“You know that professionalism we talked about?” she murmured.
“Mm-hmm.”
She stepped regretfully out of his arms. “We both really need to work on that.”
She turned around and instantly wished she hadn’t. The look on his face emanated blatant, raw lust from every one of his features—his pursed lips, his tight jaw, his darkened eyes as they roved down her body and paused on her heaving chest.
Damn. Why was she breathing so hard? And popping out with beads of sweat? It wasn’t that hot outside.
He looked like he wasn’t faring much better as he stood watching her intently. His body remained tense for a few more seconds, then slowly his limbs began to loosen and that annoying grin reappeared on his face.
“I will if you will,” was all he said before brushing past her to take the lead again.
For the rest of their journey through the woods, her thoughts were all over the place. They didn’t touch again, and kept conversation neutral until they reached a clearing in the trees. The opening was exactly where she’d said it would be, hidden behind the hill directly in front of them, providing a clear shot at the other team.
“Okay, how about you go behind the hay bales over there,” she said, pointing to her right, “and I’ll take cover behind that rock.” She indicated an area to her left. “We go over at the same time, wait about ten seconds, and then open fire together.”
“We shouldn’t separate,” he whispered back. “Isolating ourselves makes us bigger targets.”
Except they needed to act fast now that they were in place. The rest of their teammates were firing but weren’t taking out a lot of the other players, only distracting them. “Attacking from different positions on this side will further divide them. The more divided they are, the less likely they’ll be able to return all our fire.”
He shook his head. “Trust me on this. Just start shooting on three.”
She swallowed her frustration. She never liked being told what to do, especially by a man. But he was the boss. So, she sucked in her pride and followed his instructions.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Ready.” They both took aim.
“One, two, three!”
Chaos.
They opened fire, blasting the enemy team in the back, spraying them with blue paint. Yellow pellets whizzed past. She could hear the puff of air leave the gun every time one of them fired, adding more thrill to her excitement.
“Good shot!” Price yelled when she nailed an enemy combatant in the chest.
One of the players he was aiming at threw his hands up when three blue paint splotches appeared on his torso. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Glad you noticed,” he responded smoothly.
She got the feeling he wasn’t just talking about paintball.
They swiftly took out two more players, leaving only three on the other team. One of whom she spotted slowly creeping to one side and up the hill, as if trying to sneak up behind them.
Assuming Price had spotted him, too, she shouted, “I got him!”
“What?” She heard him call, but she was already on the move.
She leaped out from behind a big oak tree that was providing them cover and dove for a large boulder. “Beatrice, wait!” he shouted, but she ignored him. She was focused on the guy easing through the grass, seemingly unaware that she had him in her sights.
Her goal was to make it to a fence-like structure about twenty feet in front of her, which would give her the perfect angle to take the dude out. It was going to be awesome, all badass Xena warrior princess–type stuff.
And winning the game for her team, now that would impress the boss man.
She waited for just the right moment, pushing to her feet when she saw her opening. She was zoned in on her target, gun lifting in his direction—and was suddenly flying through the air.
“Hey!”
Somebody had hold of her and they were going down. She braced herself for impact with the hard ground, but landed on a firm chest instead. A chest that smelled suspiciously like…Zane Price.
She was rolled off his body and found herself staring up at his face. He looked kind of angry. Huh. She wasn’t expecting that. She could feel his package grinding against her pelvis, so she certainly wasn’t mad about anything. A package that was quickly hardening, by the way.
“Did you just tackle me?” she asked in bewilderment.
She saw him swallow as his eyes flew over her face. “I believe I did, yes.”
Their position on the ground was far too sexual—not that she was doing anything about it. His upper body was hovering over hers so as not to crush her, but their lower bodies were in close contact.
Very close contact.
She cleared her throat. “Why?”
“Because you were about to become a casualty,” he whispered. “I saved your life.”
“My hero.” She’d meant it to sound sarcastic. But her voice came out a lot huskier than she’d intended.
He noticed.
His eyes darkened in response.
Everything below her belly clenched with need, a reaction that his own body mirrored. She felt him grow thick against her thigh, and though he didn’t say anything, she knew they were both aware of what was happening south of the border.
“And you’re still on top of me, why?”
“Because part of me is quite comfortable here,” he admitted. “And a different part of me is about to be in a world of pain once I move. I’m trying to decide which part I should listen to.”
“Do I get a say in this?”
He gave a small thrust of his hips against her, making her gasp. One quick grind that allowed her to feel the full extent of his manhood in all of its stiff glory.
She was a goner.
His eyelids lowered to half-mast as he took in her reaction. “Do you want a say in this?”
Hell no, she didn’t. She would have been content with letting him take the lead and continue some of that grinding until they both got off in their pants. Like a couple of horny teenagers after the prom. Awesome.
“Well, I feel the need to remind you that we could be working together in the near future,” she managed.
His eyebrow shot up. “Your point?”
“This”—she waved a hand between them—“would be a complication. No need to create an awkward situation.”
The smirk was back on his face as he slowly shook his head. “If sex is ever a complication for you, Ms. Paxton, then the men you’re with clearly don’t know what they’re doing. Trust me, I am anything but awkward in that area.”
Oh, she didn’t doubt that for a second. Beast in the bedroom, remember?
She blew out a deep breath, attempting to slow her heart rate. “Regardless, we should probably just avoid the subject altogether.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn’t say anything more. He moved to pull himself up, but first, he drove his hips into hers one last time. To make a point? To torture them both? She wasn’t sure, but she was forced to squeeze her eyes shut in order to control her reaction to the pleasurable contact.
By the time they regained their wits and rejoined the game, only one player was left on the other team. They quickly smothered him in paint, winning the game. She had one hell of a competitive nature, so it was a good thing they won. It meant she didn’t have to be grumpy.
Although when she was around Zane Price, she couldn’t imagine being anything but…excited.
And turned on.
“Thank you for inviting me today,” she said a few minutes later as they walked toward the area where they had to return their gear. “My sister and I appreciate the opportunity for Paxton Designs.”
“My pleasure,” he replied. “I’ve learned a lot.”
Her head snapped around, her mind going into panic. At times she had forgotten that he had been vetting her for a job all afternoon. Oh, God. She hoped that little dry humping scene in the grass hadn’t diminishe
d his opinion of her. He had initiated it, sure, but she hadn’t exactly discouraged him.
“And what have you learned?” she asked cautiously.
They stopped a few feet away from the checkout building and he turned to face her, looking like Rambo in his gear, gun in hand. His expression was intense, eyes narrow as they assessed her.
“You’re a problem-solver and like to think outside the box. You’re a leader but don’t always want people to know it. You have a fierce independent streak and you make sure people know that. You’re a little stubborn, but mainly because you don’t like to be proven wrong. You’re smart, perceptive, and you think on your feet. You have the sexiest pair of legs I’ve ever seen. And that southern accent of yours could turn a reasonable bloke into a babbling tosser because he can’t get enough of it.”
She stood there, frozen. Every part of her body was locked down from shock.
Except her vagina. That bitch was practically winking at the man.
“Those last two were personal observations,” he added, “but I still felt they were worth mentioning.”
“You got all that from the last two hours?” she asked, pushing the words out.
He lifted his shoulder in a carefree shrug. “I’ve found that paintball is effective for bringing out one’s true personality. Call it a useful business tool. I’m pretty sure we’re going to hire you, by the way.”
That finally brought her head back down out of the clouds. “What?”
He flashed a dazzling smile at her. “I can’t say that with any guarantees, but assuming the second meeting goes well, it looks like we’ll be doing business together.”
Her heart soared and she wanted to break out in a victory dance. Instead, she calmly reached forward and extended her hand. “Thank you very much. I’m glad I made an impression.”
He grunted in response, which he tried to cover up as a cough. “Oh, believe me, Ms. Paxton. You’ve made quite the impression.” He mumbled something under his breath that sounded to her like zipper impression, but she figured she had just heard wrong.
“I promise, you won’t be disappointed,” she assured him.
His large hand engulfed hers in a firm grip that he held for a few too many seconds. “Wear a tight skirt to that second meeting, and I’m sure I won’t be.”
She leveled him with a narrowed look and, before she gave herself time to think about it, instinct took over. Without a word, she raised her paintball gun and fired two clean shots at his thigh, knowing he would feel the sting.
Silence.
He went as still as a statue, and she immediately began to panic.
Oh, shit. She had just shot her soon-to-be-boss. Or he had been, before that little stroke of genius.
What the hell was she thinking?
Her eyes widened as he pinned her with an evil grin. Crap. She knew what that look meant. She took off at a sprint, darting behind the building where the restrooms were, hearing his heavy footsteps closing in as he gained distance.
“You really don’t want to fight me, luv,” he called in a taunting voice. “Because I’ll win. I saw your accuracy on the field earlier, and I have to say, I’m not scared.”
At that comment, for some absurd reason she giggled like a ridiculous schoolgirl. You’re embarrassing yourself.
“You probably should be,” she shouted back. She peeked around the edge of the building and had to quickly duck down to avoid being hit in the face. “As I recall, the last time my people were at war with your people, we won!”
“That smart mouth of yours is going to get you in loads of trouble one of these days,” came his deep rumble of a reply.
Ten minutes later, she surrendered with her hands in the air and a scowl on her face when she realized it was a lost cause. She was now covered head to toe in blue paint, while Price still only had the two shots to his thigh.
He laughed like a cracked-out hyena when he got a good look at her paint-smeared body. “Aw, don’t be blue, luv. I tried to tell you. Call of Duty has practical purposes.”
She wanted to be mad but couldn’t be. Damn him and his charm. “You’re just lucky that blue is my favorite color,” she grumbled.
“Good to know,” he replied as they walked back toward checkout. “I should probably also know your favorite food, favorite movie, and favorite flower if we’re going to be working together.”
She turned away to hide her goofy expression. “Pretty sure the only thing you need to know for that is my fee.”
“I like to know the type of people I hire.”
After turning in their gear, she looked back at him. He was standing there watching her with his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. “That sort of information could always come in handy,” he said. “You never know.”
What the hell. “Chocolate ice cream, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and lilies.”
He simply nodded. “My office will call to set up that second meeting. It’s been a pleasure, Ms. Paxton.”
It irritated her that she was looking forward to that so much.
She got the feeling that he was, too.
He walked off, leaving her with a look that seared right through her. That look was like a promise, though she didn’t want to think about what he was promising.
Climbing into her car, she rejoiced that Paxton Designs had just landed a huge client. Nothing was official yet, but they had the account. She was sure of it.
All of a sudden, she broke out in a fit of laughter.
Zipper impression. She’d just gotten it. She shook her head at his audacity, but also had to admire his boldness. It was different.
Refreshing.
And something told her that the fun with Zane Price was only just beginning.
Chapter Two
Bugger me, I need a pint.
Zane sighed, scrubbing his hands down his face. That was what managing three different branches of a company simultaneously, along with overseeing a large store launch, did to a man. But he couldn’t complain. The decision to take the position in the U.S. had been his own. There were a handful of other people who could do this same job, but he knew no one else was better than him.
So, for Zane, it had been good-bye London, hello DC.
Though not for much longer.
He would be returning to London as soon as the new store opened its doors.
Because there was…something waiting for him back in London. Something he would never be able to leave. Not permanently.
Envision Tech Industries was the most cutting-edge personal technology company in all of Great Britain, and it was currently expanding its operations into brick-and-mortar stores to sell their products, following the trend of other large tech companies. ETI was headquartered in London but had recently opened offices in New York, Atlanta, and Washington, DC, where they had decided to launch their trial retail store.
Zane and his associates wanted to have the grand opening around the time Envision released its newest software, which they had been promoting over the last few months. But with this new software, a new company image concept was needed for the store launch. A rebranding opportunity for Envision that Zane and his boss, Peter, wanted to take full advantage of. The marketing department had done their job, but the store itself needed a new face. Which was where Paxton Designs entered the picture. Their top-notch ideas and sense of style were just what Zane was looking for.
But if he hired the Paxton sisters, that was going to bring him a whole other set of problems.
In his trousers.
He laughed, shaking his head at the irony.
The thing was, he didn’t even have to work if he didn’t want to. He had started at Envision years ago as a software developer, and one of his patents, plus a few wise investments, had made him a very rich man. But despite the fifty phone calls a day and nonstop Skype sessions with his people back in England—not to mention hundreds of emails a week—he actually loved his job.
“Mr. Price,” the receptionist said over t
he intercom on Zane’s office phone. “Ms. Schumer is on line two for you.”
He stifled a groan. Brilliant.
One of Envision’s largest clients in the U.S. had about five thousand questions a week regarding her new ETI software, all of which—naturally—fell to Zane to deal with. Not how he wanted to start his day.
“Thank you,” he responded through the intercom. “You haven’t heard back from Peter yet, have you?”
“No, sir. I’ll let you know the second he calls.”
Zane thanked her again and spent the next twenty minutes explaining to Ms. Schumer that there were backups on top of backups and that, no, years’ worth of her company’s research would not be lost just because someone pushed the backspace key.
By the end of the call, he felt unbearably strung out and had never been so thankful that it was Friday. And the fact that he was going to be seeing her again later that afternoon didn’t hurt, either.
Her, as in Beatrice Paxton.
He couldn’t stop thinking about that afternoon they’d spent paintballing. The whole thing had been playing on a loop inside his head. Every time he closed his eyes, he pictured the woman with the bedroom eyes and legs that were made for wrapping around a man’s waist.
The second he’d met her, he’d told himself firmly to stay away.
But had he listened?
Nooo.
He’d had to grope her, proposition her. Hell, he fucking rubbed his dick against her.
He would be lucky if she’d even agree to work with Envision after that little stunt. Sexual harassment, anyone? You bloody idiot.
But damned if he’d been able to stop himself from touching her, making his interest known. From the moment he’d shaken her hand and looked into those sharp, intelligent eyes, he was immediately drawn into her web. And her sassy comebacks and quick wit had him officially hooked.
But that body?
Bloody hell. All caution was thrown to the wind after he’d felt her soft curves against him. Wrapping his arms around her had him instantly picturing her naked. The intensity of his attraction to her surprised him—he never usually felt anything quite so potent. It made him want to pursue her, fight her sass with simple persistence, until she agreed to go out with him. A rejection from her was just unacceptable. Working relationship be damned.
Casual Affair (Slow Seductions) Page 2
