Seduction in a Suit: An Office Romance Collection

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Seduction in a Suit: An Office Romance Collection Page 109

by Monica Corwin


  “What happened to that Paige?” he asked narrowing his eyes.

  I went to answer and tell him something about rolling with the times and the modern woman but in an instant the words evaporated from my mind.

  Rolling with the times and keeping up with the modern woman was not what happened to me. What happened to me had nothing to do with that, or trend spotting.

  Four years ago I had Paul.

  A lump formed in my throat as I thought about him, and I couldn’t believe he wasn’t at the forefront of my mind from the minute Jason said four years ago.

  Life was different for me then. Very different, and I guess I had heart.

  When I had Paul everything I wrote poured straight from my soul.

  I didn’t want to talk about this anymore.

  “Okay, whatever. I’ll review my answers before I send out my advice.” Anything to get rid of him.

  “Just like that. You’re agreeing just like that?” He tilted his head to the side and looked at me with assessing eyes.

  “Yeah. I can see there are some differences and I’ll look into it.” I still thought the right thing to do was to stay away from the player but I couldn’t think properly now.

  “One second.”

  I sighed again, feeling even more frustrated when he took out another piece of paper. Another printed off email.

  “Tilly again. Ten months after the first message. Do you want to know what she said?”

  “Sure, why not.”

  He started reading:

  * * *

  Dear Paige,

  Thanks so much for your advice. I just had to let you know. I took your advice. I took the risk and he changed for me. We’re getting married next year. Thank you so much for giving me the courage I needed. You’re an inspiration to women like me.

  Tilly.

  * * *

  “Do you want to know what you said?” He smiled.

  “No. I don’t.” He was having fun at my expense. I wouldn’t indulge in it.

  “This person, this version of you can’t just be shaped overnight. I can’t leave you to simply look into it.”

  “What do you suggest then Mr. Dempsey?”

  “Oh no, you call me Jason.”

  I would prefer to call him asshole but again I held my tongue.

  “What do you suggest then, Jason?”

  He leaned back in his chair and gave me a purely sexual look that made my nerves scatter.

  “Go out with me.”

  I blinked several times and glared at him. “What the hell?”

  “Go out with me.”

  “No. I’m not going anywhere with you.” I protested.

  “Afraid you might like it sweet thing?”

  “Don’t call me that. I’m not sweet.”

  “You are to me, sweet thing.” There was that smile again. “You look sweet, but when I taste you I’ll have better confirmation then.”

  I swallowed hard as I felt my cheeks warm. “When?”

  “When. I’m only ninety percent sure now that you’re sweet.”

  I didn’t think I’d ever met anyone who was so blatant and overly sexual.

  “There will be no when.” I tried, but the thought of being tasted in whatever way he meant filled me with pure desire. Something I hadn’t felt in years.

  “Yes, Paige. There will. Go out with me tomorrow night. Think of it as research.” He rose slowly and stood flashing me that smile again.

  “Research?”

  “For work. The Paige who wrote Tilly way back when didn’t need to look into things and change the way she gave advice. The advice she gave came straight from her soul. I want that girl back. That woman.” He looked at me now, knowing he got to me. Knowing he had a hold on me. “Meet me at eight at the JLM Bar.”

  I felt too displaced to answer him.

  He walked out though not needing my answer, because he knew he’d gotten to me and I was going to say yes.

  Even if I didn’t want to.

  6

  Paige

  I was so drained that I fell into bed when I got home.

  I spent the day answering the messages and letters I didn’t do yesterday. But, I also gave into my fears and admittedly spent a good part of the day going over some of my old emails and responses.

  Old emails from about four years ago.

  I did sound different, because I was different. And, I wasn’t sure I wanted that Paige back.

  I got by from one day to the next now. It was hard because of what I’d been through. I must have evolved into this woman that I was, and now my readers were being affected by it. Today I tried to be the old me.

  I ended up sounding objective as opposed to giving my opinion on whatever problem I was being asked about.

  I felt bad for it. Really bad. It felt like I couldn’t do my job anymore.

  Sleep took me the minute I set my head on the soft silk of my pillows. Then I drifted into the dream that pulled me in.

  It was a dream I’d had before, several times. Once it was every night, then it was every once in awhile. This must be one of those times and I felt the excitement take me. It always did when I knew I was going to see Paul.

  Always.

  It was always the same. This dream is always the same.

  I ran down the stairs and straight outside. I paused and looked around absorbing the wondrous scent of the pine trees that mingled with the slight hint of salt in the lake and it soothes my mind. It immediately reminded me of happiness. Happy times spent out here with Paul and all our friends.

  We were both ten when we first met. My family had just moved to San Francisco from Wisconsin. My dad had just taken a job here as the new consultant for an accounting firm.

  I met Paul and I loved him at first sight.

  Where was he?

  It had been such a long time since I’d seen him.

  “Pa…” my voice trailed away as I turned towards the boardwalk and saw him standing by the edge of the dock.

  He was waiting for me.

  Always waiting for me.

  His golden hair glistened against the remaining sunlight, and he stood tall and proud with his broad shoulders pushed back and that confidence I loved rippling off him.

  I ran to him, missing him so much my entire body ached. He turned to face me just as I reached him and caught me as I threw myself into his arms.

  “Don’t, don’t let me go. Please.” I begged.

  I inhaled the rich woodland scent of his cologne and savored it.

  Oh how I missed this scent, the magic between us, this feeling. This feeling I had that made me believe that I’d always have that happiness I felt with only him.

  But he pulled back.

  He’d never done that before. Usually he’d hold me too like he never wanted to let me go.

  Today he pulled back and stared at me. I recognized that look in his eyes. It was filled with so much sadness. I was already shaking my head before he gets the chance to say anything to me.

  “Paige. You have to let me go.”

  “No.” I winced grabbing on to him.

  He took both my hands into his.

  “You said you’d never leave me.” Tears ran down my cheek.

  “I didn’t. I’m always going to be with you, but you have to let me go. It doesn’t mean we have to forget.”

  “I don’t want to.” My shoulders shook as I sobbed.

  “You have to sweetheart. You have to. You have to let me go.” Those piercing green eyes that always looked at me with so much love now beheld me with firm determination.

  He leaned forward and kissed my head, and that was it. He disappeared right before my eyes…

  I jumped up, out of my sleep, out of my dream in a cold sweat.

  It was difficult to breathe as all my emotions built up within me. I had that feeling of being displaced again, but as the dream world unraveled from reality everything comes rushing back on me.

  My eyes landed on the picture of Paul and I on o
ur wedding day. The picture was on the wall in a row with some others from our childhood.

  Tears immediately sprung to my eyes, as I looked at the furthest one. It’s of us by the lake where we used to meet. The one that was always featured in my dreams.

  It was that same day he spoke those words to me.

  “Paige you have to let me go. It doesn’t mean we have to forget. But you have to let me go.”

  Those words imprinted on my soul, and would be forever.

  He said those same words to me minutes before he died.

  I went straight to the mail room to see Bernice the next day.

  I was in one of my states of flux. She noticed my demeanor straight away as I entered and stopped drinking her coffee.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  “Paul.” I answered.

  No one ever talked about Paul with me. I knew it was such a sensitive subject but sometimes I wished that someone could ask me how I was and force me to talk about it. To talk about him.

  Seeing my distress, Bernice immediately got up, moved over to me and ushered me to the sofa hang out area near the coffee machine. We sat opposite each other.

  “Are you okay?” She asked looking me over with concern.

  “Do you think I changed after he died?”

  “Paige, it’s expected and understandable that you changed.”

  “So I did?” I pressed my lips together.

  “Of course you did. Something like that has to change you.”

  Bernice was the only person I’d really spoken to about Paul, but only when I gave her permission to talk about him. Like now.

  My parents, my brother and my sister, all did their best with me. But their best was not saying anything and helping me to move on.

  It was three years now. Three years since I lost him. He had a brain tumor. The kind that meant if he’d had an operation he would have lost himself. He would have needed care for the rest of his life, and he didn’t want that.

  He found out when he was eighteen, and just accepted that one day it would take him. We both went to college, and I married him anyway knowing that one day I would lose him. Every year that I had with him was a blessing, and when I did lose him I lost myself too.

  The Paige four years ago who was able to write to Tilly and tell her to take a chance on love was deeply in love. She had the purest love because she was in love with an angel.

  Back then I almost believed that he’d get through it. I almost believed that we’d live our lives to the fullest, and grow old together. I just thought that somehow the tumor wouldn’t affect him. But, I was wrong.

  I lost him, and lost everything that meant something to me. That included that heart, Jason talked about.

  How didn’t I notice?

  It felt like the only person who didn’t know what was going on in my life was me.

  Bernice just said I’d changed and as irritated as I felt to admit this, that damned Jason pointed it out too.

  “Do you want to talk?” Bernice asked.

  “I don’t know what to say. What is there to talk about. It’s not like I can resolve anything. He’s gone.”

  “We can talk about how you’re feeling.” She offered.

  “I feel like I don’t know anything anymore.”

  “What brought this on?” She asked now looking curious.

  “The lovely Jason Dempsey.”

  “Oh.” Bernice laughed a little. “Quite the character isn’t he? And gorgeous.”

  “Bernice.” I scolded. I didn’t need to be reminded, especially right now, that I thought the man was gorgeous too. I felt bad enough as it was.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just an observation. Anyway, back to you. Paige, if you’re feeling bad then that’s something to talk about.”

  “I had that dream again.” I sighed and ran my hands over my face.

  “The one by the lake.” Bernice was well versed in my recurring dream of Paul. “The one where he says…”

  “To let him go.” I breath and focus on her. “I can’t.”

  “Paige, I know it’s difficult but ask yourself this. Would Paul want you to live the way you are? Also, for the record I know you don’t just pick up random men and go off to do whatever craziness you feel like.”

  God, I was going to cry. I could feel the tears coming. One ran down my cheek.

  “I’m so sorry Bernice.” I wiped it away quickly. “I should never have given you that advice.”

  “Honey, we were both drunk, and it’s on me. I didn’t have to take the advice.”

  “I feel so bad.”

  “Don’t, anyway back to you.”

  “That is part of the problem. I haven’t been myself. I love my job. It’s everything I could hope for, but I haven’t been true to the people who make the job what it is.”

  “Paige, you’ve been really strong. Forgive me for saying this, but I’m your friend, and since we’re talking about this then I have to be honest with you.” She looked nervous.

  I geared myself up to hear what she had to say. “Tell me.”

  She pulled in a breath. “I think that the problem lies with the difficulty in letting Paul go. Losing your husband must have been devastating, I can’t even begin to imagine what you must have gone through, and must be still going through. But if your worried about your advice you have to think about the real problem. I’ve known you long enough to know that your writing comes from emotion, whether its your articles or advice. If you aren’t writing with emotion, you’re writing with nothing. You’re just writing what you think people want to hear, and the more far-fetched your advice is the more attention you get. But that’s not necessarily a good thing.”

  Wow. I didn’t realize that Bernice thought all of that.

  “I don’t know how to be that person anymore. The person I used to be.”

  “You do know.”

  She was right. The look she gave me told me everything.

  I had to let Paul go.

  “It won’t be easy. But you have to try, then you’ll be the woman you used to be. He’d want you to. He knew how much you loved writing and helping people, being an example. So think about that.”

  I nodded on that thought. I’d never thought about it that way before.

  I guess I really am going to meet Jason later then. I don’t have a good feeling about what he’s planned, whatever that is, but I’ll go if it helps me to find myself again.

  7

  Jason

  I was actually surprised she turned up. I was only about eighty percent certain she would yesterday when I extended the invite.

  I watched her park her silver Porsche, which just about fit in between the Merc and the BMW that now sandwiched her.

  She didn’t see me standing by the entrance of the club until she got out of her car.

  I smiled as I looked her over. She went home to change and she did her hair.

  Earlier, at work, she wore a simple black business dress and had her hair in a ponytail.

  Now that hair ran down her shoulders in a mass of warm velvet, complementing the grey bodycon dress she wore. That dress caressed her perfect figure the way I wanted to if she’d ever give me the chance.

  “Is that for me?” I asked teasingly looking her over as she walked over to me.

  “Is what for you?” she frowned a little.

  “The dress. Looks hot.” I smiled at her.

  “We’re going to a club. I dressed up.” She said in a matter of factly tone.

  She was her usual self, and the firmness is there but there was something softer about her tonight.

  The wind picked up and lifted her hair sending a wisp across her face. I reached out and tucked it behind her ear. My fingers brushed across her cheek as I did so, and I realized that her skin is as soft as it looks. Like butter cream and velvet mixed together.

  I smiled at her blushing. Even in the dark, with the silver moonlight and the city lights distorting the color around us, I could see that she is. I imagine
d those cheeks turning a rosier color as I looked at her, and continued to stare.

  “Is this what we’re going to do all night? Just stand here?”

  “Do you want to? I’m happy to.” I surprised her by picking up a lock of her hair and twirling the ends around my thumb.

  “I never said yes. And don’t touch my hair.” She snapped moving away from me.

  She stepped in front of me and made her way to the entrance of the club.

  I moved to join her but my eyes found her ass. Sweet, and perfectly rounded as if it was sculpted that way.

  I’m so glad I’m not one of these men who holds back on their desires. I don’t believe in being that way, especially with a woman I realized I want more than I imagined.

  It’s been what?

  Shit, three days.

  It felt more like weeks though because she’s constantly been on my mind.

  She glanced over her shoulder and caught me checking her out. I didn’t act like I wasn’t. Like someone else might. I wanted her to see me.

  As we get to the door I walked a little faster to open it for her and when we go in I lightly placed my hand to the small of her back.

  I’m glad when she doesn’t protest.

  “Jason, nice to see you.” Bill, the concierge says as we approach him at the reception stand where people ahead of us are handing in their coats to the cloakroom.

  “You too.” I smiled at the large muscular man.

  Paige looked over at me. “Come here often?” she asked.

  Bill chuckled at the comment.

  “Enough.” I replied.

  “Is our suite ready?” I asked.

  Bill nodded.

  “Suite?” Paige asked.

  “Relax sweet thing. It’s just the VIP area.” I calmed her running my fingers across her back. She flashed me a look of disdain, but I just smiled at it. She’s in for a real surprise tonight.

  I’m glad she’s here. Seems like I’m moving across the game board.

  “Come on I’ll show you.” I told her moving with her.

  She follows.

  The music hit us the minute we went through the doors to the club itself. It was the standard club music and everyone is enjoying themselves. There was a seating area, a bar and the main floor. All of which are full. The last time I checked I heard the place was doing extremely well, which is great for me since I own it.

 

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