Thanks, again, InPennyInPound, for your...inspiration.
SSW
***
"Do you need anything else, Ms. Hollis?"
I glanced up from the blurring rows and columns on the printed spreadsheet and blinked at Kelly, my secretary, standing in the doorway to my office, her purse slung over her right shoulder. Somewhere behind her, I could hear the other office girls chattering while they shut down their workstations for the weekend. When her words finally registered, I gave her a quick shake of my head and wave of my fingers. "Go ahead. I should be done here in about five minutes. Have a good weekend."
She narrowed her eyes at me for a moment but just echoed my last words with a smile before turning and joining her coworkers.
Yeah, she knew me too well. Five minutes was usually fifteen to twenty on a regular day. But it was the Friday before a three-day holiday weekend, and a summary of the quarterly report was due first thing Tuesday morning. Who was I kidding? I'd be here for a couple of hours at least. And that was only if I could concentrate on the numbers at hand.
After the first hour with only a little headway, I made a quick trip to the vending machine in the break-room for a can of caffeine. Back at my desk with carbonation tickling the back of my throat from a deep gulp, I was still standing and leaning over my desk—maybe a different perspective would help—when I heard a low growl.
Far from startled since I knew the owner of that sound, I barely glanced up to see Mr. James Bannister leaning against the doorjamb, his hands in the pockets of his fitted suit pants. He was the epitome of tall and handsome, though he wasn't dark...at least not on top. His, silvery hair was trimmed shorter on the sides and back, making him look older than his mid-forties. And his slightly-tanned skin indicated he didn't mind being outdoors, but I knew he didn't hit the links with the rest of the male execs.
"Burning the midnight oil, Allison?"
I arched a manicured eyebrow, finally acknowledging him. "It's six o'clock. Hardly midnight."
He gave a slight shrug. "It's midnight somewhere."
"London."
"Hmm?"
"If it's six o'clock here, it's midnight in London."
James chuckled. "You and your numbers."
I rolled my eyes and leaned further forward to find the top of one column and slide my finger down.
A deeper growl met my ears.
I glanced up in time to see him adjusting the Windsor knot at his throat. A second later, I realized he could see down the top of my blouse. Standing abruptly, I sat in my chair and rolled it up to the desk, feeling my cheeks flush. I barely managed to prevent a smirk when he sighed.
"What can I do you for, James?" The moment the words were out of my mouth, I closed my eyes and pressed my lips together. Damn Freudian slip.
"I don't charge a fee, Allison, but if you're willing to pay..."
"It was a mistake," I mumbled, pretending to refocus on the taped-together pages spread before me again. In my head, I halfheartedly begged him to leave. The company wasn't altogether unpleasant. But I wanted to get this report done so I could go home and sink into my spa tub with a glass of wine and not think about anything until my alarm went off Tuesday morning.
"Indian giver, eh?" he said with a soft laugh.
There was a slight sound of shoes shuffling on the carpet. A moment later, he was standing in front of my desk. When I glanced up again, he had one eyebrow raised, and his smile widened while he removed his suit jacket, laying it across the back of one of the visitor chairs. I gulped when he smoothed one large hand down the front of his gray buttoned-up vest, tugging on the cuffs of his white dress shirt before sitting down in the opposite chair. He crossed his right knee over his left and clasped his hands in his lap.
I tried to ignore him while I worked, sipping from my can of soda occasionally. And glory be, the numbers started to make sense. It wasn't long until I was finally able to start typing up my report.
He didn't speak, but I could hear his even breathing. Feel his eyes on me.
I was used that from clients, though, so James's attention didn't faze me. Not even when I could see in my peripheral vision that he was slowly unbuttoning the vest and loosening the knot in his tie. I bit the inside of my lip when he adjusted his position and relaxed back in the seat—trying not to think of him attempting to hide his arousal. Eyes back on the computer screen, I pointed out in my report where our losses were coming from then outlined a proposal to gain back those funds in the next two quarters.
A few minutes later, his voice startled me, reminding me of his presence. "You seem to be working awfully hard there, Allison. Even when you're watching me from the corner of your eye. You think I don't notice things like that?"
The lump in my throat seemed to appear out of nowhere. It actually hurt to swallow, and soda did not help this time. A quick glance at him had been a bad idea. I clenched my eyes for a moment then blinked rapidly to refocus once more.
James's head was cocked, the corner of his mouth twitching. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"
When I continued to ignore him, he made a "tsk, tsk, tsk" sound. I couldn't help the soft curse when he stood and made his way around my desk, stopping directly behind me.
"You're working entirely too much. It's the weekend. You should be at home or out having fun, not hanging around the office."
At the feeling of him fingering the bottom of my hair, I shivered. My fingers shook over the keyboard for a moment. Even my breath was unsteady when I exhaled.
Damn this man. He'd been on my mind for two months now...ever since the big wigs had introduced us in a corporate meeting. We were on the same level of authority but from different departments. The ins and outs of our areas didn't even intersect. Yet, he'd found a reason to swing by my office at least once or twice a week. But never after hours. And never had he been this...forward.
Always the professional, he'd danced right around the boundary lines. Secretly, I'd wished he would push them a little. Not to give me reason to report him but so that I'd know for sure if he was truly interested in me...or just liked to flaunt his manhood. I was the only female executive in the company. Most of the men seemed to be okay with that status. A couple had made it known around the water cooler that they thought women belonged on the other side of the desk, but no one had ever had the gall to say it to my face. I prayed that day would never come from James.
