Page 8 of One Hot Moment

"No worries. I've experienced much worse humiliation than that."

I pull my head back, staring at him. "Please don't tell me that happened today. If it did, I'll have to wear a paper bag over my head from now on."

He reaches out to clasp my hands. "Never do that, pet. You're far too beautiful to be hidden away."

I almost wish he weren't such a gentleman. He should be angry with me.

Spencer gives my hands a light squeeze. "When I mentioned having experienced worse humiliation, I was referring to things that happened long ago."

"Oh. Good." I wince hard enough it's almost painful. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to imply I'm glad you had to go through a horrible time years ago."

"It wasn't as awful as it seemed at the time. My family recovered quickly. Well, except for Kenny."

"Who is Kenny?"

"My brother." Spencer smiles and sighs. "Sometimes I still forget that he prefers to be called Kendall. When we were just boys, everyone called him Kenny."

I'm enjoying the feel of his hands around mine a little too much, but I can't make myself pull away. "Your sister is called Bindy. That sounds like a nickname too."

"Yes. It's short for Belinda."

We enjoy our meal in silence for a few minutes, but I can't resist watching Spencer eat. With my advice, he'd chosen foods that I'm pretty sure are American creations. A hot dog, tater tots, cobb salad, and corn bread with key lime pie for dessert. I've never seen anyone craft a meal like this one. But my boss wanted traditional American cuisine, so I gave it to him. Then I decided to eat the same things, just so he won't feel weird about it.

I've just finished my meal, and I'm about to dive my fork into the pie, when I catch Spencer peering at me sideways. "Everything okay, boss? Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to eat all those things in one meal. If your tummy's upset, I have a remedy for that."

"My stomach is fine. But I wanted to ask you a personal question and couldn't decide if it would be disrespectful to do that."

"I'm not sensitive. Go ahead and ask me any disrespectful question you like."

"All right." He consumes a bite of pie first, then sets his fork down. "I told you a bit about my family, and now I'm curious about yours."

Well, it's only fair that I share something of myself with him. It's not like I'm passing top-secret information to him. "My parents have lived in Asheville, North Carolina their whole lives, and they run a business together. I moved to Arlington, Virginia, when I took this job. I also have a sister. She's two years younger."

He freezes in the middle of chewing, then quickly swallows. "You didn't need to tell me all of that. I was expecting to hear that you have a sibling or two, but you gave me all the details."

"Not quite all of it."

"I feel like I should tell you more about me after how much you shared."

"Oh, don't worry about that." I spear a piece of pie but hesitate, watching him peripherally. "Have I overshared? Sometimes I do that."

"Not at all. But we should get back to work."

He's right about that. So, we hustle to catch the elevator. Spencer and I walk side-by-side as we climb in for the journey back to the seventh floor. Three of my colleagues ride with us, and they strike up a conversation with Spencer. Unlike the jerk in the cafeteria, these three men treat the boss with respect. They exchange jokes with him too. Yeah, he'll do fine here at Bramson Feigenbaum. Spencer has the charm and intelligence to succeed anywhere.

The three men all get out on the sixth floor. Spencer and I ride the rest of the way in silence, though we keep glancing at each other like we're shy teenagers. I took the elevator with him all morning long, traveling from floor to floor so he could see everything. We didn't behave this way then. Yet now, I feel something zinging between us. I know exactly what this is. Electricity. Sexual attraction. Heat.

No, no, no I will not get tangled up in an affair with my boss. Absolutely not. I'm not that stupid.

But Spencer is so handsome and sexy and affable.

Forget about how cute he is. A thirty-six-year-old woman shouldn't act this way. Sure, I know that. But my libido keeps trying to take over.

Finally, the doors glide open.

I just manage to squelch a sigh of relief. We walk down the hall a little too swiftly, like we're both trying to escape before a monster leaps out to eat us. As we round the corner and I see my desk, I feel like I actually have made a quick escape from calamity. I settle onto my chair and log in to my computer.

Spencer rushes into his office, smacking the door shut.

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