Page 21 of Her Prince in Disguise
Okay, she’d already had a one-night stand. But she couldn’t do it again, because that would definitely fall into the “fling” category. One night was a mistake. Two nights was a fling. And flings were bad, especially when the man she was having a fling with could destroy her career. Of all the stupid things she could have done, sleeping with her boss had to be at the top of the list.
“When did the first box arrive, Andi?” Laith asked.
Andi heard the softening of his tone and stiffened, glancing warily around at the other men in the room. Did they all know that she’d spent most of the night with him?
With a mental sigh, she turned back to Laith. “The first box arrived just before Harold asked me to sit in on the meeting to brief you on the quarterly financial data.”
His eyes sharpened. “That was the morning that Martin Bloomberg got into an accident and couldn’t attend the meeting.”
Andi hadn’t made that connection yet, but at his words, her jaw dropped. “You can’t honestly think that someone hurt Martin just so that…” she paused, shaking her head. “Towards what end? They couldn’t have known that Harold wouldn’t be able to…” she trailed off, worried now.
“That neither Harold nor Martin have a clue what’s happening with the financial data that they are supposed to be in charge of?” Laith finished for her. He huffed a bit, one dark eyebrow lifting in question. “You don’t think I’m unaware of what’s going on right in front of me, Andi?”
Andi swallowed hard, not sure how to respond.
Thankfully, Laith just brushed by it. “So, you received a mysterious box the same morning that you were to step in for your former supervisor.”
“The two can’t be connected,” Andi asserted firmly, but with a hint of wariness. Was it possible? “That’s too big of a conspiracy theory for it to be true.”
Laith didn’t respond. Instead, he looked over her shoulder at the other men, all of whom were listening intently. “Get someone to Andi’s office and retrieve the box. We’ll analyze the contents of that box along with this one. I know that youdidn’t find fingerprints on this one, but maybe the…artist…for lack of a better word, wasn’t as careful on his first try.”
“Why do you assume it’s a man?” she challenged, even though she’d assumed so as well.
Laith’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at her. “Because the doll holding a whip in the diorama is male.” He moved closer. “And the other doll in the scene looks remarkably like you. Which is why my team will be guarding you going forward.” Laith paused but before Andi could voice her objection, he continued. “In fact, I think you should move in with me for the time being.”
Andi was so shocked by this suggestion, it took her several moments to process what he’d just said. And even after she’d processed, she still wasn’t sure how to respond. Stay with Laith? Be with him all night and, because they worked together, all day? The thought was too delicious! Mentally, she’d never be able to recover from that level of twenty-four hour proximity. Already, her emotions were involved. Andi wasn’t the type who could have sex with a man, sleep in his arms and breathe in his scent, and then just walk away. She wasn’t made that way.
“Absolutely not!” she snapped, rejecting the idea as firmly as possible. “I’m not moving into that…whatever it is that you stay in.”
Laith opened his mouth to argue, but then he registered the men standing silently behind her. Immediately, he snapped his mouth closed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. Then he reached out and placed a hand on the small of her back. “Let’s discuss this in private,” he grumbled.
Andi pulled back, not wanting to be alone with Laith. Not after last night. And especially not when he smelled so incredibly delicious! Already, her thoughts were wandering down a path of sexual possibilities and that wasn’t good. Not for her heart and definitely not for her career.
They were already halfway out the door when she pulled back, stopping and stepping away from him. “No, there’s nothing to discuss. I’m not moving in with you.”
Laith’s jaw clenched but Andi didn’t wait for him to respond. Instead, she turned and looked at the man who seemed to be in charge. Absently, she noted that none of them seemed to be more muscular than Laith, but that was a dangerous comparison, so she pushed it out of her mind.
“The first box that was delivered to me is stuffed into the filing cabinet behind my desk.” She gave him her office number. “I don’t think that I saved the wrapping paper that it came in, but the scene should give you enough clues. Especially when you compare it to,” she paused and looked over at the box on the table, “whatever is in that one.”
Then she turned and walked off. Andi was patting herself on the back for being professional and succinct. Until she felt a firm hand grip her upper arm. Before she could pull away, Laith pulled her towards the office at the end of the hallway.
“We’re going to talk this through,” Laith grumbled in her ear.
Jonas, sitting at his tiny desk, glanced up as Laith dragged her by. But Laith didn’t look at his assistant. Instead, he continued into the corner office and slammed the door shut.
If Andi had been witnessing the scene, she would have assumed that the person being dragged into the office was about to be fired. Which might account for the triumphant smirk on Jonas’ face.
However, as soon as the door was closed, Laith kissed her. His mouth was hard and demanding on hers initially, and as soon as their lips met, Andi melted. Her hands dove into his hair, pulling his head closer. Her mouth devoured his as she pressed herself against him.
Unconsciously, Andi’s hands moved to his belt, fumbling with his buckle. But when that proved too complicated, she simply unzipped his fly, then sighed when she wrapped her hands around his erection. For several moments, she stroked him, feeling as if she might die if she didn’t get him inside of her. Now!
He clearly felt the same way, because his hands were just as busy, pulling her skirt up around her waist and ripping off her panties. Andi had no idea where the satin panties went, nor did she care. All she knew was Laith picked her up, then set her on the desk. She mindlessly wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him closer, desperate to feel him inside of her.
Since she was still stroking his shaft, Laith grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand out of the way. Then Andi felt his erection against her core and she whimpered as need surged through her. Andi pulled her hands free, then gripped his hips, pulling Laith closer, shifting slightly so that she could accept him more easily.
When Laith pressed into her heat, Andi nearly cried out in relief and happiness. He absorbed her cry into his mouth,kissing her hard, gripping her hips to pull her right to the edge of the desk.
They remained like that for one, breathless moment, staring into each other’s eyes. Then Laith started moving, his thrusts sure and confident. With every bit of friction, Andi gasped, her body arching against his. “More!” she pleaded, rolling her hips so that his movements helped her climb towards that elusive wave of intense pleasure.
