fine. I’d just been burning the candle at both ends and skipping a few too many meals. You know how important this project was to all of us. Everything else went on the back burner for me when it came to this. So, Nick, how did it go?”
“The presentation went really well. I’d say the majority of the managers there seemed very interested in exploring the concept further and starting to implement the changes. Everyone could see that it was a time-and money-saver in the long-term, even though initial outlay in replacing what we’re already using, especially the motor fleet, will be costly.”
There was something in Nick’s tone that made Sally’s stomach clench.
“And did they vote on implementation?”
Nick fell silent, and one of the other members of Sally’s team filled the silence.
“Before they could vote, Mr. Rogers spoke up.”
“I see.” A ripple of frustration cascaded through her mind, but she couldn’t let her people know how the news upset her. “I take it he’s not a fan of the suggested changes, then?”
Her staff looked at her with the same disappointed expression she was certain was on her own face and, as a group, shook their heads. Some things just didn’t bear saying out loud.
“So we need to work harder, then. Tackle this from another perspective.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Sally wheeled around to find Kirk standing behind her, fistfuls of takeout bags clutched in his hands. Couldn’t he leave her alone for a second?
“And why not?” she challenged, ready to do battle.
“Because there’s nothing wrong with the perspective you presented. Here,” he said, putting the takeout bags on the meeting table in front of them. “I heard you guys haven’t had a break for lunch yet, so it’s on me. From what I saw you’ve put a great deal of planning into this project, and I’d like to see it developed further.”
“And Silas Rogers?”
“Is not the chairman of HTT, nor is he interim chairman of HTT.”
“He’s still the CEO, and what he says carries weight,” Sally argued.
“That’s true,” Kirk admitted and pulled up a chair to sit beside her. He ripped open a takeout bag and passed her a sub filled with salad fixings and well-done hot roast beef. “Eat, then we’ll discuss this some more.”
Sally bristled at his high-handedness, but her mouth began to water at the smell of the sub, and hunger won the war over pride. She reluctantly took it from him and sank her teeth into the fresh bread, groaning in appreciation as the flavors of the fillings burst on her tongue. She hadn’t realized she was quite so hungry.
Next to her, she felt Kirk stiffen and shift in his chair. He tugged at the front of his trousers and pulled a napkin across his lap, but not before she saw evidence of a hint of arousal pressing against the fine Italian wool of his suit. Shock rippled through her, accompanied by a powerful wave of something else—desire. No, no, no. She wasn’t going to go there again. No way. Never.
Even though she scolded herself soundly, she couldn’t help the prickle of heat that crept through her, couldn’t prevent the surge of sheer lust that forced her inner muscles to clench involuntarily. It was a turn-on to know that she was capable of arousing an attractive man without even trying. And while she had a whole list of problems with this particular man, there was no denying he was gorgeous—he had a body like a Greek god and he knew exactly how to use it. All of it. His mouth, his tongue, those hands and especially—
No! She squirmed in her seat.
“Is your lunch okay?” Kirk asked with a curious expression on his face.
“Great,” she said, taking another bite, this time with less audible enthusiasm.
She’d have to eat more carefully in the future, she decided, if enjoying her sub had this effect on him. And if his reaction had the same domino effect on her. So she’d have to remember to control herself. That couldn’t be too hard, could it? She had no plans to eat with him again after this, did she? In fact, she had no plans to spend any more time with him than their jobs absolutely required.
For some stupid reason, that thought caused a pang of something deep inside—something she didn’t quite want to define. He lied to you, she reminded herself. By omission, yes, but keeping his true identity from her that night had been deliberate, and she still had no idea why he’d done it or what he’d hoped to gain by it. So ask him, the little voice at the back of her mind said pragmatically.
Maybe she would. But that would mean spending more time together, wouldn’t it? Besides, referring to that night would bring back the memories of how she’d behaved so uncharacteristically. Of what they’d done—and of how it had made her feel.
Darn it! Maybe it was hormones, she thought. She’d never been the type to play sex kitten. In fact, she’d always been slightly embarrassed and a little uncomfortable when the girls around her in college, and even sometimes here in the office, ever discussed their sexual activities. But there was something about this guy that opened sensual floodgates she hadn’t known existed. She’d always thought that maybe she was just slightly different from the other women she knew—less passionate, less sensual. But maybe she’d just been waiting for the right man to come along.
Except he wasn’t the right man, was he? He was her boss. He was a sneak. And yet he was the best lover she was ever likely to have in her lifetime.
She sighed and put down her now empty wrapper. She’d been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn’t even realized she’d finished the sub.
For the next several hours, Kirk chaired a discussion between Sally and her team on the best way to begin implementing the proposal. By the end of the workday, she didn’t know if she was energized because she was so excited about seeing her spark of an idea being set on the road to fruition or exhausted at the thought of all the work ahead. She did feel a deep sense of satisfaction, though, and she’d begun to see Kirk in a new light.
He had that rare talent of listening—and listening well—to what her team had to say. And when he injected his own thoughts and ideas, he was gracious about accepting criticism if those ideas were challenged. A part of her wished she’d never met him that night, that instead she’d had the chance of meeting him in the normal course of work and of seeing whether the attraction that crackled between them like static electricity might have grown naturally over time rather than exploding all at once in the accelerated fling they’d had.
But now they were linked by a baby. Her mouth turned dry as sawdust. While she wanted to have as little to do with Kirk as possible, she would never deny her child access to their father. The very thought was impossible to her, especially when her own relationship with her dad was such an integral part of who she was. But how could they coparent a child when there was still so much tension between them?
Maybe she was getting ahead of herself. She had plenty of time to think about all that. Plenty of time to work out adequate coping strategies and discuss this situation they had found themselves in like rational adults. People did that all the time, didn’t they?
But did they spend half their time fighting a magnetic pull so strong she felt like a helpless
