Page 9 of Bad Boy in Her Bed

But as Jocelyn strode past him in her sky-high heels and dropped her shirt on his desk, he had a feeling that this fork in the road would finally succeed at doing what Epson had tried to do over the years: Destroy him.

Mark me, Birch Baker.

And remember to be professional.

Exhaling, he tugged open the bottom drawer of his filing cabinet and picked up an unused stenciling marker, unwrapping it slowly to buy himself enough time to get his raging hard-on under control before conceding defeat.“Okay, Ms.Carter.I’m going to get that chair reclined and we can get started.”

Quality client chairs were one of his must-haves when he and Ryder opened Serpent’s Tongue.The sleek electric models he ordered did everything he needed with the press of a button, something he hadn’t fully appreciated until this moment, while his hands shook under Jocelyn’s steel gaze.

Pulling up his rolling stool, he passed her a crisp white towel.“I’m going to need you to take off—uh—I’ll need unimpeded access to your spine.”

In his peripheral, he could see her lips purse as she fought back a smile.“Of course.”

He angled his head to avoid staring while she removed her bra, distracting himself with a rough sketch on the back of a bill pad.“The chair can be cold, so you might want to put the towel down before you get on your stomach.”

“I’m ready, Mr.Baker.”

Spinning around, he froze, his pen dropping to the floor.

Forget the red lace bra hanging on the coat hook beside his worn leather jacket.Forget the black stilettos still on her feet, making her long, lean legs look even sexier.Hell, he could even get past the crimson thong peeking out over the band of the pants she had folded over to ensure he could reach her tailbone.

But the way she was draped across his chair, completely relaxed and ready for him?

Holy hell, he was in over his head.

She was on her stomach, her hands folded under her cheek as she studied him, lips parted and blonde hair splayed over the black headrest.Try as he might, he couldn’t ignore the swell of her breasts against the white towel, or the sensual sway of her bare back, the faint tan lines from a bikini sending his thoughts down a whole other rabbit hole.

“I think you’ll need that.”She smiled as she glanced at the pen at his feet.“Any last instructions?”

Snapping out of his daze, he picked up the pen, grabbed a pair of disposable gloves, and rolled to her side.“Just, uh, stay as still as you can and if you do need to move, give me a heads up.”Reaching over to grab the MP3 player he kept on hand, he passed it to her.“Anyone going under my gun, or pen in this case, plays DJ.”

He tugged his gloves on and pumped the foot pedal to raise his own seat, the simple routine preparations helping to cool his ignited libido.

And remember to be professional.

He’d done a few pre-drawings before for clients who weren’t wholly certain what they wanted.This was no different.Just a black pen and some skin.

Checking for any subtle curvatures he would need to account for, he ran a gloved finger down the length of her spine, looking to the ceiling for strength when she sighed and her hips lifted a fraction.

Yup.No different than usual.Just pen and ink and Jocelyn Carter’s ass pressed against his palm.

Uncapping the pen, he inched his chair in close while one of his old playlists crackled to life through the speakers.He steadied his nerves with a deep breath and brushed her hair aside, making the first strokes of the design at the base of her neck.As the image took shape, his mind finally entered work mode, the smooth expanse of Jocelyn’s back simply a perfect canvas.

Inch by inch he worked his way down her spine, lying to himself with every stroke.

Professional.

It was completely professional.

She was the ideal client, calm and still under his hands.His pen moved fluidly over her soft skin, her subtle reactions to its motions keeping him wholly in the moment.Short, feathered strokes brought about a hitch her breathing, the longer ones drawing soft moans barely audible over the music.Every so often he would pause to view his work and she would open one eye lazily, giving him a content smile before she’d relax again.

Completely.Professional.

The thin latex barrier of his gloves became a torture every time he touched her, dulling the feel of her enough to tease him but not enough to hide the heat of her flawless skin.If he ignored the fact that it was probably the most intimate experience he’d ever had with a woman, he could almost believe he had risen to her challenge.

But the pounding of his heart in his chest and the pressure of his cock straining against the zipper of his jeans were telltale signs he had definitely failed to keep it strictly business.

Adjusting his chair, he rolled further down her body to the last stretch, swallowing as he eyed the red band of her thong.“I’m going to need you to slide this down a bit,” he said, tapping the fabric on her hip with the back of his hand.

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