Page 23 of Hate Notes

My eyes flicked over her before I could stop myself. The dress wasn’t the problem. It was the woman beneath it I was having trouble with. “I’m annoyed because you showed up here and threatened everything I’ve worked so hard for.”

“Really?” she said, laughing slightly. “By talking to a client of yours who had no idea we’re connected at all? Or do you mean by…tempting you.”

The last two words came from her full lips in such a sultry purr that I felt a deep, not entirely unpleasant stir between my legs.Fucking hell…

“I have a reputation to protect,” I said, holding my ground as she seemed to continue drifting closer to me.

“And you think I’m a threat to that?”

“I think you’re a distraction,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

Her eyes widened slightly, and for once, she seemed at a loss for words.

The tension between us grew, thick and heavy. I could feel the heat of her body, the faint scent of something floral lingering in the air. I could almost imagine how it would feel to run my hands down her body, drinking in every last curve as I pulled her against myself.

“Orion,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Before I knew what I was doing, I reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She didn’t pull away. If anything, she leaned closer.

“I should fire you,” I murmured, my voice low and rough.

“Fire me?” she breathed. “You never hired me. Remember?” Her lips curved into a faint smile.

Her words hit me like a spark, igniting something I’d been trying to suppress all night. I closed the distance between us.

My lips pressed against hers in something that was tender and hungry. The first kiss lingered for several seconds, then her tongue slipped into my mouth and my hand cupped the back of her neck, pulling her closer.

For a moment, everything else fell away.

Her lips were full, soft, and perfectly warm against mine. Her tongue timidly lapped out again, touching my lower lip in a soft, exploratory swipe as her hand curved inside my suit jacket and around my back.

I felt her chest pressing into me and the bulge of pressure between my legs hard against her body as she breathed out, the tension in her body melting against my touch.

Then, with a sharp breath, I pulled back, reality crashing down like a tidal wave.

“We can’t,” I said, my voice firm.

Her brow furrowed. “Why not?”

“Because I’m your boss now,” I said, stepping back. “And I don’t kiss employees.”

“Who says I accept your job offer?” She asked. The way she was already breathless after only a few moments of kissing made me want to cup her face and kiss her again. It made me want more. I wanted all of her, and I knew I couldn’t go down that rabbit hole if I wanted to keep focused on what was most important.

“I’m offering you a great position, and you would be a fool to refuse it. You’ll work under Moira in client relations. You can use the skills you demonstrated tonight to help us secure contracts. In fact, we have the perfect opportunity for you—one that could land Foster Real Estate the biggest contract in our eight-year history. One that could firmly put us at the head of the real estate companies in all of Manhattan.”

There was a spark of something in her eyes. Desire? Opportunity?Fear?I couldn’t put my finger on it, but sheswallowed her words, stepping back and extending her hand toward me.

“I accept,” she said.

For the briefest moment, I felt a pang of regret. A man with less control might have let things play out tonight andthenoffered her the job. A wiser man wouldn’t have offered her the job at all, considering the way her mere presence seemed to wake all my long suppressed emotions.

I took her hand, mine swallowing hers up like a child’s as I gripped it and shook. “Welcome to Foster Real Estate, Ember. And… this never happened. It can never happen again, either.”

“What can never happen again?” she asked. If it wasn’t for the flush in her cheeks and the sheen of moisture still on her lips, I could’ve almost believed the kiss never happened.

I nodded. “Good girl.” I caught myself as she smiled wickedly.

“Ohh.. Good girl, huh?” she asked, taking one corner of her lower lip under her front teeth. “I could get used to hearing you call me that.”

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