The Next Play: Part One Page 8

  Finally lifting her head, she cast him a polite look of concern. “Is something wrong? Are you all right?”

  “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

  Doubt narrowed those big green eyes. “You don’t sound fine.”

  Before he could stop himself, his idiotic mouth started moving, and he heard himself say, “If you must know, you look beautiful today, and my dick is as hard as a fucking spike at the moment.”

  She blinked, giving him a sour look, but kept her lips sealed.

  Well, hell. Now that he’d lobbed that verbal grenade out there, he didn’t have much choice but to see it through. “I’m sorry if that offends you, but you did ask.”

  Behind him was an entire wall of glass that extended three feet deeper than the steel beams that formed part of the exterior of the building, and it ran the width of his office. If you stood in the glass-walled extension, you could see into Lucas’s office on the left, and their primary conference room on the right. Jonah could make the glass opaque with the push of a button, but most of the time he simply allowed the sunlight to pour in, enjoying the out-of-doors feeling it gave to the office.

  Late afternoon sunshine was currently streaming into the room, making Jocelyn’s blond hair look like spun gold as she took a moment to study him, feminine hands twisted together in her lap, her spine rigid as she sat upright in her chair. Slowly, she ran that perceptive gaze over every inch of his face, making him feel like she was dissecting his expression, trying to read every nuance of his mood. Then she took a deep breath, pressed her hands flat across the tops of her skirt-covered thighs, and said, “Why are you flirting with me?” Her voice was soft but steady, the crease between her brows betraying her confusion. “You don’t even like me. I’m Little Miss Tight-Ass, remember?”

  “Did I really call you that?” he asked with a touch of chagrin. Sometimes he needed to wear a damn muzzle.

  With a nod, she said, “You did. In the break room.”

  “Well, it doesn’t mean I don’t like other things about you,” he offered smoothly, thinking that a little charm couldn’t hurt his cause. “You have a great voice and a gorgeous smile. You’re also smart as a whip and a hard worker. Not to mention insanely sexy.” He was doing so well—but then, with a twitch of his lips, he couldn’t stop from goading her with another outrageous compliment. “And you have a fucking mouthwatering set of tits.”

  The look she gave him was part bewilderment, part embarrassment, with a touch of Who in the hell does this guy think he is? “Surely you don’t need me to tell you that this is inappropriate behavior for the workplace.”

  “I know. I’m shocked at myself. Like I’ve told you before, I’m always such a good boy.”

  “That’s not what I’ve heard,” she murmured under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear.

  Damn. For some reason, the first thought that came into his head was the night he’d spent with Denny and Gabe, and he hoped to God that wasn’t what she was referring to. It wasn’t something that he ever wanted to have to explain, and he wouldn’t even know where to start. Not with someone like Jocelyn, who he doubted would ever be able to understand the dynamic of that one particular night, and why it had had to go down the way that it did.

  Bracing an elbow on the arm of his chair, Jonah rubbed his fingers against his five o’clock shadow. “Just don’t believe everything that you hear, Jace.”

  Her pale brows slowly lifted, and there was a slight quirk to her rose-tinted lips. “Didn’t I already mention that only my friends and family call me Jace?”

  “Then I guess we’re friends now,” he said with a hard smile. “Because I refuse to call you Jocelyn, and calling you Miss Brenna makes me sound like a schoolboy.”

  “What’s wrong with Jocelyn?” she asked, sounding genuinely intrigued. “Too old-fashioned for you?”

  “No. It’s a lovely name.” Loosening his tie, he gave her a shuttered look. “I just refuse to use it when I’m the only one around here who does.”

  “Ugh,” she huffed, as if she were completely exasperated with him.

  Fighting back a laugh, he said, “Did you just ‘ugh’ me?”

  She blushed a pretty shade of pink, and something about the startled look in her eyes told him that she’d surprised herself with that little bit of rudeness, which he thought was hilarious. Jonah also liked that he was getting to her, even if the resulting emotion was more aggravation than lust at this point. He firmly believed the desire to get down-and-dirty with him was there—it was just barricaded behind too many walls. So he’d just keep chipping away at them, bit by bit, until he finally broke through.

  “Can we please just talk about the Fillmore deal?” she asked, that little crease settling back between her brows as she reached for the computer she’d set on his desk and moved it to her lap. “I’m already worried about my job, and I don’t want anything to go wrong.”

  Jonah sat up a little straighter in his chair, his protective instincts rising at the genuine note of concern he’d picked up on in those husky words. “Why are you worried?”

  She frowned and gave him a look that said Isn’t it obvious? “Because Mr. Harrison is the one who assigned me to this deal, which means that I won’t be working for him anymore. At least not until it’s finished. I can’t help thinking that he might be trying to get rid of me.”

  Jesus, did this woman search for things to worry about? Didn’t she understand how valuable she was? Because despite whatever ulterior motives Gabe had for forcing Jonah and her to work together, there wasn’t a chance in hell his best friend would have suggested Jocelyn for this deal if she weren’t the best person for the task. They’d put too much of their blood, sweat, and tears into Atlas to do anything but give it their absolute best, and that included making sure the right people were doing the right jobs.

  Sensing that he needed to handle this part of the conversation with care, he said, “First of all, hasn’t he asked you to call him Gabe?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “And no, he isn’t trying to get rid of you. In fact, he constantly sings your praises.”

  She tilted her head a bit to the side, looking relieved, but still unsure. “Then why am I here?”

  “Honestly?” Jonah asked, surprised by how much he was enjoying simply talking to her. Having her there with him. For some inexplicable reason, her feminine presence in his modern office of glass, cream, and dark wood was as deliciously soothing as it was arousing. “I think that Gabe believes you’re going to kick ass on this deal. But I also think that Gabe and Denny have decided to play matchmaker for us, and this is their first play.”

  She blinked, then whispered “Shit” under her breath, which made him laugh.

  “You think it’s funny?” she asked, glaring at him.

  “Not at all.” The grin on his lips was as wry as they came. “It’s a pain in the ass, seeing as how I just want to fuck you, not date you. But you’re cute as hell when you curse. It’s like watching a little Pomeranian try to growl like a Rottweiler.”

  “So I’m a dog?” she asked dryly, rolling her eyes. “Thanks.”

  “Hey, Pomeranians are adorable. Rotties too,” he murmured, thinking that she’d done a good job there of completely ignoring the part about him wanting to get between her legs.

  She shot him a frustrated look as she opened her laptop. “I feel like I’m starting to repeat myself, but can we please just get back on topic?”

  He gave her what Denny called his “wickedest” smile, wanting her to know that he wasn’t letting her off that easily—was just giving her a temporary reprieve—and said, “What topic was that?”

  “We were talking about the Fillmore deal. Or that’s what we’re meant to be talking about. We need to set up—” A message alert chimed on the phone she had in her bag, and she paused right in the middle of her sentence to grab it. “I’m sorry, just give me one second.”

  Jonah watched her face transform as she read the text, and something hot and unc
omfortable slid through his chest. It was an emotion he couldn’t quite put a name to, but one he definitely didn’t care for.

  “Sorry about that,” she said, after typing in a quick response and putting the phone away. “It couldn’t wait.”

  Forcing a casual tone, when what he really wanted was to growl at her, he asked, “Was it another guy?”

  She didn’t quite meet his narrowed gaze as she answered the question. “Um, you could say that.”

  It was a physical effort not to bare his teeth in a snarl. “Boyfriend?”

  “You know,” she said, staring down at her computer screen, “I really don’t think my personal life is any of your business.”

  “Well, that hardly seems fair, seeing as how you’ve heard so much gossip about mine.”

  She looked up at him then, and Jonah got the feeling that any gossip she’d overheard about him had been unintentional, instead of deliberately sought out. But she was still clearly embarrassed to have heard it, and he realized that this was a woman who knew and respected the value of privacy.

  “Nice bracelet, by the way,” he murmured, when she lifted her left hand to tuck a pale strand of hair behind her little ear, the silver charms tinkling with the movement of her arm.

  She slid a quick look at the bracelet, sank her teeth into the plump cushion of her lower lip, and blushed as brightly as she had in the conference room, when he’d deliberately set the heat to roasting.

  “I’m a little surprised to see you’re still wearing it,” he added in a low voice, “considering how much trouble it gave you.”

  A soft smile ghosted across her lips. “Someone special gave it to me.”

  Jonah’s jaw tightened, but he bit back the next question burning on his tongue. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to start sounding like a jealous ass, and that was something he had absolutely no intention of ever being. He didn’t tolerate jealousy from his lovers, which meant he wasn’t in any position to shove that kind of shit onto anyone else.

  “So, the Fillmore deal,” she said crisply, her attention completely focused on her laptop. “I generally work three full days a week, but I can shift that around to some half days, if we find that it makes it easier to set up the meetings you’ll need to attend with both the Fillmore team and Atlas’s own team of lawyers.”

  He wanted to ask why she was happy working part-time when the company could easily give her more hours. But when she glanced up, he sensed she had more to say, so he simply nodded, letting her know he was listening.

  “So, um, Gabe sent me an extensive summary of the deal, so that I could be prepared when we start next week, and it got me thinking. The rundown of their IP, especially for the interconnected tech systems, is complicated and repetitive. For the sake of streamlining, I was thinking it might be helpful if I create a secure interactive software app that highlights how the different systems work together, making it easier for everyone on the team to understand which systems are most valuable, and which we can leave on the table if we need to.”

  “You can actually do that?” he asked, so turned on by the heady combination of her keen intelligence and natural beauty that it took everything he had not to leap over his massive desk, sweep her up into his arms, and kiss the ever-loving hell out of her.

  He’d always been turned on by smart women, and while he’d known Jocelyn was clever, he hadn’t fully appreciated just how talented she was.

  Unfortunately, the words he’d just spoken hadn’t managed to convey any of that. They’d just made him sound like a skeptical prick. And she obviously thought the same thing.

  There was a dangerous spark in her narrowed eyes as she looked at him and said, “For the sake of establishing a successful working relationship, I’m going to pretend that what you just said didn’t sound incredibly insulting. But just so you know, it definitely did.”

  “Sorry,” he grunted, feeling his own face flush with heat. Jesus, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d blushed! “I just—”

  “Have low expectations when it comes to administrative assistants?” she cut in.

  “God, no,” he argued, shaking his head as he sat up a little straighter in his chair. “I know how hard of a job it is. We run the AAs ragged in this place. Your industry-high pay is because you all earn it.”

  Sourly, she said, “Then it’s just me who you think is lacking.”

  “What? No!”

  “No?”

  “Christ,” he muttered, shoving a hand back through his hair. “Are we going to keep going round and round? I’m starting to get dizzy.”

  She lifted one shoulder in a dainty shrug. “I’m just trying to figure you out.”

  “What’s to figure out?” he husked, pinning her with a hard stare. “I’m making an ass of myself because you’ve got me so turned on I can’t even think straight. I want you.”

  A little puff of air gusted past her pink lips. “Why?” she whispered.

  “Why?” he echoed, not understanding why she was so surprised.

  She lifted one of her hands and twirled a finger in the air. “We’re going round and round again.”

  “Fine. You want it spelled out? I’ll spell it out,” he said, the rough note of lust in his deep voice impossible to miss. “You look so fucking sweet and innocent. Pink cheeks. Big green eyes going blink, blink. Soft lips. It drives me crazy. Makes me want to do filthy things to you and dirty you up.”

  She kept those beautiful eyes locked tight with his as she took a shaky breath, then slowly exhaled. “Just so you, um, know—I’m not that innocent.”

  “Oh yeah?” He gave her a hungry look that made her slender throat work with a nervous swallow.

  “No, I’m not giving you any details,” she said, shaking her head at him. “So you can stop looking at me like…that. I just thought some perspective might help.”

  “To what? Make you less attractive?”

  For the first time when it was just the two of them, she laughed, and the soft, husky sound made his chest warm. “Whatever it takes, Mr. Cartwright.”

  Jonah decided he could argue with her later about the irritating use of his last name. Right now, they had far more interesting things to discuss, and he couldn’t wait to get started.

  Leaning forward, he braced his folded arms on his desk and locked his heavy-lidded gaze with hers. “Actually, you’re the one who brought it up, so now you can explain.”

  “Explain?” He was in his shirtsleeves, and she bit her lip again as she stared at the way his biceps bulged beneath the fine white cotton. “Explain what exactly?” she asked, sounding a little dazed.

  “All of it.” Jonah didn’t even try to hide his carnal smile. “Exactly how ‘not that innocent’ are you, Jace?”

  CHAPTER SIX

  With her heart beating to a frenzied, rapid rhythm, Jocelyn did her best not to melt beneath the molten heat Jonah’s blue eyes were blasting at her. But, God, it wasn’t easy.

  Looking like a man who lived up to every ounce of his sordid reputation, he dropped his voice to a deep, sin-edged rumble. “I mean, have you fucked in public before? Or taken it up the ass?” Those sky-blue eyes glittered with mischief, while the sunlight at his back glinted against the dark auburn of his hair, the strands so thick and silky looking it made her hands itch with the need to touch them. “You ever spread a woman’s thighs apart and shoved your pretty little face in her cunt?”

  She blinked, unable to believe he’d just said that to her. All of it. Every word.

  “Come on, Jace.” The corner of his beautiful mouth twitched with another one of those wicked smiles. “Open up and tell me all your dirty little secrets.”

  Somehow, she managed not to shoot him a wide-eyed look that would have totally given her away. But her freaking breath was stuck in her throat, and he was too perceptive to miss it…or the flare of heat she could feel burning in her cheeks.

  “How about sucking off one guy while another fucks you from behind?” He moved to his feet with the eff
ortless grace of an animal, looking amazing in the crisp white dress shirt and dark trousers, then came around to the front of his desk and leaned back against it, his long legs no more than six inches from hers. As she tilted her head back to look up at him, she watched as he crossed his powerful arms over his chest, the casual position stretching the shoulders of his shirt.

  “Okay, let’s try something a bit more mainstream,” he said, his voice still rough, but a little softer than before, making the moment feel even more intimate than it already did. “How about sitting on a man’s face while he fills himself up on your pussy? His tongue fucking your little hole like he’s trying to taste as much of you as he can, while you grind against his open mouth and he smacks your ass with the palm of his hand?”

  Knowing that if she didn’t put an end to this now, she was going to wind up in some serious trouble, she said, “Stop! That…that’s enough.”

  He gave her a wolfish grin, his blue stare heavy and smoldering. “Not nearly, sweetheart. I’m only just getting started.”

  “Then I’m leaving.” She slapped her laptop closed and shoved it in her bag.

  “Like hell you are,” he growled, uncrossing his arms.

  “You can’t keep me here. And don’t call me sweetheart,” she seethed, moving to her feet as she glared at him. “I hate being called things like that when it doesn’t mean anything.”

  “How do you know what it means?” he demanded, pushing off the desk to tower over her, both of them breathing hard, the air between them all but crackling with sexual tension.

  “How do I know?” she asked, bristling over how easily this man could push her buttons. “Because you call everyone angel and sweetheart and whatever else pops into your head. I’ve heard you do it dozens of times!”

  His nostrils flared as he sucked in a deep breath, the muscle ticking at the side of his clenched jaw drawing her eye. “It doesn’t mean anything,” he eventually ground out.

  “Exactly. It’s just something you do. But when a man says those things to me, I expect them to mean something.” She was so upset she was shaking. “Otherwise, just use my damn name.”