"So, I decided marketing had a good male-female mix and I like the challenge of anticipating the client's needs."
Well, his answer sounded stupid now. Good thing he hadn't said it out loud.
"I enjoy my job, but I still don't have many friends here. I can't seem to break into the inner circle." She shook her head sadly, all trace of flirtation and the businesswoman gone. Candy just looked hurt and vulnerable.
"No one really likes me."
His brain begged him not to say it. His heart and other body parts didn't listen. "I like you."
Candy crossed her arms over her chest and laughed, a nervous startled sound. "No, you don't. You avoid me like I have something catchy. That's why we're in Harold's office, remember?"
He stood up and turned to her, moving into her space before she could dart away. His hands fell on each of hers. Her eyes went wide as he spoke.
"Maybe that's because I liked you too much."
Then those lips that had been taunting his every waking moment, and a good portion of his sleeping ones as well, lifted and rounded into a perfect O. He took advantage of her surprise by leaning forward.
A second later his lips were on hers. It should have been short and sweet, just a light touch then retreat. The second he tasted her lips, all tangy and plump, there was no chance of that.
She was tense, her hands gripping his sleeves, but her mouth fell open for him on a soft sigh. Without warning his tongue decided to take a detour by her tonsils, and hot pulsing need gripped him below the belt.
Someone moaned. He hoped like hell it wasn't him.
Candy held on to jared for dear life and struggled to stay upright. Have mercy. It felt like he was eating her mouth, licking and sucking and tugging.
It was too much; she couldn't keep up with the hard, fast movements of his tongue and mouth. The only thing she could do was let him consume her, hang on, and groan her pleasure.
She had the moaning thing down pat, whenever there was actually time to take a breath. Mostly she was fighting for air and working hard not to wobble in her heels.
His hands rose up her arms to her face and cupped her cheeks. It wasn't tender, it was fierce, dominating, his strength holding her still while he moved over her mouth.
Confusion mixed with passion, and Candy squeezed his arms harder. This wasn't what she had expected. She had envisioned tight control from Jared, emotion firmly out of the picture as he kissed her with skill and charm.
After her ex-husband and his selfish lovemaking, she had vowed to find someone different, who would focus on her needs, not his. She had thought Jared would be that man.
But Jared was anything but reserved, and her reaction was anything but what she had expected. She was enjoying herself. It was arousing to know that she had sent Jared skittering over the edge, dropping his control somewhere back about question six.
Jared stepped away, taking his heat and masculine scent with him. "Jesus."
Candy forced her eyes open, and dragged in a shuddery breath. Wiping her wet mouth with her thumb and index finger, she watched him, wondering if he would stammer or apologize.
She should have known better. Jared was no stutterer.
"See, I told you I like you." He straightened his tie, but kept his eyes trained on her.
Candy felt her cheeks burn. She had to admit, that was a much better answer than a muttered apology would have been.
None of this was working out the way she had planned it. Her original idea had been to have Jared ask her out, then seduction would ensue.
This was wilder, more uncontrolled, almost dirty. They had been making out in their boss's office. And she liked it.
"Maybe you do," she agreed. Then with an acting ability she hadn't known she possessed, she sauntered past him, catching her arm on his as she approached Harold's desk.
Jared sucked in his breath. Candy didn't look back.
She bent over in front of Harold's desk again and propped her chin up with her hand. "So, how long have you… liked me? As a friend."
Jared pried his eyes off Candy's legs and wondered what game she was playing now. His feelings of friendship had nothing to do with that kiss. That kiss was based on two months' worth of stored-up lust.
Friendship had just come into the picture in the last half hour, and he had to assume he'd just about blown that with his grab-her-and-mash-her kiss.
He found he actually regretted the idea that he might have shattered the growing rapport between them. Maybe if he retreated now, he could salvage some kind of friendship between them.
Dropping into the chair so he wouldn't be tempted to touch her, he cleared his throat. "We haven't really talked to each other a whole lot, but I respect the work you do. You're very efficient, always on time, and your presentations are professional and thought provoking."
He sounded as if he were giving her a yearly productivity review. But better that than saying what he really thought.
Which was that she had an adorable smile and said funny things that made his heart squeeze. Not to mention she had a body that made him wish he were a sponge so he could rub all over it. Wet.
She made a noise with her teeth. "That's not what I mean. I'm talking about liking me."
He was drowning in this conversation. Since he had prom-ised to behave himself, he would not repeat a single one of the R-rated ideas running through his head, all focusing on how much he could like her.
Instead he said, "That's what I was talking about too."
There was a pause, and her finger hovered in front of the screen. "Look, question nine fits right in with what we're talking about."
What were they talking about? Because hell if he knew.
"What do you like the most about your partner?" Candy was still propped up on her hand, leaning over the desk.
Her legs were straight, her curvy little behind back in front of his face, way too close for comfort. Her hair was tumbling over her shoulders, and she had pulled her lip into her mouth and was making little sucking noises with it.
Then, for some unknown reason that probably involved nefarious plans to torture him, she spread her legs. Just widened them a bit so that her feet were planted a foot apart. Her skirt inched up under the strain.
It could be she was getting more comfortable. Or it could be that she knew the effect spreading her thighs would have on him.
He was an arm's length from her. He studied the smoothness of her stocking-covered legs. They were perfect. Narrow, yet muscular, they climbed up to her skirt, double doses of torture.
One lean forward, one hand out, and he could be touching that thigh. He could be sliding up that skirt, not stopping until he hit paydirt. If she wore garters as he suspected, there would be no stockings protecting her panties from him.
And there was nothing to stop him from pushing aside whatever scrap of lace she was wearing and touching deep inside Candy.
"This is a fun question," she chirped on cheerfully, unaware he was battling with the forces of good and evil.
Evil was pulling ahead by a nose, which was quickly lengthening into a mile.
"I like a lot of things about you, Jared. You're a hard worker, you don't gossip, you dress really well, and you're intelligent."
He barely heard her. He was moving. Leaning forward, edging closer and closer to her, until he could smell her scent.
She was wearing a light floral perfume, mixed with something berry, probably a lotion she'd rubbed on after her shower. It pulled him closer, drawing him in, his breath hitching in anticipation. He was there, just behind her, straining to control himself.
He was not going to touch. He wasn't. He was just taking a better look.
Candy's knee bent a little. Her skirt lifted. And he saw it. The edge of her stocking, and the little hook that connected it to the garter. Above the hook was a strap of lace, contrasting against the flash of golden peach skin next to it.
His breath caught and he tilted his head. His own legs were spread, and he was resting his hands
between his knees as he bent down a little lower until he found what he was looking for.
A narrow, dark view up her skirt. His eyes trailed past the garter, past the creamy thigh above it to her panties. They were black lace, of course, and shifted a little to the right so that he had a clear shot of the curls covering her soft mound on one side.
"Jared?"
"Hmmm?" He licked his lips. His hands itched and jerked restlessly. There was no possible way he could stop looking. She was so beautiful and lushly feminine, and he wanted her the way he had never wanted another woman.
Candy twisted a little. "Where are you? What are you doing?"
He couldn't see her face as she wiggled around. Swallowing hard, he kept his eyes trained right on her inner thighs. Unable to force a lie past his aching lips, he said in a low voice, "I'm looking up your skirt."
"What?" Candy jerked forward, robbing him of his view. She hit the desk, then whirled around, half leaning, bending her legs in at the knees.
He didn't say anything. There was really nothing good to say in a moment like this. An apology would probably be in order.
But hell, he could not truthfully regret one second. And she would know he was lying. The drool at the corner of his mouth would give him away.
Candy clutched her hand to her chest. She gaped at him. Then slowly, the tension eased out of her. Her hand fell back to her side and her eyes went wide.
The knees unbent. Her voice was fascinated. "Did… did you like what you saw?"
He sat back in his chair so hard it wobbled. "Oh, yeah."
A delighted smile crossed her face. "What else do you like about me? You never did answer."
Candy didn't look angry with him. She looked intrigued. It made him even harder, if that were possible.
As he watched her, all blond and gorgeous, leaning against the desk with a speculative and pleased gleam in her eye, Jared found himself saying things he had never imagined he would ever say to a woman.
"I like your smile, and your laugh. And I like how you talk, like your sentences don't know when to stop. You're smart, sweet, and funny."
To him, it sounded like the biggest load of crap he'd ever uttered in his life, even though it was all true. But Candy seemed to like it, if the softening expression on her face and the fluttering hand at her breast were any indication.
A little embarrassed, he added gruffly, "Anything else you want to know?"
"Yeah. Why hasn't some woman snapped you up and run off with you?"
"I haven't met a woman yet who thought she wanted to live with me."
It had never bothered him either, not until now. The thought of his overpriced roomy condo didn't please him for the first time since he had bought it.
"Where do you live?" she asked, crossing her legs and leaning back against the desk.
"I bought a place in the South Loop area." If the chair had wheels he could shift it back away from Candy, but it was heavy and firmly in place. "What question are we on?"
The desire to get out of the room was back, tenfold. Another half an hour of this and he was going to be on his knees begging her to put him out of his misery.
"Oh." She shook her head. "I don't remember."
She turned back around and he promised God he would call his mother every Sunday from now until she died if Candy just wouldn't bend over.
Candy stayed standing, but her backside was still tempting him, so he sat on his hands to keep them in place. He thrust his legs out to try and adjust the growing problem in his pants.
"Oh, we have to skip this next question."
"Why?" Not that he cared or even needed to know.
Candy half turned and her hip jutted out toward him. His hands broke free and went screaming in her direction. He stopped them as they were seconds away from landing on her thighs just above the knees.
"It asks when was the first time we had sex and where." She smiled at him, a naughty knowing smile that sent his blood pressure to dangerous levels.
He knew the answer to that question.
They were going to have sex. Now. In the boss's office.
Chapter five
Candy watched strange things happen to Jared's face. His eyes darkened, his breathing went shallow, and he looked as if he was in pain.
One glance below his waist told her why. His erection was more than obvious. It had popped up like a Star Wars light saber.
A thrill raced through her that she had caused that. Jared was turned on by her. And whew, was she turned on by him.
"There's another bonus romance tip after that question," she told him, not bothering to wait for an answer since Jared looked beyond speech.
"Skip it," he said, his voice harsh and raw.
"No, it could be fun." She clicked on the screen. "It's actually a video."
Still a little giddy from the realization that Jared liked her smile, she stepped back away from the desk as the video clip loaded.
Her heel landed on Jared's ankle, and she stumbled, fighting for balance. Shoot, she was going to fall down in an ungracious heap right in front of him.
Flailing her arms about like a misguided chicken, she felt Jared's big hands land on her waist. Then down she went, landing on his lap with a solid thump. Right on his erection.
Lord, that thing was big. It was poking her square in the behind.
"Thanks," she said breathlessly, knowing full well it wasn't her graceless stumble that had her gasping for air.
An indistinguishable sound came from Jared's mouth right behind her ear. Candy wiggled forward, intent on standing up, when the video caught her attention.
It was a couple naked in a bathtub, industriously lathering each other up. "Oh!" she said as desire kicked her in the gut.
She went still on Jared's lap, afraid to move, unsure what he wanted her to do. She knew what she wanted, and Jared's lower half clearly wanted the same thing, but given the tension in his body, she wasn't sure his brain agreed.
Her legs dangled between his, and she crossed her arms across her chest with painstakingly slow movements, determined not to wiggle. She could smell him, that heavy masculine scent of aftershave. She could hear him breathing. Feel the tight hardness of his muscles beneath her.
His chest brushed against her back.
"What the hell?" Jared said, his hands on her waist tightening.
Those fingers of his were right at her waistband. One shift and he would be touching her skin where her blouse had pulled out of her skirt.
Leaning forward a little, Candy read the caption alongside the image. "A great way to relax and rediscover romance is with a long sensual bubble bath. Take the time to explore each other's bodies with the added aphrodisiac of warm water and satiny bath gels."
The pair onscreen did look relaxed. The woman was facing the man, sitting on his lap, and they were kissing, tongues entwined, and her wet breasts pushed up against his chest. The bubbles of the bath covered the major body parts, but it still served its purpose.
Making her crazy, wishing she could be wet and slippery with Jared.
The woman rocked up and down, making bubbly waves around them while Harold's office filled with the sound of their panting.
"They seem to be enjoying themselves," she said, unable to drag her eyes away.
Jared's hands convulsed on her waist. She could swear that his erection was actually throbbing against her, making her want to turn around and beg that he push inside her. She wanted what that woman was getting.
"Candy, stand up."
"What?" Disappointment rushed through her, and her mouth was wet and heavy with desire. "Why?"
"Because this isn't right." He gave her a not-so-gentle shove. "It's wrong. We're in Harold's office."
Despite her disappointment, the panic in his voice amused her. And his words thrilled her. She had known Jared would be different. Instead of just taking what he could get, he was holding back for the sake of decency.
Office propriety.
Which she had
been about to toss out the window.
Candy suspected that Jared was waiting for someone too, just the way that she was. He was waiting for the one woman who would see beyond the body and the clothes and show interest in the man.
That woman was her, she decided. Whether it was for one day, one night, or something more, she didn't know. But she wanted Jared, needed to feel him inside her. If not today, then soon. Very soon.
With great reluctance, she let him shove her forward until she was back on her feet. She turned and rested her knees against his, pushing her hair back off her face.
She had to ask. Wanted him to say it. "Do you want me, Jared?"
He nodded without hesitation. "Yes. I do. Since the day I met you."
She shuddered, her body pulsing with need. "That's something else I like about you, you know. I like that you like me, but haven't done anything about it."
Pressing forward, she spread her legs until one was on either side of his. "I want you to do something about it. Now."
He didn't say anything. He didn't do anything. He just sat there, clenching his hands tightly on the arm of the chair, his jaw taut, his eyes tortured.
"Unless you want to hear question eleven instead."
Candy wanted another kiss from him, and plans for a date. Until she got one of the two, she'd stand here in front of him all day and read the random and vague questions of Harold's couple counseling.
Glancing over her shoulder, she said, "Question eleven. What's your favorite smell?"
She was about to go into the scent of freshly cut grass, baking apple pies, and the ocean, when Jared spoke first.
"Sex and Candy. That's what I want to smell."
Have mercy.
Shocked, she whirled around to face him again, sure she'd heard him wrong. She clearly hadn't. The expression of lust raging on his face showed her that he knew exactly what he had said. And meant it.
She went wet, wishing she weren't standing with her legs so far apart. The hot, thrilling ache was unbearable.
She took back that very wish a split second later when Jared reached forward and placed a wide warm hand on each of her knees. Then he shoved the skirt all the way up to her waist, leaving her naked but for her panties a foot in front of his face.
Bad Boys Online Page 10
