“You think you can handle two of us, sweet Charlotte?”
She forced her eyes open, met his gaze as he stared down at her. There was desire there, need, but there was also something she couldn’t read. Fear? Worry? But that wouldn’t make any sense. “I can handle whatever you think I deserve, sir. I trust you.”
He closed his eyes, his jaw flexing as he inhaled a deep breath. Then his grip gentled and traced a finger along the shell of her ear. His words were soft when he finally spoke, so low she doubted Kade could hear them. “I’m going to make this very good for you, Charli.”
For some reason, his earnest tone and the way he’d said her real name had a knot forming in her throat. He’d slipped out of the role-play, and she could almost see a mental shift in him, some tide turning. He gave her one last, long look that seemed to say so much, though she had no idea what the words would be, then turned away.
“Vandergriff, secure her arms and feel free to make use of that lush mouth of hers. She won’t need to do any more talking for a while.” Grant’s voice was gruff, almost as if the statement had been hard to make.
Charli’s heart began to pound in her ears. She was really going to do this. Part of her was turned on by the idea of having Grant share her like he had the exclusive right to who did and didn’t touch her, but anxiety curled in her stomach, invading the sexual energy humming through her. Something felt…off.
Grant scooted her forward on the desk, her silk blouse sliding along the polished wood, and Kade shoved the rolling desk chair out of the way. She could hear Grant walk to the other side of the room and open a cabinet while Kade filled the space in front of her, the hard ridge of his erection prominent against the front of his slacks. He grabbed Grant’s desk phone and pulled the coiled cord from the base and the receiver.
“Put your hands behind your back, baby.” She followed his instructions, and he leaned over her to bind her hands. His voice was quiet against her ear. “If you wanted to make him jealous, you’ve succeeded.”
Her brow wrinkled, the statement not making sense to her. If Grant was so jealous, why was he sharing her? She peered up at Kade when he finished binding her. Shifting his eyes in Grant’s direction, he touched a finger to her lips, warning her not to voice her thought.
He crouched down in front of her, making a show of pulling the pins from her hair. “Call your safe word, Charlotte.”
“What?” she whispered.
“There’s nothing I’d rather do right now than take advantage of that pretty mouth of yours, but Grant doesn’t want this. I don’t know why he’s doing it—maybe because he thinks you want it—but he flinches every time I touch you.”r: Roni Loren
What the hell had she gotten herself into? She’d tried to reverse the rules on Grant, and it had completely backfired. Instead of stirring up his possessiveness, she’d managed to inspire him to bring in someone else.
Clearly, he didn’t have any feelings for her. This was simply a game. Sex. Power play. An arrangement. Her insides twisted at the realization, but she knew it’d been a long shot anyway. How could she expect him to feel anything for her when they still hardly knew each other? She’d been ridiculous to think she could drag him out of the cave he’d locked himself in when his wife had died.
She needed to accept this fact and enjoy their arrangement for what it was worth—great sex. An adventure with a man who could coax her body to heights she hadn’t known existed. She was going to have to tamp down her own misguided emotions and focus on the physical, on the way her body responded to him. Even with the emotional letdown, knowing what was on the other side of this door had her woefully turned on—albeit slightly terrified. She could do this. Keep it on the surface.
Men did it all the time. And if she knew anything about herself, it was that she could go toe-to-toe with any man on just about anything.
After one deep, cleansing breath, she knocked on the door.
“Come in.” Grant’s baritone cut through the door like the thing was made of rice paper instead of solid oak.
She turned the knob and slowly opened it, the creak of the hinges echoing through the now-empty building. When she stepped inside, she had to catch her breath. Sitting behind a massive wooden desk, Grant looked every bit the angry boss. He’d taken off his suit coat and hat, and his shirtsleeves were rolled to the elbows, a move she was starting to recognize as a harbinger. A hot shiver raced right down to her toes.
Kade sat in a chair on the other side of the desk, relaxed, his ankle resting on the opposite knee. He had his ever-present legal pad on his lap, notes scrawled across it. He gave her a quick glance, the deep blue of his eyes unreadable, then went back to his notes. She cleared her throat, feeling like she’d intruded on their business meeting. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
“I hired you to pour coffee and answer phones. I did not hire you to make a scene, curse in front of my colleagues, or flirt shamelessly with my clients,” Grant said, his voice sterner than she’d ever heard it. “You put Mr. Vandergriff in quite an awkward position.”
She bit the inside of her cheek. Even though she knew this was part of the game, the admonishment had her looking at a spot on the hardwood floor. “I apologize.”
He gave a heavy sigh and leaned forward, forearms on the desk. “Charlotte, I’m starting to doubt your commitment to the position. Maybe this isn’t the right job for you.”
She lifted her face to him. Was he actually doubting her dedication to him and the training, or was this all part of a script she wasn’t privy to? Either way she was ready to prove how wrong he was. “Please, Mr. Waters. I can do better. Give me another chance. I need this…job.”
And as the words slipped past her lips she realized how true they were. This had gone beyond some fun training, some way to get her promotion. A part of her now needed this, craved it. Craved him. The thought of walking out and just…stopping and going back to her regular life gave her a panicky feeling.
Ah, hell, she was so screwed.
Grant gave her an up-and-down perusal, his eyes cool. “Lock that door behind you, Ms. Beaumonde. Perhaps we can work something out.”
She kept her gaze locked with Grant’s and reached behind her to turn the lock on the door. The grind of the metal was deafening in the heavy silence of the room.
Grant rose from behind the desk and stepped toward her, his footfalls echoing off the floor. She remained rooted to her spot as he circled around her like a tiger deciding which part of his prey to tear into first. Kade’s gaze met hers, his interest evident, and Grant clamped a hand around the nape of her neck, startling her.
“Charlotte, verbal reprimands seem to be lost on you,” he said, his grip tightening. “Maybe you need something a little more tangible to remind you to listen.”