Page 35 of His Rules

“Oh, yes. How could I forget the other taboo aspect of this entire tryst. Then there’s the issue of you also pissing off your father if the two of you are doing a little dancing under the sheets.”

“Trust me. There won’t be a repeat of our horrible act.”

“You certainly didn’t say horrible the other day.” She was using her singsong voice, which had pissed me off when we’d been in high school. Now it practically pushed me into going ballistic. I was certainly a little too angry at the world when I’d just landed what could be the job of my dreams. “In fact, I think the term you used was finger-lickin’ good.”

“You’re incorrigible. Stop acting like a bitch.”

She fanned her face, acting as if I’d hurt her feelings. “I’ll have you know I’m speaking only the truth. Plus, your eyes were glassing over that afternoon. You are playing with an entire forest fire at this point.”

“Please don’t tell me not to get burned. I don’t think I can take it. Dad doesn’t think working for him is a good idea.”

“That’s because it’s not. I don’t know what happened with Sebastian and his wife, but that should give you a clear indication he’s not good relationship material.”

“We’re not having a relationship. It was one night. One… fabulous night. Okay? Happy now?”

She sipped her martini, eyeing me over the rim. “Well, maybe he can be a boss with benefits.”

We both laughed until I caught something from the corner of my eye. “Oh, no. Is that man following me?” Why was Sebastian even here? Butterflies were already swarming my stomach.

My bestie followed my line of sight, whistling appreciatively. “He is one hot man. I’ll give you that.”

“Hot and cold. Not the best combination.” Without realizing what I was doing, I slunk down in my seat for a few seconds. Oh, no. I refused to be embarrassed around a man like Sebastian. He didn’t deserve the satisfaction.

“I don’t know. I’ll do him.”

“How many boyfriends have you had in the last two years?”

She waved me off, still watching as Sebastian and a male companion headed toward the bar. At least with the time being twilight and the lights already dim inside the bar, it was likely we could remain anonymous.

“This will be a completely professional relationship. Nothing more,” I continued, but knew somewhere in the back of my mind I was fooling myself. He had the ability to make my mouth so dry it felt like tiny pricks of icepicks going after my throat. I swept the tip of my tongue across my bottom lip just to add some moisture.

He was dressed entirely differently in dark pants and a Henley shirt, both accentuating every long line of muscle.

“You just licked your lips. You can’t tell me you don’t have a thing for that man,” Stephanie pushed.

“Nothing at all.”

“You’re lying to yourself.”

“I think we should go.”

She glanced toward where the two men finally landed, the only two open seats at the bar. “That’s fine. I need to get up early anyway. However, you do know you’re going to be forced to walk right past him. Right?”

My palms were instantly sweaty. How and why did the man have that kind of an effect on me? Was it the forbidden zone we were in? Was it because he was quite possibly the hottest man on the face of the earth? “That’s fine by me.” I stood, peering down at her with a winning smile.

“Okay. Whatever you say. You go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”

Stephanie was purposely making me do the little walk of shame, no doubt craving seeing just how embarrassed I could get. We used to do this kind of thing to each other all the time. Only we weren’t kids any longer. This was real life.

I held my head high as I took cautious steps toward the bar, unable to take my eyes off the man. The bartender had already brought both men drinks and they were talking casually, obviously enjoying each other’s company. He wasn’t paying any attention to me and I became determined to walk by without being noticed.

The area where I needed to pass was crowded, the group of men pushing their way deeper into the bar forcing me to step to the side.

And closer to Sebastian.

His rich and exotic scent wafted into my nostrils, the hint of the dense woods mixed with notes of citrus adding to a series of electric sensations dancing through me. As hard as I tried not tolook into his eyes, I was drawn into them as I’d been before. They were dark and seductive, pulling me into a sweet haze of lust.

I likely would have gotten away with managing to continue walking past had my bestie not jerked my arm, her attempt at slowing me down having a completely different effect.

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