by J. A. Dennam
Ethan wasn’t fooled. Though she’d tried for an air of detachment, he caught the underlying hurt in her voice. The woman was definitely affected, but she also had to know where he stood, especially after the mixed signals he’d given her last night.
For most of the morning, things continued in a tense haze. They both spent most of their time on the phone, in the conference room, and out of each other’s hair. But as a result of his ten o’clock meeting with Byron Chandler of Country Club Yachts, Ethan’s mood finally began to turn around. Not only had he just bagged a two-hundred-thousand-dollar ad campaign, his position as VP was all but secured.
When they exited the conference room, Mr. Chandler—who sported an ascot with the club’s moniker—took the unlit cigar from between his teeth and pointed. “Hey, don’t forget to try that little Korean place in Old Town. I’ll call ahead and make sure they treat you right.”
“I’ll do that, Mr. Chandler.” Ethan clasped hands with the man, hoping to hide his extreme dislike of Korean food.
“Eh, call me Byron. I like you, kid. You remind me of myself when I was younger.”
Knowing full well that Brooke was within earshot, Ethan made a hearty introduction when Ken emerged from his office. “Byron, I’d like for you to meet my boss Ken Stevens. He’s the one who took a chance on this little graphic-design business.”
The three of them cracked jokes and went through a brief overview of the project. Five minutes later, when the elevator doors closed after the departing yacht club president, Ethan gloatingly made his way to Letreece’s desk.
“Guess who just landed the winning account?”
An emery board scratched across the tips of her fingernails. “You da man,” she crooned with notable disinterest.
Despite the receptionist’s lack of enthusiasm, Ethan whistled all the way back to his desk. When he got there, however, he decided to tone it down out of respect for Brooke’s feelings. She would be quite upset right about now, probably even near tears over the loss of her lead.
But when he sat down, he heard her laughter from across the partition.
“We were all pretty goofy that night, Zack,” she said. When she laughed again, he was fully tuned in to her side of the phone conversation.
“Well, I guess she didn’t get the memo that no dogs were allowed, even the ones confined to a purse. Oh, yes, I remember. That poor thing chewed a hole through the netting just to get at that tumbler of scotch. You know what they say about dogs and their owners.” Raucous laughter spilled from the earpiece.
Ethan smiled as he pictured her holding the phone away from her ear. He picked up his coffee mug and took a drink.
“So, tell me again how many billboards we’re looking at.”
The coffee shot out of his mouth. He swore, wiped his face, and shook his dripping papers over the wastebasket.
“Two bulletins, three digitals, and a wallscape. The convention center? I believe there’s room for twenty-four street banners, but I’ll check to make sure. Don’t worry about that, we’ll build up quite a diverse portfolio for you to fill those eight months before the elections. I don’t really do that anymore. Monroe is under new management, Zack, but we have a great team of artists. I guarantee you’ll love what they come up with. Yes, we’ll outsource the printing, but we’ll stay within your budget. Well, aren’t you lucky to have such an abundance of wealthy backers.” Another laugh. “I’m far from wealthy, but my commission for this project will keep the lights on for a while….What a lovely thing to say, thank you. Yes, be here by nine o’clock sharp so we can get an early start. See you soon, bye.”
What the fuck was that? As Ethan stewed over the distinct possibility that he’d just been cock-blocked by this Zack person, Brooke punched in another number. “Diana Plake please. Thank you. Hi, it’s Brooke. I need a rough estimate from you.” She read off the dimensions for three vinyl billboards and twenty-four street banners. Ethan waited with bated breath. “Can you have it to me by this afternoon…? You’re a lifesaver. Thanks.”
When she hung up, he heard Roger’s voice next door as well. “I see you’re feeling better today.”
“I am, Roger, thank you.”
Ethan’s growing sense of unrest quelled a bit when he realized why she was feeling better. It’s amazing what multiple orgasms can do for a woman’s disposition.
“Did our telephone conversation last night help?” Roger asked.
“Yes, it certainly did.”
Her chair rolled, and there was a rustling of fabric. With a frown, Ethan peeked around the partition to see them in a fond embrace.
“You know I can’t stay mad at you,” she said, her voice muffled over his shoulder. “You’re my friend and I need your support.” They parted, and Ethan ducked back into his cubicle before they noticed him.
“Thank God,” Roger murmured. “I was so worried I’d lost you.” Brooke kept her voice equally low. “As long as we’re always honest with each other, we’re solid.”
“Does that mean you’ll have lunch with me today?”
“I can’t. I’m having lunch with Sid.”
“Oh.”
Ethan sat back in his chair, completely dumbstruck. What the fuck?
“But if you’re buying,” Brooke said with a smile in her voice, “I’ll take a rain check.”
By 10:45, Ethan had been forced to hear Brooke’s endless string of calls for her jackpot project. His high from earlier that morning was gone. His mojo was a no-go. And he would be screwed if he didn’t find an even bigger client by tomorrow afternoon.
But what bothered him more than that was her rekindled trust in Roger. The guy had hooked up with a woman who’d wronged her in many ways, and it took her only twelve hours to forgive him. People didn’t become VP by letting themselves get walked all over like that.
And, as if he could forget, Sid was the hard-up red-haired guy he’d run off last night. Apparently, she had felt the need to call him back as soon as Ethan left. Didn’t she know that all he wanted was to get in her pants?
Leave her alone for two seconds…the woman obviously needed guidance and a stark reminder of just whose body she screamed for.
Knowing he shouldn’t even consider what he was about to do, Ethan waited until he heard her gather her purse and keys. He let her walk by and then got up from his desk and followed. When she reached the lobby, he grabbed her elbow from behind and steered her away from the elevators.
“What—what are you doing?”
He pushed her into the stairwell and forced her up the stairs. She grumbled all the way. “Ethan, let me go! Quit pushing me!”
“Then walk,” he growled.
“Unless you want to congratulate me, I don’t have time for you right now.”
When they reached the roof, he shoved her into the brutally hot sunshine, ignoring the fact that he’d vowed to never go up there again. “If this Zack guy qualifies as a new client,” he said as he pushed the brick doorstop into place, “I’ll give you all the congratulations you want. What I want to know is what happened after I dropped you off last night.”
Her mouth gaped in astonishment. “That’s none of your business.”
“Bullshit,” he snapped. “We have unbelievable sex and that prompts you to call every guy who wants in after me?”
“Oh, don’t flatter yourself,” she hissed back, her ponytail whipping around her shoulders. “The only reason you came over last night was to prove a point.”
That hadn’t been the reason, but it sounded better than the truth. To admit that he lost control at the sight of her entertaining another man was unthinkable. He’d told himself it wasn’t jealousy, but the green-eyed monster inside him now was pretty damned hard to deny.
“And since I went to bed with you,” she continued, “I was forced to remember what you said about sexual integrity. I obviously have none, so why should I condemn Roger for the same thing?”
“So now you’re proving a point by forgiving Roger for sleeping with Shannon and sticking i
t to me for sleeping with you.”
“What? Wait…Roger may be weak, but he’s not a player. And how did you know he slept with Shannon?”
Ethan squinted in disbelief. “You really expect Letreece to keep something like that to herself?”
She threw up her hand. “Well, I didn’t tell her.”
“No, you just forgot that the hallway has one hell of an echo.” He took a step closer with pointed finger. “And if this vindictive streak prompts you to get back at Shannon, just remember she’d sell us out in a heartbeat if Ken were to question her about the darkroom.”
Brooke swallowed hard and looked away. “I didn’t mean for it to get out. But if she did say something about us, he’d never believe it. Even I don’t.”
Oh, please. Ethan could feel her desire raging from there. “I realize it’s a hard pill to swallow,” he said darkly, “but every time we’re alone together, you break into a sweat.”
“You’re delusional,” she scoffed.
“That’s not a denial.”
Brooke shook her head and held a hand up to block the sun. “Look. If you want confirmation, then yes, the sex was good. But we both know it wasn’t anything serious, and I just want to move on.”
Ethan barked out a derisive laugh. “I suppose you mean with the carrot top?”
“Sid is the exact opposite of you,” she lashed out. “He’s fun, he’s decent, and he doesn’t think I’m a criminal.”
“That all sounds really sweet, but it’ll never last without chemistry.”
“We have plenty of chemistry!”
“Obviously, which is why you sent him home and fell into bed with me.”
Brooke set her jaw, hiked up her purse strap, and stepped around him. “An unfortunate mistake that we both know will never happen again.”
It was the same thing he’d told himself over and over again up until this very moment. But just who the hell were they fooling? “Oh, I think at this point it’s a given.”
His words stopped her in her tracks. She whirled around and got in his face with a scowl. “You aren’t as irresistible as you—”
He shut her up with a kiss. The woman asked for it, daring to put her lips within reach of his, and frankly he was tired of the denials. It was time for her to own up to her attraction for him despite the risks, despite the consequences. When she attempted to back away, he walked with her until they reached the shaded side of the stairwell. There, he pinned her against the brick, refusing to relinquish her mouth until she stopped fighting him.
The moment she did, her purse and keys dropped to the gravelly floor. Sensing his window, Ethan let up a little and waited. Sure enough, she picked up where he left off, chasing his mouth in a bid to keep the kiss going. It was a victory unlike any other he’d experienced, because now she would never be able to deny again just whose body she yearned for.
“You can lie to yourself all you want, Brooke,” he panted between kisses. “But the truth is I’ve never had a woman respond to me the way you do.”
“Ethan…I don’t want to want this.”
“But you do.” She whimpered and he spread his hands along her outer thighs and slowly lifted her prim skirt until it was bunched around her waist. The kiss deepened into a feverish, sensual dance of tongues, but he wanted more. “I want to taste you again,” he whispered against her mouth. “Open up for me.”
She moaned and broke away for much-needed air, but he was ruthless in his quest to thoroughly demolish her walls and show her that she was his to mold however and whenever he chose. He plundered and teased until she was squirming beneath his hands, parting her legs and thrusting her hips into his touch.
“Do you know how wet you are?” he asked, feeling the moisture from outside her panties. “Do you want me inside you, Brooke?”
“Ethan…”
“Tell me now.”
“Yes!”
He moved her panties aside and shoved three fingers deep inside her. A new wave of her desire came flooding down until his hand was coated with it. All he had to do was make a few circles with his thumb and she’d come for him, but he wasn’t in the mood to give her pleasure. He wanted her to be miserable—to punish her for torturing him with another man. So he pulled out, brought his fingers up and grazed them across her lips. As her eyes opened, he bent down and licked the slick, glossy evidence from her skin.
“Mmm.” The sound came from deep in his throat. “Tastes like one hell of a response to me.”
And, though all he wanted was to rip off her clothes and make love to her on the rooftop, he had a point to make. So he stepped away and pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket. “Enjoy your lunch with Sid.”
He effectively left her there drunk with her desire for him. It was a mean thing to do, but he was feeling particularly nasty at that moment. As he loped down the stairs, drying off his hands, a pair of flashy high heels came into view. He screeched to a halt, shocked to find Shannon waiting for him on the landing with her arms crossed.
“You need to get a handle on your feelings for her,” she said, confirming that she’d heard at least some of the turbulent exchange on the roof.
“I don’t have feelings for her,” he snapped, “at least not that kind.” Shannon unfolded her arms and jabbed a finger into his chest. “Yesterday you made me see how badly I’ve been behaving. I realize now that I may have ruined our friendship completely. But as a friend, it’s my turn to hold up the mirror now.”
Ethan shifted uncomfortably. “Don’t turn this into a big deal. Brooke and I just let things get the best of us sometimes, that’s all.”
“And I’ve learned how to read your moods, Ethan. You’re so scared right now you can’t see the difference between love and hate, because as far as you’re concerned, either one is worthy of your cruelty.”
Feeling as if he’d just been smacked with a sock full of quarters, Ethan watched her disappear back into the lobby. He looked upward and noted that Brooke had not attempted to leave the roof yet, no doubt still recovering from his very cruel gesture.
No. He was not in love with her. Shannon was just being Shannon, delivering her meaningless jabs when she could since he’d shunned her friendship. The fact that she could on occasion offer kernels of adult wisdom had no effect here.
With a sudden surge of self-loathing, Ethan reentered the lobby and headed straight for the men’s room.
“You forgot to sign the sheet!” Letreece yelled after him.
20
WHILE BROOKE WAS AT LUNCH, ETHAN BROODED at his desk, trying unsuccessfully to block out his thoughts of her. Shannon was right. He needed to back off and get his shit under control. Let Brooke jump Sid’s bones in the back of the liquor store since he’d effectively left her in the mood for sex.
Harper would get a kick out of that one. Since sugar helped calm his nerves, Ethan dug into his jar of candy corn and jammed a bunch of them into his mouth at once. That’s when Ken’s shadow fell across his cubicle.
“Ethan, do you know where Brooke is?”
In the back of some liquor store getting her freak on with Sid. “At lunch,” he grumbled through the sugary mass.
Ken sat down on the corner of his desk with a look of perplexed wonder. “I just received an interesting call from Zachary Parks, one of the state’s congressional candidates.”
Ethan’s gaze shot up and he swallowed. “Brooke’s new account?”
Ken took a piece of candy from the jar, popped it into his mouth, and immediately made a face. “Ick. These things will kill you one day.” While Ethan patiently waited, he finally continued. “Anyway, Mr. Parks’s is a new client, but also an old friend of Brooke’s family. He requested that I allow her to handle the designs for his campaign.”
Ethan was taking in this piece of information, wondering if Zachary Parks’ partiality would disqualify him as new business. “You mean supervise the designs for his campaign,” he corrected absently.
“No, I mean create them.” The two men stared
at each other for a moment. “Turns out she was an artist here before she worked in management.”
An uncomfortable feeling entered Ethan’s stomach. “You’re kidding.”
“In fact,” Ken continued, “he said she was the most gifted artist he knew and that I was wasting good talent by confining her to the administrative department. By the time we ended the call, I felt thoroughly chastised.”
“Did you tell him she failed to mention anything about it?”
“I was too busy wondering why her father hadn’t mentioned anything about it.”
Ethan guessed it wasn’t a crime to hide artistic talent while working at a graphic-design firm, but it was suspicious. As soon as Ken ducked back into his own office, Ethan checked the time. Brooke should return from lunch in about ten minutes, and it looked like he would spend his own break getting to the bottom of this new discovery.
It was then that Ethan realized just how much he enjoyed solving the growing mystery that was Brooke Monroe. The woman fascinated him like no other…obviously, since he couldn’t seem to leave her alone. But why? She was dangerous and not above stooping to subterfuge in order to win his job right out from under him.
Yet she had fight and spark and bottomless eyes that could suck a guy in, chew him up, and spit him out as a different man. Her pull was greater since she was adorably unaware of this power. There was a vibrant, sensual temptress behind those puritanical walls of hers, and he wanted to set her free as he’d done before.
But—despite his suspicions of a woman who obviously kept secrets—what he really needed to do was apologize. There was no excuse for his behavior on the roof except what he wasn’t willing to admit out loud. Part of him wanted to believe that Brooke was the vindictive, heartless robot he first thought her to be. It was an easy way out of the guilt trip he was now suffering from. The truth was, he’d probably left her humiliated and hating him even more than usual, which she had every right to do.
“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath. What the fuck was wrong with him? He didn’t want to act this way anymore, and he thought he’d made great progress over the last few months, despite what Shannon had said. Maybe it was the humidity or the heat. Was it possible to blame one’s deplorable behavior on barometric pressure? Regardless, he had to man up and make things right.
