Page 11 of Forbidden Flames

Emily huffed, then set her plate on the coffee table right next to his. “I’ll root for UVA,” she blurted, then glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “That means that you’ll have to accept the VA Tech team and they’re going to lose in a huge way.”

She heard his husky laughter again, but before he could respond, she took the remote and flipped over to the game. The kick off was just starting and she held her breath. Not because of the length of the kickoff, but because Hendrix stretched his arm out over the back of the sofa, then shifted his long, powerful legs out in front of him. The move was so reminiscent of a teenage boy, but different. Hendrix wasn’t a teenage boy. He was all man. Powerful, virile, amazing man!

What would happen if she leaned into his side? His chest was at the perfect height to just…lay her head against his chest. It wouldn’t be comfortable, but maybe he could move his arm around so that he pulled her closer. Then Emily could just throw her leg over his hips and…!

“Wine?” she gasped, standing up abruptly. “Or beer? We need beer!” She moved towards the kitchen, taking the dessert dishes with her. “We had wine with dinner. It’s time for beer, right?”

Chapter 10

Gerald sat on the left side, middle of the table, listening to the various conversations humming around him. The people were all pretentious assholes. Someone was talking about stocks and the latest increase in the mutual fund market. Another person felt that everyone around them was fascinated by a woman’s list of the renovations they’d “had to do” to their villa in Tuscany. And the two at the end of the table, his mother had given the chair at the head of the table to Senator Something-or-Other and he was about to start fisticuffs with the man to his right. Gerald had no idea what they were arguing about, nor did he care.

Gerald was having a lovely fantasy about leaving this table and going back to his apartment where Emily would be waiting for him. She would be naked. Maybe even tipsy? Yes, that would be extra nice. Then he could convince her to do things to him that she wouldn’t normally do.

Maybe he could even get a few of those yummy pills that someone had given him. He’d used them on his last mistress. She’d been furious when she’d woken up the following morning, screaming about how he’d drugged her and…well, that had been the end of the relationship. The bitch hadn’t appreciated anything he’d done for her.

What sort of Christmas present should he get for Emily? She deserved something nice. Maybe he could convince his mother to increase his allowance. He could maybe get Emily a diamond bracelet. No, that was too much. Maybe some ruby earrings? Yes, rubies were cheaper but still something that impressed the masses. Rubies were so low class, but Emily would think they were special.

He chuckled at the thought of how she would show her appreciation to him for the gift. As soon as he heard his laughter, Gerald looked around. Thankfully, his laughter seemed to coincide with the other people’s conversation, so it didn’t seem odd.

Surreptitiously, Gerald glanced down at his watch. How much longer would this dinner last? He wanted to get out of here. He wanted to go back to his apartment and peruse the…?

No! He wanted to drive by Emily’s house. Unfortunately, he had no idea where she lived. He had a vague sense of the area, since he’d followed her several times. But Emily had odd work hours, sometimes not leaving the club until the early hours of the morning. So he still wasn’t exactly sure of her address. He’d have to fix that. Soon!

As his mother’s servants came around with yet another course, Gerald contemplated ways to find out where Emily lived. He could ask her, of course. But he wasn’t ready to reveal his interest in the lovely waitress. No, he’d drive over to his club. It was closed today, though he didn’t understand why. Emily had said something about giving the staff the day off to celebrate the holiday with their families. That sounded idiotic. Staff were paid to be available whenever they were needed.

Still, the fact that the club was closed today gave him an idea. If he went to the club, the administrative offices would be completely empty. Then he could sneak into Emily’s office and, perhaps, find out where she lived. And maybe, just maybe, he could leave a few delicious surprises for her!

Chapter 11

“Yes!” Emily exclaimed, again jumping up from the sofa, then spinning in another victory dance. “They won! UVA won!”

Hendrix chuckled, leaning back in the sofa as he watched Emily’s victory dance again. Did she have any idea how her breasts danced under her sweater when she did that?

He doubted it. Emily was pretty conservative. She always wore a shirt buttoned up to her neck during work hours. And being in her home, he hadn’t seen anything to change his opinion about her nature. She was shy, but so damn beautiful that his body literally ached to hold her.

“Beat that, Mister Intimidating!” she teased, doing a moon-dance type of walk across the carpet. She then lifted her arms in the air, shaking her butt.

“If you don’t stop, I’m going to have to spank you,” he warned, appreciating all of her. Even her mocking attitude.

Emily froze mid-wiggle. She twisted around as if trying to view her derriere. Hendrix laughed, unable to stop himself. Emily wasn’t drunk. She’d had only one beer. But she was definitely more relaxed than usual. And he knew that she held her liquor extremely well. He had joined her and some of the other staff members at poker several times over the past two years. The woman knew how to play poker! And she could throw back the alcohol with the best of ‘em.

“You’re not going to spank me,” she shot back, picking up the last two beer bottles. “I’d have to break your arm if you did.”

“You think you could take me?” he asked, following her in with the second set of dishes. During half-time, she’d pulledout the food and they’d gorged on a second meal, the leftovers even better than the first time.

“Yeah,” she laughed, looking over her shoulder. “I know I could take you. And it’s your own fault. You required the staff to take those self-defense training classes after Maggie was assaulted in the back hallway.” She walked over to him, tilting her head back to look into his eyes as she patted his chest. “Poor Hendrix. You couldn’t get to her fast enough, that night, could you?”

He growled, covering her hand with his own, keeping her fingers on his chest.

“You’re playing with fire, Em,” he warned.

She froze and he watched her mouth for a pretty, sexy “O” while she realized what was happening.

“I want to kiss you, Em,” he told her, his voice rough with desire. “Are you going to stop me?”

She swallowed, her fingers curling slightly, as if she needed to feel his bare skin through his tee-shirt and sweater.

“Do I look stupid to you?” she whispered back.

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