Elle's Seduction (7 page)

Luke smiled and visibly eyed the bulge still evident in his jeans. “Oh, I know I can handle it. But as long as you’re after Elle, I’m not interested.”

The heat of a challenge suffused Darren. There was nothing he liked better than to change people’s minds. “We’ll see about that.”

“I’m counting on it. Besides, we both know a woman can’t ever satisfy you. There are just some things you can’t hide from me.”

Luke knew. Darren could see it in those warm brown eyes. His worst fear—the fear that someone would know what he’d really been through–—had come true.

Shame filled him, causing his stomach to knot and twist in answer to him. How many people had guessed? If Darren could tell a person’s most secret desires by just looking at them, it was possible someone could guess at his own past.

Those eyes held no revulsion, no hint of derision. That alone made his heart pound and his body twitch. When he finally found his voice, he said the only thing he could. “Luke, you know nothing about me. And while I might like the feel of my cock in your ass and you may be the best fuck in the free world, that’s all you will ever be to me—an easy fuck. You remember that before you offer yourself so freely to me again.”

Those brown eyes lost their shine and Darren could have whipped himself. Pushing Luke away was like kicking a small puppy. But he couldn’t afford to lose himself. Love and relationships weren’t for him and he’d ruin anyone that tried.

It was another lesson mommy-dearest had taught him well.

***

Elle sighed in satisfaction as she slumped into her seat. The red heels were killing her feet but she was happy. She missed the activity of country life, and sitting around an office all day made her twitchy. She didn’t want to think too much on the buzz electrifying her skin from the constant contact with Darren, or the easy banter Maxwell had started when he’d moved into the cube next to hers.

Between Maxwell’s deep baritone and Darren’s constant excuses to brush up against her every time they were together, every nerve on her body was sensitized. Just breathing in the masculine scent of Maxwell had her light-headed.

Sally popped her head around the corner. “Finally, done eyeing the man candy.”

Elle sighed and faced the woman. “Sally, what do you want?”

A finely shaped brow arched. “Careful there. What will Fred think? You’ll never get that promotion with that attitude. I mean, the way you’ve been flirting with Maxwell...”

Elle sat straighter in her chair. That wench had made her life hell for the last six months, but she wasn’t getting the best of her. “Sally, I’m giving you one more minute to tell me what you need before I leave for a meeting.”

Sally smirked and grabbed a file out of the stack in her arms. “Here are the month end statistics. Seems your area is behind. Maybe if you spend more time on the floor instead of...”

Not bothering to fill Sally in on her new duties, Elle picked up the phone and waved her off. “Yes, thank you, Sally. I’ll look them over.”

Sally stared at her in slack-jawed amusement for a moment as Elle dialed. When the woman didn’t leave, Elle turned her shoulder. “Yes, Elle Norton here for our four o’clock.”

Maxwell’s voice answered her on the phone. “Can’t get rid of her, can you?”

“No. It’s not an inconvenience.”

When Sally continued to stand there, Elle covered the mouthpiece and whispered, “Is there something else?”

Sally shook her head and left.

“Did she finally leave?”

“Yeah.”

Maxwell whispered. “Meet me in B201. I think she’s coming my way.”

Elle hung up the phone and popped her head up to watch Sally making her way down the aisle. Maxwell stood up just then and met her gaze. Together they snuck in the opposite direction to the empty conference room.

Inside the dark room, they stood by the door and waited for Sally to pass on her way back to her office.

“Thanks for the save,” Elle whispered, her ear to the small crack in the door.

“No problem. She reminds me of a black widow. One minute she’s trying to seduce me and the next I could see her biting my head off.”

Elle leaned against the wall and sighed, trying to ignore just how close Maxwell was to her. “Yeah.”

Maxwell watched her, his eyes shadowed.

The tension she’d dealt with all day had her senses on overload. The closeness energized her and sent warmth spiraling through her. The smell of him made her stomach clench and her mouth dry. She just couldn’t breathe. Memories of those stolen moments at the restaurant kept encroaching.

In the close confines, she saw his nostrils flare. Mesmerized by that slight movement, her breath caught and her heart picked up the pace, they were so close. Her soft panting breathes echoed in the empty room and she knew she couldn’t hide her response.

She held back a groan as her nipples beaded against the harsh lace cups of her bra, a rasping caress that made her shiver.

Maxwell must have known, his glance met hers before wandering down to the sheer white silk blouse. There, easy to see, tight little buds, outlined in the thin silk.

A sound outside the door briefly registered, but Elle couldn’t move.

“You wore that for him, didn’t you?” Maxwell asked, his voice a husky groan, deep, throaty, and raw in the quiet of the room.

She couldn’t answer. All she could do was shake her head. She didn’t know why he continued to think she was interested in Fred, but it was beginning to annoy her. Before she could set him straight, he raised his hand to skim his fingers along her collar and down the middle row of buttons.

“Maxwell...”

“I like it.”

“Maxwell—”

“Shhh...” He placed his finger against her lips in a gentle caress. She’d never imagined a single touch could ignite such a powerful need. When his finger left, the achy need intensified. A sweep of her tongue across her lips, brought his attention back, nearly begged him for what she really wanted even though she would never have said a word.

Without warning, his lips swooped down and captured hers. Firm and dry they touched off the firestorm of need inside her. Demanding, passionate and hot, she gave into his tongue and opened for him. His hands slid down her shoulders to her hips, jerking her against him and she could feel just how much she affected him.

When he broke off to follow her jaw line with small nibbles, Elle held onto him, stunned. “But, Maxwell...”

She lost her thought as his rough chin swept the sensitive curve of her neck. Before she could form a coherent thought, his tongue and mouth were making her forget anything but the feel of him tight against her and the need thrumming through her.

“Oh god, Maxwell.”

He tugged at her blouse and fought the buttons until his hands touched the bare skin of her back. Rough, callused fingers slid along the waist band of her wool skirt before moving up to the front to cup her breasts.

She couldn’t get close enough to him.

The need tugging at her all day spiraled out of control. She wanted to slow down and analyze her thoughts about how she could be so turned on by the interplay between Darren and Maxwell. To think about how wrong this all was, but the sensations of his fingers tweaking her nipples jarred her thoughts, making it hard to concentrate on one individual thing.

His lips descended on her rosy bud, his strong teeth shoving the lace away from her nipples and baring them to his wandering tongue. Elle leaned against the wall, gripping his shirt in her hands as his mouth worked her sensitive flesh over, sucking and tugging on them until she was shaking, barely able to stand.

When his hand crept up her skirt and shoved her underwear to the side, she nearly collapsed. Some part of her mind tried to shout out a warning, to push him away. She tried resisting for a moment, tugging and pushing at him. “Maxwell?”

He broke off contact with her nipple and kissed her hard, dueling with her tongue before pulling away, leaving her breathless and willing to do anything to assuage the need building inside of her. When he didn’t make another move, she opened her eyes to see Maxwell. His gray eyes were dark, his face flushed. The minute their gaze connected, he moved his hand up her thigh and slid one finger into her slit.

Elle couldn’t breath as his finger slid through her juices, slicking up her inner lips and circling her clit. Knees weak, she held onto him and pressed herself harder against the wall as her eyes drifted shut at the sensations shooting through her.

Just that light touch, had her begging.

Maxwell stopped mid-stroke. “Open your eyes.”

Elle breathed in the smell of him, trying to get closer, her body sliding against his rough finger. When he stopped her movement with the pressure of his big body, she finally gave in and opened her eyes.

He held her up, his eyes dark and his lips full and slightly red from their heated kiss. “Tonight, when it’s dark and all the lights are out and you’re all alone, dream of me. Imagine me there beside you.”

“Maxwell, I don’t know what you’re talking...”

“Shh. Let’s not kid ourselves.” His finger flicked her clit, sending her heart hammering. All breathing stopped as her eyes rolled back and she moaned at the repeated pressure of his fingers. “You’re wet. Fred may be trying to claim you, but I know what you really want and if you allow it, Darren and I could make all your fantasies come true. Fred... Fred’s not part of the plan.”

With that he removed his hand, his face hardening, a distance coming between them that wasn’t there before. Before she could set him straight, he was gone, leaving her achy and needy—shaken.

Damn him! He’d just shown up and all he could do was get pissy because she had a good working relationship with her boss. Well, he’d lost out on his chance. He could have taken anything he wanted two minutes ago. Not again.

She wasn’t a thing to be fought over, even if two devilishly attractive men both wanted her.

Back at her cube, Elle fumbled with her papers, trying to organize them. The memory of those wicked lips and hot fingers kept intruding and she wasn’t getting anywhere. Between that and the hot looks Darren had been giving her all day, she was about to explode.

Maxwell had walked by her cube twice since she’d returned, presumably on errands, and flat out ignoring her. How anyone could ignore human beings just ten feet away with nothing but cardboard between them baffled her. Hell, she felt his every movement, like fission of excitement, through her bones. Damn him.

A bright, cheery whistle sounded down the hall.

Elle gave up shuffling her papers and just clicked on her computer. She wasn’t letting Darren see her flustered. Maxwell’s voice was just across the wall, speaking to someone, low and angry. She’d like to think she made him that way. It wasn’t fair that she was the only one in emotional and physical turmoil.

A tap at her cube wall had her spinning around. Darren stood there, his jacket on over a T-shirt and jeans. “Wotcher?”

“Sorry?”

Darren smiled and stepped into her cube. “Just wondering how it’s going?”

Elle sucked in a breath as she realized it was suddenly very quiet. Maxwell must have finished his conversation. He could hear everything she was saying. Allowing a wicked grin, she slid her legs together, delighting in the friction. “It’s good.”

Darren moved in closer, lowering his voice. “Probably horrible timing. Would you like to go for a drink? I know this place...”

Energy zinged through her at his closeness. She was still so strung up from her encounter with Maxwell that she could hardly stop squirming. She wasn’t going to be able to sit still all evening. Maybe she should give Garfield a call and take a night out. He could have dinner with Mrs. Stutter, and maybe find a little romance himself.

Darren leaned down a bit, the masculine scent of him swirling around her as he spoke. “Please don’t disappoint me. You’ve been torturing me all day.”

A snicker across the cube wall told her exactly what Maxwell was doing.
Bastard.
You never could have any privacy. Whether vengeance or an itch that couldn’t be scratched, Elle just knew she couldn’t sit at home doing nothing tonight. “Sure. Sounds good, what time?”

“How about seven? You might want to dress in black. It’s kind of the preferred color where we’re going. Although dramatic clothing will get you noticed... You don’t happen to own any red leather do you?”

Maxwell’s groan on the other side of the divider made her smile. God, she wished she owned some red leather just then. Maybe it was naughty, but she suddenly wanted to sink the dagger in a bit deeper and make Maxwell hurt just a little. She wished she could see his face through the wall. “Would a black corset be out of place? I happen to have an old costume from a play that just might work.”

The smile Darren gave her was all she needed. Maxwell’s curse may have been the final deciding factor though.

“I’ll pick you up then. Email me your address and directions.” Darren turned to walk out of the cube. Before he stepped too far away, he turned back, his brow raised. “Just for my benefit—what play was that?
Sweeney Todd, Best Little Horror House In Texas?”

Elle shook her head.
“Faust.”

His brow rose at that, a sexy smirk forming on his lips. “Oh, really? And what part were you playing?”

“Mephistopheles.”

“Hmmm, the devil’s man. How appropriate,” he said, his smile widening. “Oh, this is going to be good, very good.”