“A partnership for life?” She smiled and her gaze filled with unshed tears. “I’d like that with you.”
“But?”
“But, those carefree kids of yours who run loose on the beach?”
“The ones with the blonde hair and the violet-blue eyes and the smiles exactly like yours?” Her tears spilled over and he wiped her cheek, his gaze captured by the smooth texture of her skin, the sparkle of the sun on her tears like two stars reflected from the heavens.
“My mum had endometriosis. She couldn’t get pregnant again after she had me. She left having babies too late.” Scarlet’s gaze dropped from his. “I have it, too. What if I can’t have children? What if I can’t give you those carefree kids? I want them for you. I want them for us. You would be an amazing dad.”
“Ah. The real reason behind the rush to partnership.”
“The older I get, the greater the risk I won’t be able to get pregnant.”
“Then, we’d better get practising, honey, because without you, those kids mean nothing. What are we waiting for?”
“Me.” Geoffrey’s voice sounded from the doorway. “Are you two lovebirds ready?”
“Yes, I think we are.” Tony’s voice was triumphant. “We have an important merger to discuss. I’ll drop you at the office. You can handle the rest on your own, right?”
“I got you both into this mess, so yeah, I’ll get you out of it.”
“Excellent.” He captured Scarlet’s hand and wrapped an arm around Geoffrey. “How long since you’ve seen your kids? It’s amazing how powerful an apology can be.”
“Don’t we have a funeral to arrange.”
“Nope. More of a celebration of dad’s life. What about in Torquay? Didn’t he want his ashes spread under the night sky? Leave it to me. It’s the closest place I know to heaven.”
“Is that why you headed there the other night?”
“Yep. You should try looking upwards and outwards some time, Bro. You’re missing out on something special.”
“I’m missing out on someone special, that’s for sure.”
“There’s a million fish in the sea.”
“Hey, I’m still here,” said Scarlet with a laugh. “And I like to think I’m one of a kind.”
“You’re the only kind for me,” Tony said with a grin and a wink. He pulled into a parking space in front of the office and waited until Geoffrey slammed the rear door and stood on the pavement. He started to walk towards the building, his shoulders slumped, but then he straightened, turned and waved. Tony waved, too, before he pulled out into the traffic on Collins St.
“Now, Miss O’Connor. We have an important matter to attend to.”
“We do?”
“One that doesn’t involve a legal file or a business suit.”
“I think I like where you’re going with this.”
“I definitely like where I’m going with this, and I know you will too. I’ll make sure of
it.”
Epilogue
Sunscreen!” Scarlet called after her two rascally four-year-old sons who zipped away, their grins wide, their surfboards under their arms. She lowered the tube and locked eyes with Tony.
“Don’t sweat it, honey. It’s after five o’clock. They won’t burn. Besides they have my skin. They’re fine.” His lopsided smile was hard to resist, particularly when his chest was bare and he was half clad in a wetsuit, his board under his arm.
“Come on, Dad.” Two voices, identical in tone. Impatient.
“Why don’t you have a rest until Geoff, Ally, and the kids arrive?”
Scarlet rested her hand on her swollen belly. “Your daughter would love that. It’s when I lie down that she practices her surfing moves.”
“Well, she has two older brothers to keep up with.”
He grinned and her body reacted, a wave of heat washing through her.
“Or if you’d rather, we could curl up together.” His blue, blue eyes gleamed and he stepped closer, his hand framing her jaw, his lips like heated velvet against hers.
“Someone needs to keep those two safe.” She looked beyond him to where the waves broke against the sand and their sons had already launched their boards, waving and shouting for Tony to hurry up. She smiled and her heart filled with love—overwhelming, gut-wrenching love, but it was when her gaze returned to his adoring one that the tears began to well. “Hormones,” she grumbled, wiping the wetness with an impatient hand.
“I love you, Carly. Every minute of every day.”
“I love you, too.” She sank into his kiss, a space opening inside her as wide and as deep as the ocean, as vast and as endless as the night sky. A space filled with love, desire, and hope.
“Dad!”
“Gotta go.” He dragged his lips from hers, his gaze devouring her. “You look good.”
“I look huge.”
“You look perfect.” He planted another kiss on her lips and turned to chase after the boys.
* * *
Scarlet sat at her desk, her mind on her closing argument for an arbitration on Monday, when the door opened and Geoffrey called out.
“I thought partners got the weekend off. Especially pregnant ones.”
She turned and welcomed him with a smile. “As you well know, there’s no such thing as time off in this business.”
“Well, there should be. Besides, haven’t you got your hands full with your two little monkeys. Where are they?”
“In the surf with their dad. They won’t be long. Ah, here they are now.” The screen door banged and two wet, blond-haired boys stormed into the room bringing in a trail of sand.
“Hi, Uncle Geoff and Auntie Ally. Ethan! Georgia! You won’t believe what we saw! A stingray. A big one. Swimming in the surf.”
“Better a ray than a shark,” Georgia said with a laugh, ruffling Thomas’s hair. She was in her twenties, but adored her younger cousins.
“It was huge, but it didn’t try to attack us.”
“It was surfing, too,” Jacob added.
“Where’s your dad?” Scarlet asked.
“Right here.” Tony grinned and shook hands with his brother. “Good to see you guys. Hey, kids. How are things?”
“Really good! Can we take the boys out for a game of beach cricket?”
“Go for it. We’ll get the dinner happening and then your dad and I will challenge you to a match. You need all the practice you can get if memory serves me right. Too easy,” he said to Geoffrey with a grin.
“Not a chance,” they called, their voices jeering in unison. “No way. We’ll beat you this time!”
“How are you feeling?” Alison asked Scarlet.
“Fine. Tired. Nearly had enough. How about you?”
“Busy. If it wasn’t for Geoff, I’d be at the office, but I’m glad I’m here. Every time we come down, I love it more. And it’s great to see you all.”
Scarlet and Alison carried the bread and the salad outside and placed them on the table before relaxing into a couple of chairs. Scarlet poured them both an iced water and they sat back to chat.
“We’ve firmed up on our decision to retire from the practice. We’ll do some consultant work, but we want to spend more time at our house down here and travel. I feel like I’ve spent the best part of my life at work.”
Scarlet glanced over at Geoffrey who looked back at them and winked at his new wife. He was far from the man she’d known. He held a glass of iced water and had trimmed down. He no longer drank alcohol to excess and looked better for it. The smell of perfectly cooked meat filled the air. Geoffrey and Tony’s talk was punctuated with laughter.
The kids abandoned their game and moved on to a version of chasey. They ran across the sand, the big kids whooping as joyfully as the little ones.
“Meat’s ready,” Tony called over to her.
“I’ll get the kids,” Geoffrey said.
Alison rose with a warm smile. “I’ll come with you. I’d like to stretch my legs.” They held hands as they
stepped off the patio and onto the sand.
Scarlet stood, too, and Tony came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her.
“This is just what I pictured. This is just how I hoped it would be. Kids. Family. Fun on the beach. The smell of the barbecue. You. Love.”
He kissed her neck and breathed against the sensitive skin there sending delicious ripples of desire through every cell. She leaned against him, her gaze on the gulls that winged through the air with elated cries. The sun was low in the sky. Rose-pink, mauve, and orange colour-washed the horizon. The boys ran towards their Uncle, their voices joyful and Alison wrapped her arm around Georgia’s shoulder.
Scarlet rested her hand on her firm, round belly and Tony rested his hand on hers. Their daughter stretched and turned.
“This is more, so much more, than I dared to hope for,” Scarlet whispered and Tony pulled her close.
The End
Acknowledgments
A big thank you to my editor Jena O’Connor, my proof reader Janice Owen, and to the gorgeous Joanne Dannon, Beverley Eikli and Nina Campbell for their guidance. Thank you to my wonderful husband, Steve, for his consultation and legal expertise and to my precious lovelies, Mia and Dan.
About the Author
Lexi is an Australian author who loves to write powerful, passionate and provocative stories. She writes romance in the early morning and works as a paediatric neuropsychologist by day. A happily married mum of a tween and a teen, a parrot and a puppy, she loves to escape into a good story. She is a firm believer that a bath, candles, green tea and chocolate take a good book and make it perfect.
* * *
Lexi is a member of Romance Writers of Australia and Romance Writers of America; and is a huge fan of Margie Lawson’s Writer’s Academy.
* * *
Lexi loves a good happily ever after…
Tryst With the CEO
Aliyah Burke
Tryst With the CEO
Copyright © 2018 Aliyah Burke
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web-without permission in writing from the publisher or author. The unauthorized replication or allocation of any copyrighted work is illegal. File sharing is an international crime, prosecuted by the United States Department of Justice and the United States Border Patrol, Division of Cyber Crimes, in partnership with Interpol. Copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is punishable by up to five years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000 per reported instance, and seizure of computers.
This book is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is coincidental. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.
Tryst With the CEO
Jacques “Jack” Perrot fills in for his business partner and finds a woman unlike any he’d met before. A tryst together on the forty-fourth floor leaves him waking alone and craving more. Neela Fitzgerald never expected to meet her boss in an elevator and discover he was the same man she’d enjoyed a one-night stand with. He wants her close and makes her his personal assistant, however, his words push her away, will he be able to recover what he’s lost. Will she give him a second chance?
Thank you to my readers for following me on another journey. I’m excited and honored to be part of this boxset with this amazing group of people. Thank you to the ones who worked so hard on putting this together. Much love!
1
I got this, Toby. You stay with Melinda. She needs you there. Besides, I’m already here, about to walk inside.”
“Thanks for understanding, Jacques. I know you had plans to be elsewhere, tonight.”
And he had. Paris with some nameless booty call. But his partner for L&P Global Funding, Toby Latner, couldn’t make the party for his very pregnant wife, Melinda Latner, was having complications. Toby didn’t want to leave her. Jacques didn’t blame him. So, his friend was home in Cottonwood Falls and he was here.
While yes, it put a crimp in his plans, but he’d chalk it up to taking one for the team. Besides, he actually liked his partner’s wife. Melinda was much more important than some him getting a piece of ass in a foreign country.
I can find a woman here in Georgia.
Ending the call with Toby, he climbed out of his Bugatti and headed for the staff entrance, locking the car as he went in this way.
This was his first time in this building, he’d been in their overseas facility while this one had been opened. He slowed to show his identification to the officers at the security desk.
“Thank you, sir.” The one whose badge read Williams waved him through.
He met up with the pizza delivery guy at the elevators and rode up with him, the overwhelming scent of pepperoni and hot cheese filling his nose.
How long has it been since I’ve enjoyed a good slice of pizza? His stomach reminded him it had been far too long. Not just for pizza but for food of any kind.
As they stopped off on the floor, he could hear the fun and shook his head. He wasn’t a man who enjoyed parties. At least not groups. His night of fun was a hot babe, a night of great sex, and them each going their own way after it was over. No cuddling, no breakfast together, none of that.
Relationships were of no interest to him. Toby was his longest relationship. His family was of no consequence since the moment they kicked him out and said don’t bother coming back.
Right now, he stood two floors below the executive offices and he returned to the elevator to ride up to them. Unlike the last floor he just got off on, this one had blissful silence as opposed to loud techno music. Yes, he had to make an appearance for he was grateful for the employees, just not right now.
The lobby of their executive offices of L&P Global Funding had been done in a warm, deep amber with gold and a shade of maroon he liked. The furniture was a dark charcoal with accent pillows matching the overall scheme of colors.
The low lighting set a nice ambiance. Tall windows allowed for an unimpeded view of the city skyline even in the lobby, the setup allowed for the view. He loved them at night, that was the art in his place, nighttime skylines. There was something beautiful about them to him. Hands in his pockets, he strolled to the one way glass and stared out, memorizing the view.
Toby had done a damn good job at selecting a headquarters for this office.
“Can I help you, sir?”
He turned to see a curvaceous beauty step from the elevator, she kept one hand on the door to keep it from closing behind her.
Smart. She didn’t know who he was.
“Just admiring the view.”
As was he.
Her one shouldered body hugging dress sent his blood streaming south. The hue blended from blue to green and back again. Holy shit, he would love to explore all of her, his fingertips burned, and he wanted to touch that smooth creamy skin. The slit on the left side, allowed him tantalizing glimpses of her upper thigh. Normally elevator light wasn’t among anything he’d call flattering but this worked. It did far more than simply work.
“The party is two floors down.”
He moved toward her wanting to peel up that tight skirt to see if that vine tattoo continued on up her leg and if so, how high it went. Clenching his hand into a fist in his pocket.
“Why are you up here?”
“I was leaving and saw it come down from here. Last time I found a few people engaged in—shall we say—extracurricular activities.”
“Interesting. Hoping to find it again?” He’d be more than happy to oblige her.
Her lips twitched. “
While I’ve never had sex on the forty-fourth floor, no that’s not what I came for.”
He flicked his tongue over his lips, noting the pupil dilation as well as the jump in the pulse at her neck.
“Is that a proposition?” Her lips twitched.
“Would you accept it if it was?”
He was adept at reading women and she was definitely interested.
A fact that worked well in his favor. Yes, he was the boss but the way she’d addressed him had him confident she was unaware of his status within the company. If she said no, he wouldn’t press. Women didn’t tell him no but if one did, that was her choice, there were enough out there who wanted him. He may be considered a playboy, but he had enough respect for women to never force one to be with him.
Regardless, as this was a party, and she wasn’t stating she knew who he was, there wasn’t anything immoral in his mind if she took him up on the offer.
She removed her hand from the elevator and the door slid shut, cutting off the light surrounding her.
He blinked a few times to allow his eyes to adjust once more to the near darkness. She’d moved nearer but still out of his reach and his palms itched to skim alone her dark mocha skin. Christ, he’d never thought of skin as edible before but she, changed that. He wanted to lick, taste, indulge in exploring it.
“I’m Jack.” Scary how easy his name that only a few got to call him slipped from his mouth.
“Neela.”
“Beautiful name for a stunning woman.” He reached out, drawing her to him. “Indulge me, one question.”
“Sure.”
She smelled of tantalizing wild orchids and midnight jasmine. Exotic. Alluring. Enticing.
“Your tattoo, on your left leg.”
She spread her fingers along his very plain cotton tee shirt. Her nails scored along his skin ever so lightly. He wanted that, on his bare skin.
Seduction in a Suit: An Office Romance Collection Page 121
