She turned suddenly, almost jolting by the sight of Paul.
“I thought you left.”
“I did.” He held up his hand and shook a small box of condoms.
“Oh. I hadn’t even thought of –.”
“Well, I did.” He came closer to her, ripping the package open as he came closer. “And I’ve got to say, that robe looks much better on the floor than it does on you.”
She smirked. “That’s a bad line.”
“But totally true.”
Not wanting to disappoint, she watched his arms tense as he ripped off his jeans and kicked them to the side. His shoulders flexed as he sheathed himself in the condom.
“You were so fast.”
“Darling, that’s the only thing that’ll be fast.”
She felt that fire reignite by the sexy grin he offered with his promise.
4
Paul woke up to a knock on the door. His stomach growled as he opened his eyes and he got his bearings from the night before.
The fiery minx that had seduced him the night before wasn’t lying beside him in bed as she’d been the night before.
The room still smelled of her perfume and their night of sex.
Another knock sounded and this time he could hear a woman who sounded mildly annoyed that he hadn’t responded.
“Hello? Housekeeping.”
“Umm…” he looked around the room and saw no sign of her. “Give me a minute.”
He glanced at the small clock on the nightstand and saw he’d overslept.
“Fuck.” He muttered, angry with himself.
Quickly, he got his clothes together and got dressed in a hurry. He’d been just about to leave when he saw a note taped to the back of the door.
* * *
Paul,
* * *
I had a great time last night. You were amazing. I would’ve stayed to eat breakfast with you but, I’m starting a new job today and couldn’t be late.
Please, feel free to stay as long as you like, and order some room service if you want. My treat.
* * *
P.S. If you’re interested, I’d love to see you again. I’m in between apartments and moving this weekend, so I’ll be staying at the hotel through the end of the week. Give me a call sometime.
* * *
Sienna
xoxoxo
* * *
He grabbed it and grinned. The idea of seeing her again was definitely something that he liked.
Opening the door, he almost ran into the housekeeper standing just outside.
“Sorry, excuse me.” He hurried down the hall and into his room just a few doors down.
“Sir? I haven’t made it to that room yet.”
“It’s okay. I’m checking out anyway.” He waved his hands at her as he quickly grabbed his overnight bag from his room and raced to the elevator.
His cell phone rang the second he got on the elevator.
“Shit.” He looked down at the display, seeing his secretary, Helen’s number.
“Hello?”
“Paul? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I overslept. I’ll be there soon. I don’t have any meetings this morning, do I?”
“No. But, Mr. Livingston has been asking about you. We have that new attorney starting today. He wanted you to show her the ropes, remember?”
“Fuck. No!”
“It was in the meeting last week.”
“No, I mean… I remembered. I just… forgot. Shit, never mind. I have to check out of the hotel and grab a ride. I should be there in about fifteen minutes.”
“Alright, I’ll cover for you.”
“That’s why I love you, Sally.”
“Don’t lie. You love me because I make the best chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever tasted.”
He chuckled. “There’s that too.”
Twenty minutes later, Paul was adjusting his tie while walking into the tall building which was the home to Livingston and Levine.
His hair was disheveled, his shirt was wrinkled, and he smelled of the cologne he’d splashed on in the car on the ride over.
The ride up to the elevator had taken way too long as he looked at his watch, realizing how utterly pissed his bosses were going to be that he was nearly an hour late.
When he stepped onto the twenty-seventh floor, the reception was the first to hail his attention.
“Mr. Hansen. Mr. Livingston and Mr. Levine have been looking for you.”
“I know.” Handing her his briefcase, he continued. “Can you get this to Helen, please?”
“Sure thing.” She pointed down the hall. “They’re in the conference room.”
He nodded. “Thanks.”
Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for the tongue-lashing he’d most likely get once he and the bosses were alone. The founding and senior partners at his firm had always been good to him and treated him fairly. Still, there was one thing that they couldn’t stand. And that was being late.
He stepped inside and began his speech of apology. “Mr. Livingston, Mr. Levine. I’m so sorry. I got –.”
His words were stolen from his own subconscious as he stood there stunned and in shock.
The beautiful and sexy woman who had slept alongside him the night before was standing before him.
Her long blonde hair pulled up into a neat bun. Her gorgeous and curvaceous legs, showing from the skirt she wore. And a hint of her cleavage, teasing him with a mere glimpse in reminders of what her nipples felt like in his mouth.
She met his surprise and for a moment no one spoke until Mr. Levine broke the silence.
“Paul… are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Umm…” he glanced the man’s direction before continuing. “No, sorry. I just… my alarm didn’t go off and I was running behind. I’m so sorry I’m late.”
“Well. I suppose once in a blue moon is forgivable.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Anyway,” he motioned toward Sienna. “This is Sienna Rausch. She’s the new associate attorney we hired from DU last year. She’s just finished her fellowship with the court of appeals and is now ready to get her feet wet in corporate law.”
“I see.” He held his hand out to Sienna, hoping she would return the favor and not let on that they knew each other intimately. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Rausch.”
“You as well, Mr. Hansen. I’ve been hearing a lot about you.”
“Oh?”
She was wearing an appropriate woman’s suit, with sensible heals and her entire look spoke professional and businesslike. But, he couldn’t forget the woman who he had fucked the night before. She hadn’t been a prim and proper professional. She had been wild, wanton and wicked.
“Yes, well… don’t go giving the man an ego now.” Mr. Livingston chuckled.
“We’ll leave you two to get acquainted. We have a meeting down the street anyway. Paul, I trust you’ll show her the ropes?”
Oh, I’ll show her the ropes alright. I’ll wrap them around her pretty little wrists and ankles and tie her to my four-poster bed and spread her creamy thighs wide and slide between them.
“Paul?” Mr. Levine interjected. “Are you alright? You look a little flushed.
Sienna tried to contain her smile but, she’d quickly looked down, so the partners wouldn’t notice.
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“You’re sure? We don’t need you getting the whole office sick.”
“I promise. Just one of those mornings.”
“Alright then.” Mr. Levine held out his hand to Sienna. “Once again, well aboard Ms. Rausch. We’re so glad that you’ve decided to come on board with us.”
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity. Thank you.”
Neither Paul nor Sienna uttered a word while the two men left the room and the door closed behind them.
The looked on in a standoff, much like they had the previous night in the elevator. And he remembered very clearly how t
hat standoff had ended.
Absolutely beautifully.
“So, we meet again.” She smirked.
“I’d say it’s a small world but, I didn’t think it was that small.”
She shook her head. “Listen, I didn’t know who you were. I mean, I knew you were Paul. But, I didn’t know I’d be working with you.”
“I didn’t either.”
She cocked a brow up. “So, what now?”
“I don’t know.”
“It suddenly got very complicated, didn’t it?”
“That’s an understatement.”
“Listen, I like you…” she hesitated, trying to find the right words. “and I had a fantastic time with you last night. But –.”
“But, we work together. And that doesn’t exactly make for a good work atmosphere. Especially since I’ll be one of your supervising attorney’s during your first ninety days.”
“You’re going to be my boss?”
“Not so much your boss. But, I’ll be overseeing your work these first few months. You know, just making sure you don’t…”
“Fuck anything up?”
He chuckled. “Sorry. You know that not all attorneys are the brightest. Especially first year attorneys. We’ve gone through our fair share of men and women graduates who didn’t appear to know a contract from their ass.”
“I see.”
“Yeah, so I’m kind of like the anti-fuck up police at our firm. It’s my attention to detail that got me that little task.” She teased.
“I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”
“Thanks.”
The awkward tension between them wasn’t dissipating. It hung between them like a moldy towel left in a locker room.
He crossed the room and looked out the wall of windows, looking out to the city streets below them.
“Paul?”
“DU, huh?”
“Huh?”
“You went to DU? Denver University School of Law?”
“Oh. Yeah. Sorry, I’m a little distracted.”
“You and me both.” He muttered under his breath.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Nothing. You were saying…?”
“Oh, I had to take a couple of years off to care for my mom. She got sick. It was only us two. I didn’t want to just leave her care to a stranger.”
He looked back at her. “That’s pretty amazing of you.”
She shrugged. “Not so much. She’s my mom. She took care of me while I grew up. This was just my turn.”
“Still, not everyone would have done the same thing.”
“Well, not everyone had a mother like I did.”
“I’m guessing she’s passed on now?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “She held on for a long time but, eventually the cancer won.”
“I’m really sorry to hear that. Cancer is… horrible. We had a partner here that died from pancreatic a couple years ago. It’s an evil disease.”
“It really is.”
“And then you went back to school?”
“Yes. I mean I missed a lot and some of the courses from my first year turned out to be obsolete. But, eventually, I got caught up and was able to graduate last month.”
“My Alma Mater. When did you first go there?”
“About,” she looked up, thinking. “Eight years ago, now.”
“Ahh. We just missed each other then. I graduated almost ten years ago.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-seven. You?”
“Thirty-three.”
“Paul.” She crossed the room and joined him by the window.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“Last night… If I had known that –.”
“That what? That we were going to work together?”
“Yes.”
“So, what if you did know? What would that have changed if you’d known?”
“I don’t know. For starters, I wouldn’t have come over to you and started anything. I wouldn’t have flirted with you. I wouldn’t have done half of the things I did.”
“Don’t say that. Don’t regret last night. I sure as hell don’t!”
“But it’s true. I really liked you. And now…” her voice trailed off. “Now, I’ve made it awkward and uncomfortable for the both of us.”
“Sienna, I’m uncomfortable. I’ll give you that. But, believe me, I’m not uncomfortable for the reason that you’re thinking.”
He tried his best to resist the urges he felt. He wanted so desperately to reach out and touch her but, he couldn’t. He couldn’t resist the urge or deny himself the feel of her skin under his touch.
Lifting his hand, he cupped the side of her face and brushed the pad of his thumb along her cheek. That same cheek that had been flushed with arousal the night before.
“Your skin is so soft.” His words came out in a hushed whisper.
“Paul,” she tried to pull away.
“No. Please don’t go.”
“Well, one of us has to be smart about this.”
“What if being smart means something different?”
“Work relationships don’t work. You are a corporate attorney for crying out loud. How many cases of sexual misconduct help pay the bills for this firm.”
“Misconduct? Is that what this is?” he asked.
“No. But –.”
“But what? Come on, Sienna. Are you really going to tell me that you didn’t want to see me again after last night?”
“You know that I did.”
“Did? Not do?”
She shook her head. “Please, Paul. You don’t know what it’s like for women in this branch of law. We’re not taken seriously. It’s hard enough to earn respect in this business. I don’t need to sleep with one of my supervisors.”
“Technically you already did. And I am not like the others. I do respect you.”
She grinned. “That sounded cheesy.”
“Cheesy or not. It’s true.”
She let out a deep breath and looked up at him. “I don’t know. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“No. No, you’re right. It’s not a good idea. But, my body could give two shits how bad of an idea it is. I want you, Sienna. I want you again. I want you like I had you last night. I want to hold you. I want to touch you. I want to make you scream.”
“Paul…”
He didn’t allow her the chance to protest a second longer. He crushed his mouth against hers and drank up all of the fear and anxiety that she was feeling.
Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her body into hers. Pressing his hardness against her belly while thrusting painfully, trying desperately to find relief.
Their kiss lasted for longer than he’d planned. He was breathless. Their ragged breaths the only thing that kept them from continuing any further.
“Stop.” She pushed him away and ran her hands through her hair, adjusting the bun atop her head. “I need to think.”
“What is there to think about?”
“It’s my career, Paul. I’ve waited a long time to get here.”
“And I’m not going to screw it up for you. I swear. I can be discreet. I can be whatever you want. Just don’t say goodbye to us. Don’t say goodbye to whatever it was that we started last night.”
“Last night was incredible. I know that. But –.”
“Forget about sex. Let’s just go to dinner. No pressure. Just me and you and dinner.”
“It sort of sounds like you’re pressuring me.”
“I’m sorry. I just… I don’t want this to end without seeing what if anything could come from it.”
“I don’t know. I need time to think, Paul.”
“Fine. I’ll give you some space. I’ll let you think.”
“Do you swear?”
“Yes. I swear.”
“Thank you, Paul.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “Listen, you go on ahead.
I need a minute.”
“Are you okay?”
He raised his brows and looked down at his trousers. “Do I look okay?”
She grinned. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I had blue balls all through high school. I survived then. I’m pretty sure I can do it again.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked.
“I don’t know. For being sweet. For understanding. For –.”
“Sienna, if you don’t walk out of this conference room right now I’m going to bend you over this table, lift up your skirt and show you just how sweet that I’m not.”
Her cheeks flushed with his proclamation. “Paul.”
“Please, just give me ten minutes to go over baseball scores or something. I’ll meet you in the file room in about ten minutes.”
“Okay.” She agreed and headed for the door.
Turning back, she smiled at him before leaving. And it was that small gesture that was enough to steal his breath.
With his hands on his hips, he drew in a deep and calming breath.
Paul Hansen… you are so fucked if you think you’re going to get that woman out of your mind.
5
Sienna had been staring at the motion and subsequent order from the judge that was sitting on her desk. For nearly a half an hour she’d tried to focus but, she couldn’t seem to concentrate ever since her meeting with Paul earlier that day.
His dark hair and brown eyes made him handsome, but not in a trendy, modern way type of way. He was unassuming, not arrogant or full of himself. In fact, he was different than any other man she’d been with before.
It was a nice change from some of the men she was used to crossing paths within her chosen profession. Regardless of what was politically correct, and the latest news stories of women coming forward with their allegations of sexual misconduct, the ‘boys club’ mentality was still very much alive in today’s workforce.
She knew they had made the right choice of choosing to keep their relationship professional and not pursue anything further. Work relationships could become messy very easily. And her dream to become an attorney was finally coming true.
Seduction in a Suit: An Office Romance Collection Page 65
