Page 23 of Dirty Little Secret, Baby
When our eyes meet, I feel my breath hitch for a second. She’s standing there in a floral top, a little stretched at the edges, andthrough the thin fabric I can see the outline of her gorgeous nipples, those even more gorgeous breasts. I think of what I did with that last year, and I can practically feel how just the thought gets me going.
Sweatpants, and little strands of her wild, curly hair sticking out in every direction. I’ve got to admit, I rarely find loungewear this hot.
Seconds tick by while we just stare at each other and no one says a word.
"What do you want?" Beth asks, folding her arms over her chest. "You going to throw ten thousand dollars on the counter too for dinner and the shop?"
"What...? What are you talking about?" I ask, baffled.
"Oh, come on. It can’t be a coincidence that you show up right after this Jake was here, who slapped ten thousand dollars on the counter if he could have my shop and take me out for a night. Are you two brothers? Business partners? Or gay friends?"
I can’t help it; I have to laugh at that last comment.
"Jake is..." I stop. What do I say? I don’t want to lie. But I also don’t want to come right out and tell her I’m interested in the shop too and absolutely don’t want Jake getting his hands on it. She’d definitely send me packing again. And I don’t want that. I’d much rather enjoy this stunning view.
Maybe the art of omission will do. Say little, but keep it true.
"We go back. He used to work for me and..."
"Then he learned his bad manners from you," she cuts in, and I’m actually grateful for it.
"You gave him an appropriate answer," I say, grin a little, and am pleased to see a smile forming on her lips too, so I carefully take a few steps toward her.
"I told him to donate the money to the animal shelter and leave me alone."
"Good idea," I say. "The shelters must be overflowing. Otherwise I can’t explain why someone left an injured cat on my doorstep today."
"There are some real bastards on this planet," she says, looking me dead in the eye. The double meaning is hard to miss.
"About what happened a year ago..." I begin. "Let me finish. Please," I practically beg as she raises her index finger, shakes her head, and steps closer, and I can see her cheeks flush.
"You have ten seconds," she snaps, crossing her arms and standing right in front of me.
"My assistant lured me into the office under false pretenses. An alleged emergency. A minor issue with my helicopter. When Igot back, you were gone. And my assistant wanted to sleep with me and..."
"Time’s up. So that’s your explanation? That you screwed your assistant?" she asks sharply, staring at me in disbelief. I get it: why the hell can’t I get to the point? Why do words fail me around her?
"No. We didn’t have sex. I fired her on the spot and hired a male assistant and..." I swallow the lump in my throat, step a little closer, and look her straight in the eye. "I thought about you a lot. About our night and how good it was. I’m sorry it had to end like that."
Beth says nothing. She stands there, thunderstruck, not reacting at all. I don’t know what she expects now or what I expect from her, so I just follow my instinct. I move in, slowly, toward her beautiful face, breathe in her scent. Our lips are only an inch or two apart and...
"I can’t..." she whispers.
I stop, look at her, and slowly pull back.
"I’m sorry, I..." she begins.
"I’m sorry. I came on too strong. Sorry," I say, taking two steps back to reestablish the space between us.
She didn’t want to kiss me, but there’s something there. I see it in her eyes. She seems to be fighting herself, and I don’t know why. What’s tormenting her? Did I hurt her that badly? Or is there something else going on?
"Go out with me! Tonight!" The words leave my mouth before I can think.Great, Alex. So much for taking it slow.
"Please," I add. Am I really begging her for a date? Did I leave my masculinity somewhere at the door?
"Just dinner. As an apology for back then," I add again, because Beth still hasn’t said anything and is just staring at me.
"I... have to take care of something. There are online orders... my temp and... Veronica. Also... I... I mean, the apartment upstairs, it’s not tidy and..." Beth babbles.
