“You’ll do it, Grace, or I’ll have someone else do it.” He practically ran out of the office.
Grace stared at the door for a moment. It wasn’t like Matt to offer to do work himself that she could do. He was a lazy man, and he genuinely enjoyed doling out work to other people. His status as the boss was very near and dear to his heart. Grace’s curiosity was getting the better of her. She looked at Matt’s neat desk. It was neat mostly because Grace kept all the paperwork perfectly organized, and Matt asked for what he needed. That was the way they had worked for the last six years. What was different this time? She thought about the contract. It was for janitorial services.
Evan Parnell would be the liaison.
With only a second’s hesitation, Grace opened the top drawer of Matt’s desk. She pulled out the first pencil she could find and gently brushed it across the notepad he had left behind. Luckily, Matt never did anything half way. She could easily read what he had written from the impression on the pad. Grace felt her eyebrows come together.
2201 Mount Dale Ave.
The same address that Evan Parnell had written down earlier today. What the hell was at that address? Maybe it was time she took a little side trip.
“So when the boss is away, will the secretary play?”
Grace gasped and flushed as though she’d been caught doing something bad. She opened the drawer and placed the notepad inside Matt’s desk. Playing it cool, she straightened the rest of the desk as she looked up at the man. “Nope. Doing my regular ritual of making sure my boss can see his desk through the usual mess.”
Sean was standing in the doorframe. He looked deliciously casual in tight jeans, a black T-shirt, and cowboy boots. Even from across the room she could see the sensual look in his eyes. He shut the door. Sean walked straight up to her and towered over her, leaving not an inch of personal space between them.
“Hey, I thought you were cooking.” She knew she sounded breathless, but that was because he wasn’t leaving her room to breathe. He looked slightly predatory as he leaned over. There was no mistaking the sexual tension he was exuding. Sean Johansson was hungry…for her.
“It’s simmering. It’s perfectly fine. It’s a dish that requires all afternoon to prepare. I thought I would come here to see if I could get you to sneak away with me for your afternoon coffee break, but it looks like you already went out.”
The bags. He must have seen her bags. Oh, it was hard to think when his mouth was hovering so close to hers. She could feel the warmth of his body. She wouldn’t need a blanket when Sean was in her bed. His big body was a furnace. He was leaning over her, looking at her with his intensely blue eyes, and everything inside her was heating up to match him. How could he affect her like this? He made her forget everything. “I just went shopping with the boys.”
His eyes narrowed, and his voice became a low growl. “Boys? I was unaware your sons were in town.”
She shook her head. She backed up, seeking the tiniest bit of space. Unfortunately, she backed straight into the desk. Sean’s hands cupped her hips, tightening to let her know he required an answer. “They aren’t. I was with some friends from the office. They helped me pick out some new outfits.”
A little smile curled his lips. “Did you feel a need to look pretty, Grace? If that was the problem, baby, you shouldn’t be putting on clothes, you should be taking them off.” His hands were pulling up the sides of her skirt, caressing the skin he uncovered. They felt so strong on her skin, Grace found herself hopping up onto Matt’s desk, wrapping her legs around his waist. “I think that’s how you look best.”
She gave him a bright smile. “I’m glad, but Adam thinks I look best in greens and blues. He says I should wear jewel tones.”
Sean’s hands dropped from their long, provocative exploration of her thighs to rest on his hips. He looked down at her. “Adam?”
“Yes, Adam, from sales. You met him at O’Hagen’s a couple of days ago. If you don’t like him then you better get used to him, because he’s my friend. He’s my friend, and so is his boyfriend, Jake.” She placed special emphasis on the word boyfriend to let Sean know he had no reason to be jealous. Just the fact that he was a little bit jealous made her heart rate speed up. She let her hands find the sides of his face, stroking him. “So don’t get upset when I shop with them. Besides, if I took you, I bet you wouldn’t help me out in the dressing room the way Adam does. You would probably spend the whole time wondering when we could go home.”
His mouth dropped open. His face became a mask of masculine outrage. “He was with you in the dressing room?”
Grace reached out to pat him soothingly. It was no big deal. It was just Adam. If the room had been big enough, she would have invited Jake in, too. “I needed help with the zippers.”
“That better be all he helped you with.” Sean’s teeth were clenched.
Grace laughed. “Silly, what else would he help me with? I told you he’s gay. He’s much more interested in the way my clothes fit than anything I have underneath them.”
Sean muttered something under his breath that Grace didn’t quite catch, though it sounded a bit violent. He took a deep breath, and his face was gentler when he moved forward into her arms. “Listen, little one, I don’t care if he’s never touched a woman in his life. I don’t want him touching mine. Indulge me. I have a possessive nature. Feel free to shop with Adam all you like, but he’s not allowed in the dressing room with you. Hell, we can go on a double date with the boys if it makes you happy, but this naked body is for me and me alone.”
God, when he talked like that he sounded like he was interested in much more than a week-long fling. She was setting herself up to get hurt, but she couldn’t help it. She would rather know. “Sean, you sound serious.”
“When did I ever say I wasn’t?” He smiled slightly and tipped her head up. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. He let it dangle in his hand. Grace stared for a moment at the small, gold heart falling from a gold chain. “Do you understand what this means?”
She kind of thought she did, but she’d rather hear it from him. “A present?”
“It’s more than that. If I was taking you to a club, I would put a collar around your neck to let the others know that you belong to me. This isn’t a traditional collar, but you can wear it during the day. It’s a symbol that you accept me as your Dom. Grace, will you wear this?”