She crossed her arms and jutted her chin.
“Thanks,” I said uninterested, hiding how terrified I was of the pile of paper sitting on my desk.“I knew you’d get to her. You’re such an asshole, and have no idea when you’ve got something good.”My chest tightened and my jaw tensed. Kelsey was a good thing, and the physical evidence that I threw any chance of having her, even if that was as a kickass employee, right down the drain.“I treated her like every other employee.”Mindy sneered. “Yeah, and for some ungodly reason, Kelsey doesn’t want to write a formal complaint. Who am I supposed to eat lunch with now? Those interns you rotate fucking?” She shook her head in disgust. “I can’t believe you categorized Kelsey into that group.”My eyes narrowed. “You know nothing about my personal life, so I suggest you stop accusing your superior with such foolish acc“Kelsey!” A muffled voice rumbled along with a pounding on my door.The sound startled me, waking me from my spot on the couch. I’d fallen asleep watching a Nicholas Sparks movie with a tub of ice cream, again.Adjusting my clothing, a super-hot t-shirt from a 5k I ran in college and yoga pants, I sluggishly moved from the couch to the door.Peeking through the hole made me lose my breath. The very reason for the cheesy love stories and unhealthy amounts of sugar was standing there, demanding to see me. My stomach tightened. The pain that twisted my gut wouldn’t go away, and was on full blast now that he was so close. I’d avoided his texts, contemplating how to respond to them.Give it up Craft, I’m not interested.Really? Dinner? So you can beg for me to come back to work? PshhhhhWhy? So you can fuck me in the bathroom?Yes, take me to dinner and kiss me until our lips are numb.Tell me you wan
She’d said my first name with so much indecision and turmoil after she closed the door.I hated my first name. The feminine tone, it had always pissed me off, and the endless teasing growing up was a fraction of what molded my tough skin.The way Kelsey said it was different. It was intimate and warmed my cold heart. I wanted to hear it from her lips every hour of the day, whether she was whining, pissed off, or coming.She was hurting like I was, and deep down I knew I needed to let go. I stood there for minutes, my forehead pressed against the grain of the wood door, trying to think of the right words to say to get her to come back to me. Instead, I dabbed my eyes and left, drinking a whole bottle of Bourbon when I got home. I was too drunk to hit send on the rambling text message that made sense last night, but was complete gibberish on the screen.The pounding in my head throbbed, but didn’t take away from the ache in my chest. I’d nee
My lips parted, and Kelsey glared, silencing me. “I want a coordinating position.” I tilted my head and studied her, not wanting to give away the excitement that was bubbling inside of me. She wanted to work for me, which meant I’d get to see her. Even if she hated my guts, I’d take dirty looks and glares from her every day. I’d be able to make up being a jackass to her. Taking a step closer to me, she continued to talk. “I’ll expect a raise, too.” I straightened in my seat, my expression remaining passive. She’d be worth every penny. “There’s one other thing,” she whispered, the force field she’d thrown between us crackling apart. Our energy was meshing together, the heat rising between us with each step closer she took. Then she completely shocked me. She crouched down before me, sitting upright on her knees and setting her hands on her thighs. I swallowed, clenching the armrests with both my fists. “No more fucking the interns,” she bit.
Kelsey“I’ve missed you,” Craft murmured across my cheek. A heavy breath escaped his nostrils. “The past few months have been…”He sighed into my neck, the fluttering of his eyelashes tickling the lobe of my ear. A soft giggle escaped my kiss-swollen lips from the gentle brush. “Long,” I finished his sentence for him.“Lonely,” he added.I knew what I wanted when I put on the Caribbean blue dress this morning. I’d longed to zip-up the chiffon fabric and run back to Mackenzie Craft the moment he came groveling at my doorstep but wrestling with my conscience to give him my full trust was a constant brawl and would be for a while. He was as cunning as ever but could be downright nasty. I’d never known a man so intelligent and diligent at everything he did, until I met the handsome Mr. Craft.When we’d started our meeting an hour ago, both of my blue heels had been firmly plac
His smirk was devious. “And if I snuck into your hotel room? Maybe found the same elevator? I’m sure there’s a conference table somewhere at your hotel.”I raised a brow at him. “Taboo foreplay would not mask your stalker behavior.”He shrugged. “We could always pretend.”I shook my head then paced to the doorway. “I’m going to leave with the mentality that you’re joking about the stalking.”His chair squeaked, and before I could reach for the door handle, he grabbed my wrist and turned me, pinning me seductively against the door. “Of course, I’m joking. I can’t help it that when my eyes are on you all these filthy fantasies just trounce through my brain.”The corner of my mouth tugged upward, and my hand found his jaw. He leaned into my touch, his eyelids becoming heavy. It was a sweet gesture, a simple caress that I’d refrained from giving him during our p
Once I hit the second floor, I darted toward Mindy’s desk, thankful no one was waiting to meet with Gary Sneed, her boss. “Hey,” I said quietly, aware that the door to Gary’s office was cracked open. He wasn’t like Craft, he and Mindy had a fantastic working relationship, and Gary was warm and friendly to anyone who walked through his business doors. Although his last name was shared with Craft’s on the building sign, he was much more laid back and humble.“Kelsey!” She greeted, her tone low but filled with excitement. “Did you do it? Are you going to be back? Or did you tell that pervert to fuck off?”Letting my eyes wander around the room one more time, making sure no one was lurking around a desk or along the back hallway, I pulled a chair next to her and sat. In a heated whisper, I said, “I’m back!”She squealed, hugging me while we were both still in our chairs. I shushed her, lowering
MackMy second meeting for the afternoon had zero comparison to the impromptu visit with Ms. Neely. Gaining new clients used to be my favorite accomplishment in my office, but now, bending Kelsey over my conference table held the title, favorite office activity.I’d had trouble keeping a clear thought while discussing the new chain of coffee shops with the coffee connoisseur, Charles Grobbs. As always, we had the skills and tools to offer them in terms of growing their business with our solid marketing plans. Convincing him that Craft and Sneed had what he needed to be successful was my specialty. I might be a crude ass, but when it came to making money and promoting a business, I knew where the focal points in a strong campaign needed to be.Even with the constant reminder of Kelsey’s warm flesh sprawled needily underneath me, I somehow made it through the meeting, and Mr. Grobbs left with a verbal commitment and a healthy confidence in our servic
“What was so wrong with our last minute Vegas trip? It doesn’t have to be Vegas, it can be anywhere. When’s the last time we had a guy’s night out on the town?”“Vegas,” I said flatly. “I became the babysitter for you and Shrek.”Shrek was another friend from our fantasy baseball league.Cody’s lips curled. “See, I don’t even remember that, so that means we’re due. Besides, Shrek is busy, so he won’t convince me to mix drinks and take random hits from the hot girls on the street. Come on,” he goaded, “We can relax, enjoy St. Patrick’s Day, maybe find some ladies in another area code. I know you’ve got picks of the liter in this office, but-”I cut him off. “I don’t mingle with my personnel.”He laughed, assuming Kelsey was more than just an employee.I stood from my seat, walking around my desk. “Just beca