She looked like I’d slapped her in the face. And I felt like the biggest asshole on the planet.
What was it about her that made me want to be mean to her, no matter how many times I promised myself I would not be anymore?
“I wasn’t trying to get any points with you; I just wanted to do something nice.”
“Something nice? Like you’re doing for my groundskeeper. Flirting with him, to be nice?”
I can tell she is too shocked to process any retort, so I barrel forward.
“You know, fraternizing amongst staff is not condoned. Alba might be okay with it, but I won’t be.”
“I was not fraternizing with Sebastian. He’s my friend, and we hang out sometimes when I’m not occupied.”
“You were flirting with him today. Blatantly.”
The shock on her face was gone now, and anger had replaced it.
“I was not flirting with anyone, Mr. Fitzgerald. Now, if Sebastian was flirting with me, that’s on him, not me. Except you’re one of those men who blame the women amongst them for all their mistakes and never take responsibility when they’re just being plain assholes.”
She had schooled me there, calling me an asshole without actually calling me one.
There was only a little distance between us, and I closed it slowly. I am surprised when she does not lean back or move away. She had balls; I would give her that.
I was quiet for a few more seconds, and the air in the room changed; it thickened with expectation.
Her chest rose and fell in her anger, and my eyes were immediately drawn to the dip in her shirt between her two breasts.
When I looked back up at her face, her pupils were dilated, and she was breathing faster than she was a second ago.
She was less indignant, and just like me, from what I could tell, it aroused her; she was attracted to me.
“Did you just call me an asshole?” My voice was low; I wasn’t even mad. Ironically, I admired her grit and was very much attracted to her guts. And her full lips, especially as she was currently biting the lower one.
“No.” Her voice is equally low. Like we’re both whispering, even though we were the only ones in the room.
Her mouth formed a slight ‘o’ as she said the word, and I could almost imagine those lips wrapped around me. The thought was enough to make me lose my senses; I closed the short distance between us; leaning down; I took her lips in mine.
Soft. Like petals against mine, I close my eyes as I slid my lips against hers. She stiffened for only a second before pressing herself closer to me.
My hand-free hand, the one not holding my cane, wrapped around her tiny waist to press her even closer, and she whimpered when she felt my arousal between us.
Her whimper drove me a little crazy, and I internally cursed at my hurting leg. It was holding me back from doing all the things I wanted to do to her. Things I’d dreamed of doing since the first day she’d stumbled onto her knees in front of me.
I wanted her on her knees, her back, over me, and under me. It was a visceral feeling of want, one I’d never felt with any other woman, not even my ex-fiance.
The kiss continued, and even when we were both out of breath, I kissed her neck and her jaw to catch my breath. She did the same before our lips find each other yet again, and we did it over again.
I was lost in her when the jarring sound of a loud knock on the door interrupted us. And Vanessa stumbled so far away from me; it was like she’d been burned. I almost stumbled but steadied myself against my desk.
“Oh, no!” she muttered, and her hands covered her red, swollen lips. They looked a little bee-stung from our kiss, and I wanted to taste them again.
“We should not have done this.” She whispered, and the knock came again.
“Mr. Christian? You have a call from Darrel?” Alba called out.
“I’m coming out, Alba,” I replied. And we both wait until we hear the retreating click of her heels on the tiles before Vanessa finally hurried out.
“Vanessa!” I called sharply, and she turned to me.