yes, temptation was the devil.
This was a tease.
An inappropriate e-mail seduction.
Grounds for dismissal. If anyone else caught wind of this electronic sex text, he was good as dead. Good as dead, huh? All Jess could think about was her luscious full lips moving as she spoke at the meeting when she answered Chase’s questions. He couldn’t help noticing how flushed she looked and hoped that the others would think it was a direct result of employee-appraisal-nerves.
Oh, hell. How cold he even concentrate on her evaluation when the only image driving through his mind was of how he could make good on her salacious e-mail seduction. The things he could do to her. God, if only he could jump on this invitation. If the rules were different. If he were not her boss and she was not his employee. His subordinate. Working under him. Or laying under me…
Get your mind outta the gutter, Jess. Focus!
Jess shuffled his papers and peered down while his sister intervened and asked Alexa a few questions. He appeared focused, nodding occasionally as if listening. He could barely make eye contact with Alexa now. Not here. Not now. Meanwhile beneath his skin, testosterone levels were off the chart. He was struggling, wrestling with his emotions. She made his heart gallop. She caused emotions within him that he was not quite comfortable having…not yet, anyway. Maybe when he was 50 and married with children. And the feelings were directed to his loving, devoted wife.
Back on track.
“Jess?”
“Hmm.” He looked up, startled. How long had his sister been trying to get his attention? He had been daydreaming, hadn’t he? Tormented inside. Left hanging. Unable to deal with his emotions or talk about what was really on his mind at that moment.
“Do you have anything to add?” she raised a brow, suspicious of his sudden bizarre, dazed behaviour.
“Right. I do.” His expression suddenly stiffened. He wrinkled his brow as he pulled up the evaluation sheet. His dark eyes quickly scanned the list of performance areas. When his eyes scanned her communication skills. Written communication skills? Oral communication skills. His eyes kept hovering over the word ‘oral’. And his erection twitched in his pants.
Oral?
Oh, God.
This employee evaluation was going to be one heck of a nightmare. No way was he heading down that path.
Okay. Focus, Jess. Focus.
“Well, Alexa,” Jess flushed, trying to imagine something painful. Anything. Anything but Alexa. His eyes briefly brushed hers and a shot of ecstasy ripped through him. Ecstasy? Wasn’t that one of the words he’d read in her email?
This is all wrong. Wrong. Bad. Bad for business. He remained tortured inside with his internal battles.
He noticed her large, beautiful doe-eyes glaring at him. Her cheeks, too, were flushed. Was she feeling what he was feeling? Never mind, it didn’t matter.
All he could think was lawsuit.
Company policy.
Harassment.
Bad publicity.
His eyes roamed over her glorious long neck as he noticed she swallowed hard. Nerves? Oh, how he wished he could press his lips to her neck now. Right now. At this very moment.
Still, Jess felt all eyes on him now. Again, he readjusted his tie around his neck and casually leaned back. Fighting to keep his cool on the hot seat.
He took the sheets of paper in front of him, perusing as if in deep thought.
“Your quality of work has been rated excellent by your peers,” he continued, matter-of-factly. His tone like steel. Cold, smooth and hard. He could do this. He knew he had no choice but to do this right. Later he would deal with Alexa. Whatever that meant.
“Thank you,” she murmured sheepishly, eyes down on her fingers.
He looked at the remaining entrie
s to comment on.
1. Quality of work. Good.
2. Quantity of work. Good.
3. Documentation of work performed. Good.
4. Meeting deadlines. Excellent.
5. Initiative. Good.
6. Enthusiasm. Good.
7. Tactfulness. Could use far more work where electronic communication is concerned, but for now I’ll deal with that later.
8. Ability to work well under stress. Good. If this wasn’t stress, he didn’t know what was.
9. Organizational skills. Good.
10. Goal oriented. Good.
11. Understands job objectives. Good.
12. Attendance. Good.
13. Punctuality. Good.
14. Flexibility. Good. Jess tried hard not to wonder just how flexible she could be in bed.
15. Overall job performance. All things considering. Good.
In the end, the long, tortuous session ended with his agreement that her performance was highly effective and that she often achieved and exceeded requirements. She was a shoe in for the new position he had in mind.
Trouble was, he wanted her in more positions that just as his account manager.
Alexa’s pulse raced, her face flushed and her stomach squeezed without mercy. Was this the most, tense-filled, gut-churning evaluation ever? She could not believe she got out of there alive. After she shook the hands of the partners of the advertising agency and sped back to her office and closed the door, she closed her eyes and slumped down into her chair with her hands holding her head down. Was she going to have another migraine. She left her pills at home. Great!
That near-disaster was just too close for comfort. She mentally commended Jess for keeping his cool and not letting the partners on to what was in that email he read in the meeting. She really deeply appreciated his discretion and professionalism. More than what she gave him.
She sat at her desk, head down, face covered with her shaky hands. The words played over in her mind. Yes, she did great at her job. But still, Jess said nothing about the e-mail. Not even after he ushered her out of the boardroom. He then returned to the boardroom with the others to make a decision.
Would they discuss the e-mail? Her conduct? Her future? Would they change their mind? Should she start hunting for another job and cut her losses? But the trouble was…she just couldn’t. Not even if she wanted to. This was where she belonged. Where she felt comfortable. Where she could shine. And most of all. The feelings she had for Jess, as inappropriate as it was, were real.
That was the trouble.
But she was ever so cognizant of his past troubles. Did she just add fuel to the fire that was burning out from the last scandal?
Whatever they decide…she had a sinking feeling that nothing at TLC Advertising Agency would be the same again. Especially her relationship with her sexy boss, Jess.
5
Alexa felt a presence outside her office cubicle. She turned slowly to look up.
Her heart stopped when Jess appeared in the doorway. Dripping with charm, dangerously handsome and ever so annoyed in his facial expression.
Alexa’s mind went numb.
“Oh…um…Jess. I didn’t see you there.” The words caught in her throat. Her entire body tensed up.
Jess paced briefly before settling his gaze on Alexa. She felt her stomach squeeze. She wanted to say something. Anything. Apologize. But humiliation stung her too much to respond in her defence. She braced herself for the worse.
“We need to talk, Alexa.” Jess’s voice was emotionless. Unreadable.
She was toast. She knew it then. Why did she even bother coming into the office that morning?
“Jess—”
Before she could finish he held up his hand to silence her.
“Not here. Meet me in my office in ten minutes.” He paused then drew in a deep breath. As if he were going to say more but stopped himself.
Ten tortuous minutes later, Alexa was in front of Jess in his corner wall-to-wall window office with the breathtaking view. The sun beamed inside fully, but there was nothing sunshiny about what he had to do now. Confront Alexa on this potentially damaging e-mail.
As she sat motionless before him, her beautiful brown eyes gazed down on his desk. Waiting. For what? A verdict? What would his decision be? At this point, he was the only one in the office, at least that was what he wanted to believe, who had information about this e-mail. Should he just forget it and pretend it never happened? That his eyes never scanned those seductive words? Or should he just confront it and get it out of the way? The inevitable.
Face it, Jess. You’re just as attracted to her as she is to you. What are you waiting for? Don’t kid yourself. Hotter than a fire hazard, huh?
Well this e-mail was an occupational health hazard—a potential career killer for him and for her. But not if he could help it. The million dollar question was—could he help it?
“Jess, I…” Alexa’s throat tightened as she sat finally uttering a word. “I’m so sorry.”
“Listen, I think we should just pretend it never happened. Got it?” His words spoke one thing but his body was saying something else. His erection tightened under his silky boxers. God, he wanted her. He wanted her badly. Now.
Alexa was caught off guard by his stoic manner. Was this worse than she thought?
Pretend it never happened?
The words echoed in her mind like a ghostly presence. If that wasn’t the ultimate insult. She immediately closed off emotionally.
Did he really find her to be that repulsive? All of a sudden, Alexa had no desire to be inches from Jess Tandon. Maybe he wasn’t really all that, after all.
Pretend it never happened? Her pulse roared with fury. She tried to quiet the fumes spreading within her soul. She wasn’t Miss America, but she wasn’t Misshapen, either!
Jess, knew there would be no other way to deal with the sexual urges between them than to just squash it there and then. He knew full well where this could potentially lead to and he most certainly wasn’t going there—again!
A quick look at her flushed face as if someone had reached out and slapped her across her beautiful features made him realize that perhaps he was a bit too harsh. But what else could he do? Tell her that he too had visions of them locked in a passionate embrace? And ruin his reputation, his future, his business? Risk another potential law suit? No way in hell. That was for damned sure!
But if he did the right thing then why in God’s name did he feel like hell? Why did he feel as if his own insides were ripping apart? A war was waging between his inner bad boy side and his corporate professional side. Because what he truly wished he had. What he really wanted was really inches away from him sitting in his office and he couldn’t or shouldn’t have her.
“Very well then, let’s get down to business, shall we? We need the Hot Spot Resort gig. I have a great plan I think Brea would go for.” Alexa fumbled through her files like a bag of bungled nerves but tried to remain business-like in her presentation. She didn’t need any crap. She was there for one thing. She could rise above the rejection, the humiliation. Maybe he was right after all, pretend it never freaking happened.
Just then, Jess stood up pacing as if something bothered him. It did. And the name of the trouble was sweet Alexa and his attraction to her. He felt hot all over and really wanted her. His groin pulsated. He’d been working with her for so long and couldn’t resist the sweet scent of her shampoo or subtle perfume. Her rounded butt and tiny waste drove him up the wall. Completely. Was he insane? Was this woman worth a potential lawsuit?
Alexa approached Jess with her agenda but it seemed as if they both had another agenda. Why was it that her nipples hardened around him as if pulled by some magnetic attraction?
She had to get a grip on herself. Seriously.
Jess leaned in closer to Alexa. His erection was getting harder and throbbing. He’d never felt this deeply about a woman who could just turn him on at the drop of a hat. He’d come close but there was
n’t just physical sexual attraction with Alexa. The way she carried herself commanded respect. He admired her caring gentle heart and her savvy business mind—not just her…What are you doing, Jess? Losing your cool?
He could see the shape of her round nipples through her dress.
Alexa felt the silky moistness in her lace panties under her skirt. She could not resist. This was getting harder for her. She wanted to fly out of the room and never return but that would be a mistake because her heart was with Jess—all the way. Why was it that the perfect man for her was always unreachable either emotionally or bureaucratically?
Jess inched closer to her holding her gaze with his sexy dark eyes. There was an invitation in the smoldering depths of his milk chocolate colored eyes. Alexa felt as she would melt under the smoothness of his gaze. For a moment, he seemed to study her intently.
Seconds later, they were inches apart. An electrical current filled the air between them. She wanted him to touch her, press his full lips on hers. She wanted him now. The heat of expectancy coursed through her veins.
“Jess,” she whispered in a throaty voice as he continued to hold her gaze. She held her head back waiting for him to hold her and make love to her.
His lips got so close to hers almost brushing them with a tingly sensation. Her inner thighs throbbed for need. Why was he torturing her with this void—she wanted to feel his lips on hers like yesterday.
Just then as their lips touched, he pulled away, leaving Alexa dazed and confused, swaying on the spot as if in a trans.
Accidentally Flirting with the CEO Page 3
