Authors: Cassandra Carr
Drew switched to water, since he had to be on the air later, but Jon continued to drink. He hadn't gotten a job after he'd retired—he was content to
spend his days like this, watching sports on television, playing golf, that sort of thing. Drew couldn't imagine it. He'd be bored to tears inside a
week. When he looked at his watch a while later, it was already past five o'clock. He couldn't believe hours had passed while he sat at a bar and
stewed. This was ridiculous—he needed to find out what the fuck was going on.
For some insane reason, it bothered him that she was upset. Was she ashamed about what she'd done? Did she regret sleeping with him? He
decided to confront her before the show started. Better to do that than let the problem fester al night. After al , they had to work together, right? In
the back of his mind, he knew he was doing it for more reasons than just because he had to work with her, but for now he was ignoring them. He
slid out of the booth, threw a pile of bil s on the table, said good-bye to Jon, and left to take a walk before going into the station, feeling better than
he had al day. At least now he had a plan, a potential solution.
Jamie stayed in the tub until her skin was wrinkly and the water was tepid. She was furious with herself and had developed a pounding
headache to top off everything else. Maybe I can cal in sick to work, she thought, then discarded that idea. No matter what else was going on, she
was stil new to this job and needed to prove herself.
Besides, why let him see how much he hurt me? I'll just go in there, head held high, and
pretend everything is just fine.
After climbing out of the tub, she gingerly dried off. Places she'd never even considered hurting from sex felt raw. Not surprisingly, her breasts
were aching, but upon closer inspection she saw that her stomach, thighs, and even the back of her neck had easily discernable bite marks. No
wonder they cal ed him The Beast—he'd left evidence of his passion al over her body, almost like he was marking her as his. She knew that was
sil y even to consider. She wasn't his, despite what he'd said last night. She applied scented lotion to her entire body just to torture him. Last night
he'd said her smel drove him wild.
Let him smell me all damn night.
Next, she dried her hair, working it until it spil ed down her shoulders in shiny, luscious waves instead of its usual mass of out-of-control ringlets.
She picked out a skirt with a slit halfway up her thigh. It revealed far more leg than she normal y would show at work, but to compensate, she paired
it with a turtleneck blouse. Hopeful y he'd go crazy with wanting a glimpse of her cleavage. She topped off her outfit with black leather over-the-knee
boots with a four-inch heel.
She was glad she worked the night shift. Few people would be around when she started her shift, and as she'd found out last night, luckily none
were there by the time the show ended.
This'll show him what he's missing
. Satisfied with her look, she dabbed perfume on her pulse points,
grabbed her purse, and left.
Her stomach grumbled as soon as she smel ed the bakery on her way down the stairs. She hadn't eaten since right after she got home. In her
current state of mind, she could actual y see herself kil ing for an eclair and a double espresso. Luckily she wouldn't have to.
As soon as she walked in the door, Liz let out a wolf whistle. “Girl, you look hot! What's the occasion?”
Jamie took a look around, and even though she didn't see anybody at the moment, leaned over the counter so as not to be overheard. “Drew
and I...”
Liz shrieked, and Jamie jumped back, fearing for her eardrums. Before she could retreat farther, Liz had shot out from behind the counter and
grabbed Jamie's hands, doing a little dance. “You tamed the beast?” Jamie frowned, and Liz immediately sobered. “What?”
“We slept together last night, but this morning was a disaster. So now I've decided to torture him to show him I don't need him.”
“Wel , in an outfit like that, honey, he's gonna be drooling and panting. I'm not sure he's going to be coherent enough to do the show.”
“Too damn bad.”
Liz laughed. “Show no mercy!”
When Jamie didn't so much as crack a smile, Liz put her arm around her. “Did he hurt you?”
“I should've known what he was like. I
did
know what he was like; I just wanted to believe I'd be different. Why I'd be different, I have no idea. I
just... I wanted to be more special than al the other women he screws, you know?”
“You
are
better than al those other women—you're smart, you're sexy, you're kind—you've got it al over them. If he doesn't see that, then it's his
problem, not yours. Now go make him fal onto his knees and beg.”
“Thanks, Liz. I real y appreciate the pep talk. I needed it. If you could keep al this to yourself, that would be great, though. Drew is press shy after
that whole engagement debacle, and since we work together, we're trying to be discreet.”
“Of course. I won't say anything, I promise.
Jamie smiled. “Can I have an espresso and maybe an eclair before I go on my manhunt?”
“Sure, you can have anything you want! Go sit down, I'l bring it to you.”
Jamie took a seat and stared out the window. Liz brought her the sweet treat and the coffee and then went back to the counter to restock the
display cases. It was just as wel —Jamie knew she'd be miserable company right now.
She finished her snack and said good-bye to Liz before making her way to the subway. As she pushed on to the train with the other passengers,
she caught several men looking her over as if she were a prime steak, and a few were daring enough to issue a proposition, but she ignored them
al . She was normal y bothered by the catcal s and lecherous looks thrown her way, but tonight she figured they were proof she was looking smoking
hot.
The subway was crowded, and she knew some of the male passengers bumped her intentional y, but there was nothing she could do about it.
She probably should've sprung for a taxi, but the trip from her apartment al the way to Manhattan would have cost a fortune, especial y in this traffic,
and unlike Drew, her funds were severely limited, especial y since she hadn't gotten her first paycheck yet from the new job.
She arrived at the station and took the elevator to her floor, then stopped in the bathroom to check her appearance. She made a brief stop at
her cubicle to check e-mail and then continued on to the producer's booth. She was surprised to see Drew sitting in her chair, drumming his fingers
on the desk.
His eyebrows were knit together, and the frown he wore would've given a lesser woman pause, but she marched right into the production area.
He was on her turf, and there was no way he was going to intimidate her.
Anyway, what the hell does he have to be angry about? I'm the one who
got unceremoniously dumped this morning.
“You're in my chair,” she informed him cool y, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot.
He was on his feet before she even registered the movement. He grabbed her, then turned them both, trapping her between his body and the
desk. His hands gripped her hips as he pul ed her flush with his body. Her treacherous libido reacted to his closeness immediately, her thighs
tightening and her stomach fluttering.
Damn him! Who does he think he is? He either takes what he got last night, or he dates me—I'm not going
to be treated like his personal sex toy.
Drew's cock hardened painful y the instant he saw her. Even angry like she obviously was, she was a vision. When he was playing hockey and
had been faced with a stifling defensive scheme, he relied on what he did best—went on the offensive. He slid out of the chair and grabbed her
hips, pul ing her into his pelvis.
His eyes closed in pleasure as he simultaneously heard her gasp, felt her soft breasts press against his chest, and smel ed her perfume mixed
with a hint of her arousal. The fact he was turning her on, despite whatever was going on inside her head, just made him want her more.
She tried to push him away, huffing in outrage, but before she could say a word, he'd swooped down and taken her lips in a punishing kiss,
tasting her anger, her indecision, and something else that was uniquely Jamie. Her hands were on his chest, but now she wasn't pushing him away.
She'd grabbed his shirt in her fists and was holding on tight. When he final y released her, her mouth closed, then opened, then closed again.
He gave her a cocky grin, knowing it might get him kneed in the nuts. He couldn't figure out why he was trying to make her even madder but
couldn't stop himself from egging her on. “Nothing to say to me? No ‘how are you, Drew'? No, ‘I have no idea why I acted like a harpy this morning,
and I'd like to apologize'?”
“A harpy?” she shrieked. “Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to come in here like some caveman and grab me when I clearly
didn't want you to?”
“Didn't want me to? Huh, could've fooled me,” he retorted. “You kissed me back.” He saw the slap coming and grabbed her wrist before it made
contact. “You
really
don't want to do that,” he warned her in a low voice. He didn't care how pissed off she was—there was no excuse for getting
violent.
He would never, ever strike a woman, and he didn't think it was fair women didn't extend the same courtesy to men. Sure, if a woman was being
attacked or something, a slap and worse was warranted, but just because she wasn't happy about something didn't give her the right to react like
that.
“Like hel I don't!” she snapped, a tinge of red in her cheeks.
He pushed his body into hers again, pressing his erection to her stomach, stil completely confused about why he was baiting her. He felt her
sharp intake of breath but noticed she didn't push him away.
Progress.
“You're nothing but a big bul y!”
“I thought that's what you liked,” he teased her. He knew he should shut the hel up, but for some insane reason, he was immensely enjoying
pushing her buttons.
“Fuck you.”
“As I recal , it was the other way around last night.”
“Wel , you better have a good memory, because that's the last time you're ever going to touch me.”
She was stil in his arms as she made the comment, and he snorted in response. He didn't need this shit. There were plenty of other women who
were more than wil ing to warm him up at night. Unfortunately none of them appealed to him the way Jamie did, which pissed him off. He decided
he'd had it with her attitude. “Okay, Jamie, cut the crap. What the fuck is going on?”
“Going on?” she repeated. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“There's nothing going on with me, except this raging hard-on,” he replied, rubbing against her again. He figured he should stop being a
masochist and was about to let her go when he saw her pupils flare with desire.
“Stop that!” she ordered him.
It wasn't like him to press, but he couldn't leave it alone. He must be crazy. “Again, as I recal , that's not what you said last night.”
“Last night I was delusional. Why I thought you'd be different...”
He snapped to attention. “Different? How? What do you mean—you thought I'd be different? Different from what?” He was glad they stil had
some time before the show started—this whole thing seemed to be more complicated than he'd original y thought.
“Let me go, Drew,” she pleaded, not meeting his gaze. Noting how defeated she sounded, he reluctantly released her and stepped back. “I did
things with you I've never done with anyone. I said things I've never said. I admitted things I never wanted anyone to know. Then, this morning, you
dismissed me like I was just another of your endless hussies.”
Drew started to smile at her use of the word “hussies,” but schooled his expression when she glanced up and frowned at him. “What did I do that
was so bad? As I recal ...”
“Would you quit it with the ‘as I recal 's,’ please?”
“Fine. From what I remember, I said ‘good morning, would you like some coffee?’ I don't see what's so terrible about that.”
“You wouldn't,” she spat at him. “We've got work to do. This conversation is over.”
“It's not over until we—” He was cut off when she clenched her fists and screeched.
What the fuck
? Reacting by instinct, he covered her mouth
with his. It was al he needed to have half the building come running to see what the fuss was about.
Once he'd started kissing her, he snaked his tongue into her mouth, unable to stop himself from tasting her. He continued his relentless assault.
This woman was like a drug to him—he had to have her. When she stil ed and stopped resisting, he stepped away again, running a hand through
his hair. “Look, we need to settle this. The show is starting in"—he checked his watch—"six minutes. Tel me what I did wrong, and I'l apologize for
it, even though I am completely mystified about why you're so pissed.”
She couldn't believe her ears. He had no idea why she was angry?
Men
. It was real y too bad vibrators couldn't compete with them—at least al
they needed to make you happy was more batteries. She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. This was getting them nowhere. She looked into
his eyes, real y studying their depths. He was tel ing the truth. He honestly seemed to have no idea what was wrong. In some ways she felt sorry for
him and al men; they could be so clueless.
She figured she might as wel enlighten him and get this over with. “Look, I know the show is starting soon, and we don't have time to hash