Page 11 of Savage Game
She rubbed her cheek against the soft fabric of his dress shirt, inhaling the fragrance of his cologne.
Does he put some on the column of his throat?
She resisted the urge to explore and instead listened to the slow and steady thudding of his heart beneath her ear. Something shifted between them as he teased the soft skin of her inner thigh with his fingertips. She held her breath as his finger trailed an idle path from her knee upwards, but he didn’t reach under her skirt or grope her. When he stroked down, she gradually exhaled.
My kitten is a brave and generous woman.
Byron enjoyed the soft skin beneath the rough pad of his index finger. When he invited her to sit on his lap, he wasn’t sure what she would do. Maybe some twisted, depraved part inside him wanted her to disobey so he could have her walking around naked.
But damn, she looks cute as a cheerleader. Maybe I should add some dance routines to her exercises?
Today, she wore her hair in a high ponytail instead of the professional bun she’d paired with the maid’s costume and the office attire she arrived in, or the chic chignon from poker night. He appreciated the way she adjusted her hairstyle to fit the occasion and was curious what styles she would use with the other outfits he’d chosen for her.
For a few heartbeats, he amused himself by fantasizing about the costumes and the appropriate hairstyle. Today, her ponytail extended from high on the top of her head all the way to between her shoulder blades, and the dangling strands made him wonder how far her hair would reach if she would let it hang free.
This little kitten kept surprising him. Whether he expected defiance or compliance from her, her willingness to listen to his problem and comfort him came as a total surprise. However, he needed to get some work done, and he had a box with old contracts to sort through. A tedious but not too complicated job he selected for her. When he’d chosen the task, he wanted her to do something useful, which she would be able to complete without too much trouble.
He patted her leg. “Thank you for the hug, Kittycat.” She stiffened, and he grinned in her hair.
Didn’t she realize she was snuggling with me?
“I need to get some work done, and I can use your help.”
“Oh?” She pushed against his chest and tipped her head back, her green eyes glinting with curiosity.
Amusement tickled the back of his throat—his inquisitive little kitten. Pity the cat costume would have to wait, but he wasn’t going to let her wear it without the tail.
“Can you sort through the contracts in this cabinet for me?”
Suddenly becoming fascinated with her tennis shoes, she bit her bottom lip.
He growled his displeasure. Immediately, she rewarded him with those mesmerizing green orbs on him. “Better.” He tipped his head forward. “What makes you uncomfortable?”
Her mouth dropped open. “I… well. I”—she lifted her chin—“I’ve never done any office work so I’m probably not good at it.” Before he could interject, she rushed on, “But I’m eager to learn. I would love to assist you. I’m a quick learner, Sir.”
The pleading expression almost undid him. “You’ll do fine,” he reassured her. He walked her to the cabinet and explained what she needed to do. She listened attentively and it made a man wonder if she would bring the same focus to the bed. The task wasn’t difficult, and soon she understood the routine enough for him to let her work on her own.
Returning to his desk, Byron watched Charlotte work for a few moments. Although her movements lacked the confidence of a trained secretary, the slight smile on her face pleased him. Having a task to accomplish fulfilled her. She’d shown signs of a service sub during poker night, and he was pleased to see more of that side from her.
He settled in his office chair and pulled up his to-do list on the computer. After dealing with his accountants first, he arranged for a security audit at the plant in Seattle. He’d just finished a phone call with his HR department about a campaign to attract more IT professionals when Charlotte closed the top drawer and bent at the waist to extract the files from the second drawer.
Instantly he hardened as he imagined getting up and sliding into her delectable little body from behind. Instead, he turned his attention back to the computer. Not only wasn’t she ready for him, but he had a conference call to attend in five minutes.
At twelve-thirty, Byron released his little kitten to fix lunch. After they ate, he’d intended to order her to sit on a floor pillow beside him. Given the pleasure she derived from completing the assigned chore, he decided to delegate more administrative tasks to her instead.
By the time they wrapped up for the day, it surprised him how much work they’d gotten done. Not only was Charlotte as quick a learner as she claimed, but she also settled him in a way he never anticipated. Having her in his space made the hours spent working seem brighter and left him more energetic and focused throughout the day.
That evening when she came out of the bathroom dressed in a terry cloth robe, followed by a cloud of lavender and floral-scented steam, Mr. Nolan sat on her bed. Years of concealing her reactions helped Charlotte to muffle the scream of surprise in the back of her throat, and only a puff of air and a soft, “Oh,” escaped her lips.
“You did an excellent job today, Kittycat.”
I did? Wait! Did he come to my room just to tell me that?
“Um, thank you?”
He chuckled—sexy and rumbling. “Is that a question?”
He held out his hand, and before her brain caught up with her action, she accepted the silent invitation.
