Page 64 of The Fix Up

Holly nodded and crossed her legs as he threw open the car door and sprinted for the hotel lobby. She watched him go, smoothing her hair down with hands that wouldn’t stop shaking. She barely had time to undo her own seat belt before Ben was back at the car and yanking her door open. “Come on. We’ve got a room on the eighth floor, which means I can use the elevator ride to get most of your clothes off.”

She let him pull her to her feet, electrified by his touch. They raced to the hotel’s side door, pulling each other along as they headed for the bank of elevators.

“This way.” Ben gripped her hand tighter as he pulled her into the elevator after him and hit the button for the eighth floor. Then he turned and pushed her up against the wall. “Where were we?” he murmured.

“You were kissing me. And touching me. And using business jargon to get me hot.”

“Right. I think I was dipping my pen in the company ink.”

“Christ, yes,” she gasped as his hand found its way under her skirt again, and Holly thanked her lucky stars she hadn’t bothered putting her panties back on. His fingers slipped inside her as she braced herself on the handrail. Her palms were damp with sweat and she lost her grip, but Ben held her up, pinning her against the wall. He was completely in control, just like she’d coached him.

She was equally thrilled and terrified.

“Is this what they mean by market penetration?” she groaned as his fingers slid deep inside her.

“Absolutely,” he said as he slid his finger out and then in again. “We need to really drill down on the issue.”

“I believe it requires some deep analysis.”

Holly let go of the rail to caress one hand up his back. The other hand found its way to the front of his trousers and she moaned aloud at the hardness she found there. “Are your assets expanding, or are you just happy to see me?”

“I’m really fucking happy to see you,” he breathed against her neck as he kissed her there, then worked his way down. “God, Holly, I want you. I want to taste you and touch you and feel myself sliding inside you.”

“I accept that offer.” Everything inside her buzzed with energy, and she almost couldn’t believe she was about to have him for real.

The elevator doors swished open, and Ben stepped in front of her, shielding her from prying eyes. She smoothed her hands over her hair, nodding to the elderly couple that stood frowning beside the elevator. Ben turned and grabbed her hand, pulling her along behind him.

“Sir. Ma’am,” he said. “Lovely afternoon.”

Holly stifled a giggle as he tugged her down the hall. She could hear the old woman tittering behind her.

“Did you see that?—”

The words faded behind them as Ben shoved the key card into the slot on the door. He pushed it open, then took off his glasses. Tossing them on a table by the door, he turned back to Holly. He didn’t bother with lights as he pulled her inside, kicking the door shut behind them.

“Are you up for some collaborative interface?”

“I should be able to fit you in and seal the deal for good.”

Her voice was high and tight and she was running out of business jargon and working brain cells. She twined her fingers around his neck as their mouths collided in a kiss so fierce it uncoiled something dark and primal inside her. Ben walked her backward toward the bed, holding her upright and not breaking the kiss as his hands moved over her back, her ribs, her neck.

Holly felt the back of her legs bump the bed as his hands moved to her hips. Then he cupped her ass, and she gave a squeak of surprise as he lifted her off the ground and tossed her back onto the bed. He fell with her, pinning her beneath all that lovely, solid weight.

He broke the kiss to gaze into her eyes. “Last chance. You sure?”

“Positive. Kiss me again.”

“I’ll take direction from you any day.” He claimed her mouth as she clawed at his shirt, tugging it free from his pants. She slid her palms over his newly bared flesh, enjoying the flex of muscle in his lower back. Ben kept kissing her silly, his mouth exploring the edge of her jawbone, the tip of her chin, the soft hollow behind her ear. One of his hands slipped beneath her, unhooking her bra through her shirt like he’d done it a million times before. She moaned as her breasts slipped free of the underwire, and his palm slid around to cup one, his thumb grazing her nipple.

Holly clutched at his belt, needing more. She wanted to feel his skin against hers, to know the intimate weight of his chest pressing her into the bedspread. She skimmed her hands up his body, bringing them to rest on his chest. She pushed against him, and Ben broke the kiss. She seized the chance to grab hold of his tie, her fingers fumbling with the knot at the top.

“The downside of being a CEO,” he murmured, laughing as she tugged at the necktie in frustration. “It takes a lot less effort to remove pajama pants.”

“I’m about two seconds from chewing through this damn tie.”

“Allow me.”

Ben worked the knot free while Holly marveled at how quickly he’d managed to master the unfamiliar accessory. The man was a fast learner, she had to admit. She reached up and began slipping buttons through their holes, stripping him down to a plain white undershirt. He tossed his tie aside and went back to kissing her, marking a burning path of lip prints down her throat and into the hollow between her breasts. Holly shoved the sleeves of his dress shirt off his shoulders, her fingertips lingering on the curve of his biceps.

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