IN BED WITH THE BOSS

There was something about the way he was staring at her. Something dangerous… and yet she wanted to run towards it instead of away from it.

His voice was husky… deeper than it usually was, and his eyes appeared darker. His lips were curved slightly upward, like he’d just heard a joke, but Vivian knew that there was nothing funny about that gaze. He stared down at her, his black eyes slowly traversing her hair, her outfit and down to the boots that added four inches to her height. When his eyes met hers again, she barely caught herself before taking a step back from the heat there. It practically seared her skin.

Hazardous. Dangerous. She silently chanted the warnings to herself like a mantra. He would set fire to her life and leave her covered in ashes.

“I’m really sorry if I disturbed you,” she rasped again, before clearing her throat of the arousal thickening it. “I didn’t know that you were here.”

“You’re beautiful.” Scott said instead of paying attention to her apology.

Struck speechless by his comment, Vivian could only stare at him. His expression hadn’t changed from the cool, distant mask, but those eyes, and now his voice… If his gaze made her tremble, the low, sensual throb in that dark velvet voice had her squeezing her thighs against the ache deep inside her.

How did the man manage to look even more handsome with his messed up hair and disheveled clothes? At this point she couldn’t blame Linda for having a crush on him because what woman could resist all this?

He was standing close to her now. Close enough so she could see the dark hair peeking out from his open shirt.

“Thank you, Sir,” she said softly, “I…. I didn’t… I thought you left. If I may ask, Why are you working this late? Did something urgent come up? Something I was supposed to help you with?”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

He shook his head. “Oh no. I’m just dealing with some… personal stuff. Nothing that concerns the office so you’re safe.”

Vivian smiled. “Oh alright”

“Did you get the gift you came for?”

“Yeah I did” she lifted her hand so he could see it. They were talking about something else, but she was thinking about something entirely different and she had a feeling that he was thinking the same thing too. Hot kisses on her lips… down her neck… clothes coming off….

She waited for him to move but he didn’t. Instead, he slid both hands into his pockets and smirked. “So why wasn’t I invited to this party?” he asked, “Am I not a part of the team?”

Vivian’s eyes widened, “Oh” she began, “I just thought that….”

He lifted an eyebrow.

“I… well… you are the boss” she said, “I don’t think anyone would want to party with their boss…. No offense sir.”

Scott smiled and took another step closer. “Oh I take offense this time, Miss Sanchez. I really do. Are you saying that you would never want to attend a party with me? Well that’s just mean. Do you think I’m a buzz kill or something?”

“No… I just…. I” she was stammering so much that it was getting embarrassing so she just stopped trying to explain. “That’s not what I mean, Mr McCall”

“It’s okay,” he replied and grinned. “I was just messing with you. You look breathtaking and incredibly sexy, Miss Sanchez. I’d be thrilled if I got the opportunity to attend a party with you…And it’s okay if I’m not invited… just save me a piece of cake, alright?”

Vivian nodded, but her mind was wandering. Sexy? Did he really just call her sexy? The way she felt both thrilled and scared her at the same time, but she couldn’t look away from him. His eyes seemed to hold her hostage and she almost melted when he moved even closer and his lips got dangerously close to hers.

He was going to kiss her. She was sure about it… and she wanted him to kiss her so badly, but then the door swung open and she jerked. They both turned to stare at the door.

Michael stood there. His hand was still on the door knob and he had a frown on his face. Vivian wanted the floor to open and swallow her up. Was it obvious? Could he tell that if he had not come in when he did, she’d have been in Scott’s McCall’s arms… kissing him… Oh God.

Scott on the other hand looked unfazed. In fact he looked like someone had just interrupted him in the middle of a very important meeting. He stared at Michael for a few seconds before he said with a frown, “Is the party happening here? Why are my employees showing up at the office in the middle of the night?”

“Good evening, Mr McCall” Michael said, “I’m sorry… I accompanied Vivian here.”

Vivian? Scott thought and his frown deepened. So they were on a first name basis now. Just how close were the both of them? He wondered as he stared at Michael and suddenly he realized that he didn’t like seeing them together.

“Accompanied… ” he repeated, but it was more of a statement than a question.

Vivian stepped forward. “Yes… we were attending Linda’s party together when I remembered the present so we had to rush down here to retrieve it.”

She walked past him towards Micheal who was still standing at the door, and shook the small box in her hand. The earlier they left Scott’s burning gaze the better for both of them. “I got it. We can go now.” she said.

Attending the party together…

Those words seemed stuck in Scott’s head. Were they going as a couple? Were they sleeping together? Having sex? Was he going to take her home after the party?

The thought seemed to make him angry and he had no idea why. Vivian Sanchez was his assistant and whatever she did with her personal life was none of his business. Then why the hell did he feel like crap. Why did he feel like peeling Michael’s hand away from hers?

“See you on Monday, Mr McCall” she said, to which Scott acknowledged with a single nod. The door closed behind them and he stood there, telling himself repeatedly that it would be a bad idea to go after them, order Michael to leave and then pull her onto the couch in his office to kiss her senseless.

He couldn’t do that. She wasn’t his, and he still had Jennifer and Bruce Bennett to deal with. The best thing to do was focus on that, instead of obsessing over his assistant. He returned to his office, grabbed his suit and briefcase, then closed for the night…. wondering where all these feelings were coming from and how to get rid of them once and for all.

_________

“Bruce, the gala is a wonderful success. You should be proud. I’m certain your parents would be,” Senator Paul Wesley praised, pumping his future son-in-law’s hand.

Jennifer Bennet rolled her eyes at his comment. I don’t know how you can say that, since you never met either of them. She thought, and mentally winced over the snarky comment echoing in her head. God, she really wanted to like the influential man who would soon be part of her family. But he was such a…politician. Charming. Affable. And phony. Good thing she never voted for him.

“Thank you, sir.” Bruce smiled, then slid an arm around Jennifer’s shoulders. “I wish I could take the credit, but it belongs to Jennifer. She’s the reason we’ve already surpassed the donations from last year.”

Pride glowed like an ember in her chest, and for the first time that evening, a genuine smile curled her lips.

“Thank you, Bruce,” she said, wrapping an arm around his waist and briefly squeezing.

“Next year, it’ll be even more of a success, with Emily by your side. I’m sure she will be more than happy to step in and help organize this special event.” Senator Paul announced his daughter’s involvement as a foregone conclusion.

“Of course I will, Daddy,” Emily agreed, tilting her head back expectantly, and Bruce obliged her with a soft, quick kiss on the lips. “Jennifer and I will make a wonderful team.” She added.

Emily turned that wide smile to Jennifer, and even though all the warmth that had filled her faded away, Jennifer returned it with one of her own.

Bruce’s fiancée had been nothing but cordial to Jennifer, but again, there was something not quite genuine about her. Emily reminded Jennifer of the ice sculpture in the lobby outside the ballroom. Beautiful but cold. To stand too close would send a shiver through the body.

“Let’s get through tonight first before thinking about next year,” Jennifer said, not committing to anything. Bruce stiffened beside her, but she ignored the telltale sign of his irritation. Her mind jumped to that dark brown file Scott McCall had slid across the table. She thought about how her brother donated significant funds to the senator’s campaign. And she couldn’t help but wonder if some of that money came from their mother’s organization.

Stop it.