Page 6 of Forbidden Temptations

Dread’s cold fingers crept down Richard’s spine at Scarlet’s added emphasis. Dammit, was she going to try and start a fight?

Though the women had only met on a handful of occasions, exchanging barely more than a handful of words each time, for whatever instinctive, irrational reason, the atmosphere had crackled around them.

He could feel it building, raising the hairs on the back of his neck, and knew that rather than finding salvation in his wife, he’d jumped straight out of the frying pan, into the fire.

“Well, I’ll manage.”

Missing nothing, Alice’s gaze narrowed momentarily on her husband, who couldn’t help shifting guiltily on the balls of his feet under the hawk-like stare, before returning to the younger woman.

“But I’m sure you can give me a few pointers sometime.Dicktells me you’ve handled lots of woodwork around the firm.” She forced a wry smile. Richard, of course, had never said anything of the sort, but he wasn’t about to contradict her. “Your father must be very proud that you're treating his staff so well after he gave you a job?”

For all of a moment, Scarlet’s eyes widened in surprise. Then she recovered her composure and her smile melted away into a small, derisive twist.

“What can I say? I like to keep the men under me satisfied. Dick’s never has any complaints.” Alice’s nostrils flared and the fingers that had been creeping down Richard’s spine closed around his gut, but Scarlet appeared not to notice.

She shrugged, her eyes trailing over Alice from head to toe, scrutinising her like she would a document that came across her desk. “That’s such a lovely dress, Alice. Is it new?”

Oh, fuck! Richard didn’t need to look at his wife to know that, if Scarlet was trying to pick a fight, then she’d just hit her mark.

He knew he should step in, but Alice shot a look that warned him to stay out of it. The corner of her lip rose just enough to reveal the glint of white teeth, something she only did when she meant business and had him glancing nervously around the room.

Fortunately, no one seemed interested in taking advantage of the buffet or paying the confrontation any notice, yet.

“You deserve to treat yourself.” Scarlet pushed on, her voice laced with a sympathetic tone that was all pity and mocking. “Was it hard to find one in your new size? It would be just awful after you worked so hard to shed the last of that pesky baby weight, but I guess some things just can’t be helped...”

Alright, he needed to put an end to this. Whatever Scarlet’s game was, she had gone over the line.

Like so many women, Alice had always been overly self-conscious of her appearance. While no one could ever accuse his 110-pound wife, who could put away a whole pizza like Richard did a good 18oz steak, of being anorexic, she was borderline obsessive about her weight.

One of her main requirements, when they’d been flat hunting, was that there had to be a nearby gym, and she visited it almost daily. After Alex was born, she’d worked hard to rid herself of the pregnancy pounds and even harder now to maintain her figure. She would give back as good as she got and believed in taking the bull by the horns.

If a child tried to fob off not doing their homework, she called them on it.

When something went wrong at home and he wasn’t in, she dealt with it.

So, if Scarlet wanted a fight, Alice would damn well give her one.

Even if that was exactly what the little strumpet was counting on.

Richard opened his mouth to intervene, not at all interested in finding out just what his wife might say, or do for that matter, with so many people around them. Only Scarlet rounded on him before he could get a word out.

Her eyes were bright with an impish mischief that made him want to run a hand through his hair.

“Anyway.”

She cocked her head as if remembering an afterthought, her hair tumbling over one shoulder and exposing the long slope of her neck, as well as giving him a glimpse down the valley of her breasts.

“I just so happened to notice that piece of mistletoe hanging up there. So, I askedDickieif he considers it being unfaithful to kiss me.” She slid forward a step.

Heat bristled across the back of Richard’s neck, the fury in Alice’s stare burning his skin as Scarlet pressed into him and touched a hand to his cheek before he could think to pull away. The closeness as intoxicating as the perfume suddenly fogging his thoughts and her eyes held his.

“It’s such a small tradition I know, but they say it’s bad luck to ignore it.”

“Ohhh really?” Alice shouldered past the younger woman. Scarlet reeled, almost sprawling to the floor, before catching her balance at the last moment. “Then allow me.”

Her hands tangled in husband’s hair, fisting and dragging his head down so their lips crashed together in a fierce kiss.

The sudden embrace stole his breath away and he couldn’t help uttering a ragged moan as her tongue forced its way past his lips to meet his in a feverish dance. His hands rose on their own accord to circle around her waist before trailing down her back to grasp her full buttocks, roughly pulling her against him and drawing a low moan from his wife.

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