Mitch couldn’t believe it. One moment he was breathing fire at her, his eyes barely able to look at anything other than her luscious lips, and the next he was staring at the carpet. Turning his head, he watched in astonishment as she walked away.
He grabbed her arm, spinning her around moments before she opened the door to his office. Trying a different tactic, he put an arm on either side of her head, leaning forward once again, but this time, his voice was softer, more threatening because of the undertones. “What took you so long, Claire?”
Claire could handle Angry-Mitch. She could even handle Icy-Mitch. But this Seductive-Mitch, well, he was a whole different beast.
Pressing her back against the wooden door, she tried to put as much space as possible between her body and his, already feeling the heat as his shoulders came closer, blocking out the sunlight streaming through the magnificent windows. “What are you doing?”
His eyes lost the battle with his brain, dropping to her lips. “I’m asking you a question. Why did it take you so long to travel nine floors?” His hand moved to the delicate shell of her ear, surprising her, causing her to jump as the touch sent electricity sparking down her spine, making her ache for a longer touch, a different touch.
With a breathless voice, she closed her eyes and pulled her head away. “I only stopped at the bathroom,” she said, her hands forming fists by her side so she wouldn’t give in to the temptation to touch him, to feel if his jaw was really as hard as it looked, if his skin was soft, or if the dark shadow of his stubble was rough.
“Come to dinner with me tonight,” he finally said.
Claire gasped and shook her head frantically. “No. I can’t.”
“Why not?” he asked gently, his fingers touching a curl, testing the softness and resiliency of the curl.
“Because it won’t just be dinner.”
He was stunned at first, but he shouldn’t have been. Claire was one of the most direct people he knew. Except when she was hacking into his company files, that is. “What’s the problem?”
“The extra portion of the night would be sex.”
He laughed. “I still don’t see the problem.”
She pushed away from him, slipping by and almost running to the middle of the room. “Because I’m seeing Gary. And sex would be a bad thing.”
Mitch stood up and crossed his arms over his chest, enjoying the view of her long legs in the black tights and short, black and white hounds-tooth skirt. She also crossed her arms, but her forearms pushed her breasts higher, allowing him a better view of their voluptuous nature as they pushed against the top of her white knit shirt. “First of all, sex is never a bad thing.”
“Yes it is,” she interjected quickly.
“No. It’s only bad if you don’t enjoy it. And we would definitely enjoy sex together,” he said and held up a hand to stop her protest. “Don’t even try to deny it, Claire. You’d be lying to me or yourself, or both of us and we’re not going down that path.”
She glared at him. “I wasn’t going to deny it, you arrogant beast!” she said indignantly. “But enjoying sex during the event is one thing. I wouldn’t like myself afterwards. There’s a big difference between liking sex and respecting oneself for doing something wrong.”
He smiled seductively. “Try me,” he encouraged. “I can guarantee you won’t be thinking about Gary before, during or for a long time afterwards.”
She took a step back and shook her head. “Isn’t that the point?”
“Yes.”
Claire rolled her eyes. “Okay, let me come at this another way. How would you feel if I were dating you and I decided to have sex with someone else?”
Mitch just about punched the wall at the idea of her sleeping with another man. He took two steps to eliminate the distance between them, grabbing her arms and lifting her up against his body. “You won’t be seeing anyone else when you’re with me, Claire!”
Claire’s eyes widened in surprise and she put a calming hand on his chest. “It was just an example, Mitch. I was just pointing out…”
He loosened his grip, but pulled her closer. “Say it, Claire.”
She could barely think with him so close. Her hand on his chest moved slightly and his eyes shifted down to look at it, then back up to hers. The heat that flared in his eyes was mesmerizing, as was his head as it slowly descended. Lower and lower, she watched in fascination and anticipation, wishing his head would move more quickly. She wanted so desperately to taste his lips once again, to feel the firm texture and know the explosion that happened whenever he kissed her.
The knock on the door surprised both of them, but Claire was the only one to react, jumping back out of his arms guiltily. She glanced at the door, then back up at him, her hand pushing through her platinum curls as the full impact of what they almost did broke through. “Gary,” she whispered, her hand covering her eyes in shame. “I’m sorry,” she said, not sure if she was saying it to the absent Gary, to Mitch or even to herself. Hurrying out of the room, she rushed to the door and swung it open, pasting a bright smile on her face in the hopes that no one would realize that she and Mitch had been about to kiss only moments before that knock.
Outside, several men were standing with papers and Claire tried to see their faces and smile politely, but she knew it was a wasted effort. She heard Mitch call out to her but she didn’t even turn around to acknowledge him. She simply rushed down the hushed hallway to the elevators and dove into the first one that came up, uncaring where it was going. She frantically pressed the button for the lobby, knowing she couldn’t face the people in her office.
As soon as she reached the lobby, she raced out of the building, finding solace in the courtyard with the trees and flowers, the hostas that carpeted the ground underneath the trees at the edges of the gardens seemed to smile at her with their perfect rows of leaves and purple flowers that were nearing the end of their season. Breathing in the smells of the trees and dirt, she started to feel better, find perspective. She took a seat underneath a dogwood tree that had lost most of its leaves as the autumn progressed and felt sad that she had so little loyalty that the constant tests of faithfulness towards a man she….cared for and respected…and she’d failed him.
Granted, Mitch was an extraordinary specimen of masculinity, but she’d dated handsome men before. Although none as buff, she thought, her palms itching to feel those muscles on his chest once again.