Page 22 of One Hot Moment

Finding British-style cakes in Virginia wasn't as difficult as I'd expected. I combed the internet until I found a place that specializes in UK fare.

The boxes of cakes lie spread out on the big table where everyone can see and share them. We have carrot cake, cheese scones, various kinds of fruit tarts, custard scones, sponge cake, and lemon drizzle traycake. I'll probably gain twenty pounds just from looking at the goodies. My mouth is watering, for sure.

Spencer handles the staff meeting like a pro, like he's been a leader all his life. The anxiety he'd experienced in the first day or two of his tenure at Bramson Feigenbaum has melted away, revealing his true nature. He was born to lead this team. Maybe he'll even work his way up to CEO eventually. I hope he'll stay forever and shatter the terrible turnover rate this company has suffered from for as long as I've worked here. My fellow employees assured me the problem had existed well before I showed up.

I take notes while Spencer explains what he'd like his team to accomplish. But then, he asks them about their goals and their hopes for accomplishments they'd like to achieve. None of them suggests they want to take over Spencer's job or switch to a different team. They love him. After barely more than a week with the new boss, they've developed a strong respect and admiration for him.

Oh, yes, I admire him too. But more than that, I've developed a strong emotional attachment to him. Is it love? Of course not. We don't know each other well enough for that to happen. I had begun to adore him way before we ever had sex, even before he kissed me last week. My feelings for him blossomed the moment I caught him spinning his chair around and around in his office.

Spencer rises from his chair. "Thank you, everyone, for making this meeting so productive and enjoyable. You shared excellent ideas, and I look forward to helping you implement them. I'm honored to helm this ship."

Everyone claps and cheers.

The big boss seems a touch embarrassed, but he hides it pretty well. "This isn't a rock concert, you know. Cheers aren't required."

Jewel Parker rushes up to the boss and gives him a firm hug. "You're the awesomest, Spencer."

"Ah, thank you, Jewel."

The younger generations can be so cute sometimes. But Spencer is the cutest by far.

I wait with the boss while the team members file out of the conference room. They lavish more praise on Spencer as they walk out, and the three women on the team kiss his cheek. Is that sexual harassment? Not in my book, and not according to company policy.

Now, sex on the boss's desk is another matter altogether.

The door clicks shut. Spencer and I are alone in the conference room.

I snatch up my tablet, hugging it to my chest as if that will prevent me from mounting Spencer on the table. "Well, that was a productive meeting. You were fantastic, by the way."

"Thank you, Tabitha. But I was only following the outline you provided for me."

"Baloney. You skimmed my notes, then took full control of the meeting as any executive would. But you did it with flair and personality, showing true leadership."

"What's next on my agenda?"

I lean toward him. "The monthly board meeting."

"Crikey. I thought that wasn't until next week."

"Sounds like you didn't read everything in the folder I gave you, huh?"

He snatches up the folder in question. "I focused on the staff meeting and sort of...skimmed through the rest. Couldn't possibly memorize all of it." He inches closer and squints at my tablet. "But I imagine you did commit everything to memory. Even a handy device like that one can't take the place of Tabitha Remington's beautiful brain."

"Brains are not beautiful. They're pink and slimy."

"Slimy?" he says with a soft chuckle. "I think you're having me on, Tabitha."

"No, it's true. Back in college, I dated a guy who was studying to be a pathologist. He sneaked me into the lab where they study brains, and I touched one of them. It was slimy."

"I'll take your word for that. Never would I want to touch the brain of a dead person. You're far more adventurous than I am."

As we amble out of the conference room, I let my thoughts roll backward in time to the moment when we screwed each other on his desk. And that memory spurs me to ask a question. "Do you want to be more adventurous?"

We've just reached the elevator but need to wait for another car to arrive. Spencer turns halfway toward me. "Yes, I think I would like to do that---with you."

"Then why haven't you done that already? Aside from that desk incident, you've behaved like the most professional executive in this company."

He lifts his brows. "You think I'm uptight."

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