Chapter Twenty-Three
Leave it to his mother to ruin a perfect moment.
Given a few minutes more, he would have had Savannah bent over his desk. Maybe he’d heard a sound, felt a change in the air pressure from the outer door opening, or maybe he’d had a premonition, but something had alerted him to trouble, and he’d leaped to his feet in the nick of time.
He faced his mother. “After Savannah’s traumatic experience, I gave her the day off, and since I’d had a long night too, I decided not to come in either.”
His mother sniffed. “I expected more from you, Stratos.”
He wasn’t sure if she referred to him blowing off the meeting or flekking Savannah, but it didn’t matter. “That’s surprising. You generally think so little of me.”
“I rescheduled the meeting for this afternoon,” she said icily. “Do you think you’ll be able to attend?”
“I will be there.”
She spun on her heel and marched to the door. “You need to get your priorities in order.” She strode out of his office.
Priorities? How about a life? He’d been slowly dying, the creativity seeping out of him.
He’d had a purpose, but no will or joy to achieve it.
Then along came Savannah with her sharp wit and quick retorts, and he began to look forward to coming to work again.
Although brazen and outspoken, she wasn’t cold like his mother or venal like his sister.
She was loyal and passionate about everything she did.
He wasn’t going to give her up.
Just weeks ago, maybe only days, he’d been thinking he couldn’t possibly flek his assistant.
Now, he couldn’t imagine not having her.
He retrieved her undergarment from beneath his desk and slipped it into his pocket.
She didn’t need panties, and he would enjoy the knowledge she was naked under her skirt. All he had to do was flip it up and…
But, after the interruption, he figured she would put the kibosh on any more office games.
Seated at her desk, she looked up as he entered. “What did you tell her?”
“About us? Nothing.”
“Do you think she knows?”
His office smelled like pussy, her panties had been visible on the floor, and Savannah had looked guilty and embarrassed as flek. “Yes.”
“Shit. I was afraid of that.” She bit her lip. “She almost caught us in the act!”
“From now on, I’ll ensure the office door is locked.”
“No. There can’t be any from now on. We can’t engage in this kind of behavior at the office. That’s nonnegotiable. It’s inappropriate and embarrassing. We must act like boss and employee. Period.”
He could think of a half dozen tempting ways to tease her, but she was upset.
Plus, she wasn’t wrong. They should be discreet.
Rumors would not serve either of them well.
And despite how much he desired her, he still had a department to manage, projects to complete, and blasted meetings to attend. Like the one with his mother.
“You’re right,” he conceded.
“I’m not going to ride with you, anymore, either. I don’t want to risk being seen coming and going to work together.”
He did not like the idea of her walking the streets after dark. The dorian had been caught, but what if the government had missed another one? “I agreed to let you off a block away.”
“You think employees don’t come from a block away? You’re a VP. Everybody knows you, and I’m human. They’ll notice if we’re together.” She shook her head. “We need to behave in public like we’re just boss and employee.”
“Then, as your boss, I’m telling you, I will pick you up in the vehicle and deliver you to and from work.”
“Might I remind you the time before and after work is my own, and you have no say-so over those hours.”
As traumatized as she’d been, he’d assumed she would leap at the offer of a ride. Sure, somebody might put two and two together, but overall, people were too wrapped up in their own concerns to notice what others were doing. “I’m worried about you! Why are you being so stubborn?”
“Because your mother—the CEO of the company—almost caught you finger-fucking me!”
If she’d been a few minutes later, she would have caught more than that. “I’ll get you a company vehicle, then.”
She froze. “There are company vehicles?”
He nodded. “Reserved for executives, but I can get one for you. For my peace of mind, please use it.”
“Well, since you said please…thank you. That’s an acceptable compromise.” She strode toward his office. “I have to get my panties.”
“I have them.” He pulled the hot-pink lacy scrap from his pocket and dangled it on a finger.
She held out her hand.
“Nope. I’m keeping them.”
“Give me my underwear.”
“No.”
“I can’t go all day without panties!”
“Sorry.” He slipped them into his pocket.
“Why are you doing this?”
He stepped toward her. “Because I like knowing you’re bare, and if I lift your dress, you’ll be ready for me,” he said in a low voice.
“Keeping your panties will remind me how wet you get, how your pussy squeezes my fingers and cock, how you shudder when I make you come.” He saw her tremble and her eyes darken with arousal.
Just because he couldn’t flek her at the office didn’t mean he couldn’t tease her.
He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “If you’re not wearing underwear, you’ll be remembering it, too. ”
He returned to his office to requisition a vehicle and then get some work done.
* * * *
Damn him, if he wasn’t right!
The memory of what they’d done, what she’d allowed him to do, stayed with her throughout the morning, the breezy air on her nether region a constant, distracting reminder.
The more she thought about him, the more aroused she got.
Damn him! He’d made it hard to concentrate, and, after missing a day of work, she had a lot to catch up on.
And every time the jerk left or entered his office, he had the nerve to smile at her.
Horny as hell, she was sure her productivity and efficiency suffered, but it would serve him right if she got his appointments all mixed up!
With the pile of work she had, on any other day, she might have taken lunch at her desk, but since her world had gone topsy-turvy, she craved normalcy. Easy conversation. Friendship.
“Hey!” Brad greeted her when she approached their table. They ate at the same spot all the time, and others had gotten the message it was their table and didn’t sit there.
“Hey, yourself.” She slipped onto the seat, careful her dress didn’t ride up. She crossed her legs. Damn that Stratos.
“New lipstick?” Brad asked.
“No…yes! I mean, it’s a new old one,” she lied. “A different old one from the usual one.” I’m talking too much. Shut up!
“I missed you yesterday.”
“I didn’t come in,” she said and told him about the dorian attack and how Aaia had called the medic, omitting Stratos’ involvement.
The omission felt like another lie, and she hated not being truthful, but after the close call with Frysta, she’d become even more paranoid people would figure out she and Stratos were sleeping together.
“How awful. You’re lucky you weren’t seriously injured.”
“Thankfully, the medic got to me fast.”
“So, your AI called the medic.”
“Yes, she did.”
“You refer to it as a she.”
“Well, she has a female voice and personality. Anyway, Stratos gave me the day off to recover from the attack.”
“It must freak you out knowing that thing is out there.”
“They caught it and killed it—Stratos checked. But it does freak me out. I had a nightmare about it. The government says they got them all now, but they said that before, and since they missed that one, well, I’m not 100 percent confident there aren’t any others.
Fortunately, Stratos is arranging for a company vehicle to bring me to and from work, which is a big relief. ”
“Wait—he’s giving you a car?”
“A company car. Temporary.”
A sly grin spread over Brad’s face. “You’ve been holding out on me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You and Mr. Stratos…got a thing going on,” he sang the words, parodying the lyrics to a song about an affair.
“Ssh! Somebody will hear you,” she hissed, glancing around. “And it’s not true!” She met his gaze brazenly.
“Stratos this. Stratos that. Extra time off, a car, you getting him a kaffii machine. I should have picked up on it sooner.”
“You’ve got it all wrong.” She hated lying, especially to a good friend.
“You two have the hots for each other. You’ve either done the horizontal tango, or you’re about to. One or the other.”
“Neither,” she said. “My job as an executive assistant is to make his job easier, and he appreciates my help. You know he has trouble keeping assistants. If I got killed by a dorian, he’d have to hire and train someone new.”
“Uh-huh.”
This is exactly what I tried to prevent. This is how rumors start. Guess what I overheard in the lunchroom today? They sat alone, but voices could carry.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”
“I appreciate that—since there’s nothing to tell.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Whatever.” She should have eaten lunch at her desk. Appetite gone, she stabbed at something on her plate and forked it into her mouth, chewing mechanically then washing it down with a gulp of water.
“How is the boss man in the sack?”
She choked. “I can’t believe you asked that! I wouldn’t discuss that even if I was sleeping with him—but I’m not.”
“He’s so buttoned up, austere, stern, and commanding.” Brad shivered dramatically. “All that suppressed sexual energy. I’ll bet when he lets loose, he’s a raging bull.”
“Brad!” she gasped. “This is so inappropriate—and you’re married.”
“I’m married; I’m not blind. I’d never cheat on Anderson, but if I was single, I’d do Stratos in a New York minute. Tall, muscular, packing. He’s fucking hot. And besides—why do you care if you’re not involved with him?”
“I’m not having this conversation with you. I’ll see you later.” Leaving her half-eaten lunch, she walked away, more conscious than ever of her nakedness beneath her skirt.
* * * *