"I’m not sure it’s advisable for us to be alone."
"We’re alone on the floor, in case you hadn’t noticed."
"I mean alone in an enclosed space." I jerk my chin in the direction of the elevator.
His lips curl. "I confess, I’ve wanted to push you up against the wall of your cubicle then lift your skirt and spank your lush butt before I fuck you from behind, but this is not one of those times."
"Oh." My jaw falls open.Did he just—? He did, didn’t he? How could he?"You—"
"Get in the elevator, Lena. I promise not to touch you." He lowers his chin to his chest. "Not unless you want me to," he mumbles under his breath.
"Eh? What was that?"
He fixes me with that glare. "Get. In."
24
Lena
I polish off the food, then lean back with a sigh. "That was good."
"Here, finish this." He pushes his untouched plate over.
"Oh, I can’t."
"You’re still hungry."
"If I eat any more, I’ll fall asleep in my chair."
"You can take a nap on the couch." He jabs his thumb over his shoulder toward the settee in a corner of his office.
We’re in the adjoining terrace, with floor-to-ceiling windows that open onto the lights of the city. A table and chairs placed around it invite people to sit down and enjoy the view. Which I never have, until now. And only because he’s here with me.
"Why are you being nice to me?" I frown.
"Because you’re my—"
"Employee, and you need the pitch done on time. Got it. Speaking of, I really do need to get back to it." I begin to rise, but he presses down on my shoulder.
"Sit down and finish your food first."
I don’t even bother arguing with him. I know better. All he has to do is glare at me and order me in that dominant voice of his, and every single shred of feminism in my body goes out the window. So annoying. Also, I don’t want to miss out on my favorite food. If it had been anything but Indian-Chinese I might have objected, but seriously, I love this cuisine. I dig into my veg fried noodles with my chopsticks and tuck in.
"You really love this cuisine, eh?"
"Of course." I try to say with my mouth full. It comes out as "Uff—cooos."
I chew, swallow, then shove another mouthful in and another. When I’m done, I place my chopsticks down with a sigh. "This particular confluence of Indian flavored Chinese food is something I discovered in London. They don’t have this in LA. It has the flavors of my mother’s cooking but with a Chinese base which is so unique. It reminds me of home, but it’s also so exotic."
"Like you."
"Eh?" I jerk my chin in his direction. "Did you say something?"
"Just that it’s refreshing to come across a woman who relishes her food and eats without compunction."
"You mean eats too much, right? Of course, that was after you insisted I eat." I make a face. "But that’s why I can never get rid of these curves."
"I love your curves."