Page 24 of Forbidden Temptations

Alice wasn’t usually the jealous type, but where Richard was concerned, she was possessive. She was possessive as hell, and it had not escaped her notice that other women were taking an interest in her husband. Of course, he had always been a good-looking man, but age, it seemed, agreed with him. The cute puppy she’d cornered in the stockroom had grown up into a fox that any red-blooded woman would have to be blind not to notice. And when they did, she had to resist the urge to go up to them and claw their eyes out.

Normally, she had the urge under control. However, Scarlet’s undisguised flirtations at the party had been the last straw.

Richard was hers. Her lover. The father of her baby. Her soul mate, and it was time she reaffirmed their bond.

Just imagining all the ways she could have her way with him, could brand him, mark him as hers, had her lip twisting devilishly as she slipped into the kitchen to rummage through the fridge. She could get the ice cream out now, so that it melted a bit first. Or maybe it would be better to start with the wet celery, as they still had the flying helmet from that Halloween party the year before they moved and she could always use the egg whisk on his-

A frantic shriek sounded from somewhere on the floor above.

Thedoorwassleekpine with a bronze plaque embossed with the legend,S. Holmes, Accounts Supervisor.

Being the boss’s daughter certainly had its perks.

Richard knocked once, then pushed on through without waiting for an answer.

Seated at the immense leather-topped oak desk that dwarfed her and the rest of the office, Scarlet was working on her computer. Behind her, floor to ceiling windows boasted a picturesque landscape of the river below.

To a stranger, she might have looked oblivious, blind to the goings on around her, her focus dominated by her work, but Richard knew better. Scarlet was anything but oblivious. She was the sort of woman who woke up intending to conquer the world. Who missed nothing.

Without waiting for an invitation, he crossed the wood panelled floor, bypassing the plush leather sofa to take the simple leather and teak chair opposite her side of the desk.

She didn’t look up, nod, or do anything to acknowledge his presence.

Nor would she. Not yet. Not until she was ready.

It was her game, a power play to remind the minion just who was the boss.

Well, at least she didn’t make him pass her tea or pick pens off of the floor.

The office had been the department’s briefing room before her appointment. Her predecessor had made do with the windowless coat cupboard three doors down. It was simple and functional, but large enough to impress. And beige. Very beige. Beige walls. Beige rugs. Beige leather…

Beige. Safe and soothing, and not at all Scarlet Holmes.

She was as bloody crimson as her namesake. And then a dash extra.

All heat and passion and searing raw emotion. And beauty.

Scarlet flaunted flawless skin, tanned to a soft peach hue, that complimented the waves of spun gold that tumbled down to her shoulders. She wore a tight white dress that showed off plenty of leg and had a deep plunging neckline to emphasise her figure. There wasn’t a man alive who could deny Scarlet wasverylovely.

The matter wasn’t up for discussion. It was a fact.

And only skin deep.

Beneath the fragile beauty, she was as hard and sharp as steel. A lioness disguised in a little bunny’s fur.

He ignored the urge to check his watch. That subtle hint would only prolong the game, though. Scarlet would see to that, sure enough. So instead, he amused himself by watching the goings on outside the tall windows behind her desk that overlooked the line of narrow boats and yachts moored along the Sharpness Canal.

The view was wasted on Scarlet.

When she turned to him, the bunny beamed up at him. “Hey Dick.”

“Hi Scarlet,” Richard smiled back, inwardly steeling himself. If she wanted to play her games, he’d play. “How was your day?”

It was a poor effort, but the best he could do on the fly. It got the job done.

“Oh, the usual, same shit, different day. You headin’ home for the day?”

“Yeah soon, just had a couple of things I wanted to finish up first.”

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