Wicked Bedmate: A Cocky Hero Club Production

by Snow, Jenika

“You would? You did?”

  He nodded, and that sexy smirk came back.

  I didn’t know what to say. I was shocked, yeah, but I think I was more aroused in this very moment. I looked down at my hands, which were clasped tightly together on my lap. I wanted this job. I needed it. But I also needed to make sure he knew there couldn’t be anything between us. Then again, I sure as hell didn’t want to exactly come out and say that if he already put that wall between us romantically.

  I glanced up, and a little gasp of surprise left me, as Jason was standing and had walked around his desk without me even realizing it. Here I was sitting, my head tipped back as I stared at him. He was still a few feet away from me, but I didn’t know if I liked that. I felt at a disadvantage, and right now, I needed to keep myself in control.

  “What are you doing?” I don’t know why I said those words. He could do whatever he wanted. I was in his office, after all. But this seemed… personal.

  “I’m offering you the position, Linda.”

  I forced myself to stand, smoothed my hands down my skirt, and took a deep, steadying breath.

  “It’s yours if you want it,” he said in that masculine, deep, oh so sexy voice of his.

  I felt this little tingle race up my spine. “And you’re okay with the fact that we went on a date and I was… in your bed this morning? Like, that’s not going to cause problems, make things weird?”

  “You mean, is it a conflict of interest?” The corner of his mouth kicked up momentarily.

  I didn’t know if I thought he’d laugh, shrug it off, or act like I was being ridiculous. Because he didn’t do any of those things. In fact, he took a step forward and looked even more serious than before.

  “Jason.” I whispered his name.

  “The truth?”

  Those two words that came from him made it feel like cement filled my body. I couldn’t move, couldn’t even speak. I did nod, however.

  He lowered his gaze to my lips, and I forced myself not to lick them in response.

  “I want more, Linda. And I know you do too.” His voice was low, heated, and moved through every single part of my body.

  Oh my God. He’d actually said them. I did lick my lips then and tried to act like I had my shit together. “You don’t know what I want,” I whispered, but it was a lie.

  He didn’t speak, didn’t even touch me. He stood just a foot from where I was now, his body heat slamming into me, the sexual chemistry I felt moving between us like a third person in the room.

  “You and I both know that’s a fucking lie.” His face was stoic as he said those words.

  He took a small step toward me and I held my ground, refused to back down, to look like all I wanted to do was submit to him and give myself over.

  Because I did. God, I really did.

  “You can say whatever you want, but the way you look at me, your body’s reaction when I’m near, tells me another story about how you feel about me… about what you want between us.” He was calm, collected. And here I was, feeling like I’d just run a marathon.

  “It was one blind date,” I said softly.

  He looked at me right in the eyes. “Was it?” He lifted an eyebrow, as if daring me to say it had been. “You didn’t feel something? You didn’t sense that connection? You didn’t think it was more than just one blind date?”

  I had to act like none of that mattered. I had to act like he didn’t matter, right? I needed this job, probably wouldn’t get offered another one any time soon. Getting involved with Jason would be bad business. I didn’t want to fuck this up.

  “I need this job, and… being with you won’t work if I’m your employee, Jason.”

  He didn’t say anything in response for long moments, just continued to look at me, continued to invade my personal space. Not that I was complaining. I liked him close, liked that he wanted me this much.

  I felt this incredible energy move between us, but I couldn’t submit to it. I couldn’t let myself give in. I’d never had a man desire me so much that he blatantly told me what he wanted. And then he took a step back, and I exhaled, feeling a rush of coldness fill me. It wasn’t the bad kind of frigidness—more like drinking a glass of ice water on a hot day when you were dying of thirst.

  “What you probably don’t know about me, Miss Morris, is that I’m extremely ambitious in going after the things I want.” The way he said my name, all formal-like, had those tendrils of desire moving back through me.

  “What does that mean?” I asked softly. I had an idea of what he was getting at, and a part of me wanted him to say it. I wanted to see if I could push him, to see how far he’d actually go for me.

  I wanted to see if he desired me as much as he said he did.

  And then he took a step toward me, and another one, until I swore if I exhaled deeply my chest would brush against his.

  I had my head tipped back slightly so I could look into his face, the height and the width of his shoulders blocking everything else out behind him.

  “You know what it means.”

  I did. But I still wanted him to say it.

  “It means that I won’t stop until I get what I want.” He lowered his gaze to my mouth. “And what I want is you.”

  Chapter Ten

  Linda

  I was pouring my second glass of wine when I heard Michael tap on my front door a second before he pushed it open and entered.

  “I come bearing gifts!” he shouted.

  “I like gifts.” I leaned against the counter and brought the glass to my mouth, taking a long drink from it. The memories of today moved through my head like a movie reel, settling deep in my chest. I felt giddy and ecstatic, relieved, but most of all aroused.

  After I’d left Jason’s office, I headed straight to the human resource department, per his instructions, to get everything started for my employment with the company. Everything started moving quickly then, with my first day being the following week, and the very idea that I would be working for Jason as his personal assistant, secretary, whatever the hell he needed me to do, had this rush of desire and excitement filling me.

  Michael walked in with a bag of Chinese takeout in one hand and a brand-new bottle of wine in the other. He held both of them up, and I gave him a grateful smile. “I’m starved, thirsty, and you know I want to hear all about what happened last night and with the interview.”

  “Then lead the way,” I said, and gestured to the living area. I grabbed the half-full bottle of wine and my glass, and together we sat down.

  I was on one side of the coffee table, and Michael was on the other. As he handed out the cartons of food, the chopsticks, and popped open the other bottle of wine, everything that had happened today continued to play through my mind over and over again like a broken record.

  A very good broken record.

  “So spill it.” He scooped out some lo mein, wrapping the noodles around his chopsticks before bringing them to his mouth, his eyes trained on me as he expectantly waited for me to answer.

  “Okay, well, do you want to hear about the interview or the blind date first?”

  Michael leaned back so he was resting against the couch, his expression showing me he was actually thinking about it. “Surprise me with the best one.”

  I thought about that and honestly didn’t know which one was better. But I decided to tell him about the interview first, because the whole Jason situation was going to be long and detailed, and no doubt Michael would ask question after question.

  “I got the job at Baxter and Calvin.”

  Michael’s eyes widened and he raised his arms in the air as if he just scored a goal. “That’s my girl. Fuck yeah.”

  I started laughing at how extra he was being with the whole thing, but then thought to myself, yeah. Fuck yeah, in fact. I’d made this day my bitch and came out with my goal in hand.

  “So, what about the blind date? Was Jason a winner or should we chuck him in the hell no pile?”

  I instantly felt my
cheeks heat as I thought about Jason.

  “Linda, girl, you better tell me what’s going on, because right now your face is as red as a stop sign and you’ve got this goofy little smile on your face.”

  I looked down, embarrassed, but the more I thought about it, the more that smile faded. How could this really ever work? I really liked Jason, liked the way he looked at me. I genuinely felt like he respected me and my thoughts and ideas.

  If he didn’t like me, he wouldn’t have hired me after finding out I was fired, right? But on the heels of that, I felt everything else fade. My emotions, the reality of the situation... everything.

  I was his employee now. Like, his employee. I would be working directly with him. There’s no way a relationship could stem from anything. Not only would it be inappropriate, but the complications that could come from it terrified me.

  What if he broke it off? Would I still have a job afterward? And if I did, how fucking awkward would it all be?

  No, I couldn’t give in to my feelings, no matter how strong they were. Because having a job so I could eat and have a roof over my head trumped my personal happiness. No matter how much I desired him, how comfortable I felt with Jason, and I’d never felt this way about anybody else, I knew I had to put my feelings for Jason Shelby behind me.

  Because anything else might just be a disaster waiting to happen.

  I spent the next ten minutes talking to Michael about everything. I didn’t sugarcoat anything, didn’t lie about having gotten drunk. I told him the truth about waking up in Jason’s bed, and I did the grand finale of how Jason was the one who’d interviewed me, and how he was now my boss.

  After I was done saying all of that, Michael just stared at me, the expression on his face telling me he was shocked, intrigued, and curious.

  “So… what does that mean?”

  I shrugged. I really didn’t know what it meant.

  “Are you going to pursue things with him? It’s clear he wants to, and the way your voice hitches when you say his name, I know you well enough that you clearly want him too.”

  I slowly shook my head and reached out to grab my wine glass, bringing it to my mouth and taking a long drink. “I can’t explore those feelings. I won’t.”

  “What? Why?” Michael sounded aghast.

  I set my wine glass back down but kept my fingers wrapped around the stem, looking at the red liquid inside. “It’s a disaster waiting to happen, Michael.” When he didn’t say anything in return, I looked up at him. “Because no matter what my heart wants, it’s my head that’s winning this fight.”

  This was the right call, but God... it fucking sucked.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jason

  “Can you believe they actually came to the boardroom with that portfolio?” Brayden scoffed. “Pieces of work, those Harrison brothers are.”

  “Completely unprofessional,” Mitchell responded.

  “They’re a bunch of pricks is what they are,” Brayden said.

  I kept my mouth shut, because I didn’t give a shit about any of this.

  “What do you think about it all, Jason?” Brayden asked, and I turned my attention to him.

  “Honestly? I don’t give a shit. I thought we were leaving the work bullshit at work.”

  Brayden and Mitchell looked at each other then both started laughing.

  “Fair enough.” Brayden tipped his beer in my direction, and I picked up my own, finishing it off and signaling the waiter for another.

  The truth was, my mind was consumed with thoughts of Linda, how she’d acted in my office just a few days ago... how she’d look so damn good. Hell, I’d wanted to clear off my table, push up that little pencil skirt of hers, and see how tight she really was.

  But it wasn’t just about sex. She was beautiful, yeah, but she was smart and witty, and her personality was far more attractive to me than anything else.

  But it was clear she was going to put this wall up between us. Even if she hadn’t said the words, I’d seen that decision in her eyes. Although I felt that was a fucking mistake, I knew where she was coming from. I knew she didn’t want anything to get in the way of her job—one she desperately needed.

  I got that. I understood that.

  I didn’t fucking like it or accept it.

  Why? Because I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anyone in my life. I was willing to risk a lot of shit just to have her as mine. Work politics, breaking the rules... pissing her off, because I wouldn’t stand down. I wouldn’t stop persuading her.

  I couldn’t, not when I’d never felt this consumed in my life.

  “Jason, you hear me?” Brayden asked and knocked his knuckles on the table to get my attention.

  “Yeah,” I lied then shook my head. “No. I didn’t hear you.” I grabbed the new beer off the table and tipped it back, looking at Brayden and Mitchell.

  “What’s up with you tonight?” Mitchell lifted a blond eyebrow.

  “Yeah, what’s up with you? It’s like you’re on some other planet.”

  I shrugged. “I’m fine.” Brayden and Mitchell were coworkers, but I did consider them friends. All three of us had been at the bottom of the totem pole when we first came into this industry, and we’d worked our asses off over the years to get where we were now.

  But even if I considered them friends, I wasn’t ready to share information about Linda. I was a selfish bastard when it came to her, when it concerned anyone knowing exactly how much I wanted her.

  And to be honest, her fighting me on this even though it was clear she desired me as well turned me on even more.

  It made me want to chase her even more.

  I wanted her all to myself.

  “This is about some woman, isn’t it?”

  I kept my expression stoic. “Why do you think it’s about a female?” I leaned back in my chair and took another long pull from my beer. Brayden grinned, and Mitchell shook his head.

  “Man, we’ve known you for a long time. The only thing that ever consumed and distracted you was work. But now, now we can’t even hold your attention at dinner,” Brayden said and looked at Mitchell again.

  “Yeah, it’s definitely about a woman.” Mitchell smacked his hand on the table as if he’d just answered the world’s greatest mystery.

  “And so what if it is a woman?”

  Brayden shrugged. “Hey, I think it’s great if you found yourself someone. I was actually starting to wonder if you secretly became a monk or some shit, because you don’t ever date, or haven’t in a long fucking time.”

  “Maybe I’m just dedicated to working, to building up my career.”

  Brayden rolled his eyes, and Mitchell snorted. “Jason, you can be devoted to work and still want a piece of ass,” Brayden said matter-of-factly.

  “Why is it always about sex with you two?” I lifted a brow.

  “Please.” Mitchell scoffed. “Don’t even try lying.”

  “So yeah, who is she? Where’d you meet her?” Brayden gestured to the waiter for another gin and tonic.

  “Please tell us she isn’t one of those stuck-up socialites who are in the unfortunate circles we run in,” Mitchell said and curled his lip.

  “Man, please tell us she isn’t one of those women who come from old money but still want more.”

  I shook my head. “She’s not, and that’s all I’m saying about it.” I was serious about not talking about Linda.

  I knew the look I gave them spoke volumes, because they both shifted on their chairs and shut up about it.

  I had to figure out how to make Linda see we belonged together, that I wanted her as mine. And until then, I was keeping everything about her close to my heart.

  Hell, she was already in my heart.

  Chapter Twelve

  Linda

  I was terrified, not just scared I’d screw up my first day, but afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep my emotions in check where Jason was concerned.

  I got off the elevator and smiled at Grace, who
sat behind the desk in the front lobby. I’d picked up two cups of coffee, one for me and the other for Jason.

  Maybe it was overkill. I was sure he had coffee at the office, but I figured it was a nice gesture, would maybe even help in breaking the ice this first day on the job.

  I kept my focus down as I headed toward my desk, which was located across from Jason’s office. It was early, and I knew he probably wasn’t in yet, but I wanted to be prepared and give myself time to get composed.

  I looked up and spotted my desk, an older woman already sitting behind it. I slowed, confused at first. Was I in the wrong area? I looked at the double doors across from my desk and saw Jason’s name sprawled across it. My brows were knitted when I faced the older woman once more.

  She was focused on the newspaper spread out on the desk, her salt-and-pepper hair tied up in a severe bun, and the wire-rimmed glasses perched dangerously close to the end of her nose. She slowly glanced up at me and gave me this pinched-lip expression, as if I were late even though I was here half an hour before Jason.

  “Hi,” I finally said, because this staring match between us was getting weird.

  “Miss Morris, I presume?” Her voice was as stiff as her bun.

  I nodded. “You presume correctly.” I held up the two cups of coffee. “If I’d known I was working with someone else, I would have brought a third cup.”

  She didn’t respond to that. “I’m Mrs. Hartley, and I’ll be training you for the next week to make sure you’re fully versed in how this office runs and how Shelby likes his daily schedule to be prepared.” She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, her expression tight despite the wrinkles around her mouth and eyes.

  “Of course,” I responded.

  “Mr. Shelby likes his day to run smoothly.”

  “I understand.” I cleared my throat. “I assume you were—are—his former secretary?”

  She nodded tersely. “You assume correctly.”

  This woman was stressing me out more than Graham Morgan did, and that was saying a hell of a lot.