by Sabrina York
She put her laptop on the bed and switched it on. As it booted up, she riffled through her suitcase to see what she’d brought that would be appropriate for a business reception. She pulled out her classic black dress and shook out the wrinkles, wondering if she needed to find an iron. She decided the dress would do and slipped it on a hanger, just as the computer behind her chimed.
A smile flooded her face. She knew that chime.
Savage was online.
The thrill that ravaged her was savage in itself. She’d been far too busy packing to even think about logging on last night. She sat on the bed and clicked the IM box, at the same time initiating the VoIP software so they could talk while she got ready. She turned down the sound so Adam wouldn’t overhear.
“Hey, Wildkat. How was your day?” His voice was slow and lazy, like sweet honey drizzled all over a warm summer morning.
She blew out a breath. “Crazy. At the last minute they sent me on a business trip.”
“Really? Where’re you at?”
She laughed. “Vegas.”
“Great place for a business trip.” His answering laugh was smooth and sexy. It sent shivers up her spine. “Are you there all alone?”
“No.”
He paused in a meaningful fashion and then asked, “Is he there with you?”
Katherine drew in a deep breath. She knew who he meant. “Yes. He’s here.”
“Really. That must be interesting.”
She frowned. “Not really. He’s not into me. I told you that.”
“What’s he into?”
“Work.”
His laugh rumbled through the speakers. “Typical man. But now that work time is over, maybe he’ll notice you. Do the two of you have plans for dinner?”
“We’re going to a reception. Some business thing.”
“Boring.”
“No kidding.”
“Wear something sexy. Maybe you can get him to skip the reception and take you somewhere intimate. Somewhere romantic.”
“Hah!” Her sardonic snort was a little louder than she intended and she reflexively clapped a hand over her mouth. “No way,” she hissed. “This guy is all about business. He would never skip the reception.”
“Try it. Wear something sexy. See what happens.”
“I don’t have anything sexy. I mean, I have a cocktail dress. It’s not terribly sexy.”
“You can make it sexy. A woman’s manner is what makes her sexy, not simply her appearance. Just believe you’re hot and he’ll notice. Trust me.”
Katherine shook her head, knowing he couldn’t see. Savage just didn’t understand. Adam was Adam and Katherine was…boring. “I’ll try. But I can’t imagine he’ll notice.”
“He will.” Savage seemed so sure. “And Wildkat?”
“Yes?”
“If he asks you to dance, that means he wants to fuck you.”
The laugh was out of her mouth before she could restrain it. “That’s crazy, Savage. If he asks me to dance, that means he wants to dance.”
“Are you so sure?”
“I’m not his type.”
Silence crackled between them. “What do you mean?”
“He’s way out of my league. Trust me. This guy is phenomenal.”
“Maybe you’re phenomenal too.”
Though he couldn’t see it, she made a point of rolling her eyes. “Maybe not.”
“Wear something sexy. And if he asks you to dance, it means he wants to fuck you. It always does. And if he asks you to dance, accidentally stumble and fall against him. See if he has a hard-on.”
“He’s my boss!”
“Still. Rub up against him and see if he has a hard-on. After you get back, if you two aren’t fucking like bunnies, come back online and tell me what happened. I’ll be waiting.”
She dressed carefully, taking Savage’s advice to heart, spicing up her black dress with Sara’s red vest and patent leather high heels. The heels were uncomfortable and she was as clumsy as an ox in them but they looked fantastic. Katherine hoped they would draw Adam’s eyes to her long, slender legs and—finally—make him notice her as a woman.
And, heaven help her, he did. When she stepped out of her room, wearing the black dress and high heels and tight, cinching vest, his eyes roved over her as though she were the last woman on earth.
“Katherine.” His attention was riveted. On her. She shivered at the heat in his eyes. “You look wonderful.”
He was pretty damn handsome as well. He wore a suit jacket with a dress shirt unbuttoned to the second button. The scent of his aftershave clouded her vision. It was all she could do not to stumble and fall against him right there in the hallway.
“I was thinking…” His gaze drifted over her once more. “What do you say we skip the reception?” Her heart leapt. “And just grab some dinner?”
She shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “T-that sounds nice. Do you have a place in mind?”
He nodded, his eyes flaring. “I know a club that serves an excellent lobster bisque.”
“Lobster bisque?” She didn’t give a damn about lobster or bisque. That he was willing to skip the reception to have dinner with her made her pulse race. “Lovely.”
“Great. Let’s go.”
They caught a cab in the velvet, sultry Vegas night and drove to the club Adam had mentioned. It wasn’t a place she’d ever heard of. It wasn’t a place that seemed as if it got much tourist traffic at all but the service and the food were exceptional.
They ate dinner in a secluded alcove. Adam ordered a delicious wine and Katherine allowed herself to be convinced to have several glasses. As they ate, they talked about the conference, their success for the day and plans for the company’s future. A very prim-and-proper conversation to be sure, but all along soft music played in the background, a romantic counterpoint to their business discussion.
Once the dinner plates had been cleared and the dessert wine and cheese had been served, Adam sat back and smiled at her. Katherine smiled back, relaxed, replete and reveling in the moment. Reveling in him.
“I’ve really enjoyed today.” To her surprise, he covered her hand with his. It was warm. And large. She fixated on the sight of his flesh on hers.
She dipped her head. “Me too.” She melted a little as his thumb skimmed across her wrist in what could almost be mistaken as a caress.
“You were great at the conference. A lot of the reps were wavering but once you got a hold of them, they just tumbled. You’re amazing.”
“Thanks. But it was your presentation that tipped the scales.”
He shrugged. “Who put the presentation together? It was you and Sara.”
She glanced at his hand, still holding hers. What he said was true but it was hard to take the credit for a team effort. “We were both happy to help.”
How surreal, to be sitting at this romantic table with Adam, in an alcove with dimmed lighting and soft music wafting around them.
And then he said something that made her heart lurch.
“Would you like to dance?” The words sent a shaft of sizzling sensation racing to her pussy. As his eyes made contact with hers, warmth swelled. A trickle oozed between her thighs.
One thought radiated through her head in Savage’s dark, seductive tones. He wants to fuck you.
She wasn’t one to take things said on the internet for granted. She wasn’t about to assume Adam Trillo wanted her just because he asked her to dance. She certainly wasn’t going to throw herself at him all willy-nilly just because he said those five words to her. But she couldn’t stifle her hope.
“Yes.” She dropped her linen napkin onto the table beside her plate. “I would.”
Adam led her into the knot of couples dancing on the floor. With a start, she realized they were playing a slow, dreamy love song, one of her favorites. Unchained Melody.
She didn’t meet his eyes as he pulled her into his arms. He took her hand in his and she placed the other awkwardly against his chest. He
pulled her closer. Her nose nestled in his neck. With every breath, she drew in his spicy sent. His heat radiated through her dress. She could feel the dull thud of his heart against her palm. And inside her head, a voice murmured, Accidentally stumble. Fall against him. See if he has a hard-on.
She trembled.
The music played on, dragging her deeper into a seductive trance. He felt so good against her and smelled divine. She was caught in a fragile net of arousal and she didn’t ever want to escape. It was magical.
As they danced, his warm palm slid along the length of her dress from her shoulders down her back, to settle on her hips. Leisurely, his fingers splayed, tested. His breathing became heavy, hot and damp against her cheek. His hand slipped lower and gently, tentatively, flexed.
Wait. Was he cupping her ass?
The sensation was there for a heartbeat, a breath, and then it was gone. Katherine pulled back and peeped up at his face. His expression stunned her. Pure, ravenous hunger.
Her heart lurched and she stumbled. She tripped on her own two feet in those ridiculous heels and fell against him. She hadn’t planned it. At least, she didn’t think she had. But she stumbled and fell forward. Her pelvis pressed against his. And… Oh dear God.
He was hard.
And large.
He throbbed against her.
Their eyes met and his nostrils flared. He flicked a glance at her lips and licked his own. His arms tightened, pulling her closer, rubbing her against him. And she was a willing participant. It felt so good.
Her knees failed her and to catch her balance, she levered herself away. As their bodies separated, the sudden lack of warmth was a shock to her system. She yearned to step in, step closer once more, but lacked the courage.
Their gazes continued to tangle though. It seemed to her that a message passed between them. She thought he was going to kiss her, that his head was going to drop down and he would place his mouth upon hers and…
But he didn’t kiss her. He merely blinked several times and stepped away.
It took her a moment to realize the music had ended and they stood alone on the dance floor.
He led her back to the table, wrapped in an awkward silence. She took her seat with a dull thump. Humiliation burned her cheeks. She’d thrown herself at him. Literally. She’d plastered her body against his. Practically mooned over him with a passion that was obvious. He’d had the chance to kiss her. He’d had the chance to take her. And he’d backed away.
Savage had been wrong. Completely and utterly wrong.
Adam did not want her. He didn’t want her at all.
The thought was crushing.
They left the club shortly after their dance, Adam quickly settling the bill and hailing a cab. He was silent, brooding all the way back to the hotel. And Katherine hadn’t a clue what to say or do to break his mood. Despite their interchange on the dance floor, despite Savage’s insistence that the dance actually meant something, Katherine really had no idea if Adam would be receptive to an approach from her.
Even if all the stars were aligned in her favor and he did find her attractive—even if that suspicious bulge had, in fact, been a hard-on for her, which by now she was beginning to doubt—it was well-known around the office that the Trillo brothers never went fishing in the company pond. If Adam had felt a fleeting arousal for a woman who fell into his arms, he would never pursue such an attraction if it might interfere with work.
That was Adam’s rule of thumb, after all. Nothing interfered with work.
Yet he had taken her to a club rather than to the reception…
Katherine sighed and leaned her head against the window, confused and, quite frankly, sexually frustrated. She flicked a glance at Adam’s austere profile. The muscles were bunched in his cheek as they always bunched when he was working through a thorny problem. He was probably thinking about work. He certainly wasn’t thinking about her.
She determinedly ignored the tears prickling at her lids.
Oh well. Adam had his chance. As their eyes had met, as their bodies touched, he’d had his chance to make a move but he hadn’t. Katherine just had to accept that all her fantasies about him were simply that. Fantasies. And all of Savage’s babbling was nonsense.
Adam Trillo didn’t want her. That hard-on had probably been her imagination. His cell phone. A banana.
She swallowed a hysterical little laugh. Damn. It was a bitter pill.
How she wished she was the kind of woman who could seduce a man like him—confidently, fearlessly. Just walk right up to him, rip open her blouse and reveal her hunger.
She wanted him so much. She had for so long, sometimes the ache felt like a familiar friend. What she wouldn’t give to have a chance with him. A night with him. Just one amazing tryst.
Something.
Anything.
By the time they arrived at the hotel, she was in a pissy mood, feeling slighted and resentful. Cheated by life. Why was it the men she found attractive, the men she actually wanted to fuck, looked right through her? She was damn tired of it. She had something to offer. Hell, she had a lot to offer. And she deserved this.
She had every intention of going online and giving Savage a piece of her mind. So when they arrived at their suite, she flung a crisp “good night” over her shoulder at Adam and stormed into her room, closing the door with a controlled snick. She logged on in a rare fury. She had to wait a few minutes for him to respond to her insistent call but finally he appeared.
“Hey, Wildkat.” God. Did he have to sound so chipper?
“Savage.” Her greeting was short, clipped, annoyed.
“So,” he asked. “How’d it go?”
“It was dismal.” She glared at the screen. “You were sooo wrong.”
“What?” He sounded shocked. Katherine snorted in derision.
Savage probably had a vision of her in his head as this Amazon beauty, some sultry siren, some woman he wanted to fuck. He had no concept of the reality of the situation. No idea of who she was, how intimidated she was by a man like Adam Trillo. Adam could have any woman he wanted. He was that perfect. While she…
“Didn’t he ask you to dance?” He said this as if dancing with a man was the be-all and end-all in a relationship—like a marriage proposal or something.
“He did ask me to dance. But—”
“If he asked you to dance, he wants to fuck you. Why don’t you believe me?”
Katherine shook her head. “It was just a dance.”
“Was it a romantic song?”
She thought back. “Yes.”
“Did you accidentally stumble and rub up against him?”
“It wasn’t much of an accident. These heels are hell on wheels.”
“But you did feel him up?”
“Yes.”
“Was he hard?”
“I think so.”
“You think so?” His bellow resonated through the room. “How could you not notice if he was hard?”
“I thought he was hard but it was a very brief contact.”
“Because you pulled back.” It wasn’t a question. It was as though Savage knew of her cowardice. “You should have leaned in. Rubbed harder.”
“I couldn’t do that!”
“Why not?”
“He’s my boss.”
“Bullshit. That wouldn’t stop you. Why don’t you just admit it? He scares you.”
“Of course he scares me. He scares the life out of me.”
“Why?”
She didn’t answer for a long moment. She could hear him breathing over the speakers, waiting patiently for her response. Finally, she said it. She admitted the truth to Savage and to herself.
“Because I want him more than any man I’ve ever known. And I really, seriously doubt he wants me the same way.”
“He wants you.” He sounded so sure, like he knew, which was ridiculous.
Katherine swallowed her tears with a laugh. “You don’t understand, Savage. He had the chance to kiss m
e and he didn’t do it.”
“Has it ever occurred to you that he might be as nervous as you are?”
“Hah!”
“Maybe he was waiting for some sign from you?”
“No. That’s crazy.”
“Is it? You’ve already told me you’re reserved. Don’t they call you the ice queen in the office?”
“Yes.”
“So maybe you intimidate him.”
Katherine blew out a breath. No one intimidated Adam Trillo. No one. “You need to accept the truth. If he wanted me, he would have made a move tonight. The scene was set. Perfect. Yet he did nothing.”
“I think you’re jumping to conclusions.”
“Am I?”
“You are assuming he’s this totally self-confident guy.”
“He is.”
“No man is totally self-confident. Guys always wonder. Guys always worry. Especially if it’s a woman we desperately want.”
“He doesn’t desperately want me.”
“Because he didn’t throw himself at you on the dance floor? Did he at least cop a feel?”
She blushed from the bottom up. “Yes.” He had. The feel of him gently squeezing her ass had been delightful. She’d wanted it to go on forever.
“Why would a man who had no interest in you cop a feel?”
“Curiosity?”
He laughed. “Yeah. Right. Let’s face it, Kat, you’re terminally insecure. You need a man who can make you feel like a woman.”
She caught her breath at the shift in his tone. He’d gone from petulant and preachy to sexy and seductive. As disappointed as she was at the way the evening had turned out, she was horny. And if there was one thing Savage could do for her, it was scratch that particular itch.
“Are you that man?”
His chuckle had a dark thread. “Damn straight, I’m that man.”
Katherine shuddered. Those words in that tone…Savage had sounded just like Adam.
“Let me ask you this, Kat. What would you do if he stared you in the eye and said he wanted you?”
“He wouldn’t say that.”
“Play along, sweetheart. Imagine you’re standing there, face-to-face with this guy and he says, ‘Kat, I want to fuck you.’ What do you do?”
