Page 43 of Serving the CEO

“Jessica, some of Riggio’s social media is…problematic.” The wariness of Jami’s voice pulled me out of my head, and I looked up from my computer, hoping it wasn’t obvious I’d been thinking about anything but work.

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” She turned her phone around and showed it to me.

I glanced at the screen, then did a double-take, wincing. “We’re going to pass on her, I think. Just send her a form rejection.” Blatant hate speech on her social media wasnotsomething I wanted in any author I picked up.

“Gotcha.”

A knock at the door had us both looking up. “Derrick…” I mentally cursed, reminding myself I needed to call himMr. Thomaswhile we were at work, but it was too late. “What can I do for you?”

“May I come in?” he asked politely.

I lifted my eyebrow, the courteousness in his request slightly surprising. “Of course. This is your company.”

“This is your office,” he pointed out, stepping inside. “Someone had pointed out, several times lately, that I’m overly arrogant. I’m trying to be a bit more well-behaved.”

“And you thinkknockingis the way to fix it?” Jami asked.

A muscle jumped in his jaw, but he only smiled. “It’s a start, I hope.”

“What did you need, Mr. Thomas?” I asked, cutting in before Jami could say something else.

His eyes flicked to mine, then moved to Jami. “I’m actually here to speak with Ms. Griffin.” He turned to her. “Mr. Danbridge is on a conference call with Drew, and he’d like you to sit in on it.”

Her eyes widened. “Me?”

“Yes. Mr. Danbridge has been very clear in his displeasure that you’re not working on his project anymore and has asked that you at least help advise when possible.” Derrick’s voice was cool, but professional. “If you’d rather not, I can pass those wishes along, but you did invest a great deal of time on the book.”

Jami shot me a look, and I saw the excitement in her eyes. “Go on.” I looked at the notes for the other projects on my desk. “These can hold.”

She all but jumped out of her chair. “Is Mr. Wolff in his office?”

“He is.”

I thought Derrick would follow her, so I was surprised when he closed the door behind her…and locked it. He turned to lean against it, eyes heated as he studied me.

“Don’t you need to join in on the call?” I asked.

“You did hear me say Danbridge isn’t happy with me, right?” He pushed away from the door and came closer, moving with a smooth grace that made my body tighten. “As a matter of fact, he’s one of those few people who talk to me bluntly. You’d like him. He was very upfront when he told me I was an arrogant little prick.”

I managed to keep from laughing. “Ah…I guess that’s why you’re in a bad mood.”

“I’m not in a bad mood.” He circled the desk, and shocking the hell out of me, he knelt down. “I’ve been in a state of permanent sexual frustration ever since you stormed into my office and told me off. It’s gotten worse every damn day, and then you put your hands on me at the club. I can’t stop thinking about those pretty fingers on my dick, Jessica.”

I grabbed onto the arms of my chair and squeezed to keep from reaching for him. There was no way he was going to do what I thought–

“I want to return the favor.” He dipped his head and kissed my knee through the long, loose flow of my skirt. “And I’m going to do that right now unless you tell me no.”

“I…right now?” Petrified, I looked at the door.

“It’s locked.” He reminded me as he slid his hands up my calves to my knees, my thighs, higher and higher until my skirt rucked up over his hands, the fabric pooling high on my thighs. “I haven’t heard a no.”

I gasped as he hooked his fingers in the waistband of my panties.

“Lift up.”

I did, and the soft growl of approval that escaped him had me choking back a whimper.

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