Page 22 of Tempt Me

“Pick up,” Max demands.

“What?”

“Pick up and talk to her. On speaker. You’re still on retainer, remember?”

I’ve half a mind to throw him out, but then I pause. I should just announce to Chloe right now what Max has been up to, to hell with him and his check. Yeah, that would wipe the smirk off his face.

“Hey,” I pick up, and hit the speaker too, so Max can listen in.

“Jase! Sorry, I thought I got your machine.”

“No, it’s good.” I glance across the desk at Max. I could tell her the truth right now, but then I think about the hurt look in her eyes, and how I’d be ripping her life apart.

Fuck.

I swing my chair away from him. “Listen, I wanted to tell you I won’t be needing to look at apartments anymore. I’ve decided to stay where I am.”

“Oh.” I can hear the disappointment in her voice. “Oh, that’s OK.”

“At least you won’t have to deal with another picky client.” I try to let her down gently.

She laughs. “Believe me, you’ll be a breeze compared to some of the people we have here.”

“I don’t know about that. I can be very demanding.”

I can’t help myself. Just imagining her mouth inches from her phone turns me on, even stuck in the office here with her fiancé hanging on her every word.

Soon to be ex-fiancé.

My dick perks up at the thought even before my brain connects the dots.

Once Chloe’s free of this engagement, there’ll be nothing holding her back. Nothing stopping me from holding her down, on her back. Thrusting in deep and slow, the way she’ll be begging me. Fucking her so right, she’ll forget any other man ever existed.

Yeah. The sooner she’s done with him, the sooner I can show her what a real man feels like.

All eight inches of him.

“Well, thanks for letting me know,” Chloe says. “Good luck, I guess.”

“Maybe I’ll see you around,” I can’t help adding. “In the bookstore, or your local knitting circle.”

“I don’t knit!” she laughs.

“Isn’t that the kind of stuff you Jane Austen girls like?” I tease. “Playing the piano and doing your embroidery.”

“While we sit around and wait for a gentleman caller?” She snorts. “I prefer to take life into my own hands.”

“You can take me into your hands any time you like.”

She laughs again, not so flustered by my filthy mouth anymore. “I think you can take care of yourself. Goodbye, Jase.”

It’s not until the dial tone comes that I remember I’m in my office—and Max has been listening to every word.

“You can write me that final check now,” I tell him, ready to wrap this up for good.

But he just shakes his head, a weird grin on his face. “Change of plans. You’re not done with this job yet.”

“There is no job,” I spit back. “I investigated, wrote your report, now you need to get the hell out of my office. I’ve got plans.”

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