Page 11 of Roots of the Wicked

Chapter Six

Chase

My anxiousness to see Jax again had worn me down, despite me pouring a decent amount of effort into my wait. It wasn’t that I hadn’t met ambitious, assertive women before, or ones that mirrored my drive in business, it was definitely something else that drew me to her.

All girls—or women for that matter—had to know was my last name, and they would hunt me down, like I was a rare diamond on legs. Not Jax. I had never had to chase a woman. Not even when I was a skinny, pimply teenager. Jax had left me at the elevator the first time we met and appeared ready to shove me out of her office the second time.

There was no doubt about it, I had piqued her interest but she hadn’t made any efforts to call or seek me out. Her dismissal had enticed me to pursue her with the same ferocity as I had taken control of Swift Capital.

Her impression led me to believe that she was as noncommittal as me, and it would make our fling, when we had it, scorching hot, fast moving, and lust fueled. A smile tickled my lips thinking of the sinful things we’d do together. Passion stirring kisses, clothes ripping frenzies, and blazing hot sex, on the bed, on the floor, against the walls.

Had I imagined our heavy sexual chemistry? No way. It was palpable, hardy. The constant thoughts of it made me tamper with these wires in this large, and well-secured mechanical room filled with computer components I couldn’t name. After all, it was my company, if I wanted to yank this wire or tug at that cable.

Immediately after my deliberate sabotage, half of the tenth-floor lost connectivity to the network. I requested that Travis contact NG for help, and specifically asked that it be Jax that showed up. My behavior was definitely juvenile, but I didn’t care. I had a demanding need, and I was determined to fulfill it.

Moments later, when she entered the building, the prospect of seeing her sent a buzz of excitement vibrating through me. After an elevator trip and many questioning side-eye looks from the staff at my unannounced return, I reached the secured door that would lead me to her. I keyed in the six-digit code and stepped back into the small entranceway which led to the room housing our network hardware.

I eased into the room, inching closer to the sound of tapping keystrokes. A twinge of guilt sparked at the notion that she was attempting to fix what I had purposely broken.

“Will you save me the trouble of running numerous diagnostics and point out the area you obviously tampered with?”

She hadn’t acknowledged me with so much as a backward glance while she spoke. Hadn’t even slowed her quick fingers as they danced across the keyboard. I stood at her back a few feet away, stamping down my urge to reach out and touch her. She had drawn me in so fervently, only a determined effort, kept me in place as I relished the feel of absorbing her warm energy.

“I’d—”

“I take my job seriously, Chase.” She had cut me off. “If you wanted to see me again, you should’ve tried harder. You already knew I wasn’t easy the first day we met. Besides, you didn’t have a problem showing up at my office, unannounced before.”

She glanced back, a smile peeking at the corner of her lips and highlighting her piercing. “I will admit, I did like the potted lavender clematis vine you sent me.”

She stood and spun on me, her quick movements surprising me before she glared up at me. The smile vanished abruptly. A serious edge stiffened her body and a hint of frustration sat in her clipped expression. She was in no way afraid or intimidated by me.

“You are fearless aren’t you?”

“Not entirely,” she answered. “Everyone has their kryptonite, Chase. Even me.”

Her admission of having weaknesses, surprised me, as it was in contrast to her aggressive nature. However, it was the haunting glint in her expression when she said it, that caught my attention.

Apparently, she was my kryptonite. My actions since meeting her was proof that she had weakened my resistance to stay away from her.

“In all honesty, I didn’t think that you would have taken my call.”

A smile surfaced, but disappeared with a blink.

“I would have accepted it, just so I could turn down whatever you proposed, and I would have been nice about it too.”

My hand ran up her arm and stilled at her elbow, the touch surprising me as much as it did her. Touching her here, in a way she had not given me permission to, gave her a legitimate reason to report me to human resources, but I was convinced she wanted me as much as I wanted her.

The raw sexual chemistry sizzling between us couldn’t be ignored. There was also a tingly spark that caressed me like a glove, a different vibe from what I felt sexually. It was the same spark that had reached across my boardroom and lured my attention her way.

Her gaze was aimed where my hand caressed her silky skin. The connection was so charged, it heightened my senses. The telling notes of goosebumps on her flesh, revealed that the same spark I experienced, had touched her too.

She looked at me. I stared at her. The stare off was awkward until it settled, and I let out the long breath I was holding. She exhaled, her warm breath washing over me.

“I’m attracted to you Chase, I won’t lie, but as far as I’m concerned, we’re only meant to be business associates. First, I don’t do the media, ever, and they follow you around like lost puppies. Second, it would be bad for business. Third, you’re not accustomed to not being in control, and I’m not wired to be controlled. So, we would never work no matter our attraction. Fourth, I will not be your fetish, the cure for your curiosity, the main topic of discussion among you and your rich friends.”

I knew early on to be selective when seeking relationship goals from my family. My mother and father were as different as night and day and barely spoke to each other. They got along well enough, but their relationship, when I was old enough to figure things out for myself, wasn’t loving. Blake would tell me often that they were divorcing, but it took years before that happened. Eventually, they stopped pretending, started doing things without each other and even moved into separate bedrooms.

While my father spent his time trying to groom me into a replica of himself as a control freak, it was my mother who would speak words of wisdom so fierce, I was left with no choice but to hear and heed them.

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