Dazzle her: Laws of Seduction Book 3 (4 page)

Since Mills was looking at me as he asked the question, I know he is thinking of the warning he had given me to stay away from James. I swallow my discomfort. “It’s been an on-again off-again thing for a while. When I started here, it was during an off phase, so I didn’’t think it was an issue. Then when it was on again, I didn’t want to become a source of office gossip. James convinced me that keeping our relationship a secret at the office was causing more harm than good.” I give James a reassuring smile.

Mills raises his eyebrows. “So you knew each other before you started working at HM?”

I twist the bracelet on my wrist. “Yes, we met last spring, but I didn’t know that James worked here until I saw him in the corridor.”

“Hmm. Interesting. I will have to inform Human Resources, of course, but I don’t see why we have to do anything further.”

James sits utterly still, and I jump a little at the sound of his voice. “Andrew, there is one other thing. I was the friend that Lainey was with this past weekend.”

“I see. You were in the Hamptons together then?”

“Yes, we got back late Sunday evening. You can inform the fire investigator if you think it is necessary.”

I feel like I am walking on air as I leave Mills’s office. That had not been nearly as bad as I had anticipated. I grin up at James, who leans down to give me a chaste kiss. “Now I can do that whenever I want.”

“Do you forgive me for this morning?” He knows I am referring to Alex.

“Baby, right now I could forgive you anything. See, that wasn’t so bad.”

I give him a wink. “James McAllister, right as usual.”

With my happy mood once again restored, I return to my desk. By mid-morning I am ready for a second cup of coffee and make my way to the kitchenette. I have just popped a coffee pod into the machine when Becca walks in, followed closely by Bethany. “Elaine, have you heard?”

“What?” I ask in alarm. Had they discovered who had torched my office?

“G-man and Elizabeth had a fight, and it’s all because of another woman,” Becca says in a confiding tone.

Bethany chimes in. “We heard that they are about to break up because he won’t stay away from other women.”

“It must have been a terrible fight, because he didn’t even shave this morning, and he always shaves.”

“He is so handsome with a five o’clock shadow. Don’t you think so?” Bethany asks dreamily.

I follow their dialog with something akin to horror. When I realize that they have become silent and are waiting for me to respond, I only manage to stutter, “J-j-ames is hot.” I watch as their eyes widen, and their reaction perplexes me.

CHAPTER 5

Heat rushes to my face as I hear a rich baritone voice behind me. “I’m glad you think so.” Whipping around, I find myself standing toe-to-toe in front of a grinning James. I am vaguely aware of Becca and Bethany scurrying away like frightened mice and Becca’s whispered admonition. “Code name, that’s why we use a code name.”

Luckily James either does not hear or chooses to ignore her. “So you think I’m hot?” His dimple peeks out, and it is hard to resist his boyish grin.

I find myself grinning back at him, but roll my eyes in exasperation. “Come on. You know you are hot. All the women in this office salivate over you daily.”

James suddenly grabs my waist and pulls me toward him. The feel of his soft, warm lips in contrast to his stubble scraping across my neck sends a shiver of excitement rippling through me. His lips move to my mouth, where he playfully bites my lip. “Only one woman’s opinion interests me. You have such a sexy mouth.” He punctuates his words with tiny kisses before devouring my mouth.

The sound of approaching voices has James pulling back and looking at me with such searing promise that I don’t know how I manage to stay on my feet. He lets go of me just as some paralegals enter the kitchenette. I grip the back of the counter to keep my balance and ignore James’s knowing smirk. After we each have a cup of coffee in hand, James walks me back to my desk. “I wish we could take up where we left off just now this evening, but I have a client dinner tonight that will probably run late.”

I feel a flicker of disappointment at his announcement, but I smile at him with understanding. “Work can be bitch. That’s alright. I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I will probably call it an early night.”

“You didn’t get much sleep last night? Any reason in particular?”

I look up into James’s twinkling eyes and deadpan, “I don’t know, but it could have been the sex fiend in my bed.””

“Sex fiend?” James asks in mock outrage. “There was only one sex fiend in that bed last night, and it wasn’t me.”

I widen my eyes in feigned horror. “Are you saying that I am a sex fiend?”

“That is exactly what I am saying.”

We reach my desk, and I sit down in my chair and try to keep a straight face. “This discussion isn’t over,” I warn him with narrowed eyes, ““but I have to get back to work now.”

“Fine. We can discuss this more later. Just remember, I am not the one carrying con…” James breaks off, glancing at Nora and Patti, “gummy bears around in my bag.”” With that parting shot, he strides off towards his office.

Patti and Nora’s twin expressions of confusion make me want to laugh. “Gummy bears?” Patti asks.

I shrug and turn to face my computer so they won’t see the huge grin spread across my face. “He may be a handsome devil, but his sense of humor is a bit odd.”

The document I need to review flashes on the screen in front of me. I have to force myself to concentrate. One thought keeps bouncing around in my head. James called me a sex fiend. Sure, we were just joking around, but that is not a term that I thought would ever be associated with me. Since meeting James, my interest in sex had skyrocketed. Before James, when it came to sex, I could take it or leave it. James made me push my sexual boundaries and forget my inhibitions. Whatever happened in this relationship, I was getting to know a whole new side of myself.

Sam and I are both home for the evening. With our demanding jobs and new relationships, it seems like we rarely see each other anymore. We grab falafel sandwiches from the small Israeli restaurant next door and eat them sitting on the floor at our coffee table. It reminds me of all the nights that Sam and I ate falafel and crammed for our law school exams.

After swearing her to secrecy, I decide to tell Sam about confusing James’s mother for another of his women. I don’t want a repeat of the “monkey sex”” incident. She of course thinks this is hilarious. I also tell her about our big reveal in Mills’s office.

“Was he shocked?”

I think back to Mills’s reaction. “He was definitely surprised, but he hid it well.”

“He said he was going to inform Human Resources, but that’s it?”

“That’s what he said.”

“So your secret’s still safe unless one of them talks.”

“I suppose so, or unless someone catches us making out in the kitchen.” I can’t stop the grin at the memory of our make-out session in front of the coffee machine.

Sam’s eyes widen at the sight of my grin. “No. You didn’t.” My smile still in place, I give a helpless shrug. “Lainey Hart, you are turning into such a little slut. Did you get caught?”

“Almost.”

Sam admonishes me with a worried frown, “You need to be more careful. I am telling you, Lainey, office gossip can make your life miserable.”

The thought of Becca and Bethany and their unending talk of G-man sobers me. I shudder at the thought of their reaction to James and me dating. “Did I tell you that James has a nickname around the office?”

“Really? That sounds intriguing.”

“It’s G-man, short for gorgeous man.”

“It fits. I’ll say that much for it. Does he know? Maybe I’ll start calling him that.” Sam cocks her head as if imagining it. I start to regret telling her about the nickname when she adds, “Or maybe not. I don’t think he needs the boost to his ego.”

Relieved to have that disaster averted, I take the remnants of our meal to the kitchen.

Sam calls after me, “If only Mills and Human Resources know about you and James, you could still keep it a secret. Do you think the people in HR will talk?”

I consider her question as I throw our wrappers into the trash and retrieve two more sodas from the refrigerator. “I don’t think so. Aren’t they supposed to keep things like that confidential?”

Sam scoffs, “’Supposed to’ being the key words.”

“I can’t see Valerie Rodriguez spreading gossip. She prides herself on her professionalism.”

“In that case, you might have a chance of keeping your relationship quiet.” Sam wags her finger under my nose. “But there can be no more hanky-panky around the office.””

“You sure are bossy.”

Sam gives me a satisfied smile. “I know. It comes from being the baby of the family. I always get my way.”

Having visited Sam’s family, I know exactly what she is talking about. They all treat her as if she is a princess. Even her older sister, Suzanne, gives in to her every wish.

Already knowing the answer, I ask, “Want to go for a run in Central Park?”

“Puh-lease. You know I save me workouts for the bedroom.” I roll my eyes and head off to change into my running clothes.

Although I have to stop and wait at several lights, I run ten blocks up to Columbus Circle. From there I enter Central Park and run around the lower part, turning back at the 72
nd
Street transverse. My thoughts revolve around my conversation with Sam. In my mind I weigh the pros and cons of continuing to keep my relationship a secret from the office gossips. One of the reasons James wanted to be open about our relationship was to deter Elizabeth from her obsession with him. Didn’t I want that too? On the other hand, the reactions from people like Becca and Bethany were not something I wanted to face anytime soon.

In the end I decide to let fate run its course. I didn’t have much hope of keeping it a secret for long, but that also didn’t mean that I had to be shoving my relationship with James in people’’s faces. It was a workplace, after all. I was there to do work, and it would be better to avoid James and situations like the one in the kitchenette. Firm in my resolve to do everything in my power to keep my relationship with James low-key, I finish my run.

CHAPTER 6

The Soho Photo Gallery is a large open space with hardwood floors and taupe-colored walls. Black-and-white photographs in black frames hang with even spacing along the walls. I stand with Nick in front of one of the more graphic photos. It depicts a demon in the guise of a nude woman. Nick is unusually quiet, and I can only assume that he finds the photos as disturbing as I do. When I see the photographer headed towards us, I give Nick a slight nudge.

“Elaine, I am so glad you could come.” Tobin leans over and air kisses both of my cheeks. I introduce Tobin to Nick, explaining how we had met a couple of weeks ago at a party on the Upper East Side.

“How is Davis? I had hoped he would come.” Tobin says. Davis was an Australian photographer who I dated briefly before things became more serious with James.

“He is on a photoshoot this week with Nick’s boyfriend.”

“Somewhere nice I hope.”

Nick shrugs. “Canada. Nowhere that exotic.”

“So what do you think?” Tobin waves his arm toward the photographs.

“They are quite provocative.” I smile politely, hoping that my distaste for his art is well-hidden.

“Aren’t they? I know they are not for everyone, but I am happy with the results. You must be sure to take a look at those over there. They are my favorites.”

As Tobin darts off to talk to more guests, Nick pulls me towards the pictures that Tobin indicated. “Okay, after a quick look we are out of here. Tell me again, why we did we come?”

“You know James couldn’t come with me tonight, and you were lonely without Brad.”

“Yes, but I can think of a million things I would rather be doing than looking at these photographs.”

As we walk past a disturbing photo of a nude woman and a snake, I avert my eyes. “Tobin called me this week and begged me to come to his opening. I didn’t have the heart to say no.”

“You are too kind-hearted.”

“He seemed so desperate, like he was afraid no one would come.” I look around at the crowds of people. “I don’t think he needed to worry.”

“It’s probably the free wine. Because it is definitely not the pictures.”

I shush Nick, afraid that someone will hear. He starts to tell me that I shouldn’t care about other people’s opinions when he breaks off abruptly. I turn to see what has caught his attention, and the world freezes. Nick is looking at a series of four large photos. In each photo a different woman appears nude and brutalized. The one that has captured Nick’s interest is a picture of a woman who looks just like me. If I didn’t know that I had never posed for this picture, I could even believe that it was me. I stare at the picture in horrified stupefaction.

Nick reaches down and grips my hand tightly. “Lainey, this is creepy. Let’s get out of here.”

We slip past one group after another until we finally find ourselves out on the sidewalk. I stand there speechless. Nick looks down at me with concern. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”