Without Limits: Austin (Rugged Riders Book 4) (7 page)

“
Y
ou’re twenty minutes late
.”

Those were the first words that came out of Trent’s mouth as Zaira opened the office door and sauntered inside the next day. The time had advanced well past four o’ clock and almost everyone was gone or preparing to go home.

“You get bonus points for knowing how to tell time.” Zaira placed her suitcase on a table near the door, shrugged out of her cardigan, and hung it on the coat rack next to his jacket. “I was stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway. A tractor-trailer jack-knifed and then overturned. They were in the middle of clear out when I reached midtown. My apologies.”

Trent was seated behind his desk with two piles of paperwork in front of him. There was a black fountain pen behind his ear and binder clips spread across his working surface. His thick mane of dark hair looked tousled as if he’d been excessively running his fingers through it during the day. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone and his tie was loosened around his neck revealing the gold chain she’d always known him to wear.

Zaira could tell he’d shaved this morning. There was no dusting of a five o’ clock shadow as there’d been the day before. Not that it would have been an issue if he hadn’t shaved. She’d seen what he looked like after going a few days without over grooming. He was drop dead gorgeous regardless and he didn’t even have to try to be.

She looked up just in time to discover his gaze roaming over her. His grey eyes darkened as he assessed her. The dress code here was business dress so after working out of her home office most of the day wearing pajamas, she’d shred her rags for the whole nine yards. Black pencil skirt, a jade-colored silk blouse, and black plumps. The weather wasn’t cold enough for panty hose, but she never liked to wear them anyway so she’d gone without today.

“No apologies needed.” His gaze sauntered away from hers. “Close the door so the janitor knows that we’re still working.”

She pulled the door closed.

He stood up and dragged a chair next to his behind the desk. “Have a seat.”

“There’s a seat right here.” She motioned toward the chair on the opposite end of the desk.

“I want you right next to me,” he said. “Then if I need you to show me something, you’re right there.”

“Fine.” She sat down in the chair, crossing her legs.

“Plus, I have an assignment for you,” he said.

“You’re going to need a secretary,” she replied.

“You’re right.” He turned and smiled. “But right now, I have you.”

He slid a stack of mail toward her. “It seems that some of the mail wasn’t being delivered to us during the transition. The mail clerk found these in the back room. I need you to open each one and make two piles. Junk mail and mail that requires immediate attention.”

Zaira scoffed, but caught herself before protesting. Remembering their bargain, she accepted the stack of envelopes. “What about the letters that require future attention?”

“Make a third stack.”

She picked up the envelope opener and got to work. “Do you realize how much Svelte is paying me to open your mail?”

“I’m aware. Although Loyd knows of how many accounting departments I helped build from the ground up, he insisted that he wanted you to help me,” Trent said. “My start date was initially scheduled for after your contract ran out as he originally planned, but he changed his mind.”

“Dad always changes his mind about things. Get used to it.”

Trent worked on his laptop as he spoke. “I’ve known Loyd personally for over five years now, and I know how he works. His nitpicks, his likes…dislikes.”

She shrugged. “Then it looks like you’ll work great together. I’m glad he found someone to fill this position. It was all he ever talked about for a while.”

“I was surprised to hear that you declined his offer.”

“Well I do like to make my own decisions and lay down my own path,” she said. “You’ve done the same for yourself, haven’t you?”

He nodded. “The road has definitely been long.”

“When was the last time you went back home? To Virginia?”

“About six months ago, but I went with Marcus and Tanya. His people invited us to a dinner.”

“I remember that,” she said. “That’s when Tanya met his parents for the first time. She was so nervous because she didn’t know what they’d think of her.”

Trent chuckled. “They think very highly of her. Those two are the perfect match. Happy couple with the support of their families behind them.”

Zaira nodded. She was so proud of Tanya. That woman deserved better after all she’d went through with her ex. Well, she deserved the best anyway. “Did you…did you visit your dad?”

There was a long silence before he spoke again. “The day before I flew out he’d just been placed in solitary confinement for a rule he broke and aggressive behavior. They wouldn’t allow any visitors to see him.” There was no emotion in his voice. Was he mad? Indifferent? Was he subduing his feelings as he always did when talking about his dad?

Through the years of meeting and hanging out with R.R. brothers at various events and ceremonies, it didn’t take Zaira long to discover that Trent’s father was serving a lengthy prison sentence for two counts of grand theft.

“Where do I find the last three year’s worth of financials?” Trent asked.

She took that as his cue for changing the subject back. “The last two year’s are available from the server. I can show you where. You may have to put in a request with our IT department for access to other years.”

He slid the mouse over to her and she maneuvered through the contents of the hard drive. The angle in which she sat was a little awkward and her knees brushed against the side of his leg more than once. She could smell his cologne. A smooth, husky scent that pulled her right in. It was the same scent he’d worn at Sunday’s party. She’d reminisced a lot on that night, wishing she could remember what happened after they left. All she could recall was his generosity, the thrill she experienced after not seeing him for so long, and that she left the party feeling incredibly horny and woke up the next morning even hornier.

Something stirred deep within her and her fingertips felt slippery against the mouse as she showed him the various files. Even her voice changed as she explained to him how to find things. She was short of breath and she wasn’t even working that hard.

After several minutes, Zaira paused to catch her breath. “You got all that?”

“Honestly…?” He placed his palm on top of her hand where it still rested on the mouse. “Zaira…”

She swallowed. “I can show you again if…”

Trent turned completely in his chair and slid his fingers across her cheeks. He traced her jawline and the outline of her face. His eyes and fingers examined her with graceful leisure. And she let him.

His touch felt so good against her skin. She hadn’t felt the touch of man in so long. She’d forgotten how addicting this feeling of attraction could be, but this wasn’t normal attraction. It was forbidden attraction. A craving that had brewed so long, she wondered why she hadn’t taken the bait. She knew that many women had…especially the ones that knew Trent’s reputation on the streets and in bed.

His fingers were so dangerously near her lips, but she turned her face slightly toward them anyway. The tip of his thumb slid between the seam of her mouth. He groaned softly when she pressed her tongue against it.

“I’ve been wanting to taste you since the moment I met you,” Trent whispered, leaning closer toward her.

Her breath hitched when his mouth made contact with her jaw. Heat exploded through her veins causing her entire body to tense up.

He slid his palm against the back of her neck. “If I kissed you…what would you do?”

She met his eyes, which were dark with lust, and lifted her chin. “I would kiss you back.”

Their lips came together softly and pure lust consumed her. He tested the waters, kissing her lips and slowly coaxing them apart. Tongues danced and hot liquid fire swirled around them. She grabbed his tie, pulling his mouth firm against hers. The sweet even tempo of their kisses soon turned to hot and demanding. He gripped and kneaded the nape of her neck, awakening some nerve-endings that she didn’t even know were back there. She craved more. She needed more.

A cell phone vibrated on the desk causing them to separate quickly.

“Excuse me,” Trent said before picking up the phone. “Hello?”

Her heart rate had reached its peak and she panted in the aftermath of the kiss. One look around and she cursed inwardly. She’d completely lost track of time and sight of where she was. She’d given herself to the moment forgetting that anyone could have walked in on them.

“Yeah. I took care of that,” Trent spoke into the phone.

Zaira was so close that she could hear the tone of a woman’s voice, but couldn’t make out anything she said.

“I can get that sent over to you tomorrow if that will work.”

A strange hunch overcame Zaira and she slipped her hand out of Trent’s. She scooted her chair back a little and wondered if this was a good time to leave.

“No, Friday probably won’t work. The sooner the better. What about tomorrow? I’ll have some free time at lunch.”

The woman on the other end of the phone seemed relentless and Trent looked just as frazzled as she felt. Was this his girlfriend? One of the many women he dated? Did Trent just cheat on his girlfriend with her? What the hell had she been thinking kissing him in a public office?

Suddenly, Zaira’s throat grew dry. She adjusted her skirt and rose before she heard too much of the conversation. As she walked to retrieve her suitcase, she heard Trent scuffling behind her.

“Zaira, wait…”

“I’ve got to go,” Zaira called out behind her.

She never gave him a chance to catch up. She slammed his office door and hurried down the hall to catch the elevator. As soon as the door slid shut, she adjusted her blouse and ran her fingers through her hair to smooth it back down. She pressed the pads of her fingers to her swollen lips as she looked at her disheveled reflection in the elevator glass. Her lips burned, but not in a hurtful kind of way.

It felt so good, but yet it was so bad for numerous reasons. She would never be a third wheel to anyone else’s relationship. And she had agreed to assist Trent in the transition—not to fuck him.

* * *

T
rent wasn’t all
that fond of a door being slammed in his face. What puzzled him more was that he had no idea what he’d done to deserve her reaction. What was with Zaira and her running off every time? Was he that off-putting to her? Why should his past even matter? The last thing he wanted to do was argue with Zaira.

The ding of the elevator bell down the hall told him that she had obviously left him on his own. Maybe, just maybe, something unexpected had come up. That’s what he hoped anyway.

“Trent…Trent…are you still there?”

He lifted the cell phone back to his ear. “Sorry, Eve. Slight problem here. Can I call you back first thing tomorrow morning to set a time?”

“Sure.”

When Eve hung up, he went to sit back down in his chair and stared at the closed door. More than anything in the world he wanted to show Zaira how wrong she was about him, but not just to prove a point. Just over a year ago when he first met Zaira, Trent knew that his life would be forever changed with her in it.

Dammit!
After all that time, he still couldn’t stop fantasizing about Zaira…her face, her body, and her angelic voice. Things weren’t supposed to be this way. R.R. brothers protected and looked out for one another. The hard-on that grew behind his zipper each time Zaira was in close proximity in one of her little tight revealing outfits paralyzed his rational thinking. Imagining just how much he wanted to fuck her was not looking out for a mentor’s daughter.

Trent ran his tongue against the seam of his lips remembering how she tasted. His dick stirred yet again as he recalled how soft her mouth was. First kisses were always the sweetest, but her’s was sweet and heavenly. He wanted to kiss her again, over and over again. Their casual acquaintance and connection to R.R. had turned into a business arrangement virtually overnight. He didn’t know how long he could keep it business-like.

He had to admit it. When Loyd Wright insisted that he and Zaira work together in the transition, he made no attempts to decline. He’d had many other opportunities in the past with Zaira. On numerous occasions, they’d bump into each other at R.R. parties and ceremonies and talked as friends, shared drinks, and had even taken each other on in pool tournaments and poker games. But something always stopped them from going forward. With Zaira’s beautiful looks and book smarts, it seemed she had always been accompanied by a date. Or there were times when the circumstances weren’t quite right—like recently when he’d driven her home from the house party.

Trent wasn’t going to wait until all of his chances were gone this time. He would do everything in his power to bring about the right situation for both of them.