Page 4 of Tempting All The Way

What the hell was I thinking?This is why I don’t let Alistair and Nathan talk me into going out on a fucking Sunday night. It’s six a.m. and I’ve just sat down in my office. The sun’s rising over the horizon while shining brightly through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

I press a button and the shades draw down, dimming the glaring light. Fuck me, I think I’m still fucking drunk. Thank God Lucy will be here in two hours. I’ll have her cancel all of my appointments for the morning so I can sleep this off—three hours just isn’t enough. What kind of monster manages to run on three hours of fucking sleep anyway?

Nathan and Alistair, apparently. They’ve always been able to function on fumes. Those fuckers will walk in here any moment now, looking fresh as daisies, like they don’t have a care in the world.

Digging through my desk drawer, I find a pack of paracetamol. I pop out two, grab a bottle of water from the fridge, and swallow the pills. Fuck, I just need to lie down for a few minutes. That’s all. Just ten minutes and I’ll be fine.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I’m going to bloody murder her.” My eyes pop open at the voice.

A voice I know all too well; a voice that has no place being in my fucking office. Ever. I peer up and my eyes connect with a pair of emerald green orbs that seem to haunt my very existence. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I ask.

“Lucy told me to be here. I’m meant to be starting my employment today. She failed to mention the part about how the job involves working for you.” Her lips kick up in disgust. Her very fuckable lips.

Fucking Lucy. “Lucy is meant to be working here. Not you.” I point out the obvious. “And what? Did you miss the sign on the wall when you helped yourself through the building? The one that clearly readsChristianson?” I ask.

“I…” she stammers before straightening her shoulders. “Obviously your family owns a lot of companies, Xavier. I didn’t know this one was yours,” she says my name like even the thought of it repulses her.

Shardonnay, my little sister’s hot-as-fuck best friend, the one who’s been making my dick hard for the last five years. For longer than it had any right to get hard over a damn teenage girl. Is standing in my office, glaring at me

“Okay, first of all, lower your fucking voice. And second, Lucy is going to be here at eight, so you can leave,” I tell her.

I’ve spent enough family holidays avoiding this girl because she infuriates me. She also turns me on like no one else ever has. I’ve put it down to the forbidden fruit thing, sister’s best friend, untouchable. Did I mention a much younger sister?

Meaning this girl, who’s no older than twenty—standing in my office with a scowl I’d love nothing more than to fuck off her face—is twelve years younger than me. And I have no business lusting over a fucking twenty-year-old.

“It’s 08:01 now. And just for reference, I was here early. And now I’m leaving. Though, if you want to speak to your sister, I’d call her soon, before I get a chance to find her and kill her,” Shardonnay seethes.

“Wait… you’ll do,” I say, instantly regretting my words.

“What do you meanI’ll do?”

“I mean you’ll do. I need a secretary who doesn’t want to jump on my dick every other minute. And besides my sister, and mother, you’re the one woman in the world who seems to hate me enough to not want to fuck me,” I say. “Unless, of course, youdo want to fuck me? Could be hot, like hate fucking?” I smirk, purposely letting my eyes roam up and down her body.

Chapter Three

“Unless, of course, you do want to fuck me? Could be hot, like hate fucking?” His words repeat in my head. I can feel my whole face heating up. I need to get out of here.

The audacity of this guy! Who the hell does he even think he is? Xavier freaking Christianson, Melbourne’s most eligiblebachelor—according to the tabloids. I really am going to have to kill my best friend. Damn Lucy for putting me in this situation.

“Not even if you were the last man on earth,” I say between clenched teeth. Maybe I’ll kill both of the Christianson children by the day’s end. It would be a shame, though, seeing as I really do love their parents.

“Never say never, babe.” He pushes up off the couch, taking a step closer to me.

“You’re drunk,” I state. It’s not a question; he smells like a damn brewery.

“I’m sobering up.”

“You need a shower. You stink. Is this going to be a common occurrence? Do you have a drinking problem I should be aware of?” I ask him.

What am I even saying? I’m not staying here. So why am I not running out the door already?

I know why. As much as I hate him, he has some kind of weird hold over me. It’s why I’ve gone out of my way to avoid him whenever we’ve been in the same room. I can’t trust myself not to turn into one of those hussies who’d jump up on him, ready and willing to ride him all night long.

Not that I ever would. I have restraint. And self-respect. Xavier Christianson is nothing but heartbreak—and probably a laundry list of STDs. He’s also my best friend’s brother. My best friend’s smoking-hot, older brother.

“No, it’s not a normal occurrence,” he snaps, walking passed me to his desk. “Take a seat, Shardonnay. I’m only going to go over this once.”

“It’s Shar, and I want a pay raise,” I tell him, lowering myself onto one of the chairs in front of him.

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