“That may be, but we can’t ignore it. And then there’s the fact that I’m still your boss.”
My shoulders slumped. “Yeah. There’s that.”
“Which means that if anything were to happen, it can’t happen now. I won’t jeopardize your future for anything. Ever.”
“So what do we do?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know about a lot of this.”
“What do you know?” I asked as I gnawed on my bottom lip.
“That I can’t get you out of my head. And I don’t want to.”
I groaned. “You can’t say things like that. Do you know what compliments do to me? I didn’t know until you started with your bullshit. ‘Oh, Corey, you’re so wonderful. Oh, Corey, I’m so happy you’re here. Oh, Corey, this is John Mayer, and I’m trying to tell you your body is a wonderland.’”
He coughed roughly. “That’s not what that was!”
“That’s the only reason that type of music should ever be played,” I snapped. “It’s an affront to everything I hold dear, and the only way it’s acceptable is if you were trying to get into my pants.”
“What? He’s an amazing vocalist with skills on the guitar that—”
“You shut your fat mouth!” I snarled at him. “You have the worst taste in music, and I am reconsidering everything about this. If I have to hear your shitty music again, I’m going to take your CD case and burn it.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me, Olsen. If you’re even considering starting up with me, there’s going to be some changes.”
“And what if I am?”
It was my turn to choke on my tongue and forget inflection. “What.”
“Corey, you’re so wonderful.” His voice was rough. “Corey, I’m so happy you’re here. Corey, I think about you all the time, and I’m happiest when I get to see your face.”
“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” I warned him. My skin was hot. I reached up and loosened my tie. The air felt thick around me.
“I can finish,” he said, and there was a strange lilt to his voice. “Trust me on that
.”
Breathing was starting to get harder, and it wasn’t the only thing. Damn these pants. “Can you?” I said, and I was fucking goading him, toward what, I wasn’t sure. “I don’t think you can.”
And he knew. Oh Lord, he knew. “I’ve thought about it before,” he said almost conversationally. “That first day in my office. It was fleeting, but it was there. And then I thought about it when I saw you in the kitchen as I jogged by your house. All that potassium.”
“Oh fuck,” I said, and I hated him. “That’s terrible. Keep going.”
“I went home that morning. I was sweating. My skin was flushed.”
I rubbed my hand down my chest toward my stomach. The dress shirt was slightly damp. My fingers rested against my belt buckle. “Those little shorts you were wearing. They’re obscene.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I know. And when they get wet, you can see everything.”
Fuck it. I unbuckled my belt before unbuttoning my pants. The pressure eased. “Of course you can.”
“I was showing off. I’d never worn them before, but I wanted you to see. I didn’t know if you’d be watching, but I thought there might be a chance. I wondered what it would have been like had I just knocked on your door.”
I slipped my hand inside my slacks. I was half-hard, and I gripped myself, giving my dick a few tugs through my underwear. “I would have let you in.”
“Yeah?” he asked, and his voice was fucking dripping. “What would you have done?”