Layers (20 page)

“You may make of it whatever you want, but it is an order, baby.”

“Hello commandant. FYI, I don’t take orders.”

“Cut this ‘I’m an independent woman I don’t take shit from anyone’ crap. You are coming with me to Baja this weekend, so no plans.”

Baja, with you? In that case I do with utter obedience take orders, demands, commands and whatever your twisted Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde bipolar personality would request of me
.

“Put it this way: I promise to consider allowing exceptions,” he chuckles.

“Oh, Hayley, what’s your height?”

What’s up with this guy?
“And this is of interest to you, because?”

“You’re too short to use any of my boards,” he replies flatly.

He has such a charming way of conveying information
. All of a sudden I feel insecure about my height. “Five foot six. Any other measurements you may need or are we okay now?”

“Perfect. All the rest I have preciously stored in my memory. You know, I did give you several thorough examinations.” Another short, hoarse chuckle and I can hear in the background that he’s already started another conversation.

Well, goodbye to you too, from thorough examinations to forgotten in less than a microsecond.
I ring him back.

“Hayley?” Daniel answers in a less-than-patient yet quizzical tone.

“In modern societies, we humankind wish each other farewell at the end of encounters or conversations with an adequate piece of dialogue.”

“Goodbye, Hayley,” he snorts.

I can clearly imagine the eye roll.
Goodbye psycho
.

As soon as I put my phone down another short beep tells me I’ve gotten a text, this time from Tasha.

Tasha: Lunch today? I miss u.

Lunch today, noon.

A minute until the staff meeting. I grab my tablet and run to the conference room.

~~~

Walking the hallway of Tasha’s floor, heading to her office to pick her up, I look aimlessly to my left. My glance freezes at a packed meeting room with a group of people looking at a stern and incredibly attractive Daniel Stark. He appears to be presenting something to the attentive group. My heart swells at the sight of him.
Only Daniel can teeter my heart by his presence alone.

Realizing I’m gawking like some creepy stalker I urge myself to proceed. At that same moment Daniel pivots his gaze up and his eyes rest on me. Instantly our stares lock. His eyes narrow in concern as he watches me. He lifts his hand as to signal a break, says something to the group in front of him, then walks to the exit, every single eye in the room following him. I’m not really sure why, I should be used to him by now, but my heart quickens as I watch him minimize the distance between us.

“Hayley, what’s wrong?” He looks worried.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just came to pick Tasha up for lunch. I was just on my way to her room.”

He sighs.
In relief?

“I thought something was wrong and you were looking for me.” He hugs me tight, perhaps too tight, making me gasp.
Wow, seriously? A bit overreacting aren’t we?

“It’s just a coincidence. I saw you on my way to her office and stopped. Sorry if I’ve distracted you,” I say to his ear, still a bit too squeezed against him.

“You worried me there for a moment.”
Hey, no need for drama.

“Daniel Stark worried, that’s a first for me.” I smile at him.

“When it comes to you …” He smiles back and turns to kiss me.

Mmmm, Daniel for lunch
. His kiss turns firmer as his hands travel from my waist down.

“Daniel, you do know we have a room full of people staring at us,” I say, almost out of breath. He turns his head back and turns it again my way. Immediately everyone in the room pretends to be doing anything other than looking at us, from staring intensely at the board, to glancing at each other.

“Now they don’t.” He beams his impish, thin smile.
Of course they don’t, they’re all scared shitless.

Though it’s the last thing I want to do at that moment, I pull back a little from his hug. “You should go back to your meeting and I should go to mine.”

“Damn. You’re right, though.” He twists his lips, somewhat annoyed. I inhale him deeply and regret I’ve just said what I said. He bends yet again to kiss me, all searing, intense and stimulating.

“Keep this up and I won’t let you go due to a health hazard.”

“Health hazard?” He observes me closely; his eyes dance with mischief.

“You’ll have to release what you’ve just caused in me. It can be highly harmful keep it bottled up this way,” I say.

His features harden. “When is your lunch date with Natasha?” His voice is low and serious.
Is it me or are you flushing?

I study him, startled, beginning to comprehend where this is going.
Are you seriously insane? Don’t you have a room full of people waiting for you; don’t you have a company to run?
Not even waiting for my reply, he lets go of my hand and in two steps he is at the entrance to the meeting room. My eyes grow bigger as I watch him. I can hear him say, “Continue without me, I’ll catch up later.” And just like that, he grabs my hand and directs me to the elevator.
God, he’s serious
.

“I would do you right now, here, in this elevator, but there are security cameras in the ceiling.”

Reflexively I tip my head to look for the cameras. “And no chance in hell I’ll let the horny security guys look at you cum.”

“Daniel, workplace malfeasance,” I mumble, my body already worked up at what’s about to come.

“It’s my company, did you forget? I can do whatever the hell I want … And I want to do you.” He winks at me.

I stare at him, raging inside. A mixture of awe and desire rumbles in my gut. I can’t wait for the damn elevator to reach its destination.

“Anne, call Natasha Taylor from R&D and tell her to come to my room in twenty,” he says to his PA as we pass by her desk.
Twenty? Well, he
is
busy.
I inwardly snicker. He pulls me too rapidly by the hand toward his office. I am so turned on now, all he needs to do is just lay a finger on me and I’ll burst.

He settles himself on his chair, tugging me to sit astride him and claims my mouth with a kiss that turns my knees to butter.

“So, you were saying something about a release,” he whispers, nibbling my ear.

“Release away, Daniel, by all means. Please do.” His pants are pulled down, my skirt lifted up and this thing between us that started with a spark ends in a burning inferno. Shaky and entirely satisfied, resting on a breathing, warm Daniel, I peep at the clock.
Tasha should be here any minute.

Pulling up his pants he mutters, “Skirts are much more convenient. Don’t wear them to work again.” He winks at me and his face lights impishly; I shake my head, grinning.
Somehow I wouldn’t be surprised if you were absolutely serious.

“That was too good of a distraction,” Daniel says casually. “Drop by any time, to be treated for a health condition or for any other matter I can be of help with.”

His elated face glows at me. I echo his expression.

“It was my complete pleasure. Thank you so much for the releasing part. I’m pretty positive I’ll take you up on your offer, Mr. Stark.”

“By all means do, abuse the hell out of this open invite.” Naughty eyes twinkle.

“Okay now, misbehaving young lady, there’s a meeting I should attend: the one you stole me away from.” He pecks my head and turns on his heels.

“Daniel,” I call after him as he steps away. He turns his head back to look at me over his shoulder, his eyebrow arched. “Run a hand through your hair or something. It screams just-had-sex.”

“Better!” He winks again and flashes his megawatt smirk just before walking out the door.

Chapter 18: Wrong Deed

The trees shake their leaves above us in the light summer wind; I gaze through my shades at the clear blue summer sky waiting for Tasha to place her order with a short tempered waitress with spiky orange hair.
Let the poor waitress be,
I think, observing Tasha.
She already confirmed just about three times that there are no anchovies in the goddamn Caesar dressing, Tash.
I try to telepathically transmit my message to my dear but irritating friend.

“I would also like mineral water with a third of a glass of ice and some lemon.”

I inwardly shake my head and smile at the waitress with an empathetic expression that says, “I’d also add bleach to her drink if I were you.”

“I’ll take the hummus chicken wrap and ice water, please,” I say, politely.

“Will that be all?” she asks, looking at me. I nod, giving her my most apologetic grin. She smiles back, frowns at Tasha and leaves toward the kitchen.

“So, Hales, how have you been? Me and the walls at the crib have been missing you like crazy.” Tasha hardly conquers her smile as she fights to put on a gloomy, desperate expression instead.

“I do miss our walls, and you too of course. Though I must say I have some pretty great distractions helping me cope with my longing for you.”

“Bet you do. So you guys are doing well?”

My goofy smile broadens. “‘Well’ is an understatement.”

“Stop it with the silly smirk, Hales. People will start thinking you’re an asylum patient on the loose.”

“Have you talked to Ian lately?” I ask, brushing off some tiny dried petals that have landed on our table.

“He’s been under the radar with a tourist from Portugal.”

“So, no Ian till further notice,” I say, matter-of-factly.

“Not until he gets tired of this one too.”

We both chuckle.
Typical Ian.
Tasha sits in front of me in her navy fitted dress, orange stilettos and her dark blue Gucci shades that frame her lovely face.
Impeccable as always
.

“So, what have
you
been up to?”

She beams at me. I know that smile way too well. Something’s surely up.

“Would up to no good be an acceptable answer?”

I lift my sunglasses, resting them on my head, to allow myself a better look at her.

“Well, what did you do this time?”

She bites her lower lip and murmurs, “A forbidden deed.”

“Who? Anybody I know?” My eyes run over her face, trying to guess who it could be.

“Rob,” she huffs.

“Rob?” Repeating, I try to search my mind for any Rob we both may know, and fail to think of any.

“Rob as in my cute geeky boss, Rob,” she explains.

I nod, immediately conjuring up a mental image of the man in subject. The guy I had the pleasure of meeting at the fundraising event.
Really?

“As in my cute boss Rob, one late evening at the office.”

I gaze at her trying to figure out just how wrong that is.

Responding to my scrutinizing glare she adds, “Rob, my boss, who lives with someone.”

Oh, not good in any aspect of moral rectitude.

“One hummus wrap and iced water,” bright orange energetic being places my order in front of me, and then silently serves Tasha her dish.

“Anything else?” she asks us, smiling at me, then without actually waiting for a reply walks over to check if the people at the next table need anything.

“How come, Tash?” I observe her with furrowed brows. “Knowing you as well as I do, correct me if I am wrong, he’s not exactly your type.” Deepening my stare at her I add, “Let alone the fact that you’re not the sort of person who’d jeopardize her career for a fling, or anything else for that matter.”

I pause for a brief moment to recompose my thoughts, still watching her intently. “That’s what this is, a fling, right?”

She slowly moves her mouth from side to side under my observant glare as though assessing my point.

“He’s so sweet and sexy in a bossy, forbidden kind of way. We stayed late one evening …” She stops to take a sip from her sweating glass. “He didn’t stop flattering me all night. He flirted like an enthralled teenager.” She plays with the drops on her glass, wiping them with the tip of her finger. “An accidental bump led to a kiss which led to another and the rest is history.” She jabs at her food with her fork, moving the dressing-soaked lettuce from one side of her plate to the other. Finally, she raises her eyes to meet mine. They take on a shy tone.
This is so not the Tasha I know.

“Does your semi-idiotic smile and this weird not-like-you behavior mean that you’re gonna keep doing the bad deed with boss man?” I inquire; smiling at her like one would indulgently smile at a misbehaved little toddler.

All of a sudden Tasha’s whole demeanor changes: she friendly grins at something. I raise a questioning eyebrow her way and before I can turn around to look, two warm, firm hands rest on my shoulders.

“Natasha, how have you been?” Daniel’s cheerful voice inquires.
Daniel’s cheerful voice? Daniel cheerful in the middle of a work day?

“Hello again.” He smiles at me as I stretch my head back to look at him towering above me. He bends down and kisses me, an intrusive, lustful kiss.
Wow, and hello again to you, too
.

Tasha waits for Daniel’s erotic display of affection to cease and answers that she’s fine. “And how are you doing, Daniel?”

Shouldn’t she call him Mr. Stark? No way.
I kill the thought as it rises.

“I’m doing very well.” He sends me his crooked side smile.

What happened to him? This is Dr. Jekyll after developing a cure for cancer.
He stands next to me and takes a bite of my wrap and a sip from my drink. I observe him in elation. He seems so casual and laid back. It is the first time I’ve see him like this around other people besides me.
Perhaps I do have to project his brains off more often, for everyone’s sake
 … The thought makes me smile inwardly.

“What are you doing here?” I look at him happily, highly enjoying the relaxed cheerfulness beaming from his hazel eyes.

“I came for a soda.”