Tague bent down and snatched her thong from where it’d been discarded. Raised the scant triangle of lace to his nose and inhaled.
“Think I’ll keep these.” He gave her a devilish grin as he stuffed the panties into his front pocket.
Red-hot exhilaration consumed Loralai.
“Thanks for blowing my mind this evening.” He grinned again. Then he turned and sauntered off.
Loralai stared after him.
Who’d blown whose mind?
13
Still vibrating from the encounter and the amazing orgasm he’d given her, she crossed the hallway and swiped her finger, then pushed through the door. She closed it behind her and sank into the exact spot Tague had recently vacated.
“That was sensational,” Meg commented from her position behind her desk.
Loralai’s gaze slid briefly to the monitors. The inky corner with slivers of light where Tague had just gotten her off was pulled up on one screen. “Meg.”
“I couldn’t help it,” she contended, palms in the air in a placating way. “I knew he was going to kiss you. I couldn’t help ‘eavesdropping’ to make sure you didn’t turn away at the last second.”
“Not a chance. He’s completely irresistible.”
“I can see that. And I’m so happy for you.” Meg sighed. “Good Lord. That man is one-hundred percent alpha. Through and through.”
“That’s why I needed him to meet you. I can handle him being territorial of me around other men. Admittedly, I get a thrill out of it. What woman wouldn’t?” She let out a humorless laugh, still reeling. “But not with you. I wanted him to know there’s nothing romantic between us. That you’re not a threat to all that sexy, arrogant, powerful manliness of his.”
Meg fanned her face with a hand. “Definitely makes me consider switching back to the original team.”
“You don’t even have sex, Meg. You’ve become a voyeur. So you technically don’t have a team.”
Now the slender hand waved dismissively. “Maybe someday I’ll get back in the game. Opening this club has consumed every waking minute. But I’m quite pleased that you found a play toy. One that doesn’t require batteries.” Meg wagged her sculpted brows.
“I can’t deny the man sets me on fire. Which isn’t necessarily a good thing.” Loralai’s fingers curled around the edge of the cushion she sat on. Her heart wouldn’t slow, nor would her pulse. “And didn’t I pick the most potent ‘play toy’ imaginable?”
“You’ve always been an overachiever.” Meg pushed back her chair and stood. She poured two glasses of champagne and joined Loralai, handing over one while sipping the other. She perched herself on the ledge of the ottoman.
“That man’s touch is like a branding iron,” Loralai murmured.
“From the looks of things, I’d say everything about him brands you.” Meg took another small drink, then added, “You’re scared, aren’t you?”
“Terrified.” She didn’t hesitate to say it, didn’t sugar-coat the perilous situation she’d found herself in—all because of Chip’s little meet-and-greet yesterday morning.
“Well, I will give Tague Mason due credit. He didn’t step into the bathroom to relieve some of the sexual tension. And Christ,” Meg said with a soft laugh. “He didn’t even think twice about you coming on the pant leg of what I presume to be a three-thousand-dollar suit.”
“Something tells me I really should have read that Wall Street Journal article. If he’s half as aggressive in the courtroom as he is with me, he must be a force to be reckoned with—I’m damn certain it permeates every aspect of his life.”
“And he sure as hell knows how to make you come in record time.”
Loralai gave serious consideration to what had just transpired in the corridor and it sent a shudder of exhilaration, mixed with fear, along her spine. With a slight shake of her head, she told her friend, “That wasn’t an orgasm with Tague. That was possession.”
Meg stared at her over the rim of her glass, held mid-air on the way to her lips. Their gazes held.
Loralai’s breathing remained scarce.
It took a small eternity for Meg to collect herself and ask, “What are you going to do about this?”
Loralai’s stomach knotted. She took a deep sip. Then simply said, “I have no fucking clue.”