Page 42 of Forget

He sat behind a glass-topped desk sporting five different computer screens, and a complicated keyboard that looked as if it could control satellites in space. The desk dominated the massive room that took up half a floor in one of Melbourne’s premier office suites in upmarket Collins Street, not far from his penthouse. All sleek chrome furniture and black stone floors, the office exuded professionalism and success. And the owner of this IT giant sat in the middle, incredibly delectable in a suit.

She’d stopped by to pick up her ticket for the awards ceremony tonight and to give him a last-minute rundown of everything she’d done to ensure the event went smoothly. Not that she’d had a lot to do over the last week, mainly follow up calls and chase down elusive caterers, but Brock had asked this favour of her and she’d wanted to ensure she did a stellar job.

There’d been a downside to her agreeing to help him. She hadn’t seen him at all, what with getting her business off theground and overseeing the planning for the awards night. They’d talked several times, brief, business-focussed calls that left her wondering if she’d imagined the night he’d finally opened up and told her about his family.

As for their proposed two-week fling, getting physical with the sexy geek had fallen by the wayside too, courtesy of their manic workloads. She initially resented it and wondered if he’d asked her to help with the awards night as a way of pushing her away. But during those calls when they’d discussed their respective progress, she’d heard a hint of something in his tone, the odd flyaway comment that alerted her to the fact he was just as frustrated as her with their lack of physical intimacy.

She had grand plans to remedy that tonight after the formalities were over.

‘Sorry about that, the call went longer than anticipated.’ He grimaced and stood, interlocking fingers and stretching overhead, making his shirt ride up and gape, revealing a tantalising sliver of tanned abs she’d explored in great detail with her mouth.

‘No worries.’ Heat suffused her cheeks and she forced a smile, hoping they weren’t a giveaway to her licentious thoughts. ‘I wanted to let you know everything is set for tonight, down to the last detail.’

The dent between his brows that had been present during the phone conference disappeared as he rounded his desk and advanced upon her. ‘I can’t thank you enough for doing this.’

‘It was nothing…’ Her breath ended on a hitch as he stepped in close, slid his arms around her waist, and brushed a kiss across her lips.

‘What was that for?’ she whispered, swaying towards him involuntarily.

‘For being you.’

He pressed his lips against hers again, more demanding this time, and the greedy yearning that had built over the last week from their non-contact exploded into a storm of fire and heat.

Her fingers scrabbled at his shirt for purchase as he deepened the kiss, his tongue plunging into her mouth with precision and familiarity. Possessive. Taking control. Showing her exactly how much he’d missed her too.

She didn’t care about the makeup that had taken an hour to apply. She didn’t care about the artfully arranged up-do that had taken as long. She cared about tearing the suit off his body, hiking up her cocktail dress, and straddling him on the desk.

As his mouth trailed from her mouth to her neck, she became aware of an odd beeping, insistent and relentless.

‘Fuck,’ Brock muttered, straightening but holding onto her waist, giving her time to regain her wits. ‘I have to go.’

Disappointment doused her like a bucket of iced water, sending a chill sweeping through her. Of course he’d instigate a stupendous kiss then withdraw completely.

Cursing under his breath, he strode to his desk and picked up his phone, stabbing at the screen to silence the alarm. ‘I need to pop in to the hospital to pick up the tickets for tonight.’

His scowl did little to detract from his good looks. ‘Mum was supposed to courier them over but she forgot and she’s visiting Dad tonight so asked me to swing by.’

Annoyed he hadn’t told her this earlier so she needn’t have popped in and could’ve gone directly to the function centre, she struggled not to hide her frown. It baffled her why she needed a ticket in the first place considering she’d been the primary organiser of this event for the last week, but Brock had insisted that the best way to keep an eye on proceedings was as a guest, not just standing in the foyer.

‘Shall I meet you at the venue after you pick up the tickets?’

Panic flared in his eyes before he blinked, making her wonder if she’d imagined it. ‘No. Now that you’re here, we can go together.’

His audible reluctance made it sound as if she’d be accompanying him to a full body wax session.

‘Okay.’

He hesitated, as if second-guessing the wisdom of asking her to accompany him, but she wouldn’t make it easy for him.

‘Ready to go?’

‘Ready as I’ll ever be,’ he muttered, sliding a finger between his collar and his neck. ‘Seriously, Jayda, thanks for helping me out with this. It’s bad enough I agreed to attend as Dad’s proxy but being asked to help organise it threw me, and you really came through in a big way.’

She flushed under his admiration. ‘It was nothing. I’ve organised countless events like this for my folks.’

At least for this one the attendees wouldn’t be fleeced for personal gain.

‘Shall we go?’ He held out his hand and she slid hers into his as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

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