Page 5 of Crave Me

“If that were the case, they’d contact me directly,” I respond.

She pauses then adds, “They need you, Evan.”

“Ashleigh, they’re more than capable of getting on without me. I won’t discuss this any further.”

“Will you at least tell me what time you’ll be back so I can reassure them?”

Her voice is terse which only adds to my aggravation. When I first transferred from London, I counted on Ashleigh tremendously and appreciated her insight. Now I find her vexing and rather intrusive.

“Evan,” she presses. “When can we expect you?”

“When I’m finished with my current business,” I snap. “Alfred, end call.”

The line shuts off. I turn to offer Wren an apology only to find her laughing.

“Uh, uh, uh. The little woman isn’t happy,” she teases. “I’m thinking you earned yourself a trip to the nearest florist and dinner out to make it up to her.”

Wren’s comment causes me to chuckle, dissolving my lingering annoyance. “She’s not my wife.”

“Girlfriend?”

“No, she’s my secretary,” I respond, steeling a glance her way. “I’m single.”

My hope is to spark her interest, but I can’t be sure I succeeded.

“By the way she was nagging you, you could have fooled me.” Her lips curve. “So then who are Anne and Clifton?”

“Not my children, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

She waggles her finger at me. “It’s exactly what I was thinking seeing how Ashleigh doesn’t feel they can tie their own shoes without you.”

She shifts in her seat and crosses her legs. I was hoping to keep my attention on the road and off her body, but I don’t stand a bloody chance. Her smile widens. “You may want to go the speed limit there, big guy. My brother’s a cop, but he’ll kill me if I ask him to fix a ticket.”

I ease off the accelerator when I realize I’m well over the legal limit. “It’s fast,” I mutter, surprised by the ease of control.

“It’s the 3.5L EcoBoost®. It combines all the advanced technologies of turbocharging and direct injection.” She points ahead. “Make a right at the light. Then a right on the next block. The neighborhood there has a lot of hills and is always the last one in the area to get plowed. If this doesn’t convince you that you need this baby, nothing will.”

I follow her directions, appreciating how the vehicle handles the overabundance of dips and potholes we encounter in the neighborhood. Mostly though, I relish Wren’s presence.

It’s been too long since I’ve enjoyed the company of a woman, let alone one this lovely.

Again, she crosses her legs, and once more my eyes are upon her.

Her smooth dark eyebrows lift into an arch. “You like what you see?”

“I do,” I respond, my voice lowering.

Her hand smooths across the console. “They come in cream and tan.”

“What?” I ask, jerking my focus between her and the road.

“The interior,” she says, tilting her chin. She laughs when my face heats. “What did you think I was talking about?”

I pretend to adjust the mirror. “I thought you were discussing the vehicle in general.”

“I don’t believe you,” she says. She pauses as my body temperature rises several degrees. “Were you looking at my legs?”

“No.”

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