Changing the Rules

by Sindee Lynn

  “No, this is fine,” she said quietly. “I can imagine you've been busy.”

  “Yes well even still there’s no excuse for my allowing almost the entire week to pass before I contacted you. I know how sensitive you are about things like this.”

  Sasha didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want him to apologize. She didn’t want to hear about how he regretted touching her. And she sure as hell didn’t want to hear the reason for that regret was Cat.

  “Look Dylan, Mr. Matthews. It’s not necessary for you to apologize. We can pretend what happened never happened. So if that’s all you were calling for, allow me to reassure you it’s as good as forgotten.”

  She hoped the gods wouldn't decide to strike her down for the outright lie she’d just told. His touch was forever seared into her brain. And her body.

  “I think maybe you misunderstand me Sasha. I’m not calling to apologize for what occurred on Monday. Quite the contrary. I have no intentions of forgetting it and would like to see what I can do to ensure it happens again. I was apologizing for Carla’s interruption and any embarrassment it caused you.”

  He didn’t regret what happened? He wanted it to happen again? She tried to fight the smile. This was insane. One minute she was telling herself it was good he wanted to forget everything that happened. The next here she was like a giddy little teenager who’s just been told the captain of the football team liked her and wanted to go steady.

  “I want to also assure you I have spoken with Carla and not one word of what occurred in my office will go beyond my office.”

  Something in his tone gave her the impression he’d done more than just speak with his secretary. But that was fine. Whatever means he thought necessary to keep her name out of the gossip mills.

  “Thank you for that. I have been worried.”

  Feeling suddenly better, she pushed herself off the bed. There was no need in lying to herself about the reason so she opted not to think on it at all. She moved to her dresser, which sat along the back wall of her closet to find something to put on.

  “I figured as much. I’m sorry again for that. But I want you to know it is not my intentions for anything we have to be sullied by gossip. I will always do my best to protect you from that.”

  The sincerity in his voice touched a spot deep inside. She wanted desperately to believe him. To trust in what he was saying. But how could she realistically trust someone who was making the moves on her and her best friend at the same time. Suddenly she had to know. She needed to know if there was truly anything between him and Cat. If there was, then no matter what her feelings on the situation she would be happy for her friend and she’d stay away from him at all costs. But she had to know one way or the other.

  “How much longer are you going to be in the office?”

  She glanced at her watch. It was almost nine o’clock. Could he be waiting for Cat to get off from work? She often worked late during the week to cut down on her take home workload over the weekend and her office was only minutes from Presco. There was a depressing thought if she’d ever had one.

  “I’d be willing to leave right now if you said you wanted me to come to your place.”

  Oh god did she ever. She wanted him to come so he could make her cum. Sasha turned the thought over in her head and realized she’d meant it. She took a deep breath and realized she could no longer avoid the issue at hand.

  “Can I ask you something,” she said before she lost her nerve.

  “I can be there in twenty to thirty minutes depending on how far you live from the office. Hell I’ll run the risk of a ticket to make it sooner,” he said a slightly amused tone to his voice.

  Need raced through her fast and hard. How long had it been since a man had shown this much interest in her? How long since her body had reacted like this towards one? Her ex, Melvin, had never been able to get the reaction from her sexually he’d wanted. At the time she had thought there was something wrong with her and had seriously considered seeking counseling of some kind. Now as she stood in the middle of her closet, she had to wonder. Maybe it hadn't been her after all because Dylan seemed to be able to get her blood pumping alright.

  “That’s not what I wanted to ask you. I wanted to talk about …,” Sasha began.

  What was she going to say? How was she going to ask the first man in forever to make her panties damp, if he had the hots for her best friend? Hell how could she not? The questions surrounding what she’d seen on Friday night had driven her slowly insane since. She’d avoided Cat like the plague for fear she wouldn't be able to act normal with her. Sasha knew she would not jeopardize her friendship with Cat over a man. Not even Dylan Matthews.

  “You wanted to talk about what Sasha?” Dylan asked.

  His voice had dropped several levels and came out soft and husky. She almost groaned at the pleasure of the sound.

  “I wanted to talk about Cat.”

  Soft laughter met her ears. What the hell was so funny? In fact this was as serious as serious could get. Her temper flared.

  “What about her?” he asked on a laugh.

  “Well for starters you can tell me if you want to fuck her.”

  Chapter 10

  Dylan fought hard to hold onto his laughter. The word “fuck” sounded so unnatural coming from Sasha’s lovely little mouth. But he’d be damned if it hadn't made him hard. Well, harder if that were possible, he corrected. He’d been throbbing with need since she answered the damn phone.

  “You had better not be laughing at me Dylan Matthews. There is nothing amusing about this situation.”

  Says who? He found it funny as hell. He’d spoken to Cat a couple of times this week. She’d told him Sasha had seemed to be avoiding her phone calls since the night they’d met. Cat believed Sasha was under the impression they’d started something. But after her reaction in his office on Monday, he hadn't been too sure. She really did know her friend. Hell it had even been Cat’s crazy idea to call Sasha to his office to see what kind of reaction he could get from her and see how far he could push things. That encounter had almost pushed him to push her to the leather couch in his office.

  “I would never dream of laughing at you Sasha,” he said, the corners of his mouth quirking with his efforts to keep his face and tone of voice serious.

  “Whatever. You didn’t answer my question.”

  No he hadn't. Feeling an evil streak a mile long he decided to prolong things just a bit. After all she’d put him through hell since their first meeting. But what if she’s not asking for the reasons you want? Dylan immediately dismissed the thought. No. He refused to believe anyone who responded the way she had in his office had no feelings for him at all.

  Glancing down at the papers strewn across his desk and then at the clock on the corner of his desk, he realized he may as well pack it up for the night. Any hopes of concentrating any further on the reports he’d been looking at were a wash now for sure.

  “Hmmm, I didn’t,” he commented absently packing what he needed into his briefcase.

  “You know perfectly well you didn’t. And if you do want to, you know with Cat, then how could you have done what you did on Monday with me?”

  Laughter almost got the better of him once more, but he managed to contain himself. Oh she was fit to be tied now. The normally calm and collected analyst was all woman now with feelings muddling up the waters. Good he thought. He grabbed his suit jacket off the coat rack and locked his office. He headed down the back corridor to the private elevator that would take him to the private parking garage assigned to executives of the company. Once the elevator doors swooshed open he stepped inside.

  “Do you really think so poorly of me that you would believe I could be interested in Cat and then turn around and make out with you on Monday?”

  Silence was his only answer. He realized he was more than a little insulted. She had so little faith him in. He wondered if that was all men or if it was just him.

  He leaned heavily against the
elevator wall and thought back to his first encounter with Sasha. The soft sighing woman from the elevator had made a partial reappearance in his office on Monday. Enough to bring his blood to boil. It had been the reason he’d stopped when she’d asked him to. Dylan had realized if he’d kept touching her, he’d have taken her right there in his office. That would have been decidedly more difficult to explain away to an avid gossiper like Carla. A frown appeared as he thought back on his conversation with his secretary. He’d thought to simply explain the situation to her. Make her see her barging into his office had created the awkward moment. But when he’d stepped outside his office she had been on the phone with one of the girls in Michael Shaunessy’s office and his blood had immediately hit boiling point. The thought of it being a legitimate conversation had never occurred to him. All he could think about was Sasha’s name being tainted. When he’d called her name she had practically jumped out of her chair. An evil smile appeared on his lips as he thought back on it. The guilty look upon her face had said it all. Any thoughts she may have entertained about sharing what she had seen in his office were quickly dispelled the moment he’d opened his mouth. Her very job was on the line and he’d made sure she knew it in no uncertain terms. As she’d gotten up to leave, he’d also made sure to remind her to knock before entering his office in the future.

  “I guess I have my answer don’t I,” he said in reply to her silence.

  Stepping from the elevator he headed for his car. He wasn’t surprised to see it was one of the few remaining. A last minute meeting to discuss the new company in California they had just acquired explained the presence of several others. Luckily he had been excused from that meeting. But considering the number of problems that were surfacing with financial reports he didn’t know if his luck would hold out.

  He got in his car and reached for his blue tooth earpiece before placing his phone in its cradle. He rarely used the damn thing but his mind was on other things and the last thing he needed was to be handling a cell phone while trying to navigate downtown Chicago traffic. Even at this late hour there never seemed to be a good time to drive downtown. He sat with both hands on the steering wheel and listened to the tense silence coming from the other end. He gave an exasperated sigh. Was he simply kidding himself where Sasha was concerned?

  “You don’t know how much I want to believe differently,” she finally said. Her response so soft he almost missed it.

  “Then why don’t you. Besides what would give you the impression I want to sleep with Cat? Hell I only just met her last week.”

  Another pause came across the phone lines. He was growing weary of this. He thrust agitated fingers through his thick hair. Maybe he should rethink this after all. Cat had told him it would be difficult and he’d assured her he was up for the challenge but now he wasn’t so sure.

  “I saw you two on Friday night. You kissed her.”

  There was something in her voice that pulled at his heart. He thought back on the night and didn’t recall kissing Cat. Had he and not even realized it? It could have happened and he just didn’t remember. They’d gotten so comfortable during the time they’d spent talking. He could have given her a peck on the cheek when they parted. But he was positive there hadn’t been any passionate kissing going on. Maybe Sasha had been looking at someone else and merely thought it was him and Cat.

  “If I did then I assure you it was no more than a friendly little peck on the cheek. Surely nothing to give you the impression I wanted to sleep with her.”

  He continued to wrack his brain at what she could have seen or thought she had seen.

  “It was the hand,” came the soft reply.

  He couldn't have heard her correctly.

  “I’m sorry what?”

  A deep sigh met his ears.

  “I said it was on the hand.”

  What the hell? It was starting to annoy him Cat being right about so many things. This took jumping to conclusions to a whole new level.

  “You mean to tell me you came to the conclusion I wanted to fuck your friend, who I had just met, from my kissing her on the hand?”

  It sounded ridiculous. He knew she could clearly hear the amusement in his voice and didn’t care. This was insane. She sure had jumping to conclusion down to a science.

  “No I got it from the fact you kissed her hand and I know Cat. We’ve been best friends since forever and when she sets her eyes on a hot guy it’s all over but the fucking.”

  He couldn't help it. He leaned his head back against his head rest and laughed out loud. He was falling for a head case. A woman that could be truly certifiable.

  “You're laughing at me again,” Sasha said.

  “You're damned right I am. I don’t know who to be more insulted for myself or Cat. Does she know you hold her in such high regards?”

  Somehow Dylan got the impression Cat wouldn't be insulted. As a matter of fact he could see her shrugging it off.

  “Cat knows I love her. But you still didn’t answer my question.”

  “Oh for pete’s sake Sasha. No, I don’t want to fuck Cat. In case I haven’t exactly been making myself clear I’d like to fuck you.”

  He cringed as the crude words left his mouth. Dammit.

  “Sasha I’m sorry that didn’t come out right,” he said quickly.

  He didn’t get an answer. He looked down at his cell phone and saw the connection was still open. Okay so she hadn't hung up on him.

  “Sasha?”

  Great. Now he’d really done it. She wasn’t even talking to him. Why the hell hadn't he held onto his temper better?

  “Did you mean that,” she asked quietly.

  “Of course. It was rude of me to say that.”

  A soft laugh sounded.

  “No not that. Did you mean what you said about wanting to you know …”

  Dylan stopped breathing. He licked his suddenly parched lips. What should he say? Should he admit it was all he’d thought of since their first meeting? Should he spout some relationship correct bullshit about waiting until she was ready?

  “Yes,” he managed to croak out pass his clogged throat.

  There was another brief pause on the line.

  “Good,” she said and hung up.

  “What the hell?” he asked looking at his cell phone.

  What the hell had just happened? She’d asked if he wanted to fuck Cat. He’d come back with the Neanderthal comment about wanting to fuck her and she’d said … good.

  Dylan ran his fingers through his hair in stunned confusion not sure of what would happen next or what his next move should be. He gave a deep sigh as he started his car and pulled out of the underground garage. He had come to the decision a long time ago he would never understand women. And he had been okay with that. But he found himself wishing for just a quick glimpse inside the lovely head of Sasha Jordan.

  ***

  “Matthews who are you waiting for?”

  He focused in closer to get a better view of what Dylan Matthews was doing. He’d come off the private elevator a few minutes ago and now he was just sitting in his car on his cell phone.

  “Who are you talking to my friend? Is it that blonde hottie from a few months ago from that art gallery opening or is it the blonde from the opera?”

  Matthews had always had a thing for tall leggy blondes. For a minute he’d expected to see a woman walking off the elevator and head for his car. That would have been an unexpected move but he’d take it at this point. Though Matthews had always shunned away from pissing where he ate, maybe the woman was really hot and he couldn't hold back. Wouldn’t that be something? So he had sat there and waited. But nothing. Matthews had stayed on the phone the whole time.

  In his profession, you learned to read a person’s face and body language. Sure he might not have been able to hear what was being said but he’d been able to get the jest of it. Something wasn’t going as Matthews had planned. Amusement had started it off, and then he’d gone to being annoyed. That had only lasted
a few minutes before his face had relaxed and he’d been laughing like a fool. Just before he’d left the garage he’d moved instantly between the “I fucked up” expression and utter confusion. All of that equated to one thing.

  “You’ve got yourself a new woman don’t you Matthews?” he said watching him finally drive off.

  He put away his gear and drove out of the garage. Tipping the night attendant a fifty for letting him in, he headed for downtown Chicago. There were a few other spots he wanted to hit before he called it a night.

  Excitement moved through him and the craving for a cigarette almost had him stopping at a local convenience store. Instead he reached on the seat beside him and pulled out a piece of that gum all the experts said would help. As he allowed the gum to work its magic, he couldn't help but wonder which one of the brainless blonde bimbos from the right side of the tracks had caught Dylan Matthews’ eye this time. Not that it mattered. He’d be right there to give her what she was really after. Her face plastered all over the Chicago society pages.

  Chapter 11

  Sasha found herself lying on her back staring up at the ceiling unable to sleep. Dammit what was wrong with her? She’d slept little this week as thoughts of any possible fall out from Monday had plagued her. She should be exhausted. And her body was, but her brain refused to rest. Thoughts of Dylan and their brief conversation kept running through her mind.

  She couldn't deny the pleasure she’d felt over his not being interested in Cat, but what did it mean for her. Was she really contemplating getting involved with him? Could she really do this? What about all those nights of preaching to Cat about her color choice in men? What about her rules? Dating Dylan would mean breaking every one of them. So what if her friends thought they were a joke. They’d kept her from making the same mistakes over and over again. But what if the mistake she was making now was ignoring what was there between her and Dylan? She couldn't deny the fact that no other man had ever affected her like this.