by MacKay, Cali
“No, I did not, Dr. Foley.” She perked her brows at him scoldingly, and then broke off a piece of well-done bacon and popped it into her mouth, her eyes still locked on his. “If you need me to put together a testing panel, I’ll happily do that.”
“What I need is your opinion based on your own personal experiences. If you need help figuring things out, I’ll gladly oblige you.” Marshall knew he was skating on thin ice. She could easily take his offer the way he’d actually intended it—since he’d clearly lost his mind—or she could choose to take it as a professional offer to just show her the product in a non-sexual manner and setting.
She pinned him with a stare, her brows going from scolding to you did not just say that. “Pardon me?”
“If you can’t figure out how to use the product, I’ll happily go over the settings and remote with you.” He then feigned mock horror. “Ms. Jones, you didn’t think I meant…”
Her eyes narrowed as she pinned him with a knowing stare. “You mean after you kissed me in your office? I don’t know why I’d possibly think such a thing.”
“I may have been out of line when I kissed you. Given the industry we’re in, it’s hard for there not to be sexual innuendo with half of what we say when we’re typically discussing things of a sexual nature. And I’m fully aware that it can sometimes lead to a sexually charged environment.” He really was such an ass, and though he did want her, he’d never want her out of fear or obligation. “I hope you know that you don’t ever have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. There won’t be any consequences to your employment. I mean that, Harper. And I need you to be honest with me if something I’ve said or done has made you feel uncomfortable—including that kiss.”
“Well, I appreciate that, although it’s not like I didn’t kiss you back.” She sat back in her seat, managing a reluctant smile. “That said, I still don’t quite understand how I’ll be of any help as far as this job’s concerned.”
“Sometimes, innovation requires inspiration—and that’s exactly what I’ve hired you for. It requires thinking of things differently, taking a different approach. It’s a rare thing, Harper—but I think you have that ability.” He had to get her to see that she was capable of so much. “And I already think you might be onto something. Yesterday, you mentioned how you’d prefer a more human interaction with your orgasms. Well…we don’t have a toy that can be used by both parties during sex—and would pleasure both parties. What’s currently on the market has had mixed reviews, but I think we can do better, especially if we approach it from a different angle.”
“I suppose.” She gave him a bit of a nod, and he could see her thoughts churning in her head. “Should I talk to design about it? I’m sure they could come up with some prototypes.”
“It can wait until we’ve explored the idea further. That way we’ll have more of a direction to give them before they get started. But this is exactly why I want you working with me—so we can bounce ideas off each other.” He gave her a smile, hoping she could see just how good their partnership would be. Although he hadn’t mentioned his most recent idea for a vibe, he knew it could be a game changer since there was nothing else like it on the market—and Harper’s technical background and questioning mind would be exactly what he needed to perfect his design.
She cut a piece of her omelet, a frown on her lips, and her brow drawn in worry. “I think you’re expecting a lot of me—and I guess I’m just worried you’ll end up disappointed.”
“Hey…” He tipped her chin up, forcing her to look at him, as he tried to control his anger. After a lifetime of living with a father who never saw anything his kids did as good enough, he was pissed off to see that sort of uncertainty in her. “You have this, Harper. So don’t go doubting yourself.”
She managed a smile. “You’re a good man, Marshall.”
He gave her a shrug and matched her smile with one of his own. “Maybe.”
Chapter Four
“Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence—and your concern.” Harper didn’t quite know what to do about Marshall. He left her feeling completely off balance, especially when there was clearly more between them than just work. Nine months of flirting had all but guaranteed that. But now…he was offering her an amazing opportunity, and the last thing she wanted was to ruin it by complicating things with something physical, even if it was taking all she had to fight her attraction to him.
“Of course.” He gave her hand a squeeze and a smile that reached his eyes so they glowed from within, like flickers of a flame caught in a glass of fine bourbon. “By the way, there’s a tradeshow coming up in London and I want you to join me. We’ll fly out this weekend, and will be there for five—maybe six days. Do you have a passport?”
Now that was one hell of a bad idea. Even though she had a passport, the last few years had left her with a fear of flying. But there was more… The thought of leaving her father to his own devices had her on edge. Her mom’s death from cancer had devastated him, and he’d taken to self-medicating to ease his hurt.
“I don’t know if I can go with you, Marshall. I have a…cat.” She groaned, knowing how stupid that sounded.
“I’ll send a pet-sitting service around—at my expense, obviously. Get anything else you might need. There will be some evening functions, so you may need something relatively formal. Other than that, general business attire should do. Here…” He dug a credit card out of his wallet and handed it to her, ignoring her protests when she tried to give it back to him. “And in the meantime, I think we could do with a bit of research.”
Once they wrapped up with breakfast, Harper found herself sitting back in the soft leather seat of Marshall’s SUV as he drove them into Portsmouth. She was unsure of where exactly he was taking them for “research,” but she could just imagine. A sex shop? A sex club?
She wanted to groan. It wasn’t that she was some virginal prude—she wasn’t. She loved sex just as much as the next person. It’s just that she preferred to keep things private rather than analyze them with a fine-toothed comb—with her boss. Especially when her sex life was nonexistent. After Josh…the truth was she’d been too heartbroken. Sex—or rather the lack of it—had been pretty far down on her list of problems.
She’d known she might be a bit out of her depth when she took the job at Clio, but the pay and benefits had been fantastic during an economy that was only just getting back on its feet. There had been few options for work, especially if she didn’t want to eat up half her day commuting into Boston. With her needing to keep an eye on her dad, that just wasn’t an option.
The truth was, she considered herself damn lucky to have landed her job at Clio. And maybe that was the reason she was feeling rather panicked that Marshall wanted her as his assistant. What if she didn’t live up to his expectations and it jeopardized her position at the company? Would he let her go back to her old position or would he fire her? He said her job was safe, but was it really? It just wasn’t something she could risk—even if she was finding it harder and harder not to fall for Marshall’s charms.
It’d be a hell of a lot easier if he was some sort of conceited asshole—but he wasn’t. He was sweet, considerate—even though he was constantly pushing her out of her comfort zone—and he was so sexy, it made her knees weak. Every time he touched her, kissed her, it was all she could do not to want more. It may have started as innocent flirting and a schoolgirl crush, but now? The flirting was now far from innocent, and she didn’t even want to think of what might become of her crush if she let herself fall for him.
“So…how is it you’re still single, Harper?” He glanced over at her with a sexy smile, his gaze lingering for a moment longer before turning back to the road.
“So…how is it you’re getting divorced?” She hated to be forward or rude—but he started it.
Luckily he must have found her question entertaining, because he was laughing with a shake of his head. “Fair enough, Ms. Jones. I’m getting divorced because
I was stupid enough to have married the wrong person. And since I didn’t quite manage to figure that out on my own, she decided to give me a hand figuring it out by sleeping with one of my coworkers.”
“Oh.” There was nothing worse than that sort of betrayal. “I’m so sorry. That’s just…rotten.”
“Even more rotten was coming home to find them screwing on our dining room table—though in a way I’m glad for it. It finally allowed me to see what was really going on.” His smile faded, and she couldn’t blame him for being upset. “Anyway…that would be why I’m getting divorced. Your turn—how is it that someone as smart, and sweet, and pretty as you is still single?”
That was the last question she wanted to be answering, knowing it’d lead to the looks of pity, when she explained that she had once been engaged, but her fiancé had broken things off between them and pushed her away after his two-seater plane ran into engine problems. The crash left Josh partially paralyzed and in so much pain, he was now confined to a wheelchair, bitter and angry with the world.
Although Marshall had been honest with her, she couldn’t quite bring herself to tell him what had happened. “I’ve just been busy with work, and I’m not really the sort to hit clubs and bars. Besides, actively looking for a partner, like on a dating site, just feels odd to me. I guess I figure it’ll happen organically if it’s meant to be.”
“We don’t work you that hard, do we?” He parked the car and shifted to face her, his eyes alight with humor and mischief, though being on the receiving end of his intense gaze had her squirming in her seat as her body reminded her that it’d been far too long since a man had touched her. “Or is it the recent late-night assignments?”
She shook her head with a laugh. “I can’t believe we’re back to that.”
“Well, you’d think that your lack of a boyfriend might have you more willing to give our products a try. So why isn’t that the case?” When she narrowed her eyes at him, he put his hands up as if in defense. “And before you start thinking that this is just me prying into your sex life…well, I suppose it is in a way, but only because it makes me think that there are plenty more women like you out there, and if we can tap into that market, it’d be a goldmine.”
“Women like me, huh?” Harper couldn’t resist teasing him, though she did wonder exactly what category he’d just stuck her in. “You have me curious as to what you think my demographic is.”
“Young, smart, educated, gorgeous, smoking hot, and single.” He reached over and brushed her cheek, sending her heart skittering inside her chest. “There’s a tension in you…a sexual energy coursing just below the surface, waiting to be unleashed.”
Her breath caught, even as she somehow managed to keep her voice steady. “Is that so? And you’re the one to unleash it, are you?”
Marshall leaned in and nuzzled her, brushing his lips against hers in a whisper of a kiss. “I’d like nothing more, Ms. Jones. Though I suspect you know that already.”
He then pulled away from her with a smile, exiting the car and coming around to get her door, leaving her smoldering from that kiss as her imagination filled in the blanks on what could come next if she gave in to what was between them. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a high-end sex boutique I want you to check out. The owner is a good friend and was great for bouncing ideas off of when I was first starting up Clio.” He slipped his hand down to the small of her back, letting it rest there as he escorted her up the steps to the pretty little boutique.
Her heart was still racing from that kiss, and it certainly didn’t help that her mind kept replaying it on an endless loop. With his hand lingering on her waist so she could feel his fingers splayed out protectively, it was hard for her not to want more from him. Which was downright insane, given that he was her boss. Not to mention he was in the middle of a nasty divorce.
Harper had heard the rumors about how his wife had ambushed him at Clio’s black-tie charity event and announced to the world that she was pregnant with his child and how she’d never let Marshall see it. Every part of her orderly and responsible mind told her to stay the hell away from him. Yet her body clearly had a mind of its own, as if it were finally protesting her complete lack of a sex life—and at this point her need for him was strong-arming her brain and completely overriding anything that made sense, as long as it resulted in Marshall’s hands on her neglected body, and his mouth hard on hers.
It’d been three long years of missing Josh, of missing his smile and his infectious laugh, three years of trying to make things right between them, of trying to reach out to him only to have him push her away and refuse to speak to her. Three years of letting her life pass her by, of hoping he might someday find the person he’d been before the horrific accident that had nearly claimed his life. Yet she had grown tired of the guilt, tired of the loneliness, and though she still missed him, she was desperate to walk away from the darkness and back into the light once more. And at that very moment, it felt a lot like Marshall was offering her his hand so he could lead her to a brighter, happier place—and she was more than ready to clasp it and never let go.
Steeling herself for whatever might come her way, Harper stepped into one of the prettiest shops she’d ever seen, the décor and colors reminding her of a Parisian boutique, despite the sex toys on display. A pretty woman in her early forties stepped out from behind an antique desk and greeted Marshall warmly with a kiss on his cheek that he returned. “It’s been too long, Marshall.”
“It has.” Stepping to the side, Marshall gave Harper a warm smile and made the introductions. “Aria, this is Harper. She’s a brilliant engineer who’s working with me to develop a new line of product. Harper, this is Aria, the friend I was telling you about.”
“It’s a pleasure. It’s rare for Marshall to bring anyone with him—he must be really excited about this new line. So what are you kids working on?” Aria hooked Harper’s elbow with hers and shifted them farther into the shop, the intimate gesture at once sweet and yet odd for someone she’d just met.
“We’re thinking of a new line of toys that could be used by couples.” Marshall wandered about the shop, browsing through the toys—and there were a lot of toys, not to mention there was a variety of other items, from gorgeous lingerie to products aimed towards more of a BDSM crowd. “What do you currently carry, Aria?”
“These right here…” Aria let Harper go, and shifted behind a glass case where a variety of toys where elegantly displayed and highlighted under lights. “As I’m sure you know, there isn’t a whole lot out there. These here are the only ones really worth carrying, and even then, they’re not for everyone. Some people love them, but others have said they’re uncomfortable, or the vibes aren’t quite strong enough, so I’ll be curious to see what you come up with.”
Marshall stepped to Harper’s side as he gently leaned on the counter, his hand once more returning to the small of her back. “If you could pack us up one of each, that would be great. And…is there anything else you’re currently fond of?”
“You mean other than your products?” She gave him a flirty smile and a shrug, leaving Harper to wonder if their relationship had ever extended past that of friendship. Marshall may have been married, but she doubted he’d been a virgin on his wedding night. “Honestly, there hasn’t been anything new as far as vibes go. However, this here…” She grabbed a small silver tin from behind a different counter and put it in front of Marshall. “This here can give a woman mind-blowing orgasms. It’s basically a balm that heats up and sensitizes everything. Problem is, it’s not really safe to use with some of the toys.”
“If you could add a few of those to my bill, that would be great.” Marshall turned to Harper with a smile. “Is there anything you’d like? Anything you think might help spark some ideas?”
“Actually…yes. These vibrating cock rings…is it just these few here?” Given that this was a high-end sex boutique, the selection was limited to just the best products and quality, b
ut Harper hadn’t realized just how few high-end cock rings there were. She knew Clio didn’t carry one as of yet, and thought it might be another product they could pursue.
“Unfortunately. The rest of them tend to be made of horrible material and are no more than a bullet vibe stuck in some jelly.” Aria wrinkled her nose, clearly appalled at the thought. “Obviously, those aren’t anything we’d ever carry. If you give me a minute, I’ll put all this together for you, unless there’s anything else?”
“Add the cock rings—and anything else you think we might find interesting.” Marshall waited until Aria slipped into the back room, and then, grabbing Harper’s hand, pulled her to him and slipped a strong arm around her waist, catching her mouth in a passionate kiss. “I can’t wait to get to work.”
“Work being the key word there, Marshall.” At least she was trying to behave herself, saying all the things she should be, even if her body was leaning into him, desperate to have him kiss her again. “Or have you forgotten that you’re my boss, and this could easily be considered sexual harassment by some.”
“Am I harassing you, Ms. Jones?” He tightened his hold on her, making it impossible for her to ignore his massive hard-on as he fisted her hair with his free hand and pulled her head back so he could nip his way down her jawline to her ear and then her neck. “If you want me to stop, by all means tell me, and I’ll stop. But if you don’t, then I think it’s time we give up this charade of you not wanting me. Because you do want me, Ms. Jones…don’t you?”
All she could do is groan in response. Curse him.
“Shall I take that as a yes? Or should I find out for myself?” He nuzzled her until she couldn’t help but kiss him, her body coming to life for the first time in a very long time, her need erasing her guilt, so that by the time he pulled away, her breathing was heavy and her knees were threatening to buckle on her. “There’s a good girl.”
