“That’s not good for the brain cells.”
Rolling her head to the side, she saw Gillian staring down at her.
“Go away,” she groaned.
“Is that any way to treat a friend?” She tossed a folder onto Allison’s already cluttered desk. “I proofed the Moore contract for you.”
Pushing herself up, she reached for the file. “Thank you. I appreciate the help.”
Gillian watched her for a long minute. “Did you rest at all over the weekend? I can see your dark circles from here.”
She rolled her eyes. “You can leave any time, you know.”
“I need a break, too. How was the flower market?”
She slapped a hand to her forehead. “Dammit. I need to call the seller.”
“Deep breaths,” Gillian advised. “So I take it you guys found the right flowers?”
“Yeah. Once I lock in the contract, that will be one thing down. We should have a cake flavor, too, but I’ll have to check with Darian.”
Gillian’s brows rose. “You guys had time to visit the bakery? Look at you, super woman.”
“No, no. We tried it at—” She stopped, realizing what she’d be admitting to.
“Where?”
“The bakery delivered.” Flipping open the file in her hand, she scanned the document inside and hoped that would be the end of it.
But of course, knowing her nosy friend, it wasn’t.
“To your place? You ate cake without me? No fair.” She frowned. “So you picked the flavor without Darian having any input?”
“They went to his place,” she said, hiding behind the folder.
Which was promptly snatched away.
“Allison Jane Reed, explain exactly what that means.”
She winced. “He made me dinner. Or tried to. Then we ate cake.”
Gillian strode to the office door and pushed it closed. She then grabbed a chair and put it next to Allison before dropping into it.
“What happened after the cake?” she demanded.
She could lie. The words were on the tip of her tongue. But as the silence stretched, she found she couldn’t utter them.
“Oh my god,” Gillian said. “You slept with him.”
“It was just a one-time thing,” she defended. “A little fun to de-stress. It meant nothing more to either of us.”
Gillian collapsed back against her chair, saying nothing. Nothing good came when the chatty redhead was silent.
“I swear I have this under control,” Allison said. “Weren’t you the one who said I should loosen up a little?”
“Yeah, but I meant have a spa day. Maybe buy some guy a drink at a bar. There’s loosening the reins and then there’s diving off the deep end.”
“Well, it’s over now, so no harm, no foul.”
Gillian leaned forward. “Are you all right?”
She wished she had the ability to slay with a look. “Why? Because you think I’ll devolve into some clingy girlfriend wannabe who doesn’t understand what ‘temporary’ means?”
“No,” she said. “Because you’re not the kind of woman who can do casual sex with a man she’s been crushing on for years.”
The breath left her in a rush. “I’ve done no such thing.”
“You’ve denied it for four years, but let’s face the facts, shall we? You two have a strange version of the boss-assistant relationship. You devote your life to that man. Watch him whenever he’s in a room. Hell, you can’t even quit because you’re worried about losing him.”
“None of that is true.”
Gillian’s green gaze was utterly serious. “He matters to you.”
“He does,” she agreed. “But not in any way that will break my heart. It was a one-time deal. I was curious what it’d be like before I quit, and he was willing. That’s all there is to this story.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’m serious.”
“So you guys had a perfectly normal breakfast after doing the deed and you talked out how this would impact your work life, if at all, and made plans to ensure it didn’t damage your great relationship.”
“Well…not exactly.”
“What did he say?”
She flinched. “I may have slipped out before he woke up.”
Gillian groaned. “Yeah, you’ve totally got a handle on this one-night-stand thing.”
“I’m telling you it won’t be a problem.”
“Time to put it to the test, then. Darian wants to see you. Told me to tell you to pop in when you had a minute.”
Allison lurched to her feet. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“He said it wasn’t time sensitive, and this seemed more important.”
“I’ll be fine. I swear.”
With a sigh, her friend got to her feet. “Let me know how it goes.”
Allison followed her out of the office before striding the short distance to Darian’s door.
Lifting her hand to knock, she pushed back the nerves gnawing at her. There was nothing to worry about. One night of sex did not break a four-year relationship.
She hoped.
…
Darian pushed the papers he’d been reviewing away in disgust. What was wrong with his brain? Every time he settled in to work he found himself thinking of something else. Someone else.
He pushed up from his chair and paced the length of his office. He should have known better. There was a reason he kept all his sexual relationships superficial. Casual was the way to go. Then he didn’t bring his personal life into his workplace. He didn’t think about his partner at inopportune moments throughout the day.
He didn’t care that he’d woken up to a cold bed and an empty house.
Running his hand down his face, he stared out at the magnificent view of the city. He wouldn’t have any of this if it weren’t for his rules. Emotions were messy. Love was a burden that could bring the strongest to their knees.
He’d learned that well enough when his teenage self had opened the door to a policeman with pity in his eyes.
And yet, despite knowing the risks, he’d gone and slept with someone he actually cared about.
“Stupid,” he berated himself. If this changed everything between them, then he’d tossed the best working relationship of his life away for fleeting pleasure.
His mind was drawn back to that night. Perhaps fleeting wasn’t the right word to use. His prim and proper assistant had shown him a piece of herself he’d never have guessed she had. She’d been so hot in his arms. So eager to play and pleasure. Who would have thought such a vixen lived under those impeccable suits?
He’d woken with a smile on his face. A languid contentment had filled him instead of his usual drive to get to the office.
At least, it had until he realized Allison had slipped away while he slept.
Why? He wasn’t generally the type who enjoyed partners who lingered, but they could have had breakfast together. Coffee at the very least.
He shook his head. What was happening to him?
A knock sounded at the door to interrupt his thoughts.
“Come in,” he called automatically.
“You wanted to see me?”
Allison’s voice drifted across the room. He’d hoped when he saw her again things would be back to normal. He’d look at her and see his steadfast assistant. An attractive woman, but not one he intended to pursue.
Now, just the sound of her voice had him hard as iron.
He turned to see her closing the door and moving toward him. Lust burned through his veins. Dammit, he wanted her again. On the couch, over his desk, against the wall, any way he could have her.
Get a hold of yourself, he ordered. He was not some adolescent boy to be led around by his cock.
“Ali,” he greeted.
She stopped before him, hands clasped before her, her face carefully expressionless. This was the Ali he knew. The unflappable, dependable, perfect assistant.
And after four years of experiencing this sid
e of her, he found he missed the woman he’d seen on Saturday night. One who laughed freely, who teased and smiled. One who had a delicious wicked streak to her that still had him salivating at the memory.
“You have a meeting with John in half an hour. Do you have everything you need?”
He hesitated. She’d given him an out. They could talk about work and ignore what had happened on the weekend. Things could go back to the way they were.
The idea didn’t sit well with him, and he didn’t want to think too closely about why.
“You must have left early on Sunday.”
Something flashed across her face. An emotion gone too fast for him to name. She unclasped her hands and took a step back.
“I had errands. You were sleeping so peacefully it didn’t make sense to wake you.”
The words were said with a degree of caution that made him wonder if they were true.
“Still. We need to talk.”
She tossed him a look he knew well. One he was used to receiving whenever he exasperated her.
“What exactly do you wish to discuss? It was one night. We’re adults. It doesn’t have to have any bearing on the work we do in this office.”
He frowned. That should have been his line. Why was he pushing this when she was clearly willing to play ball and leave their one night as a hot memory never to be repeated?
“You must have slept with other women in this building,” she continued. “Do you chase all of them down to have a debriefing?”
He reached forward to catch her arm. “Yes,” he said, pulling her close in a way he had no right to. “I like to make sure things are clear.”
“Crystal clear,” she replied. “This won’t affect our work relationship.”
“It was just a mutual slip,” he said. “The stress of the wedding planning just got to us.”
“Exactly.”
He didn’t like how readily she agreed with him. She was saying all the things he wanted to hear, and it was driving him mad.
“Now about the meeting this afternoon—”
He spun her around, crowding her back against the glass window as his mouth crushed down on hers. She softened in his arms, parting her lips as her arms rose to wrap around his shoulders.
Need pounded through him even as he tried to rein himself in. This was the office for Christ’s sake. The door wasn’t even locked.
But nothing, not sense or reason, could entice him to release her. Why had it taken four years to realize how perfectly she fit into his arms?
“What are we doing?” she whispered against his lips.
“Does it matter?” he replied.
There was a heartbeat of silence before she breathed. “No.”
Allison rose to her tiptoes, pressing her mouth more firmly against his. Her fingers tunneled into his hair as she rubbed her body against his. He didn’t even want to think about how many nights it would take to get her out of his system.
Her lips left his and she leaned back. Drawing in a deep breath, she stared up at him with her molten chocolate eyes.
“This is not how you usually prep for a meeting.”
“I’ve been living my life wrong.”
She scoffed at his words. “Be serious.”
Do I have to?
For the first time in his life, desire seemed more important than work. The office could survive a day or two without them. Who would know if they spent the day tangled in each other’s arms?
The thought was foreign enough to give him pause. John and the account had been the last thing on his mind. Just as he feared, his personal desires were impacting his working environment.
But even that reality didn’t stop him from saying, “I think it’s safe to say we’re not going to be able to go back to what we once were.”
“When we ignored any attraction and focused on work?”
“I don’t think it’s possible for me to pretend I don’t want you as much now as I did on Saturday.”
Allison drew in a shaking breath. “Where does that leave us, then? You don’t do relationships.”
“I don’t,” he agreed, stepping back. “And if that’s a deal breaker, I understand. I want to make it very clear that I will never be a”—he shuddered on the word—“boyfriend. I’m not interested in commitment in any way.”
She crossed her arms. “For a shrewd businessman you are making a terrible pitch.”
He smiled. She wasn’t wrong. “We need to be clear, Ali. I never, ever want to be the reason you’re hurt. It’s best if we lay all our cards out upfront.”
Silence stretched as she watched him. He held still under her scrutiny, waiting to see what her response would be.
“I’m fully capable of sleeping with you without falling in love with you.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“All that being said, I think there’s only one solution here.”
“Oh?”
She smiled. “We need to start having no strings attached sex on a regular basis. Friends with benefits, as it were.”
Had she really just said that or was his mind playing tricks?
But she stared up at him with those beautiful eyes, obviously waiting for an answer.
“You could do that?” he asked, disbelieving.
“Why does everyone think I get attached at the drop of a hat? I’ll have you know that in my youth I let three tomogatchis die without any remorse.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “My apologies. I had no idea I was dealing with woman so hardened by life.”
“Accepted.” She slid her hands up his chest. “What do you think of my offer?”
“I think it sounds perfect.”
Better than perfect. She was giving him exactly what he craved. Lust pounded through his body at the thought of having her in his bed again. The need was so strong it helped push back the misgivings pulling at his conscience. Nothing he’d learned about Allison in the past four years had led him to believe she could be the detached lover she claimed. She was as utterly different from the women he usually dated.
But on the other hand, who was he to make choices for her? If she said she could handle no strings, perhaps he should trust that she knew what she was getting into.
She smiled up at him, further quashing his doubt. “Focus on your meeting. We can iron out all the details later.”
Reaching up, she smoothed a piece of his hair back into place, with softness in her eyes he hadn’t seen before. At least, not when she’d been looking at him.
She turned to go, but he couldn’t help reaching out to catch her arm.
“You’re sure?” he forced himself to ask.
“Stop asking me that or I’ll go proposition another man.”
Humor surged through him. “If you want out at any time, just say the word. We do this only as long as we’re both happy.”
“Agreed. Now go get us John’s account.”
This time when she stepped away, he let her go.
He watched her walk away, his arms feeling empty without her. But it wouldn’t be long before he could touch her again. Already his mind was racing with plans to see her.
Who would have thought his prim assistant would turn out to be all he could think about?
But even as he sat at his desk and pulled up the briefing notes on his meeting, the memory of Ali stretched out under him was never far from his mind.
Nor was the question of just how quickly he could get her there again.
Chapter Eight
“It sounds like you guys have made a lot of progress.”
“Yes, but you know what would make this process easier? You.”
Jenny’s laughter drifted from his cell. Darian switched it to speaker phone as he rummaged through the fridge. There was still half a roasted chicken in there somewhere. Made by Suzie. He’d learned his lesson about cooking.
“We booked our flight. Should be in two weeks before the wedding.”
“Ali and I have an
appointment on Wednesday to drive back out to the vineyard and test the catering food. Any preferences you’d like me to request? Assuming we go with them?”
“You’ve got better taste than me, big bro. As long as there’s champagne and cake I’ll be good.”
“All right then once we lock in the food, I think we’ll be in great shape. You’re handling the rings and clothes, right?”
“Yep. All covered. The wonderful world of online ordering. I’ll be back in town in time for my dress fitting before the big day.”
“Perfect. Then we’re all set.”
“Actually, there’s one more thing I wanted to ask you.”
He set down his plate and moved back to the phone. “What more do you need from me?” he asked, picking up his cell. “Keys to a town house? A Rolls Royce wedding gift? A spare kidney?”
“Matt and I were talking about the ceremony. His parents will be there, of course, but obviously with daddy gone I’ve got no one to walk me down the aisle. I was hoping you’d fill in.”
Darian stopped walking, his sister’s soft voice sending daggers into his heart. “Of course,” he said. He was a poor substitute for their parents, but if there was any way he could help fill that loss on his sister’s wedding day, then he’d do it.
She let out a puff of breath. “Fantastic. I just know this will be the perfect day.”
“Everything will be ready,” he promised her. No matter what he had to do, this wedding would be seamless.
“I know it will. Thanks again for doing all this. You are a total life saver.”
“Without Ali we’d both be screwed.”
“I’ll make sure to bring her an awesome thank you gift from France. I knew she’d come through. She’d move mountains for you.”
A smile tipped his lips. “I’ll pass that on.”
“Geez, don’t. That chick is serious. I don’t want to get on her bad side.”
Serious. He frowned. Yes, she could be when there was a task that needed to be done. But she was also generous, funny, brilliant.
Sexy.
“Okay, I’ve got to run. I’ll check in after your catering tasting. See how you think they rate.”
Right Billionaire, Wrong Wedding (Sexy Billionaires) Page 9
