Page 10 of Tempting Eden

“I hate that for her.” She tsked. “Too bad she’s going to lose the leases, too. I’d love to help her out, but I need some incentive.”

She was cutthroat. Or maybe she was only trying to appear that way? Underneath the cold mask she’d effected, I felt something else. It was almost desperate. What was going on inside her?

Mr. Fairfax put his hands on his hips, next to the cell phone he had looped through his belt, somehow surly and comical at the same time. “You’re just as bad as Georgiana!”

Who’s Georgiana?My head was on a swivel, watching the pitched battle between them.

Ms. Rochester swung her feet down, leaned forward, and gave Mr. Fairfax a harsh glare. “What did you say?”

He held his hands up and took a step back. His expression went to apologetic in an instant, as if he’d crossed some invisible—but also painfully tangible—line. “Look, I’m sure Emily will cut you in.”

“Thanks for your assurance, but I’ll need it in writing. Three percent or I won’t do it.” She bit off the words.

Fairfax took another step back. “Fine. Consider it done. I’ll get the paperwork set up. Just, please get out to the site ASAP and get the rundown. Car’s waiting out front.”

“Damn stubborn woman,” he muttered and turned to leave.

Ms. Rochester was smiling big, though I didn’t know if she was happier about besting Emily or getting easy commissions.

Mr. Fairfax paused before pushing through her glass doors. “And mind the grate this time.”

She quirked an eyebrow at his retreating back before yanking a drawer open and pulling out an assortment of cosmetics. She painted her lips a startling crimson and spoke to me all the while.

“Get a notebook, pull the lease data from Emily’s user file on the database, and grab whatever sales literature she has on this. I’ll meet you at the car in five minutes.” She didn’t look at me, just continued making her lips irresistible.

I swallowed hard as an image of her red mouth pressed against my skin passed through my mind. What would that pout look like around my dick? I stood hastily and hurried to my desk to get her documents together. Not to hide the erection growing in my pants. Not at all.

I quickly pulled the sales data from the server and darted to Emily’s office to scoop up various brochures and amenity information. By the time I returned down the hall, Ms. Rochester was already gone. I pulled the few spreadsheets and other documents from the printer and dashed to the elevator. The ride was painfully slow. Ms. Rochester having to wait on me put a ridiculous amount of weight on my shoulders.

Finally, the elevator hit the ground floor, and I hurried out into the warm sun before ducking into the waiting black sedan. Ms. Rochester held her hand out, and I gave her the spreadsheet. The car took off as soon as my door closed.

“How many square feet and floors hasn’t she leased?”

I flipped through my small pile of documents. “Looks like two of the six floors remain empty, plus a small section of the top floor facing the entertainment district. Each floor looks to be about three thousand square feet of usable space. The top floor section that hasn’t leased is five hundred square feet.”

The trip to Five Points didn’t take long, though the whole ride was a series of rapid fire questions from her about the lease rates, other tenants, and several other details of the project. I flipped through the pages, feeling like the faster I answered, the better I would score on her quiz.

Once we were two blocks away, she leaned back into the black leather. “Okay, I think I have it. Do me a favor and look out the window at the scenery.”

I did as she asked, though I could see her in the reflection just fine. She smoothed her hair down and popped the two uppermost buttons on her blouse. Then she shimmied her skirt up higher so she was showing more of her gorgeous legs. She was like a spider spinning a web. How I would love to be the one caught in it. But it wasn’t meant for me.

Even so, I’d get a taste of her eventually. I hadn’t missed her heated looks or flushed skin. But I wasn’t a taker, not anymore. I’d wait for her to come to me, and then I’d pin her down and make her scream as she came on my mouth, my fingers, my cock. I smirked at the thought.

We pulled up to the curb beside the almost finished project. It was a somewhat glum poured concrete structure with too little glass. It needed more windows, more air. Instead, it was solid, thick, and earthbound.

“Look at this behemoth.” Ms. Rochester shook her head. “Emily’s a better salesperson than I thought if she managed to get it almost completely leased. Hideous.”

The driver opened her door and she stepped out. I eased over and followed so that we stood next to each other on the curb. The driver got back into the car. Above, on the topmost level, men worked on the final touches to the exterior—affixing precast panels and various additional decorative touches. The sun was warm, though fall was supposedly in full swing.

I glanced down at Ms. Rochester as she surveyed the building with her hands on her hips. She was a stunner, her features brightening in the golden light. Her gaze moved to mine. I didn’t look away. She turned toward me and reached up. I held my breath.

Her hands landed on my tie, straightening the knot and smoothing down the fabric. Her eyes never left mine, still measuring me, seeing what I would do. She ran her hands along my chest in a proprietary movement. Something sparked to life inside me—desire, hot and insistent. I wanted to grab her wrists and pull her closer, to smear her lipstick and kiss her until she was breathless.

“I like this tie.” She smiled up at me.

I wanted to redden her ass with my palm for teasing me. She was well aware of what she was doing to me. God, the things I’d have already done to her if she weren’t my boss. I swallowed, and she followed the dip of my Adam’s apple and licked her bright lips.Fuck, this woman.

“Rochester?” A man came from the front door of the building.

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