Page 43 of The Confidentiality Clause
“Your sister gets into town tonight. Should I greet her at the airport with the news that you’ve been hiding things from her?”
I scowl. “You’re already forcing me to go to dinner on Wednesday. I’m never going to get any work done at this rate.”
“The sooner you get up here, the sooner I leave,” she singsongs.
I let out a growl and climb up on the desk. I lift my hands up and drop them. “There, happy now?”
“Almost.” She takes a sip of her iced coffee. “Dance with me.”
“Someone should make a missing person poster for your brain, because it must be gone if you think I’m going to dance with you.”
“Dance, or I’m not leaving.”
I grimace and start to shift side to side like an awkward preteen at their first middle school dance. “You have terrible taste in music.”
“I have fantastic taste. You don’t like it because you gave your soul up to this skyscraper.”
With that encouraging statement, she places a hand on my shoulder as she sways her hips to the beat. I swallow and avert my gaze.
“Is that really all you’ve got?” she challenges.
I snag her iced coffee and drop it into the trash can beside my desk.
“Hey! You can’t–” She cuts off with a gasp when I grab her by her hips and pull her to me.
I meet her gaze as we move in time to the beat.
“How’s this?” My voice comes out huskier than I intended.
“Better, but still weak,” she replies, fire in her eyes.
I smirk and take her hand, then spin her away from me. Her long brown hair flies out with the movement. She spins back into my chest. I press my lips to her ear.
“How about now?”
“Not half bad,” she replies in a breathy voice before spinning away again.
We dance, and I start to loosen up as we do. After a dizzying set of turns, Ariel’s foot slips off the edge. I catch her, drawing her to me as she laughs. When I bought this desk, I thought the size was overkill. Who knew it would serve as a dance floor?
Ariel’s forehead falls against my chest. Her shoulders shake with her giggles. The song changes before she moves away. It’s a slower one, singing about the wonders of love.
She lifts her head and meets my gaze. “I don’t know why this one came on. It’s supposed to be playing my dance party playlist.”
We sway to the melody. Neither of us pulls away. I can’t stop staring into her deep blue eyes.
“You have a dance party playlist?” I raise a brow. “Do you dance on desks often?”
“Yours is the first,” she says with a shy smile that causes warmth to spread throughout my chest. “I have danced on a few tables in my day and a kitchen island or two.”
I smile at the image of her dancing in her kitchen without a care in the world. It’s easy to picture after watching her sing while cooking over the weekend.
“Somehow, I’m not surprised.”
“What can I say? I like to have fun. Life should befun.” She grabs the lapels of my suit coat and gives me a playful shake. “Not all work.”
I let go of her waist and step back. “Speaking of work, I should get back to it. Since you sent my assistant away, I’m going to have double the calls.”
I get down off my desk, then look up at Ariel. Concern blankets her expression. I expected anger. I’m not sure what’s worse anymore. She glances at the skirt she’s wearing and then at the floor.
