Her head barely moved, but it was still a no.
“Did you like it?” My voice deepened as my body reacted to the look on her face. To having her so close. To smelling her perfume, as the heat of her body reached out toward mine.
Victoria began to nod, but she didn’t get a chance to finish the movement before my lips caught hers. She softened beneath me, her body leaning into me, pliant, as my arms came around her and I deepened the kiss. She whimpered when I nibbled softly on her full bottom lip, and it took ever ounce of willpower I had to tear my mouth away. Her eyes were closed, her lips pink and glistening, and she looked more beautiful than anything I’d ever seen. My body screamed at me to take her, and I knew I wanted more than a quick fuck with this woman. I wanted to be the man to put that look on her face, over and over again.
Shit. It looked like things just got complicated.
I gently pulled away, then put some distance between us, and watched as Victoria went from soft and pliant to the composed and distant woman I had met so many months ago. If I hadn’t been warring with my own emotions, I would have been fascinated to watch the change happen.
“Sorry,” I said gruffly, running my hands down my face and over my beard, smoothing it as I tried to gain my composure. I wasn’t quite as efficient at it as Victoria obviously was. “I didn’t mean to maul you. I don’t want you to think that taking a job here is a ploy. I’m serious about the decorating, and I don’t want you to worry about me coming on to you at work. I’ll remain professional.”
I watched what looked like disappointment flit across her face before she shut it down. So I amended my statement, “I mean to say I’ll remain professional at work … But I still want
to see you, Victoria. I haven’t changed my mind about that.”
She smiled slightly and nodded, but I could see her shoulders relax a little, so I pushed forward.
“You saw the front, and this is my office. It’s not a huge space, but I’d like it to look professional. The front is the reception area, with a desk for Brady, and I’d like to put in another desk, and maybe a counter, for a receptionist. Brady’s workload is getting heavier, now that he’s heading up more projects, so I’ll need to hire someone to handle the paperwork. That’s the first place customers see, so I want it to look inviting, not cold. This is a family business, and I think the décor should reflect that. The same goes for my office. I don’t want it to look fussy and girly, but I don’t want it to look like some industrial workspace either. Comfortable, yet professional.” Victoria was quiet while I spoke, eyes never leaving me, so I asked, “Am I making sense? I don’t know how to talk about this stuff, but hopefully you get what I’m saying.”
“Perfectly,” Victoria said, a small smile playing on her lips. “I think I know what you’d like. If you don’t mind, I’ll look around at the space, then go home and work some stuff up. I’ll have some ideas for you by the end of the week, and you can tell me what you think. We’ll go from there.”
“So, you’ll do it?” I asked, pleased and excited at the prospect of having Victoria work in my space.
“I’ll come up with some ideas and we’ll see if it works,” she replied. Not committing to anything, but at least seeming to be excited about the idea.
“Great!” I said, meaning it. When she turned to open the door, I stopped her. “Victoria.” She turned and I continued, “Since you aren’t working for me yet, can I get one more kiss before you go? I promise to keep it strictly professional in the office from here on out.” I made a show of crossing my heart, causing her to grin. Each grin from her was so unexpected that I wanted to make it my life’s mission to make it happen as often as possible.
“Yes,” she replied, dropping her hands to her side as if waiting for me to swoop down on her again.
I decided to change it up once more, to gauge her reaction. So I sat on the edge of my desk and gripped it with my hands as I let my gaze sweep over her, head to toe. “Come here and kiss me, Victoria.”
She blinked, unmoving for a few moments, before she finally put one heeled foot in front of the other and moved slowly toward me. She stopped in front of me, tilted her head up, and stood up on her tiptoes. The anticipation licked deliciously through me. I watched her cheeks flush, and her rosy lips get closer to mine. I stayed completely still, squashing my need to take over, and waited for her touch. Moments felt like hours, and when her tongue darted out and licked the seam of my lips seductively, I opened my mouth and willed her to end my suffering. Finally her mouth was on mine, teasing, testing, tasting, and I groaned my approval. Keeping my hands firmly on the desk, I let her control the kiss, and when she pulled away, I tapped down my frustration.
Victoria backed up, turned, and said, “Bye,” before walking back toward the door.
“Victoria,” I said softly, stopping her once more. “Tonight I’m with the guys, but tomorrow … I’m with you.” I wasn’t sure if it was a question or an order, but when she nodded simply in response, no protest, no argument, I knew that she wanted to be with me as much as I wanted to be with her.
Chapter 8 – Victoria
I pulled up to my parents’ house, still riding high on the emotions brought forth by Brock. First, he’d kissed me senseless, then he’d activated my shopping gene by showing me around his office and telling me his vision, and finally, the real kicker, had been when he’d challenged me to kiss him. I’d been nervous at first, but once I was standing before him, and I saw the way he was barely hanging on to his control as he gripped the desk, I’d felt something entirely different … Power. And when that big, sexy, confident man, had groaned against my lips, I’d nearly come undone.
So, as I entered my parent’s home feeling sexy, confident, and powerful, I realized that I’d been in a funk for far too long. It was time for me to come out of hiding, and start taking control of my life.
When I saw Brock the next night, I really needed to thank him for helping wake me up, by shaking up my life a bit.
“Victoria, darling,” Felicia, my step-mother, said as I entered her private rooms. My step-mother was the epitome of elegance and grace. As a child, I’d thought her a princess, but now, I just saw her as the woman I strived to become.
I air-kissed her cheeks in greeting and responded, “Felicia.”
When she pulled back she kept her hands on my shoulders, pausing to look in my eyes. Really look. Felicia had a way of reading people that was inherent; it made her a terrific saleswoman. In addition to being on boards, running charities, and being the yin to my father’s yang, Felicia ran a small art gallery in town. It was perfect for her.
“You look wonderful,” Felicia murmured as she kept her eyes on me. “Confident … I’m glad to see you’re back.”
Leave it to Felicia to realize my epiphany seconds after I had.
I just nodded and gave her a smile.
“Good,” she replied with a smile of her own. “What’s brought on this change, if I may ask?”