Scott didn't respond to her greeting. Instead, his eyes narrowed. "My office… now, Miss Sanchez" he said, then without waiting for a response, he turned around and headed for his office.The concrete vacated by his expensive shoes seemed to smolder as Vivian looked down at it. She followed him, but her heart was beating very fast. She had no idea what she had done, but she had a feeling that whatever it was, it wasn't good. He looked so pissed and the thought of what he was going to say to her scared her so much. She had not had this job for long and she was already screwing things up… oh God. He had left his office door half open, and when she knocked, he ordered her in with a voice that made her want to flee. She shut the door behind her when she got inside the office and stood, waiting for him to speak. Scott stood behind his desk and glared at her through angry, tired eyes. Slowly, the glittering half closed eyes traced her face, from her upturned nose to her generous mouth. His
"Have you had anything to eat today, Mr McCall" Vivian asked him. He hadn't. The truth was that he'd even forgotten about food. Worried about his sister, and concerned about his mother, he'd focused on work, trying to get rid of the anger and the worry. Not that it had helped much… "I took some coffee in the morning" he replied and stood up, brushing it off like it meant nothing. He moved to his desk, grabbed his jacket and put it on. He noticed that she had also packed up his suitcase and grabbed it too. "Thanks Miss, Sanchez" he said. "You can go home now" He didn't want her to see him this way. In fact he didn't want anyone to see him this way. He was used to being the tough guy. The one who was always in control. The one who fixed things… but she made no effort to leave. "You should come with me to the shop" Vivian said, like he hadn't spoken. When he raised an eyebrow, she added, "The cheesecake shop. I'm going over there now" "Now?" he asked. Vivian nodded. "And why woul
Vivian smiled up at him, and in that moment he was fine. He realized that since he left the office with her, he hadn't been worried about anything. Not work… not his sister or mom. He just felt relaxed… and happy. She was standing so close, he thought…. So close that all he had to do was reach out, grab her waist and…. Vivian trembled, both frightened and wildly exhilarated by the sudden charge in the atmosphere. There was something about the way he was staring at her. Something dangerous… but she didn't want to run from it. Her body felt unbearably taut and sensitive, and she could not take her eyes from him for a second.Scott didn't think… just did what he wanted to do. He heard her tiny gasp as he reached for her, but it wasn't really a protest. His beautifully shaped mouth came down on hers, and he kissed her. His kiss was gentle and light. Like he wasn't sure of what he was doing, but needed to do it anyway. Vivian didn't move. She didn't even think that she could. Her lips we
He rubbed soap into firm, hard muscles but the physical contact only awakened feelings he would prefer to be subdued and, abruptly, he terminated the shower and roughly toweled himself dry. Whether he liked it or not, he couldn't get involved with her. The only thing he could do at the moment was force himself to go back to bed. And if it got too bad, he could just jerk off… while imagining that he was in bed with her. _______Vivian couldn't seem to bring herself to get out of her car. She sat in the parking lot, and repeatedly told herself that whether she liked it or not, she'd have to go inside at some point. She almost called in sick that morning just to have an excuse not to face Scott McCall, but she knew that it would be too obvious that she was lying. Besides, unless she planned to quit her job, she'd have to face it anyway, so she'd gotten dressed, slowly, and tried to conjure up some confidence, but it didn't look like it was coming anytime soon. She finally stepped out
"I want you know our budget for this project as soon as possible." he shot out."I’ll talk to the account manager,""Better had," he agreed evenly. "Because I'll be back here if I don't get it on time." If anything could be designed to make her act swiftly, it was the thought that this man would be intruding on her space for any longer than was absolutely necessary. The office, which by any standards was a spacious room, seemed suddenly to have been constricted to the dimensions of a shoebox.On legs which felt like cotton wool, Vivian rose to her feet. "I’ll go and see to it straight away." "Thank you" He watched her graceful movement as she swayed out of the room, the pert line of her bottom thrusting with tantalizing appeal against the material of her gown, and wondered what kind of life she led outside the office. Was she lonely? Or was there a man who ran his fingers through the thick, shiny splendor of her hair in bed at night? There must be. A woman like that did not look as
“And your determination to believe they’re true doesn’t make it so,” Jennifer snapped, throwing his words back at him. “I don’t know you, and I damn sure don’t know the people who gathered this defamatory conjecture.” She flicked a corner of the folder. “Let’s face it, Mr. McCall. If any of this was provable in court, you wouldn’t be sitting here across from me at a restaurant table. You would be meeting with the DA or SEC.”“That’s where you’re wrong,” Scott said, a cruel satisfaction glinting in his eyes. “It’s amazing how the court of public opinion will try and convict someone much swifter than a court of law.” Her stomach rolled, bile churning before racing for the back of her throat. She hated to admit it, but he was right. Good God, if any of this information leaked, it would destroy Bruce's reputation, his engagement, and irreparably harm the family company. It wouldn’t matter if the claims couldn’t be proved; the speculation alone would be detrimental and the damage irrevers
“Thank you.” Felicia turned, smiling softly and extending her hands toward him. Scott enfolded hers in his, squeezing them. “But no, I want to spend some time with her before I grade papers. Although she always loves to hear you play. It's been a while since you did that, Scott. Maybe you could bring your guitar with you sometime this week.”“I’ll do that,” he agreed. His mother had been responsible for him first picking up the instrument. She’d found a battered acoustic Fender at a garage sale, and from the second he’d held it, he’d been enamored. Though extra money had been almost nonexistent during his childhood, she’d still found a way to pay for lessons. No one outside the family had ever heard him play, because it was for him. His peace. His way to lose himself and get away from the stresses of running a multimillion dollar company.His mother cupped his cheek, giving it an affectionate pat before lowering her arm. “Now, not that I don’t enjoy you dropping by, but is everything
"Mmm." Scott replied, then his eyes narrowed. It was, he realized, one of those rare moments when she really smiled at him. She should do it more often.Definitely. But there again, maybe she shouldn’t. Not if he wanted to stay sane."It's not an order, Miss Sanchez, but if you want it to be, that's okay too." Vivian chuckled. "Come on." The elevator ride was quiet, which Vivian was completely okay with. She feared that if they spoke, they'd end up talking about that kiss, and she knew how that conversation would go. He'd say it was a mistake… That he wasn't really thinking straight that evening. Then he'd probably apologize for doing it, but that would only sound like rejection to her, and she preferred it if they both kept quiet about it. They both stepped out of the elevator and walked out of the administrative building. A man walked over to talk to Scott and Vivian moved away a bit to give them some privacy. When the man left, Scott waved for her to join him again.He watched a