“This is so weird,” Mia smiled up at him.
“I know. I keep imagining you naked, but can’t do anything about it. So weird.”
“Jack!” she hissed, but she swatted his arm and her smile widened.
“Mia,” he grabbed her hand, stroked it gently with his thumb. “Dance?”
“Sure,” she said as he led her away. “Just make sure you dance with some others, too.”
“I don’t want to dance with anyone else.” The tone of his voice changed completely, becoming commanding as he turned to face her, stopping them both in their tracks, his eyes hot on her face. She felt it in the tug in her belly.
“Yes, but you have to, otherwise it’s obvious and people will start talking. I’m paranoid we haven’t been discreet enough, and we’re literally surrounded by everyone.”
He put his head to the side, contemplating her. Obviously, he came to a decision because, nodding, he wordlessly pulled her towards him as they reached the dance floor just as the music changed to a slow song. Mia let out a relieved breath.
“You look amazing,” he said in her ear as their bodies swayed in perfect rhythm. God, she might not even last a song before having to get herself under control. “This dress… it’s going to kill me.”
Her dress, a shimmering, emerald-green velvet number, was low cut and cinched to accentuate her waist. She leaned her head back so that she could look into his eyes. “Maybe that was the point.”
“Mia,” he growled low in his throat and her knees almost buckled. She stumbled a bit, but he caught her effortlessly, pulling her closer. They didn’t say anything else for the rest of the song. They didn’t need to. Jack took her back to the spot at the bar.
“I was really looking forward to tonight, but it might actually be torture,” he said as he handed her a drink.
“I was just thinking the same thing. Let’s talk about something else.” Gesturing towards Rebecca from accounting, in her brown dress and horn-rimmed glasses, Mia continued. “Take Rebecca, for example.”
“No, thanks.”
They both laughed. “I didn’t mean take take. But she’s a good distraction, don’t you think?”
“Yes, she’s a cold shower.”
Mia smiled. “I just don’t understand how a person can be so stereotypical. Do you know what she said in a meeting yesterday?”
“No, tell me.”
Mia pulled in her chin to deepen her voice. “This was a ridiculous cost.”
“Why is she coming after you and your department so hard?”
“I have no idea, and I really don’t care. She doesn’t understand empathetic leadership and that’s okay. But my department brings in more than it spends and she just sees the numbers. She sees me getting a new coffee machine, and Friday pizza lunch and all of these expenditures and hates it.” Shrugging, Mia tried not to look at the accountant, feeling her eyes on them. “We need to mingle.”
“Okay, where would you like to ‘mingle’?” Jack asked, and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“I didn’t mean mingle with each other, which you know full well. She’s watching us and I’m paranoid.”
Jack stepped towards her, reaching around for some peanuts so he could lean. “Okay. I’m going to ask Emilia to dance. She’s the only one who wouldn’t get any other ideas by my asking her.” Mia nodded understandingly. “And then I want the chance to kiss you again. And again. And again.” Leaning back and looking her dead in the eye, he said, “Oh, there are so many things I want to do with you, Mia. Kissing is just one of them.”
“You have already done far more than just kiss me, Jack Sullivan.” Mia couldn’t help but grin up at him. He made her feel so good.
“I am aware. And still, it’s not enough.”
“Not something we can solve right here, right now, though. And we still haven’t mingled.”
“Oh, but we will! We will mingle to our heart’s content. And then we will mingle some more.”
“You really enjoy my faux pas way too much.” Placing her drink on the bar, she looked around the crowded room. She really couldn’t imagine wanting to hang out with anyone more than she wanted to hang out with Jack, but she knew she had to. “Okay, how do I look? Professional? I’m going to go and chat up higher management.”
“You look sexy as hell, like always. Go knock ‘em dead. I’m going to see if I can track down your assistant.”
“That’ll be easy. She’s standing on the other side of the bar.”
“Oh. Excellent. Soooo… see you later?”
“See you later.” As she walked away, it took all her self-control not to look back at him. She felt his gaze on her, but these days it was making her jumpy with anticipation and it didn’t occur to her to mind. If her hips swayed a little more than usual because she knew he was watching her, well… that was his problem.