Page 22 of Christian Clause

Silence falls at the table after I finish describing the woman who refuses to leave my thoughts right from the moment I set my eyes on her.

“Did you just describe someone in your life?” Hudson is the first to find his voice.

“Maybe,” I evasively say, and smile at them over the rim of my glass before taking a gulp.

I didn’t mean to talk about Hope, but as usual, she crept into my mind. Working with her is both pleasurable and sheer torture. It’s a struggle trying to be professional when all I want to do is drag her into my arms and place my lips against her succulent ones. Many times, I have stripped her naked with my eyes while her head was bent, taking dictations. I have fantasied about taking her in my arms, laying her spread-eagled across my desk and plunging so deep in her it would take a crane to pull me out from her honeyed depths. My body hardens instantly as usual as I think about red hot and reckless sex with Hope.

Wayne whistles. “You’re some dark horse.”

“Tell us about her,” Tyler urges as he signals to a waitress to bring more drinks.

I shake my head. For some reason I don’t understand, I don’t want to share more details about Hope. Usually, it’s easy for me to talk about my latest interest. But this time around, I don’t want to talk about her

“I’m sorry, guys. I’m not ready for you to know her yet.”

Hudson casts questioning eyes on me. “How come you don’t want to talk about her? It’s very unusual.”

A chuckle escapes from my lips. “That’s because she’s unique. Don’t ask me why I think so. I just feel it.”

Tyler suddenly bursts into laughter. “Someone will not remain a bachelor for long.”

“That’s going too far,” I protest as they burst into raucous laughter.

Wayne shrugs. “Well, what do you want us to think when you refuse to tell us about her? It means wedding bells are ringing for you.”

I grin at them and shake my head as they all wait for me to talk about Hope.

“Give it up, guys. I’ll tell you about her when I’m good and ready. For now, I’m just playing it cool.”

Tyler snickered. “Guys, Chris is gone. When has he ever played things cool?”

I can’t help agreeing with Tyler. I go after whatever I want without a moment’s hesitation. In the past, as soon as I see a woman I like or I’m attracted to, I chase her ruthlessly until I get her. Typically, it rarely takes long for me to get them in bed. But then I get bored. I think maybe that’s why I want to take things slowly with Hope.

Am I afraid that after taking her to bed, I’ll get bored with her? I shake my head and tell myself, I don’t think so. Hope is intriguing and interesting to be with. Or am I scared that she might find me boring? Or, maybe I’m not her type?

I run my fingers through my hair at that sudden thought. Hope hasn’t as much as showed an interest in me. She’s quite cool and professional. I have never so much as caught her staring at me surreptitiously. I don’t know why that disturbs me. Maybe because I’ve never had a woman who told me no before. Something tells me Hope is going to be an enormous challenge.

A smile crosses my face. I’m going to enjoy chasing her. I’m a little bothered that I’m breaking my rule of not having anything to do with my employees, but Hope is worth it.

“Talk about the devil,” Wayne cuts into my thoughts.

My heart flips in my chest as I turn in my chair. Only then do I realize that Wayne doesn’t know Hope. I’m disappointed not to see the beautiful woman who has occupied my dreams recently. Instead, it’s Katherine in a tight green strapless mini dress walking toward us. I completely forgot I’m to take her to dinner. She called earlier to ask where I was.

I force a smile on my face as I wish it was Hope coming our way. I also long for when I’ll take her to dinner and then to my penthouse suite for a steamy night of sex. My body hardens again, and I take a large gulp of my drink. One way or the other, I just have to get Hope. And I always get what I want.

Chapter Eleven

Hope

Sitting at a dark corner in the hip exclusive club, I can’t believe I’m actually there. The luxurious interior of the place known to be frequented by celebrities blows me away. Even at the entrance, paparazzi were already stationed to take pictures of the famous and wealthy people gracing the place. My eyes trail the posh dance floor as a few of the patrons move their body in rhythm to the cool music. Well, some of them are actually smooching and not dancing.

“Thanks for bringing me along with you, Laura and Mike. It’s been too long since we’ve seen one another.” I turn to my companions with a bright smile on my face.

Laura and Mike went to high school with me and are now dating. Mike designed the club and so didn’t need reservations. I’m glad I ran into them at the movies last night. They invited me to the club to hang out. I didn’t want to accept at first as I felt three was a crowd. But, they insisted so we could catch up.

“You’re welcome,” Laura says, returning my smile. “You look fabulous.”

I look down at my mini skirt, knee-high boots and the matching clingy black top and shrug. Terrance used to love me dressing like this when we went clubbing. I hastily push thoughts of him away, wondering why my mind brought him up. I haven’t thought about him in a long while.

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