Page 17 of Richard

He had tossed and turned on the bed, feeling the heat gathering in his sex as he imagined her in bed with him. This morning, he had awoken, grouchy and ill-tempered.

Lenny was right. He was going to have to do something about this situation or he was going to blow his top. Seeing her last night had proven that the attraction he felt for her was not going away. He was going to have to find a way to get it out of his system.

What that meant, he had no idea.

He had never been faced with this predicament before and he felt as if he was wading in uncertain waters, ones that were threatening to cover his head.

He would have her come to his office after hours and explain to her that he was attracted and he wanted her permission—he ended the ridiculous thought abruptly. What exactly did he want her permission to do? To have sex?

Cutting off a curse, he put away the weights he had been working with and sat on the edge of the bench, sweat dripping off his face. He did his own workout regime, shying away from using a personal trainer.

He did not condemn his colleagues who acquired the use of so-called experts, but he preferred to slug through the routine on his own time and his own way.

He tackled the treadmill first, jogging and then breaking into a fast pace after half an hour, and then he did the weight training.

His muscles were sleek and hard, his stomach washboard flat. He was not bulky by any means, but it showed that he took religious care of his body. He was not on any medication and his last checkup at the doctor had given him a clean bill of health.

He ate healthy, and when time allowed, was involved in various sporting activities at his club.

Reaching for a towel, he mopped the moisture from his face androse to do his stretches. Taking off his tennis shoes, he padded to the small fridge to get a bottle of water and stood there drinking it thirstily.

He felt marginally better now that he had worked the restlessness from his system, but his body was still on edge and would continue to be until he sorted things out.

With that in mind, he headed upstairs to get ready for the day.

*****

“How was the party?” Babs asked the next morning as she breezed into the office.

“Not bad.” Collette eyed the woman as she went to pour a cup of coffee. “Don’t you have a coffee pot in your office?”

“I do, but somehow, yours tastes so much better. Now tell meeverything. I know you went with Tony. Has he put the moves on you yet?”

“No.” She shook her head. “He knows I am not interested in a relationship.”

Babs snorted as she took a sip of coffee. “You keep bandying around that bloody word. What you need is a man who will take you to bed and screw your brains out. What the hell does that have to do with a relationship?” she demanded.

Collette firmed her lips, determined not to allow her friend to get to her. “You know that I am not the type to just have casual sex.”

“And right there is the problem.” Babs pointed the cup at her. “Maybe if you just let your guard down and go with the flow, you will be able to forget what that fool and that bitch of a sister of yours did to you. Find a willing man, get nekkid and do the deed already.”

Collette cast her a wry look. “I have work to do.”

“Take my foolish advice and get laid for the hell of it. You would be surprised at what a good stiff–”

“Babs!”

The woman simply grinned unrepentant as she rose. “You know I am right.” She said before breezing toward the door. Frowning at the open doorway, she wondered why she had told her friend about the meeting with Richard McBride. She was still trying to make heads or tails of their conversation.

He had seemed friendly and courteous, not like that last time in his office. And he had looked so breathtakingly attractive, she could not help but notice how well his tailored suit fitted his broad shoulders.

She shook her head, and surmised that her friend’s bawdy humor was getting to her.

*****

The meetings ran over each other, and he was kept busy for most of the day. But that did not stop him from getting agitated and feeling anxious about his plans for later on. He had not called yet, preferring to do so later, therefore giving her no chance to say no.

His assistant brought him lunch, chilled salad from the kitchen, but he had mostly played around in the damn thing. Ignoring the man’s look of reproach, Richard picked up the phone and called his mother.

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